8. Stone
This is what insanity looks like. I was officially insane. Standing in front of Emerson at Tony’s Pizza, daring her to let me take her home. I’d lost my mind.
If I knew what was good for me, I would let her walk away. I wouldn’t follow her into the restaurant, I certainly wouldn’t get in line behind her, and I wouldn’t ever allow my gaze to drift down to her perfectly pouty lips.
But I didn’t know what’s good for me, which is why I was standing in line with Emerson glaring at me as she chewed on my words. I thought she would reply, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned, stepped up to the cashier, and ordered two pieces of pepperoni pizza and two fountain drinks.
She paid before I could say anything. When she shoved a cup into my hand, I realized what she’d done.
“I could have paid for my own food,” I said as I followed her to the soda dispenser.
“It’s my treat,” she said as she filled her cup with ice and then pressed it against the lever under the Sprite spout. I didn’t like that. I didn’t want to owe her. I parted my lips, but she turned to meet my gaze. “After all, you helped me unload my truck.” She smiled a sly, goading smile. “We’re even.”
“I was just helping a neighbor out. If you want to get technical, the guys helped out more than I did.”
The cashier set our plates of pizza on the counter before she returned to the register to take an older man’s order.
“Well, they told me that if I paid for your lunch, we were even.” She nodded toward my slice as she picked up hers. “So… we’re even.”
She turned and headed to one of the empty seats. I should have just scarfed down the pizza and left. But impulse took over my body as I followed her. I set my plate and drink down across from her before she could protest.
She had picked up the pizza and brought it to her mouth as she watched me plop down on the seat. If she wanted me to leave, she was going to have to say the words.
We ate in silence. With my pizza mostly gone, I chewed as my gaze slipped over to her. I took a long swig of my drink and set my glass down. “So, is this how it’s going to be?” I asked before I had time to police my words.
She met my gaze, little frown lines appearing between her brows. “How what’s going to be?”
“This.” I lifted my hand and motioned between us. “You and me. Are we going to spend the next six months fighting?”
She studied me. “How do you know that I’m only going to be here for six months?”
“I know Poppy. She told me she was subletting her apartment.” Did she think I was stalking her?
“Oh.” She took a bite of her pizza before wiping her lips with her napkin. She rolled her shoulders forward as she chewed thoughtfully. After she took a drink, she glanced up at me. “How about we agree to be cordial? We’ll act like every other neighbor in the world. We nod when we see each other. We don’t have conversations that last longer than a few minutes. And when we talk, we discuss the weather, work, or the latest sitcom.” She wiped her fingers on her napkin before she extended her hand.
I eyed it. I was unsure if it was a good idea to touch her, but she looked determined that we make this pact, so I reached over before stopping an inch from her hand. “And we be each other’s ride if we need it.”
She frowned. “Besides today, I don’t plan on being stranded anywhere.”
I shook my head. “If you’re ever stranded or drunk, you call me. I will be your designated driver.” I lowered my eyes, so she knew that I was serious.
I wasn’t going to tell her that I had ulterior motives. I’d seen the way my friends looked at her. I’d seen the way drunk guys looked at her last night. If she was going to get a ride home from anyone, it was going to be me. And if she was going to be inebriated as well, there was no way in hell I was going to let another man take her home.
For my sanity, I needed her to agree.
She studied my hand. I could tell that she was weighing the pros and cons of my offer. Finally, she closed the gap, and we shook on it.
Relief flooded my body. My fight mode had been activated merely from the thought of some other guy taking her home. If she hadn’t agreed, I would’ve gone out of my mind.
We finished eating, and out of instinct, I grabbed her garbage with mine. Emerson paused like she was about to protest, but I shot her a look that dared her to fight me about her garbage, and she sighed in response. She followed as I dumped the plates in the trash and pushed through the door, holding it open for her behind me.
I could feel her resistance to that as well, but I just ignored it. I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jacket and looked both ways as I headed over to my motorcycle.
“Wait a minute.” Emerson’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
I glanced over my shoulder at her. She was standing a few feet away, shaking her head.
“I’m not getting on that.” She waggled her finger in my bike’s direction.
“You shook on it,” I said as I picked up my helmet and held it out for her.
“Yeah, well…I forgot you ride this thing.”
I feigned hurt as I ran my hand over the seat. “Don’t talk to Tabitha like that.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Tabitha?”
I nodded. “She’s my girl, aren’t you?” I changed my voice to make it sound like I was talking to a baby. I blew Tabitha a kiss and then glanced back at Emerson. She looked annoyed but hadn’t come any closer. “You shook on it, Em. Come on, you’re a woman of your word, right?”
She glowered at me. I could see her inner turmoil as she weighed her desire to keep her word against her desire to tell me off and storm back into the restaurant. I waited, allowing my gaze to be the silent dare she needed.
Suddenly, she let out a loud, exasperated sigh and marched toward me. “Only because I shook on it.”
I smiled at her as she grabbed my helmet. “That’s the Emerson I know.”
She glared at me as she shoved my helmet on her head. “There.”
“And this,” I said as I shrugged off my leather jacket and held it up for her to slip her arms into.
She flipped the visor open. She looked adorable with her cheeks smooshed together, puckering her lips. Those goddamn lips that I couldn’t stop staring at.
“I agreed to have you take me home, and I even put this on.” She motioned toward her helmet. “But I’m not wearing your jacket.”
I shrugged. “You’re putting this on,” I said as I shook it out once more. She was going to learn that I was just as stubborn as she was.
She held my gaze, but it was having the opposite effect on me than she wanted. She wanted me to take her seriously, but all I could think about was how adorable she was. And it was killing me.
“Listen,” I said, softening my voice and offering her a half smile. “My gran made me promise to wear a leather jacket when riding. I can only imagine what she would say if she found out I let a girl on my bike and didn’t try to protect her.” I squinted at her, hoping she would comply. “Help a guy out. A guy who wants to avoid a scolding from his grandmother.”
Her gaze softened as she stared at me. Then she frowned and turned to pull her hair away from her neck. “That wasn’t fair, you know,” she said as she tipped her head ever so slightly in my direction. “Using your grandma to get me to do what you want.”
I helped her as she fed her arms through the sleeves, and then I pulled it up onto her shoulders. I stepped back as she zipped up the front and glanced up to meet my gaze.
I had to fight the smile that wanted to emerge at the sight of her wearing my jacket and helmet. In this moment, she felt like she was…mine.
I cursed that thought and turned my attention to Tabitha. “Get on,” I said, my voice coming out gruffer than I wanted it to. But my tone was the perfect representation of the turmoil going on inside of me.
Thankfully, Emerson didn’t fight me. She swung her leg over Tabitha and settled on the seat. It took all my control to keep my thoughts clean as I motioned for her to scoot back.
She stared at me with a look that said, are you serious?
“Yep,” I said as I swung my leg over. She scooted as far back as she could go, like the last thing she wanted was to be pressed up against me. Her hands gripped the seat beneath her, and I flicked my gaze to them before sighing. She really was going to fight me the entire ride. I hated and loved how stubborn she was.
I gripped the handles of my motorcycle before I turned the key and started up my bike.
“You’re going to want to hold on,” I said over my shoulder. Her reply came out muffled, and when she didn’t wrap her arms around my waist, I shook my head. She was about to learn real quick. I took off out of the parking lot. From the corner of my eye, I saw her head and shoulders whip back. Suddenly, her arms were around my waist, and her chest pressed into my back. I smiled, enjoying how close she was to me now.
If I didn’t keep my focus on the road, I was going to crash. So even though I could feel the warmth of her inner thighs through my jeans, I pushed my desire for her from my head and kept my gaze trained on the road as I sped toward our apartment complex.
It came too soon, and yet, not fast enough. After I punched in the code to the garage, I let go of the handlebars and straightened as I waited for the door to open. I half expected Emerson to climb off and shove my jacket and helmet into my arms before sprinting away.
But she didn’t move. When the door was fully open, I leaned forward, caging her in as I made my way to my parking spot. She climbed off after I killed the engine and pulled back. I got off as well while she took off my helmet and jacket.
“Thanks,” she said as she handed them over to me.
“Of course.” I held the items to my chest and watched as she started to walk away. I didn’t want to end on that note, so I called out to her before I could stop myself. “Emerson?”
She stopped walking, and seconds felt like minutes as she turned to face me. “Yeah?”
I needed to say something more coherent than the thoughts running through my mind. I had so many things I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to say any of them. I cursed at my thoughts as I stilled my mind and said the first thing that came out.
“I hope that, maybe someday, we can be friends.”
I waited as she kept her focus on the ground. When she didn’t respond right away, I started to fear that I’d said the wrong thing. It was true. We’d been friends once. I really hoped we could be friends again. Was everything so broken that she couldn’t even imagine we could find a place where friendship could exist between us?
I parted my lips, ready to recant my wish, when Emerson glanced up at me and whispered, “Okay,” before she turned and hurried over to the elevator.
I lingered by my bike long after she disappeared. Part of me wanted to get back on my bike and ride until these feelings brewing in my chest disappeared. But if the last few years were any indicator of how good I was at getting over Emerson, I was going to have to ride forever.
So, instead, I decided to type a scathing text to the guys, reaming them out for ditching me with Emerson. They just sent me smiley and kissy face emojis in response. I cursed and shoved my phone into my back pocket as I clung to my jacket and helmet and walked across the parking garage to slam my fist into the up button.
I kept my gaze on the ground as I unlocked my door and walked inside. I was weak. I wanted to look over at Emerson’s place, but I forced myself to slam the door and stalk into my bedroom. After changing into my workout clothes, I grabbed my jump rope and headphones before I headed back out to the landing.
I was going to exercise until my muscles gave out. Maybe then I’d forget the feeling of Emerson’s body pressed to mine.
Maybe then, I’d forget how I couldn’t seem to forget her.