Chapter 16
Jason
Vanessa thinks I’m going to lose it, but I’d never give her the satisfaction.
Somehow, by the grace of the man upstairs, I pull all that emotion into the center of my body and release it on a shaky exhale.
I must admit, if I didn’t know what she was up to, this latest stunt would have me seriously questioning her grasp of basic dating norms. Touché, Vanessa. Tou-fuckin-ché.
“How’d you know?” I whisper.
“How’d I know what?”
“How’d you know I needed this?” I stare off into the distance and sniff.
“All these years, I thought I was alone.” With a deep sigh, I sift through the book.
There’s a page with an actual paper ruler so you can measure yourself.
Jesus Christ. “Now I know there are people out there just like me. Trying to navigate life with this…thing that’s more than anyone should have to handle.
” I glance at Vanessa’s face—her eyes are bulging and her lips are parted.
“It’s so heavy, sometimes my back starts aching.
” I flip through the table of contents. “Huh, I wonder if there’s a section about that?
So yeah, thank you. Seriously. I’m going to start reading it tonight. ”
She swallows. Hard. “Oh, I’m glad you, uh, think it’ll be useful.” She tries to sneak a peek at my crotch. “It was a guess.”
“It was a good guess, then. For obvious reasons, it’s a touchy subject, but since you raised it, now I don’t have to be nervous about your reaction if we ever get to that point. Not that I’m assuming we will.”
Now she’s blushing furiously, and oh man, I’m enjoying the hell out of her discomfort.
“Well, I’m, uh…I’m glad,” she croaks out.
“Somehow, you’ve pushed me out of my comfort zone and made my birthday special. So thank you.” I take her hand, trying very hard not to laugh. “Listen, duty calls for now, but when can I see you again?”
She tilts her head and considers me for a moment. “You still want to?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Huh. Okay. Well, I’m going to a cookout this Saturday. For my new office. One of my coworkers is hosting it. I’ll hardly know anyone, and the food will probably suck because it’s a potluck, but you’re welcome to come with me. We can be awkward and uncomfortable together. How does that sound?”
“Sounds perfect.”
She jerks her head back. “It does?”
“Haven’t you figured it out by now? Anyplace with you is where I want to be.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” she says, looking dazed. “I just thought social stuff isn’t your jam.”
“It isn’t, but I’ll suffer through it. For you. And I’ll even bring a dish so you don’t have to.”
“That’s…very kind of you, Jason.”
I point over my shoulder. “So, uh, I need to get back there, but you’ll send me the details about this weekend?”
“I will.”
“Great. Take care,” I say, then press a kiss against her forehead. “And thanks again. For everything.”
I chuckle to myself as I wait for the traffic light to turn red. When I look back at Vanessa, she’s still standing by the table in the park, her eyebrows squished together as though she’s working something out in her head.
I fucking love this. And I’m not even done.
Eric’s mouth twitches the moment I enter the store. “So that’s Vanessa.”
“That’s Vanessa.”
“She’s Black.”
“And a woman, Captain Obvious.”
He has the grace to look embarrassed. “Sorry. I was just picturing someone else when you said she was Puerto Rican.”
“We come in all sizes and colors, man. You’re from NYC, you should know that better than most.”
“I’m ashamed to say I went with the default.”
“Let me guess: Jennifer Lopez.”
“Exactly. I’ll have to think about why that is. But anyway, I can see why you’re into her.”
“Don’t even, man. You helped her with all that shit.”
He throws up his hands and makes a shrugging gesture. “I didn’t know. All she said was that she wanted to make your birthday special.”
“No, she wanted to annoy the hell out of me.”
Eric’s eyebrows shoot up. “Why would she want that?”
I sigh. “Because it turns out that she’s not really interested in me. Her sister is.”
“I’m not following.”
“The sister has a crush on me, and they’ve come up with this stupid-ass scheme they think is going to send me running to her. Vanessa’s supposed to be the poisonous asshole. The sister’s the antidote.”
“Fuuuck,” he says, holding his chin as he steps back. “How’d you even find out?”
“Denise overheard them talking about their plan at the couples shower.”
“Yo, that’s wild.”
“Yeah, it is. So now I’m messing with Vanessa, too, and she has no clue.”
“Why not call her out?”
“Because if I do, it’ll blow up Cami’s wedding plans. Denise is about to kill Vanessa’s sister as it is. Plus, my mother’s harassing me about finding someone to settle down with. She’s not impressed with Vanessa, so as long as she’s around, my mother’s going to leave me alone.”
“Why wouldn’t your mom throw some women your way, then? To get between the two of you.”
“Because the last time she tried to dissuade me from dating someone, it backfired.”
His chin lifts in understanding. “Elyse.”
“Yeah, Elyse.”
“So you’re just messing with them now?”
“Exactly.”
“Look at you, being all devious and shit.”
“Yeah, I’m even surprising myself.”
“Well, on a serious note, I’m sorry. I had high hopes for you two. I thought she was a person you could move on with.”
“She isn’t.”
“Then be careful,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “If you take this too far, you might catch feelings anyway.”
“Not gonna happen. Trust me.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
Yeah, I’m not catching feelings for anyone. Vanessa may be interesting, despite the bananas scheme she’s committed herself to, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever fall for her. I have way more sense than Eric gives me credit for. And I’m the one who’s in control of this situation. Full stop.