Josie had been anticipating the weekend ever since the hike. She hadn't seen August since, but he texted her every day. It was weird, but she couldn't wait to see him again.

She was extremely nervous for dinner at his house. The address he sent was in a really nice neighborhood, and she could only imagine how classy and posh his friends would be.

The closer she got to the time to leave, the more she began to doubt that agreeing to go was a good idea. She was going to stick out like a sore thumb. Why would August invite her in the first place? Just as her thoughts began to take over, August texted her.

I'm excited to see you this evening. My friends can't wait to meet you.

When Josie arrived at the large house, she had to make sure to keep her jaw from dropping. Did he own this place? The house was massive, almost castle like. To her, it was way too much for one person. She couldn't imagine trying to clean something so big.

She knocked on the door, looking down at her outfit. She hated dressing up. There was nothing she hated more than dresses and skirts, but she had made an effort, not wanting to make a bad impression. She was wearing skinny jeans and a nice sweater.

"Hello, Josie," August greeted, and she sighed in relief when she saw he was also in jeans and a white button down. His feet were bare.

"Hi, August. I made homemade chocolate chip cookies," she said softly, handing him the platter and fighting back the blush as his eyes soaked her in.

"I'll take those," cheered a tall, lanky man with pale skin. He took the plate from August. "These smell amazing. I'm Max," he held out his hand and she grasped it tentatively.

"I'm his boyfriend, Levi," said another man who was even taller, but not quite as tall as August. Josie felt like she was surrounded by giants. Levi was quite the opposite of Max with an olive complexion and very fit body. They were cute together.

"You can't have cookies until after dinner," Levi said to Max, taking the plate away from the pouting man.

"Come on Josie, we were just having drinks in the kitchen," August said, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her through the expansive house into an equally expansive kitchen.

It was modern with state of the art everything. It was a dream to be in. She loved to cook, and she loved that there was so much space to make a mess.

"Max and Levi brought Pinot Noir, would you like me to pour you a glass?" August asked her, almost gently and it surprised her. He seemed to be relaxed and comfortable in his own space, surrounded by people who clearly cared a lot about him.

"No, but thank you. I don't drink," she murmured bashfully. She was always the odd one out.

August was not really shocked by this new fact. Josie wasn't a typical girl, and he was drawn to the things that made her stand out from a crowd.

"Not at all?" Max asked curiously from where he was perched on a stool behind the massive island. His seat was pulled as close to Levi's as possible and Levi was rubbing his back.

"Not at all," Josie answered with a small smile. There was something so genuine about Max that made conversation effortless. Levi was a bit quieter, but not as broody as August.

"Your options are orange juice or water then." Was that a smile? There was no way August was smiling at her. It crinkled his eyes and made him look young and carefree. Josie thought she was going to melt on the spot.

"Water is fine. Thank you, August."

She was so polite and sweet. August hadn't remembered a time when someone made him feel like this. It was so raw, intense, yet so real. It felt like he was finally living.

"Dinner is in the oven. I made chicken parmigiana," August told her in a perfect accent.

"You're in for a treat. August cooks amazingly," Max smiled.

"Why don't you and Max go sit in the den. Levi and I will get the table ready," August said down to Josie. He knew she and Max would get along great, she just needed a little push and a little space to help her open up.

"Are you sure? I can help," Josie insisted, a bit nervous to move away from the familiarity of August.

"There's nothing for you to help with. It'll just be a few minutes," August lowered his voice, trying to be as reassuring as possible.