44. Coraline
44
CORALINE
The morning after is always a gamble. Though I’m not sure it’s still called the morning after if you have sex that morning.
Either way, it could be awkward or weird. A minefield of unspoken questions and potential regrets. But as Jasper and I get dressed and head out, there’s a surprising lack of tension. Maybe it’s the morning light filtering through the trees or the lake lapping at the rocky beachfront. Or maybe it’s just him.
Regardless, I feel good. Content.
Jasper hands me a helmet as we step out into the garage, the humidity already warming the air. I take it, my fingers brushing against his, and a spark of electricity passes between us. Our eyes meet, and a small, secret smile plays on his lips.
"Ready?" he asks, his voice low and intimate, meant only for me.
I nod, slipping the helmet over my head. "Ready."
We climb onto his motorcycle, the powerful machine rumbling to life beneath us. I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing myself against his back. The vibrations rumble against my core, reminding me that she’s crossed that finish line several times in the past twenty-four hours. It’s the delicious kind of ache.
The ride back into town is exhilarating, the wind whipping past us as we weave through the forested roads. Jasper's body is solid and warm against mine, and I can't help but tighten my grip, pressing myself closer. The memories of our morning together play through my mind like a movie reel, and I feel a flush creep up my neck that has nothing to do with the summer heat.
As we enter the outskirts of town, a strange feeling settles over me. It’s like we’re crossing an invisible boundary, leaving behind the freedom and intimacy of the lake house and reentering the real world.
A world where Jasper and I are fake dating. Where we’re not exploring the connection between us for real.
Jasper pulls into the Reaper compound, parking his bike next to my car behind the clubhouse, and cutting the engine. The sudden silence feels heavy, laden with things unsaid. I climb off the bike, my legs a little unsteady as I hand the helmet back to him, our fingers brushing again as he takes it.
I half-expect to feel embarrassed, like I’m doing the walk of shame, but the clubhouse is quiet. The only person we passed was the Reaper manning the security guard house, and he barely glanced our way. The lack of reaction is oddly reassuring, like what Jasper and I did last night is our secret, tucked away in the quiet corners of this place.
There's a charged silence between us, not uncomfortable but heavy with the weight of unspoken words.
“Before you go,” he murmurs, getting off his bike and stepping closer, “one more thing.”
He takes me by surprise, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. Before I can react, he dips me in a dramatic sweep, his other hand cradling my neck. The world tilts, and for a split second, I feel like I’m floating. Then his lips are on mine, warm and insistent, and I melt into the kiss.
It’s a public display of affection that feels both bold and perfectly right. His mouth moves against mine, tender and possessive, and I lose myself in the moment, forgetting where we are, forgetting everything but the feel of him.
When he finally sets me back on my feet, I’m breathless and a little dizzy, a giddy smile spreading across my face. His lips curl upward in a self-satisfied grin.
"What was that for?" I ask, my voice coming out breathier than I intended.
His grin widens, and he tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my skin. “Just reminding you that this thing between us? It’s real, baby. Don’t forget it.”
My heart skips a beat at his words, at the conviction in his voice. Part of me wants to melt into him, to stay in this moment forever. But the rational side of my brain kicks in, reminding me that we're standing in the middle of the Reaper compound.
And we’re both playing parts.
I take a step back, my smile softening. “I won’t forget,” I promise. And I mean it.
“Drive safe,” he says, brushing his fingertips over my neck. “I’ll see you later?”
I nod, still caught up in the haze of our kiss. "Yeah, later."
He gives me one last look, something soft and unreadable in his eyes, before stepping back. I climb into my car, my fingers tingling from where he touched me, and start the engine. As I pull away, I glance in the rearview mirror, watching him walk toward the garage. The sight sends a flutter through my chest, a mix of anticipation and something deeper, something I'm not quite ready to name.
The drive to the bakery is uneventful, the familiar streets blurring past. But before I get there, my phone starts ringing. I glance at the screen and see Evie’s name and gorgeous photo.
“Hello, my gorgeous cousin,” I answer.
“You want to tell me why I just heard from my husband that my cousin was spotted making out with a Reaper in the courtyard of the compound. And not just any Reaper, but the very same man who, and I quote, was a big-dicked asshole .”
I snort. “That doesn’t sound like something I would say.” I definitely said that before.
“I’m sleep deprived, not an idiot.”
I hear baby noises in the background, and I jump on that like the adorable squishy life raft she is.
“Is that my favorite girl cooing to me? Tell her Auntie Cora is coming to visit soon.”
“Not-uh. I don’t think so, Coraline Josephine Carter.”
A laugh stutters out of me. “Are you full-naming me at eight o’clock in the morning, babe?”
“Oh god, it’s only eight? I thought it was like noon,” she laments.
“Hey, you let me know when you want me to come steal my favorite baby away so you can take the most epic disco nap.” It’s an offer I repeat often. I’ll take any and every chance to snuggle Evie’s adorable daughter.
“Don’t distract me, Cora. Back to the matter at hand. What happened to sleeping with the enemy?” she huffs.
I pull into my parking spot at the bakery and put the car in park. “Is that a movie reference?”
“No, those are the words you told me when I first started seeing Nova,” she deadpans. I imagine the little furrow in her brow.
“Oh well. I still maintain that.”
“Hey,” she protests.
I shrug. “What? I love you, so I’m allowed to be protective.” Nova St. James might be her husband now, but he was a playboy once upon a time.
“Well, I’m doing the same,” she says.
“Yeah,” I hesitate, biting the inside of my cheek. “But this is different.” I don’t even know what different means in this context. Different because it’s supposed to be fake, but nothing about the last couple days really felt fake.
“So was Nova,” she counters.
“And Bane and Silas,” I drawl.
“Exactly,” she shouts like I just made her point for her.
I shake my head, huffing a laugh. “Okay, what are we even arguing about again?”
“I don’t really know,” she says, laughing.
“I don’t know either.”
She sighs, a wistful noise. “Tell me what’s going on. I feel so out of the loop with you.”
I sigh through my nose and take a sip of the iced coffee I picked up to buy myself a few seconds. I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t even know what the truth is anymore.
“We’re together.”
“Explain,” she snaps.
“Jasper—that’s his real name by the way?—”
“I know his legal name, Cora.” Evie sighs with impatience.
Guilt pricks against my breastbone like a fresh needle. “Yeah, well, I didn’t.”
“But I thought you two dated already?” Her voice is hesitant, like she’s afraid of saying the wrong thing
“It was complicated then.”
“And it’s not now?” she asks.
“It’s less complicated now.” It’s easy really. Black and white, no room or need for any gray area.
We’re fake dating for an unconfirmed predetermined amount of time, to stave off my ex and his mother’s matchmaking skills.
That’s it.
Right ?
“Okay,” she says, dragging the word out. “Well how long have you two been seeing each other?”
“A few weeks?”
“A few weeks!” she yells. The baby cries, and Evie makes that shushing, calming noise immediately. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Auntie Cora scared mommy, but I won’t raise my voice anymore. I don’t want to scare my best girl. No, I don’t.” She uses that baby talk tone of voice, and on anyone else, it’s grating and strange. But not my cousin. I swear there is a biological component to it because I’ve found myself slipping into the same tenor and speech pattern when I’m around her perfect baby too.
“I just want you to know that I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me about this sooner.”
It takes me a minute to realize she’s talking to me because she’s using the same cadence and high pitched tones.
I sigh, guilt compressing my lungs. “I’m sorry, Evie. It’s just new, and to be honest, I’m a little embarrassed about the way I acted before.”
"You mean declaring for the whole world that you wouldn't touch him again if it meant winning Miss Universe, adopting a pack of puppies, and receiving a lifetime supply of Nutella?" Evie quips, her tone equal parts amused and exasperated.
I wince at the memory, my cheeks heating. “Yeah, that. In my defense, I was drunk and heartbroken at the time. You can't hold the things I say under the influence of tequila and despair against me."
“Yeah, well. You can still talk to me, you know. Just because I had a baby doesn’t mean that I’m not still me .” Her voice sounds soft and a little wobbly.
My heart aches a little bit. “You’re right. And I’m sorry.”
She sniffs. “It’s fine. I already forgave you.”
“You’re an incredible mom, you know.”
She sniffs again. “I can be an incredible mom and best friend at the same time.”
“The literal best,” I confirm, nodding.
She exhales. “Okay, now that we’re past that, tell me everything. I’ve got twenty minutes before I have to feed her again, so start talking.”
I take another sip of my coffee and launch into the fastest recap of the last few weeks, sticking to the highlights and the good stuff. My smile grows wider with every gasped exclamation from my cousin.
Sharing the details of my rekindled connection with Jasper, even if I left out the fake dating part, makes it feel more real somehow. Like saying it out loud to someone else solidifies it.
I hang up twenty minutes later, feeling lighter and happier than before.