17. JAXON
17
JAXON
Unfortunately, it becomes very apparent a few minutes into our date that Rya’s mind is elsewhere. The bite in the evening air also means she’s shivering. I exhale hard, and my breath visibly puffs out. “Fuck, it’s cold. I thought we’d get ice cream, but what about trying that new coffee shop off campus? It’s actually closer, anyway.” When she doesn’t respond, I squeeze her hand and pull her to a stop.
Her face falls as she wrinkles her nose. “I’m sorry for being distracted. I’m a terrible date, aren’t I?”
One side of my mouth twitches upward. No way am I asking a damn thing about the argument with Logan. Not yet. “Terribly cute, maybe.” I touch one finger to her cold nose. I come in close, then whisper, “I asked if you were okay with coffee.” Her rosy cheeks make her look so damn pretty and almost have me forgetting what the purpose in getting in good with her is. I shrug. “It’s fucking cold.”
She nods quickly with a smile. “Let’s do it.”
We hurry to the edge of campus and cross the street to where the new coffee shop, the Latte Spot, buzzes with activity. The name is atrocious, but the coffee and desserts are fuckin’ out of this world. For that reason, it’s quickly become a popular hangout in the few weeks it’s been open. Rya waves to a group sitting at one of the small round tables as we walk up to the counter to place our orders. I recognize a couple of them as residents on my floor who I haven’t met officially yet.
We take a few moments to peruse the list of specialty drinks on the chalkboard. She stands just in front of me, and I put my hands on her shoulders, ducking near her ear to ask, “What can I order for you?”
“Um. Maybe a vanilla latte?”
My head bobs. “You got it.” I meet the eyes of the bored-looking guy working the cash register, and it makes me uncomfortable for a moment because I could so easily be him, working long hours at this shop. Fuck my father, anyway.
The guy clears his throat. “Are you ready to order?”
Snapping myself out of my tortured thoughts, I step closer, with Rya under my arm. “A small vanilla latte and”—I gesture to the board—“a small Milky Way Delight. ”
The guy—Ted, according to the badge affixed to his shirt—nods and scrawls the order on two cups. “We’ll bring it over to you if you’re going to sit down. Anything else?”
“Sounds good.” I glance at Rya, then at the assortment of desserts she’s eyeing longingly in the case. “One of those big chocolate peanut butter chunk cookies, please.” After paying, I steer her over to a small round table in the corner.
“Vanilla, huh?” I question as I hold out the chair for her.
There goes that nose wrinkling again. It’s cute, but also does something to me. She grins at me, her cheeks pink. “Is vanilla bad? I know I’ll always like it if I order the same thing.”
“You have a point, I suppose,” I concede, taking the seat to her right. “But I think you’re anything but vanilla.” I squint, playfully observing her. “More like the drink I ordered with caramel, whipped cream, and candy bits on the top. Sweet.”
Right as I’m about to reach for her hand, ol’ Teddy boy interrupts with our drinks and dessert. I give him a smile that in guy language reads Get the fuck outta here before I bark, “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” He sets the mammoth cookie between us with two forks and delivers an all-too-interested perusal of Rya before walking away.
Ted’s lucky he didn’t say anything else. I give him a hard look when Rya isn’t paying attention. Jackass. He’s lucky I’m more interested in moving forward with her than I am fucking up his face, though I wouldn’t mind the latter at all.
I pick up my drink and blow carefully before taking a sip. Rya hasn’t tried hers yet, but she’s wrapped her hands around the cup to warm them. “Do you need sugar or anything else for your drink?”
“Oh, no. I’m good.”
I pick up the forks and hold one out to her. “Have some of the cookie with me.”
“I shouldn’t.” She shakes her head, holding her hand up.
“I didn’t say you had to eat the whole thing.” I chuckle good-naturedly. “Just a bite? So I’m not eating alone?”
Our eyes connect across the table, and she begrudgingly accepts the fork. “Okay, but if my tour-jetés tomorrow are more like tour je-fuckups, I blame you.”
My shoulders shake with amusement, and, by some miracle, a peal of laughter leaves her lips. I like the way she throws her head back, giving in to the moment. After she calms, she uses the side of the fork to break off a bit of the soft, gooey cookie, then scoops it up and into her mouth. “Mmm.” She closes her eyes, and I watch her chew while I take a bite myself, enjoying the look of rapture on her face even more than the melty chocolate and cookie in my own mouth.
Fuck, I’d better watch myself.
She sets the fork down, finally reopening her eyes to train them on me. “Okay, that was worth making a fool of myself in class tomorrow. Thank you.”
“You won’t.” My brow arches, and I scoot my chair around so I can sit closer to her, then pull out my phone. Unlocking it, I open the camera app and put an arm around her. She stares at me with her mouth partway open. I can’t help myself. I scoop her close to me and tickle her ribs.
“Jaxon!” Rya shrieks with laughter as I continue to attack her with my fingers. While she’s squirming, I press my lips to her cheek, then nuzzle my face against her neck when her giggles begin to slow, breathing her in. Fuck, she smells good. Like fucking sunshine. Citrus and vanilla and warmth. Huddling against my side, her hand splays over my chest, and she gives a sigh. She’s gonna bring me to my knees when my goal is to bring Logan to his. I don’t give a fuck. Whatever it takes.
“That’s my fuckin’ girl,” I murmur, pressing another kiss to her temple. “You could never make a fool of yourself. No way. ”
At my words, a tremor runs through her that I can feel, and she glances away, a faint smile on her lips as she picks up her vanilla latte and takes a sip. She exhales unsteadily while staring into the cup, almost like she needs a few seconds before saying anything more… and the thing is, I don’t think it was me calling her my fuckin’ girl that’s the problem, either. Meeting my gaze, she winces as she states cautiously, “I know I haven’t been myself tonight. Thanks for being patient.”
I shake my head and murmur, “You said you were okay, but you weren’t really acting like it. I don’t claim to know what’s going on, but I’m a good listener, if you need one.” At my suggestion, she draws in a breath, her face cloaked once again in the same discomfort I’d noticed earlier. I’ve obviously hit a nerve. It’s not like she doesn’t know I saw her arguing with Logan earlier. I shrug. “Anyway, I thought maybe the sugar might help. Have more of the cookie if you want.” I break off another piece and pop it into my mouth, winking.
She eyes it, a funny little grimace on her face like she’s trying to convince herself it’s okay. “I… will take you up on that.”
While she indulges in another bite, she closes her eyes. Taking advantage of that, I edge back enough so I’m able to see my phone and pull open the text message thread with Logan. This is going to piss him off to no end. I send him a photo of Rya with her head thrown back and laughing. She looks beautiful. Happy. Following that, I shoot him the one where I’m kissing her cheek, then another with her broad grin on display as I bury my face in her neck. It’s obvious these aren’t staged. That I captured the images while she was unaware I was doing so.
They get the desired result. Almost immediately, message notifications begin to come in from him, vibrating on my thigh. I smirk as I read.
I swear if you hurt her…
I will fuck you up.
If he thinks these are disturbing, he should see the other photos I have, but I’ll save those for when I need some real ammunition. I take a sip of my coffee to cover my amusement, then decide I may as well go for broke. Focusing intently on Rya, I intentionally keep my voice low. Like we’re sharing secrets. Like she can trust me. “It sounded like you and Logan were having some trouble. And… I guess I’m a selfish dick, wanting you to come out with me. But you and I have something, I think. Maybe you do with him, too, though.” I allow a purposefully regretful look to cross my face, as I pause to peer into her eyes.
Rya goes back to chewing on her bottom lip, and all I want to do is lean the fuck in and bite it for her. I’m positive I’ve given her way too much to think about, which means my plan is going exactly as I want it to.
Running her tongue over the abraded skin, she slowly nods. “Yeah. All this anger festering between the two of you isn’t helping matters, but it’s not only about you, promise.” Her frustration comes out in both her biting words and actions as she grips one thigh, clawing at it without even realizing she’s doing it. And I wonder what else is going on, because it’s clearly got her all twisted up.
I place a hand over hers to still her motion while simultaneously preparing to respond to the text with the other hand. “Look, I don’t have any idea what’s going on in your relationship, but he seemed pretty upset.” I allow a crease to form on my forehead for her to see and study the look of puzzlement on her face. As I type carefully with one thumb, I smirk on the inside.
We’re having the best time.
Thanks for loaning her to me.
She’s something else.
Fuck right off.
Where are you?
This is straight bullshit.
You’re a dick.
Does she know you’ve sent those photos?
He’s going to come unglued in about two seconds flat. I school my expression, sending him another message sure to get right under his skin.
I’m so proud of us, bro.
I guess we’re finally sharing something.
You know, like our parents want.
I squeeze her hand, my eyes roaming “Did you… break up or something? I gotta admit to being surprised you agreed to come tonight since I thought you were going out with him.”
Her lips part, and she searches my eyes for long enough that I begin to wonder what the fuck’s going on in that head of hers. Finally, she relents, her brow furrowing as she cautiously murmurs, “Jaxon. Logan and I are just friends. He’s not my boyfriend. You know that, right?”
My chest constricts around my heart, clamping down on it like it’s going to pop behind my rib cage and make a bloody mess. I clear my throat for something to do while my brain thrashes about. I scrub my hand over my face. What? I cock my head to the side. “You’re not dating?”
“No. Do you honestly think I’d be out on a date with you—kissing you—if I was with someone else?” She hesitates, her tongue poking out to skim over her lip. “Logan and I have never dated at all. I’m telling you, he’s my best friend. That’s it.” Her eyes flick away for a moment, though, betraying something she’s obviously not ready to share.
“You’re positive.”
Exasperated, she groans. “Yes, I mean he’s—” She jerks to a stop, her face going pale.
“He’s what?” I coax.
She shakes her head furiously, a deep wash of red flowing to her cheeks. “Never mind.”
Well, this is news. And fucking interesting. Yet I’m still unsure what has her flustered so badly. It’s whatever she was about to say about Logan, but without being an ass, I can’t conceive of how to wrestle the info out of her. So instead, I focus on what I did learn while allowing my eyes to wander the unique green of hers. A very important newfound truth rampages through my head: she’s not Logan’s. Never was.
But she could be mine.
And I still maintain that fucking around with her will kill Logan. Because messing with his best friend is only a half-step different than trying to steal his girlfriend. On my thigh, my phone buzzes with yet another notification.
Rya glances in the direction of the sound, her pretty features pinching. “Somebody’s trying to reach you. It’s okay to check, if you want.”
“Uh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “I was trying not to let it interrupt us, but if you don’t mind…”
She shrugs, gesturing that I should go ahead, so I bring it out from under the table to take a look. I freeze. The notification isn’t for a message from Logan.
It’s from my mother.
I’m not feeling so well.
That single sentence slams into me with the force of a base runner barreling into the catcher at home plate. My ears buzz as everything around me dulls to a quiet hush.
“Jaxon?”
I blink.
“Jaxon?” Rya puts her hand on my forearm, and it finally pulls me from the wild tumult in my head.
“Uh. Yeah.” My brows dart together as I put one hand to my neck and tug hard. It’s difficult to swallow, much less speak. My mouth has gone bone-dry. “I’m gonna have to cut this short. I’m so sorry.”
“Okay. Is something wrong?” Rya’s eyes plead with me to share, but I can’t.
A sick feeling curls inside my stomach. “No, nothing’s wrong.” Just my life coming apart at the seams again.