Free Friendship on Fire by Melissa Foster Page A

nodded.
    “That’s all I ask,” Josh said.
    Riley’s legs shook and she held her breath as they stepped over the edge of the platform and onto the train. Josh held her arm in one hand and put the other firmly across her back long enough for her to find safety hanging on to a metal pole. She didn’t mind that there was no place to sit. It gave her a reason to stand closer to Josh, and with her nerves tied in knots, she needed the security of being close to him. An older woman read the newspaper; her silver eyeglass frames slipped down her nose every few seconds, and she’d wrinkle her nose, then push them up with her finger, and repeat the act again a minute later. At the far end of the train, a group of high-school-aged kids gathered, laughing and smiling. Riley marveled at their ease. Why am I so nervous? The seats were packed tight with people whose eyes were locked on the floor before them.
    Each time the train stopped, more people got off the train, and by the third stop, Riley wasn’t as nervous. She watched women and men in groups and alone, and the longer she watched, the more she realized that the subway was a way of life in New York. It was like taking the bus through Weston or Allure. She looked up at Josh, who was watching her intently, and she couldn’t believe he’d take his time to help her through her fear. Then again, this was Josh Braden, who, as a fifth grader, had given his lunch to a boy who had dropped his tray in the school cafeteria. She’d almost forgotten about that incident, and as she looked at his handsome face, she realized that the boy he’d been was likely very similar to the man he’d become.
    After the next stop, they settled into the hard seats, and soon there were only three other people on the train with them.
    “It smells a little like cigarettes and stale food, but you can’t smoke in here, can you?” Riley asked.
    “It’s from the people. Pack enough smokers into any confined space and you’re bound to have some residual odor. I close my eyes and imagine the rumbling beneath me is a roller coaster, or a toboggan, and then I can actually smell it,” Josh said.
    “You can smell the crisp air of a snowy mountaintop? In here?” Riley asked with a smile.
    “I’m a designer. I can design anything in my head. Then all I have to do is convince my brain to believe it. Try it,” he said.
    Riley closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
    “Think about being back home. Remember that hill behind the high school?”
    Riley nodded.
    “Remember as a kid how everyone would sled all day when they closed the schools? Pretend you’re there.”
    Riley knew exactly where he was talking about. The problem was, every time she and Jade had gone there, they’d spent half the time pretending not to stare at Rex and Josh. As she tried to force the smell of the Colorado winter air, thoughts of Josh brought the smell of Clive Christian cologne. Riley felt her cheeks flush.
    “Is it working?”
    “Better than I’d imagined,” she said. When she opened her eyes, the last person was stepping off the train. “This is the Brooklyn Bridge stop. Isn’t that the last stop?” She rose to her feet. “Don’t we have to get off?” Why are you still sitting down?
    “Everyone thinks this is the last stop.” Josh rose to his feet and put one strong arm around her waist, pulling her against him. “We’re all alone. No eyes, no ears.”
    He lowered his mouth, and Riley nervously rose on her tiptoes to meet him. Last stop? Where are we heading? The minute their lips touched, her anxiety fell away. She’d trust him to take her anywhere. When he deepened the kiss, she couldn’t imagine how her legs were still holding her up. The train lurched to the side, and they drew apart. Josh held the metal pole with his free hand, stabilizing them, clutching her close with the other.
    “See, there’s no reason to be afraid of the subway,” he said. “Just be smart. Were you nervous?”
    Only about being so