30. Guy Collector
thirty
Guy Collector
“ Y ou did what?” Jasmine shrieks at me.
I lean closer to the computer screen. “I kissed Nathan.”
“You kissed him, or he kissed you?” Taryn asks.
“He kissed me, but I didn’t stop him. And then he kissed me again when we went running.” I glance toward the door. As soon as I could catch them both online, I Skyped Jasmine and Taryn to tell them what was going on and ask for advice.
“Who saw?” Jasmine asks, leaning closer to the screen. Behind her is a window with a view of waving palm trees and a strip of sandy white beach. I would give almost anything to have spent the last two days there instead of where I am now.
“Gage, my mom and...I think Jacob.”
“So you like Nate now?” Taryn sounds confused.
I hesitate for a minute, but there’s only one way to answer that question. “No. Not that way. He’s sweet. Cute. Not a bad kisser, but no, definitely no.”
“Then how did you let this happen?” Jasmine jumps in.
I close my eyes, the depth of my stupidity sinking in. “That’s the worst part. I didn’t let this happen. I made it happen. I asked Nate out.”
“Whole story, now!” Jasmine says.
I glance around, hoping no one is close enough to hear. “I was mad at Gage, for the thing at the drive-in, and mad at Jacob for butting in all the time, or not caring or—”
Jasmine cuts me off. “Wait, why were you mad at Gage? The thing at the drive-in was between the two of us.”
“She was mad because she wants every guy for herself,” Taryn says. “This isn’t even about Jacob anymore. It’s about Jess collecting all the guys she can find, proving that she can get any guy she goes after.”
I'm shocked. Taryn never talks to either of us like this. She never talks to anyone like this. “Taryn, that’s not it. I just—” I protest, but she cuts me off.
“I gotta go. We have family stuff going on tonight. It’s Christmas Eve.”
“Merry Christmas.” I say, but she’s already gone.
“Wow. What’s with her?” Jasmine says.
“I don’t know.” I have a crazy pit of guilt in my stomach, like maybe Taryn is right.
"Weird," Jasmine shakes her head, like she's shaking off the weird. “Did Nathan give you a present?”
I hold up my wrist, showing her a thin bracelet made of twisted gold strands.
“That’s not a friendship bracelet,” Jasmine points out. “Of course, neither is this.” She holds her wrist up to the screen so I can see her bracelet, rose gold with little hearts all over it.
“Wait. Where did you get that?”
“Gage. Just before we left. He came over and we sort of made up. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is, but I thought after Gage tried what he did in the car you were done with him.”
“What do you think he tried?” Jasmine looks confused.
Now I’m confused too. “I thought he tried to push things too far, physically.”
Jasmine looks down for a second. When she looks up, she seems different, more vulnerable somehow. “Not physically. Emotionally. He told me he thought he was falling in love with me, and I kind of freaked out on him.”
That takes a second to process. That doesn’t sound like Gage or Jasmine. No wonder she freaked out. “He told you he loves you?”
“Falling in love, so maybe not quite.” She adjusts her bracelet without looking up.
“And now, now that you two have talked things out and made up?”
“I dunno. Maybe I’m falling in love with him too.” She breathes in and then talks fast before I can say anything. “It’s stupid though, right? Because he’s leaving and it can’t be anything. I won’t do the distance thing.”
“Jasmine. I don’t know…"
“Yeah, me either, okay.” She takes a breath. “But we weren’t talking about me being stupid in love. This one’s about you. Where is Nate now?”
Part of me is dying for more details about Jasmine and Gage's sudden relationship, but I barely have the brainpower to analyze my love life, much less theirs, so I let it go. “On his way back to the airport. They're spending Christmas in South Carolina, but flying back for New Years.”
“And Jacob?”
“He’s staying here. He couldn’t get the time off.”
“So, let’s see, you have a week to make Jacob forget you kissed his brother and fall madly in love with you, or find someone else for Nate by New Years.”
The depth of everything I've done makes my heart heavy. “Something like that.”
Jaz shakes her head like I’m a hopeless cause. I’m starting to believe I am. Someone calls her in Spanish. “Sorry, gotta go. I have to get ready for Midnight Mass. I’ll think about your little problem and get back to you. In the meantime, try not to kiss anyone else.”
“Thanks a lot,” I answer. “Merry Christmas.”
“Feliz Navidad.” Jasmine says. “Talk to you soon.”