Chapter 10
Ten
Rain splattered the windshield as Jack and Kayla returned to his condo. “It’s perfect cuddle weather,” Jack said while pulling into the garage.
“We’re alone now, so you don’t have to keep pretending,” Kayla said.
“I’m not pretending.”
“The only thing I’m snuggling with is my Squishmallow,” she retorted.
Jack chuckled as they went inside. “You still want to watch a movie, though, right?”
Kayla shrugged. “Sure. What else is there to do?”
He could think of a few things, all strictly prohibited.
“But first, I want to change into something more comfortable,” Kayla added.
“Sounds intriguing,” he teased.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll meet you in the living room in a bit.”
Jack watched her go, thinking she seemed tense today. She must be missing her family, and it had nothing to do with him.
Jack went into his bedroom and closed the door.
Since they were staying in for the night, he decided to change, too.
He traded his khaki pants and plaid shirt for Adidas track pants and a Detroit Lions T-shirt.
If he couldn’t watch football, at least, he’d support the team in spirit.
Jack was about to leave the room when he thought of something else.
He went into the bathroom and gargled with mouthwash.
If he were alone, he wouldn’t have bothered, but Kayla was here.
She’d made it clear they wouldn’t be snuggling, but he still wanted fresh breath.
When he returned to the living room, Kayla was seated on the couch wearing gray sweatpants, fuzzy socks, and a black sweatshirt with the words, “It’s Fall Y’all.”
“Don’t judge,” she said.
He chuckled. “You look—”
“Like someone who doesn’t have plans for the evening,” she finished for him.
“I was going to say cozy, and you do have plans—with me.”
She gave him a brief smile as he joined her on the leather couch. “Do you have any throw blankets?”
“Are you cold?”
“A little.”
He opened the lid of the matching leather ottoman. “Take your pick.”
Kayla’s eyes widened. “Are these for when you have a woman over?”
“A man can get cold too, you know.”
She eyed him skeptically.
“Okay, fine. You were right,” Jack conceded.
“I knew it!” Kayla dug through the blankets and pulled out a blue crocheted one. “Ooh. This is so soft.”
“My mom made it.”
“Of course she did. She’s so … momish.”
Jack chuckled. “Is that good or bad?”
“It’s good. I like Eileen.”
“She likes you too.”
“She likes the idea of me,” Kayla argued.
Jack raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I could be any woman, and she’d like me the same. She’s just happy you have a girlfriend.”
He shook his head vehemently. “Give yourself some credit. You’re a very likable person.” Not to mention gorgeous, funny, and smart.
“Thank you.” She spread the blanket over her lap.
Jack plucked the TV remote off the end table. “What do you want to watch?” Scrolling through the offerings on Netflix, he paused at the suggested romantic comedies. He glanced over and saw her studying him. “What?”
“You’re really going to watch a chick flick instead of football?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“What would you watch if I wasn’t here?”
“Football,” he answered immediately.
“There’s more than one TV. You can still watch it.”
Jack sighed. “Has it ever occurred to you that I like spending time with you?”
“I guess so, but this is different.”
“How so?”
“It’s a holiday. Normally, you’d be with your family, and I’d be with mine.”
“Think of it as good practice for when you get married.”
Her mouth gaped open.
“Not to me, obviously. Let’s say you marry a guy named Stan.”
“Stan? I don’t even know anyone named Stan!”
“It’s the first name I thought of.”
“That’s weird.”
“Just roll with it.”
“Fine,” she huffed.
“Sometimes you’ll spend the holidays with Stan’s family, and other times, yours.”
“Why can’t it be both?”
“Stan lives in California,” Jack said deadpan.
Kayla rolled her eyes. “I am not marrying a guy named Stan from California. Besides, who says I’ll get married at all?”
“I do,” Jack declared.
“Why?”
“Because you’re the marrying type.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m not sure how to take that.”
Jack smiled. “It’s a good thing. Trust me.”
“Says the man who’s pretending to be in love with me,” she scoffed.
Jack didn’t speak, and Kayla returned her attention to the TV. “If you really want to do this, let’s watch The Holiday.”
“What’s it about?”
“Two women swap houses for the holidays. Kate Winslet goes to L.A. and Cameron Diaz goes to the Cotswold’s. They each meet someone, fall in love, and live happily ever after.”
“Way to spoil the ending,” Jack teased. “What about this one instead?” He moved the cursor to Friends with Benefits.
Kayla went silent.
“Have you seen it? Is it bad?”
“Yes, I’ve seen it, and no, it’s not bad.”
“Why do you have a weird look on your face?” Jack asked.
“Why did you pick that one?” she countered.
“It sounds intriguing.” He couldn’t tell her the real reason.
She eyed him warily.
“Never mind. We’ll watch The Holiday.”
“No, it’s fine,” Kayla said.
“Are you sure?” She didn’t look sure to him.
“It’s a funny movie, and Justin Timberlake is hot, so yeah, I’m sure.”
If she was going to ogle Timberlake, Jack regretted choosing it, but he started the movie and settled in.
To his surprise, the film captured his attention right away.
It had snappy dialogue, cool scenery, and was fast-paced.
As the title suggested, the two main characters went from friends to lovers, agreeing there’d be no strings attached.
Kayla was quiet until the first sex scene, when she shifted around a lot. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yep. Just trying to get comfortable,” she replied without looking at him.
The couch was super comfortable, which was why he’d bought it.
Jack eyed her closely and noticed her cheeks were flushed.
Is she turned on by this? He returned his attention to the screen as the characters tumbled into bed together.
Partway into the scene, Jack glanced at her again. What is she thinking right now?
When the sex scene was over, Kayla said, “Can we pause it for a minute? I’m thirsty.”
Jack had been so immersed in the movie, he’d forgotten to bring out drinks or snacks. He popped up. “What can I get you?”
“I can get it,” Kayla said and started to rise.
“Let me ... Please.” It was what a good boyfriend would do.
She sat back down. “I’ll have water, please.”
“How about some snacks too?”
“Surprise me,” she said.
Jack went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned with two bottles of water and a bowl of snack mix. He handed Kayla water and set the bowl on the ottoman.
“Wow. You really are a good boyfriend,” she teased.
“Aw. Thanks,” Jack said. He sat down but didn’t resume the movie. “So what do you think of the concept of friends with benefits?”
Kayla paused with a handful of snack mix halfway to her mouth.
“In general,” Jack clarified.
“It makes for a cute movie, but in reality, I don’t think it would work.”
“Why not?”
“Inevitably, one person would fall in love, and the other might not reciprocate. Or worse, they’d end up hating each other, and ruin their friendship.”
“Wow. I’ve never known you to be so pessimistic. Do you have personal experience with this?”
Kayla shook her head and took a long drink of water. “Do you?”
Uh-oh. Jack was supposed to be asking the questions, not her.
“Of course you do,” she deduced.
“It happened one time with my friend, Sara,” he admitted.
“How did it turn out?”
“It lasted for a few months, and then we went our separate ways.”
Kayla pointed her finger at him accusingly. “See! You ruined the friendship.”
“She moved to California,” Jack said.
“With Stan?”
He burst out laughing. “Sara and Stan are probably happily married with five kids.”
Kayla laughed. “Or she’s still pining away for you?”
Jack shook his head. “I doubt that.”
Kayla reached for another handful of snack mix. “So, how did it work? Did you just sidle up to her and ask, Hey, do you want to be my friend with benefits?”
Jack chuckled. “Not exactly.”
“What then?”
He’d started this conversation, and this was his penance. “One night, we were having dinner together and commiserating that we hadn’t had sex in a while. We were drinking and after a while—”
“Your clothes fell off,” Kayla summarized.
“Very funny.”
“Sorry. Please continue.”
“Sara complained about how hard it was to find someone who was the whole package—a good friend and lover. She claimed you could have one or the other, but not both. I suggested we test her theory.”
Kayla raised her eyebrows. “Of course she was open to it, because look at you.” Her gaze roamed over him.
“I’m no Justin Timberlake,” Jack said.
“So, what happened?”
“Sara agreed on the condition that no matter what happened, we’d still be friends. It worked for three months, until she got a job offer in California, and left.”
“Do you still talk to her?”
“No, but not because we hate each other. Our lives went in different directions, that’s all.”
“Hm.” Kayla didn’t seem convinced.
Jack grabbed a handful of snack mix, thinking that was the end of the discussion. He pointed the remote at the TV, but Kayla reached over and lowered his arm. Her warm hand made his skin tingle, but he didn’t let on.
“Would you ever consider doing it again?” she asked.
He gazed at her curiously.
Kayla interrupted his musing. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“I wasn’t talking about us. I meant hypothetically.”
Jack picked up his water and took a long drink while considering his answer. It felt like a test, and he didn’t want to fail.
“Never mind. Let’s just finish watching the movie,” Kayla said. She snatched the remote out of his hand and pressed the play button.
The conversation was over, but Jack replayed it throughout the rest of the film. Kayla scoffed at the concept of friends with benefits, but she’d seemed very curious about his past relationship with Sara. What did that mean?
In the final scene, Timberlake’s character made a grand gesture, publicly declaring his love for his friend turned lover.
Kayla smiled at the screen, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she had tears in her eyes.
That cinched it. Kayla was a true romantic.
Unlike Sara, she would never settle for a friends with benefits arrangement.
She wanted the whole package, and Jack didn’t qualify.
He wasn’t interested in romance, marriage, or having children.
At least, not now. By the time he was ready, Kayla would be snatched up by someone else.
As the credits rolled, Jack glanced at her again, and this time, tears were rolling down her face. “Kayla? Are you okay?”
She slowly shook her head.
Jack scooted closer to her and opened his arms. Kayla fell into them, and he closed his arms around her.
She sobbed against his chest while he gently rubbed her back and rocked her like a baby.
While holding her, Jack reminded himself that he was comforting a friend and nothing else. If only his body agreed.