Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jude
The sky was purple and orange by the time we passed the city limits on our return home. We’d spent most of the day by the river talking and hiking through the park. Miraculously, we only ran into three other people while we were there. It was like being in our own private wildlife preserve, and when Max pointed out how late it was getting, neither of us wanted to leave.
“I don’t want to go home.” I heard Max mutter over the rumble of the motorcycle engine at a stop light three blocks from my building. I tightened my grip around his midsection and squeezed. A minute later Max was parking the bike behind the building in the tiny yard we had there.
This time when I got off the bike I didn’t feel dizzy. What I felt was an absence. The feel of my arms wrapped aroun
