Chapter 24. And Then I Met You (2)

[2019, March 5th]

James looked to his side at the confused, scared young woman next to him. He took her hand into the crook of his arm as he started walking to cross the darkening alleyway. The bright summer sun coloured the horizon in deep shades of gold, orange and pink, lending beauty to a painful moment. James felt like he was doing something wrong as she looked up at him with a creased forehead. They were in the middle of the road when she stopped. Her feet refused to keep going. Bart and James exchanged glances. James gave Bart a nod, urging him to keep going. Then he turned to face Zoey, laid his hands on her shoulders and asked, “Ready?”

She shrugged her shoulders slightly under his hands.

“Let’s do this,” he said, taking her hand again, this time into his own.

When they reached the other side of the street, James brought Zoey to Aaron.

Ugly, true, uninhibited jealousy ripped through Aaron. He hadn’t meant to be so aggressive, pulling their hand