by Blair Holden
“So now that you’re done daydreaming about me, have you thought more about what you want to do to Nicole?”
“I wasn’t daydreaming!”
“You were looking at me with hearts in your eyes; I’d say you came pretty close to it.”
I’m right and she knows it but who would Shortcake be if not a little firecracker.
“Please, like I’d ever be interested in you.”
Oh we’re going to have so much fun with that.
I move in closer from where we’re both sitting cross-legged on the ground. And I know I just said that I want to take things slow, but there’s nothing wrong with a little harmless fun, right?
I push out of our way the books that no one’s studying from and the dishes, because my lady does get impressed by my cooking skills, and invade her space for the second time today.
“You want to try saying that again?”
And there it is again, the look in her eyes that tells me that my nearness does something to her, and if it’s anything close to what I feel then my job just got a whole lot easier.
“I . . . I—I . . .”
“Think Cole is a sex god.”
I move away just to give her enough space to breathe but not to be totally coherent.
“You don’t need to say something for me to hear it, Tessie, I know you, and I know that’s what you wanted to say to me.”
And guess what? She nods.
Score!
The moment she realizes what she’s said, her fiery temper makes a comeback and she lunges for me. I sprawl on the floor laughing my ass off as she tries but in vain to hit me. I don’t help my case by not being able to stop laughing and she gets up, making sure to quickly collect her stuff and heads right for the door.
“Come on, shortcake; don’t get mad, I was kidding.” And that would sound a whole lot more believable if I could manage to keep a straight face on for more than five seconds. She’s getting increasingly embarrassed if the color of her cheeks is anything to go by and when she leaves, I’m on my feet, ready to chase her and apologize.
But she stops at the top of the stairs, causing me to run into her. I’m about to ask her if she’s changed her mind when I realize what it is that’s caused her to come to a halt. Jay’s on the phone with someone standing at the entryway to our house, at the bottom of the stairs. He doesn’t hear us approach and I feel Tessa backing into me, like she doesn’t want him to notice her. I’m immediately on guard because I know the kind of dynamic the two of them have is also changing, especially after the incident with Hank.
I’m prepared to let Tessa hide in my bedroom until he leaves but before I can do that, the idiot literally destroys any chance of me actually considering him a decent human being.
“Yeah man, I’m really going to have to work to get that scholarship. The last thing I need is to end up a loser like Travis O’Connell.”
Tessa stiffens, her entire body locks up and the hurt is so very evident on her face. She’s protective of her brother, to the extent that she’d go head-to-head with anyone who dared insult him. He’s her weak spot and I’m guessing Jay just majorly screwed up.
“Tessie.”
I don’t want her to hear any more of this because I know what’s about to come is uglier. Jay doesn’t really let his true colors show when he’s around people, but when he gets the opportunity? He’s an absolute asshole and even though it would help my case, for Tessa to see him for who he is, I don’t want her getting hurt.
But she refuses to move, daring me to even try to take her away. So we stand there together and listen to the train wreck of a conversation.
“That guy’s a total screwup, even Coach says so. He had everything and he lost it because he was too stupid to write a paper.”
He pauses and then spits out the most disgusting thing I’ve heard from him for a while now. “I wonder if Jenny’s still single. She’s just a couple of years older and she used to be so hot.”
The fact that he’s brought up Travis’s old girlfriend and is talking about her the way he is, the girl who ditched him when he was at his lowest and very publicly broke his heart, makes me sick to my stomach and I can only imagine how Tessa’s feeling. I don’t think she should be hearing any more of this so I try again.
“Tessie, come on; let’s get you out of here.”
And she lets me because she’s hurt. She’s hurt because she’s starting to realize that the idea of the person she’d built in her head for so long, who she truly thought Jay was, has drastically changed and I know it can be a lot to take in. She’s clung to him for so long, for the feelings she developed for him when things were completely different that I know it’ll be painful for her to let go. But I’ll be there for her every step of the way.
***
In the security of my bedroom, I kneel before Tessa, who’s sitting on my bed, her face ashen. I take her hands in mine; my only priority is to make her feel better and not gloat. Because I’m not getting a kick out of how she’s stumbled upon Jay’s true nature or just realized the fact that he isn’t Mr. Perfect.
“He crossed a line; he shouldn’t have said all that. I’m sorry, shortcake.”
It seems as though it takes her a while to process it but she surprises me by agreeing.
“I know a lot of people think that Travis is a loser but I never thought Jay would be one of them.”
She’s upset and has every right to be but I’m relieved that she’s realized this. Jay’s toxic for her; the minute she lets go of him, she’ll realize just how much better off she is without being hung up over him.
“You think you know him but he’s not Mr. Perfect, Tessie, he’s a good guy but he’s got flaws too, flaws you don’t want to see.”
She doesn’t disagree.
“Come, I’ll take you home.” I give her a small smile, one she returns that makes my heart do a weird somersault kinda thing inside my chest. And as we leave my room, I feel as though, just like the incident at the cafeteria, something massive has shifted between us.
And I can’t wait for how things unfold for us now.
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