The Love Square

by Jessica Calla

  “He taught me how to catch. He couldn’t afford tickets, but we’d walk by that stadium during game time and listen to the crowd. I was in there tonight, on the field, Jen. Do you think he had something to do with that?”

  “I do,” she said. “He was there too.”

  Alex touched her cheek. “Maybe,” he said. “I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep.”

  He didn’t think he could talk anymore without going into emotional overload. He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m glad you were there with me. Thank you for that.”

  “I love you,” she whispered. “There’s no place else I’d be.”

  He wasn’t ready to stop touching her and the pull was overpowering, so he pushed her hair back over her ears as she watched him in the dark.

  “I love you too,” he whispered back. He lifted his palm and used only his fingertips to trace her cheekbone because his hands were calloused and rough. She shut her eyes, and he traced her face. Over her nose, to her ears, over her cheeks.

  Then she opened her eyes and said his name.

  “Um-hmm,” he murmured.

  “Are you going to kiss me?”

  Her tone didn’t reveal whether or not she wanted him to. She was simply asking.

  They watched each other until Alex leaned closer to Jenna’s face and traced her lips with his thumb. This time, no plane flew overhead and no memories or fears entered his mind to stop him. He carefully brushed his lips against hers and moved away.

  She reacted, wiggling closer to him, and he touched her chin and tilted her face to his. When her lips turned up into a grin, he kissed her full-on, as softly as he could manage.

  It took every ounce of self-control to resist moving his hands down her body to pull her closer. But while his body was on high alert, her gentle kiss, like her friendship, calmed him in that way Jenna always did. With her, he had a purpose and someone to share his life. He had a family. He was an adult with dreams and goals instead of the hyped-up, crazy kid he often felt like on the inside.

  Soon, the gentle kiss morphed into something more. He couldn’t lose control. Not with Jenna. So he slowed down and tried to imprint the feeling of kissing her, then he pulled away.

  “Now this night has been perfect,” he whispered in her ear as he held her close. “Go to sleep, Jen.”

  She snuggled into his chest without a word, and after she fell asleep, he released her, untangled himself, and left her apartment.

  ***

  Jenna

  Jenna woke Sunday morning physically rested but emotionally confused. Alex had kissed her last night. Granted, she’d practically begged him to, but he did, and it was nothing like she’d ever imagined. When she let herself fantasize about Alex, she’d imagined him being aggressive, rushed, and a little rough, like his personality.

  But last night, he had been soft, sweet, and peaceful. Usually he ran on pure adrenaline, but last night he seemed to be on high emotion, maybe from the excitement of the weekend or the realization of a dream he’d worked for his whole life. Maybe because he missed his uncle, and even though he’d never admit it, his mother.

  Whatever the reasons, they had crossed a line—one he’d made clear he didn’t want to cross. They’d made a mistake. A thoroughly enjoyable mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. In a few hours, Dylan would be there, in her bed. The bed where she’d just kissed his best friend. Her best friend.

  Feeling disgusted and guilty, she decided to put things right before Dylan arrived.

  Scott had insisted on an early morning rehearsal because he knew Jenna would be “occupied” with Dylan for the next few days, so she put on her dancewear, threw her hair into a ponytail, and headed up to 805, where she used her key to enter. The giant digital clock on his kitchen counter glowed through the dark apartment. Five fifty-eight. He would never forgive her for waking him so early, especially when he had gotten home so late.

  She crept to his bedroom and pushed open the door. “Alex?” she whispered.

  A body shot up from under the covers, but it wasn’t Alex.

  “Jenna, you scared me. What time is it?” Yolanda poked Alex while Jenna quickly shut the bedroom door and bolted out of Alex’s apartment. Son of a bitch.

  When she was halfway down the hallway, Alex came running after her in nothing but his boxers. “Jenna, wait.”

  She spun around and glanced at his bare chest. “What?” she asked, holding tightly to all the words she wanted to spew at him, all the names she longed to call him.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  What’s up? What’s up? Asshole. “Just thought I’d say good morning,” she huffed.

  “Are you angry at me?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

  “Why would I be angry with you?” she said sweetly.

  “Well, I don’t know…last night? I mean, I was kind of drunk. I shouldn’t have snuck in on you like that.”

  Jenna stared at him in disbelief. How could he? How dare he blow me off like our kiss meant nothing? She refused to show him how much he’d hurt her. “Last night?” she asked, acting as though she couldn’t remember. “Oh that. Yeah. Ha! How dumb of us. Anyway, Dylan’s going to be here if you want to meet for an early dinner—”

  “I can’t. I—”

  “That’s better anyway,” she said, shooting venom from her eyes. “We’ll probably be ordering in.” She hoped her words hurt him. “See you at your game.” She stomped to the stairs and pushed open the staircase door.

  When she got back to her apartment, she slammed her door shut, then turned to kick it. She kicked it about ten times, until her toes hurt. Scott would kill her if she broke her foot with two weeks to go until Vegas, so she calmed down with the help of deep-breathing exercises.

  By the time she arrived to the studio for rehearsal, Jenna channeled her energy into dancing. She and Scott rehearsed for hours, focusing on the dances other than the tango. They were hoping they could place first in the tango but knew they had a decent chance of placing in the top ten overall if they could manage to clean up the details on the other dances.

  At lunchtime, they decided to break for the day. Scott walked Jenna to the train, and she told him what had happened with Alex.

  “When am I going to give up with him? Obviously, he doesn’t care about me. He goes from my bed to having Yo in his?”

  “Well, Miss Red Carpet, you’ll have someone in your bed soon too,” Scott said.

  “That’s different,” she barked. But she wasn’t sure how.

  “Alex is an idiot,” Scott said, and Jenna felt immediately validated. “You’ve known from day one that he’s not the prince.”

  “Maybe the real problem is that I’m not a princess. I expect too much, but why? So he kissed me. Big deal, right?”

  “How was it?” Jenna knew Scott would ask eventually.

  “Intense,” Jenna answered. Then she said the next word that popped into her mind. “Spiritual.”

  “Wow,” he said.

  “Yeah, wow.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “There is no plan. Not with Alex, anyway. My plan is to meet Dylan at my apartment in—” she looked at her phone, “—three hours. Take him to idiot Alex’s game, then hide him away and devour him until Tuesday. How does that sound?”

  “Delightful, you lucky bitch.”

  “Being with Dylan is going to make all this Alex stuff go away.”

  “Yeah, you keep thinking that, Princess,” he said, shaking his head.

  Jenna smirked. “Well, this Alex stuff will have to go away if me and Dylan want to make this work.” She kissed Scott on the cheek. “We are going to kick ass in Vegas. Are you bringing Dominic with you?”

  “I think so,” he said. “If he doesn’t break up with me by then.”

  “I asked Dylan to come. He’s bringing Clare.”

  “Ah, the infamous best friend. I wonder what her story is,” Scott said.

  “Yeah, me too. Supposedly she’s engaged, but I don’t get it. He ins
ists it’s like me and Alex.”

  “Well, you and Alex made out last night, so let’s hope not. Maybe she’s one of mine,” Scott said. “Maybe she’ll be as interested in you as the boys are.”

  “Maybe. I guess we’ll find out in Vegas.” She hugged him, squeezing him tight. “I’ll see you later. Thanks for listening to my saga.”

  “No problem.”

  Jenna turned to walk down the stairs to the subway, and Scott yelled after her, “If Dylan goes to Vegas, you don’t get to see him until after the competition. He’s too distracting!”

  She gave him a thumbs-up before she disappeared onto the train platform.

  Chapter 22

  Dylan

  Dylan sat at the stadium on Sunday night in awe of Alex, who stood at home plate living out the fantasy. Ever since they were kids, Dylan would sit with Alex’s Uncle Anthony and watch Alex play, first in Little League, then in Babe Ruth and high school, right into the minors. Dylan smiled, recalling the times they would sit on his porch, drinking orange soda and talking about this moment—guessing which team Alex would play on, who would be his teammates, when he would win his first World Series.

  To Dylan, Alex always managed to come out on top. He’d suffered a lot as a kid, but here he was, doing what he’d always wanted to do. How many people could say the same? How many would have been able to deal with their mother walking away, watch their beloved uncle die, and still land on their feet?

  Alex wasn’t an easy guy to love, but Dylan and Steve, and as Dylan came to realize, Jenna, loved him unconditionally. Whether he was hyped up, obnoxious, nervous, or whatever, they loved him, and they were the people sitting here, Sunday night, genuinely happy for him.

  Dylan’s flight was delayed, so he’d met Jenna at the stadium after the game started, overnight bag in tow. She wore a baseball cap, her hair in a ponytail hanging through the back, a team shirt with jeans and flip-flops, and a smile the size of New York. He kissed her and couldn’t wait to get her alone.

  But here they sat, watching Alex at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning. He worked the count into a walk, and the group clapped.

  “He’s had some great at-bats,” Steve told Dylan. “He’s not slamming it out of the ballpark, but he’s been productive. Singles, sacrifices, bunts. I think he’s going to get noticed.”

  “What do you mean?” Jenna asked.

  “Maybe he’ll end up being a bargaining chip. Under Santiago, he’s not going anywhere with this team, but they can trade him to another major league team,” Steve said.

  “Trade him? Where?” Jenna asked.

  Dylan tugged her ponytail. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen tonight.”

  She leaned closer to him, touching her lips to his ear. “Speaking of tonight,” she whispered. “Tonight’s going to be a long night. Isn’t baseball the slowest game ever?”

  “It’s taking a million years for this game to end,” he said. She rested her chin on his shoulder, and he kissed her nose.

  After the game, they pushed past the crowd down through the seats to the first row and waved Alex over. He reached over the barrier to the field and embraced Dylan.

  “Amazing,” Dylan said.

  “I didn’t do much,” Alex said.

  “Are you kidding? You were great. Seeing you out there was one of my dreams come true too.”

  “I have to go do some team stuff, but maybe you can meet me at Hank’s later?” Alex said.

  “Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “Call us when you get to Hank’s.”

  “Thanks for coming, man,” Alex said.

  “Wouldn’t miss it. I love you, brother.”

  Dylan backed away to give Jenna the chance to talk to Alex, but she turned her back and walked away through the stands. He followed her out of the stadium, and they took the train back to the apartment. When they reached her building, they stepped into the elevator, and she pinned him against the wall, kissing him deeply.

  “How long do we have?” he asked.

  “A decent chunk of time. Last night, he wasn’t back until after one.”

  The elevator dinged and they tumbled onto the sixth floor. “Oh no.” Dylan sighed. “I left my bag downstairs. I’ll meet you inside. You’re so distracting.”

  He pinched her ass and she squealed, and then he ran down the stairs. He found his bag on the ground floor and darted back up the six flights.

  She had left the door of the apartment cracked for him, so he pushed it open and dropped his bag. First, he saw her shirt on the floor, then a couple feet away, her jeans. After locking the door, he followed the clothes trail to the bedroom, where she waited in her bra and panties. Her hair hung over her bare shoulders, and he reached out to touch it.

  “You are gorgeous,” he said.

  She smiled. “You are way too clothed.”

  “I can take care of that,” he said.

  ***

  Jenna rested her head on Dylan’s chest. “Making up for lost time is fun.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “It’s almost like I never left. Why does it feel so right to be here with you? We barely know each other.”

  “That’s not true,” she said. “We talk every night. We spent five days in this bed together.”

  “Have we ever been on a date?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “We went to the premiere, we had a picnic in the park, and tonight we went to a baseball game. Three dates.”

  “I guess that’s true. I want to take you out, though,” he said. “Someplace fancy so you can get all dressed up and give me that look you do, and drive me insane and make me curse myself for ever wanting to leave the apartment.”

  “That look I do?” Jenna asked, giggling.

  “You know the one,” Dylan said. “It frazzles my mind. You’re like a sexy witch and I’m under your spell.”

  “Is it this one?” Jenna asked as she contorted her face into a silly mess.

  “Um. No. Not that one,” he said, smiling. She made a couple more faces, and he begged her to stop. “You’re freaking me out.”

  While Jenna answered a text from Alex, Dylan reached for his phone. Nothing from Clare. She must have been busy with Lucas. Why am I thinking about Clare now?

  He stood and stretched, trying to clear his mind.

  “Where are you going?” Jenna asked.

  “I thought I’d take a shower. Want to join me?”

  Jenna grinned.

  “There it is,” he said. “The look. So sweet and so naughty at the same time. How do you do it?”

  “I don’t do it on purpose, Dylan. It’s there because I’m looking at you. It’s pure lust.”

  Dylan shook his head at her choice of words. “Lust,” he repeated. “Did you know I did an ad for Lust cologne?”

  “No, but I can see why you got the job.”

  “There’s this huge billboard of me on the freeway in LA holding a bottle of Lust. Clare actually calls me ‘Lusty’ because of it.”

  Jenna stood up and wrapped her arms around Dylan. “Oh yeah? Well, Clare better keep her lusty thoughts about you to herself, or she’ll have to contend with me.”

  “Jenna,” Dylan said, feigning shock. “So jealous. I like it.” He kissed her neck.

  “Speaking of Clare, how was the art gallery?”

  “It was fine.” He moved his lips down to her shoulder and planted little kisses on it. He fast-forwarded through the events of the night before, thought briefly about the alley, and then said between kisses, “Her fiancé showed up at the end.” He needed to remind himself more than he needed to relay that fact to Jenna.

  “From Nebraska? That was nice. She must have been happy,” she said, bending her head down to find his lips.

  “Um-hmm,” he sighed into them. “You are too much. I’m going to shower.”

  The call from Alex came two hours later, just as Dylan’s eyes started to shut. He was at Hank’s with Steve and Penny. Scott and Dom were on their way, and Alex demanded Dylan and Jenn
a’s presence.

  They dragged themselves out of bed. “I don’t want to go,” she whined.

  “We have to,” he said. “Once-in-a-lifetime stuff here. We’ll go for an hour.”

  She nodded. “Promise?”

  “Promise.” As Dylan dressed, he asked, “Is something going on with you and Alex?”

  She looked at him, eyes wide. “What do you mean?”

  “I noticed a little attitude between you two at the ballpark.”

  “Oh,” she said. “He annoyed me last night, that’s all. He’s always annoying me. I’ll be nice to him at Hank’s.”

  “If he’s mean to you, you let me know. I’ll kick his ass,” Dylan said. “I’ve done it before.”

  Jenna laughed and watched Dylan through the mirror. He stopped and stared at her.

  “What?” she asked. She pulled on a short khaki skirt under her tight-fitting top and stepped into wedge-heeled sandals. “What?” she asked again as she twisted her hair up into some sort of ponytail.

  “I like being here with you,” Dylan said.

  “Me too.”

  “Do you think this can work?”

  Jenna walked to him and sat on his lap. She kissed him and touched his hair, pushing it back off his forehead. “I don’t know.” She leaned her forehead against his. “But I really like you, Dylan.”

  “I really like you too, Jenna.”

  ***

  Alex

  Alex’s heart almost stopped when Jenna walked through the door to Hank’s holding Dylan’s hand. He remembered the night in that very bar when she’d asked him to be hers. Drenched from the rain, tired from rehearsal, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, offering the most beautiful words he’d ever heard. Even after he rejected her advances, she still loved him, and he knew he wasn’t worthy.

  Tonight, she looked radiant. Her legs went on forever under her short skirt, and her top was so tight he thought he could see her ribcage. In her sandals, she was just about as tall as Dylan. Whenever he saw Jenna, he wondered how she could be so sexy yet seem so oblivious to it. Fucking Barnes.