“You apologised for being logical, there is no way you were sorry for that,” Jake says.

“Maybe I was sorry that you were being ridiculous,” David says.

There’s a long pause, and David’s suddenly worried he offended him, that Jake didn’t realise it was a joke, or —

“Jake?” David says.

“You chirped me,” Jake says, sounding delighted about it.

“I can chirp,” David says.

“Yeah, but you don’t,” Jake says. “Killer chirp, Chaps.”

“Thanks,” David says. “Don’t call me— ”

“Yeah, yeah, David,” Jake says. “Tell me about your day.”

“It was boring,” David says.

“Tell me about it anyway,” Jake says, so David does.

David’s phone is almost out of battery by the time Jake hangs up, his face sore from the smile he’s been wearing for the entire conversation.

His phone buzzes in his hand with an inexplicable testing testing from Jake, followed by seein if chaps is gonna b a better texter.

David texts back, Don’t call me Chaps., still smiling, and goes to plug his phone in.

And maybe it’s premature. Maybe it’s foolish. But David thinks — or hopes, maybe, he doesn’t know the difference — that Jake was right about them, atrocious grammar aside. That they might just have this after all.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As solitary an activity writing can be, it is never possible to finish a book without a lot of helping hands.

Thanks, always, to Alison, who is a pillar of strength I lean on. Too hard sometimes, probably. I’m so grateful to have you as a friend.

A huge thank you to Bee Kunesh, who made this book better in every conceivable way.

And to my Kickstarter supporters: Jo, Delilah, Coral Baisch, HazelPar, Phoebe, Ana CM, Rachel McMullan, Kat, L Turner, Sarah Y, Greenleaves-never, and everyone else who helped make this possible. You’re the best.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2020 Taylor Fitzpatrick

Cover design © 2020 by Jenna Lawrence

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.