Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JO
Something is weird.
Half asleep, and with my eyes still closed, I catalog my surroundings. Heavy weight across my back. Hard surface under my head. Clean laundry scent filling my senses.
What the fuck?
My eyes fly open as I realize I’m not in my bed. I am, in fact, lying horizontally on Jordan’s couch, my head on his shoulder, an arm draped over his chest, one of my legs thrown over his, and his arm wrapped around my back, anchoring me to his body.
I lift my head just enough to see Jordan’s face, as relaxed in sleep as I’ve ever seen it. His hair falls over his forehead and his chest rises and falls slowly, warm breath fluttering over my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart speeds up a little at our proximity, and I wonder if there has ever been a more perfect moment than this. It’s warm and cozy in our little bubble, and the light outside is dim enough that I’m pretty sure I have enough time to close my eyes and drift off for a little longer, wrapped in all this comfort.
I sink deeper into Jordan’s hold, trying not to move too much so I don’t wake him. He’s told me a couple times he doesn’t sleep well, and I know he needs this rest. But as I shift just a little closer to him, my leg moves slightly, making contact with something rock hard, and my entire body jolts because what the fuck; that’s his dick .
It must startle Jordan because his arm drops from around my waist, except it turns out his arm was all that was keeping me on the couch, so I promptly roll off, landing on the floor in a pile of discarded blankets with a yelp and a thud.
“Jo?” Jordan peers over the couch where I lay in a heap of donut pajamas and tangled blankets, and fuck, he looks good in the morning. He’s all heavy eyes and tousled hair and dark scruff-covered jaw. I wonder how that scruff would feel against my face and maybe against…other parts of me.
I shake my head, shutting that shit down because first of all, friends . And second of all, FUCKING FRIENDS. Gah, no. Not fucking friends. No fucking. Just friends. Without the fucking. No fucking at all, and my leg definitely did not just touch the most massive erection in existence. I’m just assuming. I don’t have all that much to compare it to.
“Uh, are you okay?”
I snap my head back up and blow my hair out of my eyes. Jordan is laying on his side, propped up on one very amazing forearm, looking down at me with a mixture of concern and confusion.
Don’t mention his cock.
Don’t mention his cock.
Don’t mention his cock.
“Totally!” I say, my voice just a little too loud and bright for before sunrise o’clock. “I, um, I don’t know. I think we fell asleep last night during Armageddon . I was just surprised when I woke up, and I guess I rolled off the couch. Good thing all the blankets were here.” I laugh a little, but it sounds forced, my brain still trying to figure out what the fuck is actually happening. “I’ll help you clean up here and then head home. I have to get changed for work.”
I stand and reach for a blanket, starting to fold it when Jordan reaches out and covers my hand with his. I jump like ten feet. “Shit,” I mutter.
“Sit down, Hurricane.”
He tugs on my hand, and I sit down heavily, pushing my hair back and scrubbing a hand over my eyes. “Sorry. Morning is not my best time.”
Jordan’s mouth quirks up on one side. “I can tell.” He sits up, swinging his legs over the couch so we’re seated side-by-side. He runs his hand through his messy hair and blows out a breath. “I think that might have been the best night’s sleep I’ve had in forever. I never sleep all the way through the night anymore.”
He sounds a little incredulous, and suddenly his hard dick and my weird attraction to him are forgotten and this is friend Jordan, sitting next to me, telling me more of his truths. “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
He nods, sitting back on the couch. “It’s definitely that bad. I can’t fall asleep and then I can’t stay asleep. It’s a whole thing. But not last night.”
I lean back next to him. “Same. I mean, it’s not that bad, but I never fall asleep that early and sleep all night. If I go to sleep early, I wake up when it’s still dark out.”
“But not last night.” Jordan’s voice is a little quiet. Considering.
I shrug. “Nope. Not last night. Looks like all we needed to sleep like reasonable adults was a couple disaster movies, fifty pounds of junk food, and an accidental sleepover.”
Jordan huffs out a breath. “Maybe we should always have sleepovers. Then I wouldn’t need what amounts to a caffeine drip every damn day.”
I smirk at him. “You looking for a roommate, J?”
He stretches, and his T-shirt rides up, exposing well defined abs, and I can feel my face heat just a little. He studies me. “My apartment does seem much happier with you in it.”
I smile, trying not to show him how much this delights me. “It’s probably because I brought blankets and things that are not white and gray. You need some color and life in this place, my friend.”
He shakes his head. “Nope. It’s because of you. You bring the happy, Jo. Wherever you go.”
I hold my gaze steady on his. “You know that’s all I want, right? For you to be happy.”
“I haven’t been,” he says, looking down at his hands before returning his eyes to mine. “Not since Allie died. But then you asked me to come sit next to you in Ben and Hallie’s backyard and pointed out all the constellations wrong and gave me Fireballs and insisted I put scarves on a dinosaur and do all kinds of crazy New York things, and now? I’m closer to happy than I’ve been in two years.”
My chest tightens with emotion at the seriousness of his words. Like he’s begging me to understand what he’s saying, and I do. He’s had to live without the love of his life for two years, and nothing about it has been happy. I’m glad I could give that to him this summer. I would give him an endless amount of happy if he’d let me. “I’m really glad, J. It’s been a happy summer for me too.”
He gives me a wry look. “I can’t imagine my cranky ass brings you all that much happy.”
I shake my head, needing him to understand how wrong he is. “You’re wrong. I told you last week I like you exactly the way you are, and I meant it. You don’t have to change for me or anyone. I like how you go along with all my insane ideas, and you even seem to enjoy them some of the time.”
He chuckles. “All the time. Except for the fake orgasm in the diner. I could have lived without that.”
“But then I wouldn’t have this picture.” I unlock my phone and open my gallery, flashing him the picture I secretly took of his absolutely horrified face as I faked an orgasm Sally style.
“Jo,” Jordan groans, reaching for my phone. I yank it away, holding it out of his reach. “Delete that.”
“Fuck no,” I scoff, tossing the phone to the other side of the couch. “That moment needed to be documented for posterity.”
“Fine,” he mutters. “Just don’t show anyone.”
“If I can’t show anyone, how am I going to wear the T-shirts I’m getting made with that picture silk-screened on them?”
“You’re joking.”
I smile sweetly at him. “Am I? Or will that be what I’m wearing next time you see me? I’ll leave you to ponder that because I really do have to get home to change if I want to properly caffeinate and get to work on time.”
“I’ll caffeinate you and walk you home.”
Pushing up to stand from the couch, I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that. My coffee cart guy will miss me if I don’t show up on my way to work, and I just live like five blocks away.”
Jordan stands with me. “Well, he’ll just have to miss you, Jo Jo, or you can pay him a visit for your second cup of the day. And I’m walking you home. No arguments. It’s five blocks and an avenue, and the West End to Amsterdam walk is a long one.”
I roll my eyes. “How very chivalrous of you. Are you making me coffee and everything?”
“You bet. I’ll make you the very best coffee you’ve ever had.”
And he does. Half an hour later, we’re strolling the Upper West Side, as it wakes up to a warm summer morning. Much to Jordan’s amusement, I’m still wearing my donut pajamas with my pink Converse, and much to mine, we’re both walking with open ceramic coffee mugs since Jordan didn’t have to-go cups.
“Explain this to me like I’m five years old. How can someone who requires as much caffeine as you not have to-go cups for coffee? How do you take your caffeine with you?”
He shrugs, pulling my rolling suitcase with one hand while he takes a sip of his coffee with the other. “I always drink my first cup of coffee at home and get my second on the way to work.”
“You’re telling me in two years you’ve never once needed to take coffee with you when you leave your apartment?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Super weird.” I shrug and take a sip of my own coffee. “It’s kind of deliciously dangerous, walking down the street and freely drinking from an open mug. Free mugging, if you will. We could start a whole new movement. No one would ever need to-go cups again.”
Jordan snorts out a laugh, and it’s the freest sound of delight I’ve ever heard from him. “Put that on a T-shirt instead of my horrified face.”
I turn to him as we come to a stop outside my brownstone, and I dig around in my tote for my keys. “You know, J, I just might.” I open the door, and we climb the four flights of stairs to my apartment. When we get to my door I turn to Jordan. “I’m not done with my coffee, so I’m keeping this mug. I’ll give it back to you next time I see you, but this is the best coffee I’ve ever had, and I want to finish it.”
“Deal.” He drops his hand from the handle of my suitcase and hesitates like he’s trying to decide how to say goodbye. After what looks like a brief argument with himself, he steps forward and wraps his free arm around me. I wrap mine around my waist, feeling his warm body under my hand and smiling into his chest when I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head.
“Have a good day at work, Jo Jo.”
He steps back and I grin at him. “Save a lot of lives today, J, and don’t forget about Dippy’s scarf. He needs an outfit change.”
“I wouldn’t dare. And I don’t know if I’ll save a lot of lives, but I’ll definitely take out a bunch of appendixes.”
“Well then, do that well, and I’ll see you when you get off.”
“What’s next for the J’s Summer of Fun?”
I grin at his assumption that we’ll be hanging out when he’s done working. “How do you feel about roller coasters and funnel cakes?”
He furrows his brow in thought. “Amenable.”
“Good answer.” I turn and unlock the door to my apartment, pushing it open and rolling my suitcase inside.
“Wait, aren’t you going to tell me what we’re doing?”
I turn and smother a laugh at the disgruntled expression on Jordan’s face. “I’m sure not. That would ruin the surprise. Have a good day, J. Thanks for the best movie night of all time.”
“Anytime, Hurricane.” The grin he flashes me before he turns and heads down the stairs hits me right in the chest and the clock starts in my head, counting down the minutes until I get to see his face again.