Always Us (We Were Us Series Book 2) by Unknown Page A

at?” Michelle asked as she wandered into our room.
    “Oh nothing. Lauren is bringing a date to Andrew’s party. Brandon.”
    “We’re supposed to bring a date? I don’t even know what I’m wearing yet!”
    “You haven’t found a costume?”
    “No. Nothing looks good.”
    “My history teacher made a joke about slutty nurses last week. It was disturbing.”
    “Old men talking about slutty anything is disturbing.”
    We both laughed.
    “Hello?” I said when my phone rang.
    “Hey, you okay?” It was Andrew.
    “Yes. Michelle and I were just laughing about something.”
    “Cool. Hey, I need your help.”
    “Anything for you,” I said.
    “Can you come over and help me set up?”
    “Set up? Like stock your fridge with beer?” I laughed.
    Michelle gave me a funny look, but I ignored it.
    “No.” He laughed too. “I bought decorations, come help me put them up. Please?” I’d bet a million dollars his bottom lip was stuck out in a pout right now.
    “Fine! I’ll be right over.”
    “Who was that?” Michelle asked. She’d pulled out her homework and was about to sit at the desk. She looked a little hopeful that I’d ask her to come with me.
    “Andrew. He needs help setting up.”
    “The party’s not for like two hours.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Can I come?”
    “You have homework.”
    “Yes Mom.”
    “And you need to find a costume.”
    “I’ll go do that.” She slammed her book shut.
    I watched her go and packed up my costume and my backpack. I had some homework to do, so if we finished decorating his apartment early, I could probably finish up the reading for two of my psych classes.
    The butterflies returned when I thought about being alone with Andrew. What if we are both trying to hang some orange garland over his couch and we lose our balance and he catches me and we end up kissing? What if we both reach into the fridge to straighten the beer and our hands brush and he pushes me aggressively up against the counter and claims my mouth as his, effectively erasing Josh from my memory forever?
    I did this a lot. Thought of outrageous scenarios that would probably never happen, but it was still fun to think about. I grabbed my keys and my costume and snuck down the hallway to the front door. I peaked into Lauren and Stef’s room, Lauren was studying at her desk, and Stef appeared to be asleep on her bed.
    Good. I left quietly and headed over to Andrew’s apartment.
                                                                                        ***
    I skipped down the steep steps to Andrew’s basement apartment and flung the door open wide.
    “I’m here!” I called into the empty room.
    He rented the space from some family friends so it had come fully furnished and was dirt cheap. I don’t even think he paid rent. He’d asked me to live with him over the summer, and I half wished I’d taken him up on the offer.
    The room was dimly lit with downward facing floor lamps. A black leather wrap around couch was pushed back against one wall, with a red and white chevron pillows carelessly tossed on the cushions. A large square coffee table sat in the middle of the room, topped with magazines and an abandoned game of chess. I wondered who else he’d brought down here.
    A computer desk was opposite the couch, and was littered with Starbucks to-go cups, several iPods, and a thin, silver Apple computer, now shut off and the screen blank. In the other half of the room, against the wall was a flat screen TV in front of a red leather love seat where he and I did most of our homework and general hanging out.
    I’d spent most days here during the school year last year. It was a home when the dorms started to feel too prison-like.
    “I’m in the bathroom, be right out,” he called from somewhere in the back.
    I didn’t need to know that, but that’s just how our relationship was. Comfortable. Last year we’d fallen into