November 16
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Another storm. Another delay. Another day of watching of movies.
He was bored of being in the same room, so bored that he even agreed to watch a Bollywood movie.
It was an investment of time, because that shit was three hours long.
He couldn’t be cooped up with her for much longer, especially because they were lying on the tiniest bed in the world and every time she moved, she brushed up against him.
The laptop was between their legs, but it was a single bed meaning only one pillow for both of them, so most of the time her head was resting on his shoulder.
Every now and then, she sighed and snuggled closer, like she felt comfortable, safe.
It was weird that he wanted her to feel like that around him.
He’d slept with quite a few women and he’d never experienced this kind of intimacy. Whether it was with his ex-girlfriends, flings, or even Claire, he generally didn’t indulge in any activities that wouldn’t eventually lead to sex.
This was different. Unlike her usual inappropriate touching, this didn’t make him feel awkward.
It was nice in its simplicity. There were no arguments.
No past issues rearing their ugly heads.
Just two people enjoying each other’s company as they watched a movie.
He didn’t like it, because he liked it too much.
* * * * *
“That is probably the best one I’ve seen so far,” Jasmin said, switching off her laptop. “And Deadpool is the funniest superhero ever.” She stood up and packed it away, then returned to the bed and sat down on the foot side.
Kevin sat up against the headboard and shifted his legs to give her more space. “The funniest, but not the coolest,” he said, popping a handful of Skittles into his mouth.
They were already on their eighth bag and showed no signs of slowing down.
“I agree. There is only one ultimate superhero.” She let out a dreamy sigh. “Superman.”
He stopped mid-chew. “You mean Wolverine, right? Either you’re on crack, or that was just an innocent slip up. I will forgive either. I will even let it slide if you accidentally said Superman instead of Batman.”
“No. I meant Superman. Wolverine’s got nothing on him. Put them in the ring together and Wolverine is going down.”
That statement truly upset him. “Superman is the man of steel. Just plain, ol’ steel. How do you think he even has a chance against the man of adamantium? Wolverine is indestructible. No matter what Superman does to him, which won’t be much, he’ll heal and then kick his ass.”
She rolled her eyes at the sheer absurdity of what he just said.
“All Superman needs is a powerful enough magnet and he’ll rip Wolverine’s skeleton right out of his body.
I’d like to see him recover from that. Actually, he doesn’t even need a magnet, he can do it with his bare hands. Super strength, ya naw’mean?”
“No, I don’t know what you mean, because none of what you’re saying makes any sense. All Wolverine needs is a tiny bit of Kryptonite and Superman becomes pathetic and weak. You need a reality check. He doesn’t even—”
She promptly cut him off. “It’s not like he can just walk into Walmart and buy some Kryptonite.
That stuff’s hard to get hold of and without it, Wolverine is as good as dead.
Your argument is pathetic and weak, and it’s not enough to change my mind.
Oh, and by the way, I am entitled to have my own opinion. ”
A sympathetic gaze was cast her way. “I didn’t wanna be the guy who uses your past against you, but you’ve been living under a rock so you probably don’t know this: women aren’t allowed to have opinions.”
“Well, this one does,” she retorted, holding back a giggle. “And based on my previous argument, it is in my opinion that even an old fart like Magneto could defeat the great Wolverine.”
He didn’t like that one bit and she noticed the slightest tick of his jaw. “Take it back.”
“No.”
Before she said another word a handful of Skittles was thrown at her.
Some bounced off her head, others hit her nose and forehead.
“Oh, not you di’n’t. I know you did not just waste Skittles like that.
That shit’ll get you killed, Son. This conversation is getting dangerous, so let’s just agree to disagree before I go all Brown on your ass. ”
“Chris?”
“Bobby, motherfucker.”
He smiled, and she realized that those dimples were becoming a weakness of hers, her very own Kryptonite.
“All right. You win,” he said. “Let’s talk Disney. I think it’s more suited for your maturity level. Anyone who thinks Superman is better than Wolverine obviously has the mental capacity of a three-year old.”
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but he carried on talking.
“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate Toy Story 3?”
“Seven. Better than two, but not as good as one. Though, I don’t think any of them can be classified as a Disney classic. The characters don’t sing and a movie that lacks a proper soundtrack can’t be classified as a classic.”
“Interesting viewpoint.” He gave a slight nod. “Best soundtrack?”
“Beauty and the Beast. You?”
He devoured more Skittles before he answered. “Lion King.”
“Best storyline?”
“Brother Bear.”
“I should have guessed that,” she said with a smile. “It probably reminds you of your own brothers. Mine is Tangled—girl locked away in a tower. Go figure, right? But it’s also because there’s man-candy in that one. If I were a Disney character, I’d be on Flynn Rider like a cheap suit.”
He laughed, reaching over to the side table to grab another packet of Skittles.
“Favorite Disney movie of all time?” she asked.
Chewing slowly, he gave it some thought before he answered. “I’m gonna tell you this, but you can’t judge. I’d also like to point out that I have three nieces, so I was coerced into watching it in the first place. Actually, they’re the reason I’ve watched any of these movies.”
This was new. He usually didn’t share anything about his personal life and even though they were just talking about movies, she liked that he was opening up to her…a little. It was also kind of sweet that he watched movies with his nieces.
“It’s Frozen,” he admitted sheepishly.
“That makes sense.”
“In which universe does a twenty-one year old male liking Frozen make sense?”
She shrugged. “In this one. You relate to Anna. You also shut people out, but Anna does it to protect the people she loves. I think…you do it to protect yourself. Plus, Scorpios have that thing about water, so you probably love her ice powers. Am I right?”
He didn’t answer. What she said bothered him, but he didn’t confirm or deny anything. Instead, he swiftly continued with the conversation. “If that’s your reasoning, then Wreck-it Ralph must be your all-time favorite.”
That stung. Not like a bee. Like a viper. She actually felt her face flinch, but she forced a smile. “Why? Because I’m a burden and no one wants to be around me? They just abandon me with the rest of the trash while they carry on with their happy lives.”
His eyebrows furrowed together and there was heavy-weighted silence before he responded. “Jazz, that’s not what I meant. I was talking about the little girl…Vanelope…she never shuts up. She reminds me of you, that’s all.”
“Oh.” Maybe it was a bit foolish to jump to conclusions like that, but he made no secret about not liking her and she just automatically assumed that…
It didn’t matter. She pushed it out of her head, hating that such an innocent comment could turn her into an insecure mess.
“Okay, prettiest Disney princess? Actually, scratch that. You just told me you love Frozen, so I’m sure it’s—”
“Jasmine,” he said softly.
“Yeah.”
“No, it’s…it’s Princess Jasmine…from Aladdin. She’s got that flawless skin…long, black hair…big, beautiful Jasmin eyes…She’s definitely the prettiest.”
Was he flirting? The way he was looking at her made her doubt which Jasmin he was talking about.
It was the same look she’d seen on the rooftop in Vegas, the same look she’d seen in the bathroom yesterday.
It was a look that made her na?ve mind believe that he wanted to kiss her.
And why did he say that? Did he mean it, or was he just saying it to make her feel better after the Wreck-it Ralph misunderstanding?
His cobalt blue eyes were still fixed on her and it made her feel uneasy.
This was why she preferred it when he was an abrasive asshole.
She didn’t have to think. It was less confusing.
Though she only had herself to blame for these conflictions.
The kiss in Vegas fell on him, but she had to take full responsibility for what happened in the bathroom yesterday.
She’d pushed and he retaliated, doing to her the same thing that she’d done to him.
She just wanted to see what he felt like.
Lithe muscles covered his chest, arms and abs. Touching him was impossible to resist. And while it was fun at the time, his reaction made her question everything he said and did.
Did he want to touch her, or was it just payback? Did that look mean he wanted to kiss her, or was she reading too much into it?
No more feel ups in the bathroom!
Well, maybe…No!
It just made everything awkward. She liked touching him. She liked him touching her. She liked his lips on hers. She liked his sarcasm and his curt sense of humor and his dimples. She liked that she could be herself around him. It was very unfortunate that she was starting to like…him.
She knew she shouldn’t. If he were an asshole all the time, she wouldn’t be in this position.
But apparently consistency was too much to ask for.
She would be able to talk some sense into herself, convince herself that it was stupid to like him, especially because it was one-sided.
She would be able to do all that if he would just quit looking at her like that!