Dream With Me (With Me Book 4) (9 page)

Griff tugs on my hand, and we cross the street, passing a pizza joint and a tattoo parlor. Rounding the corner, we hit the familiar cobblestoned streets of Church Street.

“It’s busy, even for a Saturday night,” I say.

“All the colleges graduate around the same time, so there’s that,” Griff says. “And it’s still pretty early.”

“And it’s a typical date night.”

His fingers tighten on mine. “It is.”

“We might not be able to get into any of the places.”

“We’ll find something,” he says confidently. Most of the shops have already closed, but music streams out from the various bars and restaurants we pass. It’s not cacophonous in the slightest. It somehow all flows together in an unexpected way.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” he says. “I thought we’d walk and see what our choices are . . . and then pick whatever we liked best.”

“No firm idea?”

“None whatsoever.” Griff and I stop as a family comes out of Sweetwaters, one of the restaurants on Church Street. “You sound surprised.”

“I am. I always thought that you seemed like you’d had a plan and weren’t . . . a ‘let’s just go with the flow’ type.”

“I’m usually not,” Griff admits, turning to face me. “I do have a routine, but I think most of us do. You always came into class with your iced coffee—five minutes ahead. Not too early, not too late. There was one week you missed sophomore year when we had American Lit in the fall. I think you had the flu?”

I nod in response. He noticed me like that? He remembered when I was out? “I do like my coffee,” I say with a laugh. “And every time I arrived in class, you were already there, Mr. Punctual. I’m surprised you didn’t make the boat cruise.”

“I’m glad I didn’t,” he says with quiet intensity.

My throat goes tight with longing; my heartbeat buzzes in my ears. “Me, too.”

“See anything you like here?”

I look at the menu posted outside, even though I’m pretty familiar with it. “Sweetwaters is always great. It looks crowded, though.” And I don’t want to go into a restaurant just yet. “Why don’t we keep walking? Maybe we should look at all the options and then decide like you suggested.”

“Sounds good to me. I do have some good ideas.”

“True. You do have
some
good ideas,” I tease back.

Griff playfully nudges me, and I can’t help but grin in response. Everything about him is surprising me. Who knew that Griff had a sense of humor? What else don’t I know about him? And does he think this about me, that I’m not like he expected?

We don’t know each other—well, we know each other
that
way, in the carnal sense. But every preconceived notion I had of Griff is being shattered, and I can’t help but think about that night freshman year. It seems like Griff likes me presently, but why did he say that about me back then? Why has he acted as if he doesn’t like me every time our paths have crossed?

Why did it take one week until we’re supposed to graduate, to . . . talk? More than talk, really. I don’t have any of the answers, and I’m not sure I will ever get
all
of the answers. But I know one thing: I’m not going to bring up the past and ruin this date.

Maybe . . . maybe I just don’t want to know that all of this—whatever this is—is just some dream.

And I don’t want to wake up.

Church Street has always been
one of my favorite places in Burlington—and not just because of the shops. Although that is a huge point in its favor. But there’s a feeling about this place, one of vibrancy and warmth and fun that I’ve always been drawn to.

When I’m having a bad day or need to clear my head, I’ll often come here and spend a mindless few hours wandering through stores. Some people go to the spa to relax. But me? I love shopping—both buying of actual things and just browsing. During the four years I’ve been at Green College, I’ve gone to Church Street on numerous occasions, both with my friends and by myself. There’s a familiarity about the place that never gets old or tiresome; I love coming here and rediscovering favorites and finding new ones. And, wow, I might actually—

“What are you thinking about?” Griff asks as we stop in front of the busy Ben & Jerry’s.

I move away from the ice cream store as people leave and step closer to a nearby bench. “I was just thinking how much I love Church Street, and I kind of realized that I’ll miss it. It’s funny . . . in a way.”

“How so?”

“Because I’ve been
dying
to get back to New York. I hardcore love that city. It’s in my blood. And it’s so . . .”

“Crowded.”

“There are a lot of people,” I say. “But I love that. I love being in the thick of things. Of feeling all that energy. And you know, New York City has its boroughs and neighborhoods and that becomes your own community.”

“Like Little Italy?”

“Yeah, like that.” We start walking again, our fingers grazing before Griff takes hold of my hand. “I’m from Manhattan, and my family lives right in the heart of it. My extended family lives either on the same block or within a few miles. The city isn’t so big that I feel like I’m alone, but I still can get away and feel like I’m the only person in the world. Does that make sense?”

Griff glances at me. “How did you end up here?”

“Here?”

“Here. Vermont. Green College. It just seems like you love New York so much that I’m kind of surprised you ended up here.”

“I wanted something different. An adventure, I guess. And when I visited Green College, I had a
feeling
. What? Don’t give me that look.”

“I didn’t give you any look.”

“Yes, you did. It was this kind of look.” I let go of his hand as I turn to him and make a disbelieving expression that perfectly mirrors the one Griff gave me. “You don’t believe me.”

“I didn’t say that. But . . . a feeling? You went to Green because—”

“Because it felt right. When we visited the college—and trust me, we visited a lot of colleges and universities—there was a click that happened here that didn’t happen anywhere else.”

“A click?”

“Yeah. A click. You never had one of those?” I cross my arms, studying Griff closely, but he doesn’t give away anything. “I can’t believe it. You haven’t? You’ve never had a feeling about something?

“When I stepped out of the car with my parents when we toured Green’s campus, I
knew
. I hadn’t even set a foot onto the lawn. It happened instantly. I unclicked my seat belt, got out, and hadn’t even shut the car door when it hit me. Green College felt like home. I just knew it was going to be where I went to college. So I applied for early decision and got in. I didn’t have to think twice. Up until that visit? I always thought I’d be going to NYU or Columbia. But I had a
feeling
and I always trust my instincts. You’ve really never had that?”

Griff stares at me for a long moment. “Three times,” he says in a low voice. “I went with my instinct last night.”

I blush, remembering what happened. “What about the other two?”

Griff turns away, his brow furrowed. We’re nearing the “top” of Church Street, and we cross to the other side. “I ignored the other two.”

“What were they?”

“Evie,” Griff says quietly, “I’m really not in the mood to talk about the other two.”

“Okay,” I say, slightly hurt for some reason.

“One of them is . . .” Griff stops in front of an Irish pub where we can hear live music playing. “It’s not great. Both of them aren’t, actually. I don’t want to ruin things.”

“Okay,” I say again and give myself an internal shake. This is supposed to be fun. “We won’t talk about it then. So, you’re not the kind of guy who goes by instincts and feelings and stuff.”

“No, I’m not. I think things through. I try to view all the angles before I make a decision.”

“Except for last night,” I remind him.

“Except for that.” Griff eyes the menu at the pub. “Does this interest you?”

I love this pub but there aren’t many vegan options from what I can see. It also looks crowded and noisy. “No,” I say and tug on Griff’s hand. “Let’s keep walking.”

“So, what are your plans after graduation?” Griff asks after a long moment.

“I’m returning to New York.”

“I mean . . . are you going to live back at home?”

“No,” I say. Despite that I’m nothing like my sisters, we get along. We don’t share our deepest, private secrets but we’re still pretty close. “I’m going to crash at Meredith’s place for a few days while I apartment hunt. I’ll be working at Transfixed as a paid intern, if you can believe that.”

“What’s Transfixed?”

I’m not surprised Griff doesn’t know of the company. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of a guy who is up on the latest trends. “Transfixed is this new makeup and skin care line that broke out in the last six months. Super popular. Lily Harlow founded it. You know who that is, right?”

“You’d have to be from Mars not to know who Lily Harlow is.”

“Right? Sole heir to the Harlow fortune? She started this company. Transfixed is going to be huge, and I get to be a part of that.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“Well, not for my whole career. I’d love to have my own makeup and skin care company. Start out small. Freelance. Build it. See this nail polish? I made it. It’s called
A Pair of Fine Eyes
.”

“You like
Pride and Prejudice
?”

“Yeah. That’s one of my favorite books. I can never just choose
one
favorite.” I catch Griff’s curious, arrested look and feel myself blush. “Secret’s out, I guess. I’m a huge bookworm.”

“Well, like I always say, you can’t trust someone who doesn’t read.”

“Exactly. What about you?”

“Like you, I can’t choose. I read everything.”

I raise my eyebrows. “
Everything?
Even romances?”

“Yes.” Griff just gives me a look. “You have a problem with that?”

“I love them,” I say.

“Well, so do I.”

I’m not sure I believe him. “Name one you love.”

He scoffs. “That’s impossible. I can’t name just one. But I like Loretta Chase, Nalini Singh, and Nora Roberts, to name a few.”

Some of my favorite authors, too. “Hmmm. I might sort of believe you. Because any true reader can never just name one favorite book. We have many. Depending on the day or my mood, the list changes.”

Huh. Who would have thought that Griff would read romances and like them? Not me, for sure. I stop in front of a food cart that’s selling tacos and soft drinks. “Why don’t we try this place?”

“You want to get something from here and not a restaurant?”

“Tacos sound great. And they have vegan options. While sitting down and grabbing a bite sounds nice, it’ll take forever to get seated and then get food. Besides, I have a
feeling
about this taco cart.”

“You do, huh?”

“Super good feeling as in that chicken avocado soft taco needs to be in my belly. Unless you would like something more substantial?”

“This works for me, too,” Griff says.

“We can eat and walk or sit on a bench. We’ll be inside for the rest of the night, and it’s nice to not have to be inside right now.”

“Okay, tacos it is.” Griff and I look over the menu one more time before stepping up to place an order. Griff gets a bean taco without cheese or sour cream and adds pico de gallo. I opt for the taco that caught my eye, and we also get two bottled waters. I take a moment to pour some extra hot taco sauce on mine.

“Your mouth is going to be on fire,” Griff says. “Walk or sit?”

“I can eat and walk.”

“Let’s do that, then.”

I have perfected the fine art of eating tacos. No messiness here. And the chicken avocado taco is absolutely delicious and hot as hell. In other words, it’s perfect. And while my mouth is definitely on fire and I take a huge drink of water—ignoring Griff’s
I told you so
expression—it’s something I don’t regret eating. We throw our taco wrappers and dirty napkins in a nearby trashcan.

I finish my water, and we put the emptied bottles in a recycling bin. “So, what about you? What are your plans?”

“I’m going for my Master’s in Library Science at UVM in the fall,” Griff says.

“So, you want to be a librarian?”

“Yes.”

“Any specific kind? A treasure hunter kind like on that TV show?”

Griff laughs, a rich, full sound. “No, I’m not going to be that sort of librarian who treasure hunts.”

“Damn,” I say. “Because picturing you in Indiana Jones’ gear is hot.”

“Indiana Jones wasn’t a librarian.”

“Shh, don’t ruin the moment.”

“I promise if I ever go to search for the Holy Grail and fight off Nazis that you’ll be the very first person to know.”

I laugh. “If you’re not going to be a treasure hunter kind of librarian, what kind do you want to be?”

“The regular kind who works in a library.” Griff pauses for a moment and stares down Church Street, then drags a hand through his thick brown hair. “Actually, a researcher.”

“Aha! I knew it! You
do
want to be a treasure hunter librarian.”

Just then we reach The Vermont Pub & Brewery and the doors open at the top of the stairs. Caleb steps out and gestures for us to join him. “Come on, you two. We’ve got two tables by the bar, and everyone else is already here.”

“You want to go in?” Griff asks me.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

We follow Caleb into the bar—there’s no cover charge tonight—and get to the tables that they’ve managed to save. Jamie’s working behind the bar and Zelda is sitting on a stool at the counter. When she sees us, she gets up and comes over. Chloe and Taylor aren’t here yet, so I take a sec to text them before I grab an empty chair next to Griff with Hailey on my left and Daphne across from me. Daphne grabs Zelda’s hand and pulls her down to the spot next to her.

“What do you guys want?” Caleb asks.

“Give me one of these fruity things,” Daphne says, holding up her empty glass. “With extra maraschino cherries.”

“I’ll have the same,” Hailey says.

Griff turns to me. “What about you?”

“I’ll have what they’re having.”

“Ohhh!” Daphne leans forward. “We should do shots. Celebration shots for graduation.”