Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
I know. This is me giving your annoying personality a chance.
Ha! You’re gonna have so much fun, you’ll want to spend all your time with me. Then I’ll have to tell you that you’re suffocating me and we need a break.
Regretting this decision already. I’ll pick you up at 6:15.
I’ll be waiting.
Fuck, what am I doing? I asked myself, then cut the lights and promptly fell sleep.
Stepping out of the shower the next morning, I heard Mark’s voice in the kitchen. He’d finally made it home. Better late than never. Knowing there might be an argument, I quickly dressed, then asked Hailey to come down and watch cartoons with me. Bree looked grateful as we passed by them during what sounded like an intense moment.
When their voices got louder, I turned up the volume and kept Hailey occupied. I just hoped Mark realized how much Bree and Hailey needed him. He wasn’t a bad guy, and Bree knew what life with a trucker entailed, but I wished they could meet halfway.
Eventually it turned quiet upstairs, and I figured either they weren’t speaking or they needed alone time, so I took Hailey along on my errands. When we returned, Bree and Mark were all smiles, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.
Now my pulse thrummed as I drove to Jesse’s place. I was surprised to see him waiting outside on the stoop, and as soon as his mouth broke into an infectious grin, I couldn’t help smiling back. It was only slightly awkward on the drive to the theater as we made small talk about my sister and niece as well as our work schedules. I found myself staring at him a bit too hard, mostly in disbelief that we were doing something alone together. Something that didn’t involve bumping and grinding.
“What’s up?” he asked in a hesitant voice. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“I think it’s because I rarely see you without makeup.”
“Do you hate it?” he asked, patting his pale cheeks.
“Not at all. You’re striking both ways,” I admitted. “I’m sure you already know that.”
“I do,” he replied tongue-in-cheek, his skin flushing. “But it’s nice to hear you say it.”
We parked and waited in line to get our tickets, and it was already showtime once we got to our seats. Tommy had a minor role, but it was cool seeing him make an appearance on stage, and Jesse thought so too because he clapped excitedly and grinned.
His reactions were raw and real, and I envied Jesse that. I found myself watching him more than the actual production. Our elbows were resting together, and every time our arms brushed or he gripped my wrist to point something out on stage, it made my skin prickle. When he’d have a visceral response to a certain scene, I held my breath as much for him as for me, warmth flooding my stomach.
I figured it was because I hadn’t allowed myself to actually relax and enjoy myself with an attractive guy in a long time, not since he who shall not be named. So in a way, it was like starting all over again. Just being friends with Jesse—flirty, fun friends—was beginning to appeal to me, and that was scary because it meant I needed to trust my intuition again.
“Careful, Dane. You might actually have some fun,” Bree had said when I was leaving.
After the show, we waited to congratulate Tommy, who thanked us for coming, and then we were back in the car and I was driving him home. I considered asking if Jesse wanted to stop for coffee or a drink, but that might’ve moved this night solidly into the date category, and I was all for just processing one outing at a time. Not that there would be any more, but at least I had gotten to the point where I didn’t dread seeing Jesse.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly dread all the time. He still knew how to push all my buttons, and even though this evening was actually a break from all that, I still needed to remain on guard until I unpacked everything new I was feeling.
“Thanks for inviting me. It was awesome,” Jesse said, clutching the door handle. “You sure you don’t want to come up? I’ll even let you—”
“No, I really shouldn’t. We shouldn’t,” I said in a warning tone, even though I could feel the flush moving across my skin. “Thanks for coming. It was fun.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” He winked. “Admit it, you like hanging out with me.”
“Never,” I replied, trying to keep my lips in a neat line. “You’re still annoying as hell.”
He folded his arms. “What is so annoying about me?”
I waved my hand in his direction. “Your stupid laugh, your absurdly smooth skin, and those ridiculous cheekbones that could cut glass.”