22. Drew
TWENTY-TWO
DREW
I know this dating thing is going to be a disaster the second we show up at the restaurant. We disclosed to our dates that it will be a double date. Stevie, my date, was completely down for the idea and said she preferred double dates as first dates.
Jules’s date was less than enthused and came around when Jules said it was a deal breaker if they had to meet alone.
She looks beautiful, in a full length navy blue dress printed with lemons. It’s perfect for a summer evening. She’s also nervous, her hand trembling as she reaches for the car door, when she tucks her hair behind her ear.
How do I know the date is a disaster? Because it’s the way Matt, her date, looks at her when we walk in.
His eyes traveling down her body, a slimy smile crossing his face when his eyes linger on her tits a little too long.
Jules is too nervous to notice, but I’m about two seconds away from punching him in the face.
As we walk up to him, he opens his fucking mouth and says, “You’re shorter than I expected.”
Okay, that’s it. This date is over.
“My height is on my profile, do you not read or can you not measure?” Jules arches an eyebrow.
Atta girl.
Matt laughs. “I meant no offense.”
“You’re definitely shorter than the six foot you put on your profile but you don’t see me complaining about it,” Jules says. “Unfortunately, I will not be continuing with this date. Sorry for wasting your time.”
Stevie turns out to be a no-show and that’s how our first experiment goes. When we get back in the car, after ordering food for take-out, Jules pulls out a notebook and puts little x’s next to Stevie and Matt’s names and adds a little description of why it didn’t work out.
She’s taking this seriously, and I’d rather she didn’t.
Her guarantee that this experiment will see me married by this time next year falls a little short when…
fuck. I can’t stop thinking about her. At first I thought it was her proximity.
We were in the same room in New York, getting along for the first time, crazy chemicals were firing in the brain.
Maybe the same thing is happening right now as well because she’s sleeping just down the hall.
But here’s the thing. Jules and I have always been in close proximity.
It’s not like I’m now finding out she has a brilliant mind and a sharp tongue I enjoy.
I already know most of her likes and dislikes.
It’s like I’m finally allowing myself to see her.
Not as Lavinia’s annoying best friend I can’t get along with.
I’m finally allowing myself to see her as just Jules.
And I’m finally allowing myself to admit that I like that person.
This can’t go anywhere, I’m aware of that.
Not only will Lavinia never forgive me if something happened between Jules and me, nothing will happen because Jules doesn’t want to date an athlete.
She made that perfectly clear when I showed her the profile of a minor league baseball player and she made a face of disgust, telling me athletes are a no go.
So I’m out of the running before I can even consider putting my name in the hat.
“I’m sorry you got stood up,” Jules says, once we’re back home.
“Don’t worry about it. She must have had a reason and if she didn’t, that’s reason enough to block her.”
I set my shoes on the rack as Jules walks further into the house. Bailey runs up to her, her tail wagging in excitement and Jules crouches down, murmuring to her softly. And here’s another reason I can’t stop thinking about Jules. She loves my dog and Bailey trusts her.
Loving Bailey is a sure fire way to my heart. I adopted Bailey after she’d been abused and abandoned by her previous family when she was just a puppy.
“I’m going to change and then we can eat,” Jules calls.
Bailey trots into the kitchen and I crouch down, hugging her. Her tongue lolls out as she tries to lick my face and I chuckle easily, rubbing her scruff and petting her.
“You like Jules, huh?” She stares up at me with those brown eyes which always melt me, and I think if she could speak, she’d say yes.
“I think I might like her, too,” I whisper.
Bailey whines softly and I take that as her agreement. I scoop her food into her bowl before washing my hands and grabbing plates. I take them to the living room because Jules loves to watch TV while eating.
“It’s too bad we don’t have a date to debrief on,” she says, coming down the stairs.
She’s put on ridiculously large pajamas pants and a ratty old t-shirt, her face clean of make-up.
Every time she dresses like this, it makes me even more curious about the outfit she packed to sleep in for New York.
She’s clearly not embarrassed of her sleepwear, so what could it possibly have been?
Unless there was nothing.
Don’t fucking think that. Imagining her naked is the worst way to get over this infatuation.
“I’m sure there will be other bad dates,” I say.
“Mr. Optimistic will have us both dying single if he gets the chance,” Jules says sardonically.
She sits down on the couch and crosses her legs under her. I join her, keeping a careful distance between us.
“Oh, look, Twilight is on,” I say, pausing on the channel.
Jules narrows her eyes at me. “Do not make me lose my appetite. I love RPatz, he’s unhinged and gorgeous, but I cannot realistically believe that a girl who claims she’s nothing special has two super hot guys fighting over her.”
“Your disdain for love triangles is well known.”
“Be in a throuple! They’re fun!” Jules exclaims.
“What about the one where they are brothers?” I ask, laughing at her outrage.
“Don’t even get me started.” Jules shakes her head as I open the food containers. We both ended up getting pasta and salad.
“What do you want to watch then?” I ask, as we settle back with our salad.
Jules crunches on a piece of lettuce and turns to me, her eyes bright under the warm lights of the living room. “You know what I really want to watch that I’ve never seen? The Shining.”
“I want to be able to sleep at night, Jules,” I say.
“Come on, you know it’ll be fun. I let you teach me how to play hockey.” She looks like a kid in a candy shop.
“I let you create a dating profile for me and use me to conduct a social experiment,” I remind her.
She points towards the kitchen. “I helped you install new backsplash even though there was nothing wrong with the old one.”
I sigh. “Fine. But don’t come to me if you can’t sleep at night.”
“Yay!” Jules settles in more firmly and I pass her the throw because she’s going to need it to cover her eyes.
I watched The Shining once when I was a teenager and I still haven’t recovered from it.
I find the movie, sit back with my salad, and hit play.
Halfway through the movie, our dinner is finished and Jules is sitting next to me with her knees pulled up and the throw covering her from head to toe. Only her eyes are visible and she’s frequently covering them up.
I feel a brush against my side and I jump slightly, but it’s only Jules shifting closer. She’s closer to me now than she’s ever been before, even when we were sharing a bed or dancing at Ash and Remy’s wedding.
“You could have warned me,” she grouches.
“As if you didn’t know what it would be like this? You could have watch Twilight.”
“Then I definitely wouldn’t have slept.” She moans, covering her eyes. “Make it stop.”
“I can turn it off.” I reach for the remote.
“No! Then we’ll have to finish it tomorrow and I’m not sure I have it in me to watch it again.”
Her head lands on my shoulder and I try not to move.
I want to offer her more comfort, put a protective arm around her and let her know I won’t let anything hurt her.
But I’m perfectly aware of how closely she protects her personal boundary and I don’t want to cross it.
Her head on my shoulder will have to be enough.
“We can do a Nora Ephron marathon tomorrow,” I suggest.
Jules yelps at a scene and raises her hand, covering both our eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m not sure even Nora Ephron will be enough to recover from the psychological damage this is causing.”
Her breath falls softly against my neck and I feel my body stiffen. Jesus fuck, don’t get hard during The Shining. I don’t plan on watching the movie again, but just in case it happens, I don’t want to be popping a boner.
“Don’t say that, it’s Nora Ephron. She’ll fix everything.”
Jules giggles lightly, followed by a jump and a flinch. She covers our eyes again.
“So, what are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Not much.”
I put the dishes in the dishwasher and walk to the backyard door to make sure it’s locked.
I know I locked it when I let Bailey in earlier, but I want to double check.
Jules follows directly behind me, close enough that I can feel the heat of her body.
I leave the backyard lights on and draw the curtains.
I’m sure Mrs. Naylor will complain tomorrow that the lights were shining into her house the whole night, but I’ll deal with it then.
“I was planning on drafting in the morning and then I’m free during the afternoon. We should do something.”
I smile. “You can come to the camp in the morning and draft in the afternoon, if you want.”
“I’d love that! I’ve never been to a hockey camp before.”
Moving to the living room, I turn off most of the lights before checking the front door and setting the alarm.
“The alarm is set?” Jules peers around me.
“I just set it.”
“Are you sure?” Jules asks.
“You just saw me do it,” I reply, turning around to look at her.
Fuck, I groan internally. She’s so close, I can see the flecks of gold in her blue eyes. My eyes are drawn to her plush, pink lips. Each time she breaths, I feel the brush of her shirt against the bare skin of my arms.
“Maybe you should double check,” Jules says, looking up at me with wide eyes.
With a sigh, I turn around and double check the alarm.
“Are you satisfied?” I look down at her and find her chewing her bottom lip, looking at the alarm as if she thinks it has a mind of its own.