The Happy Ever After Playlist - Abby Jimenez Page 0,48
known less than a month? Wow. Does Jason know he’s making history here? How did he get you to agree to that?”
I narrowed my eyes. “There was a lot of wordsmithing. It was all very confusing.”
She grinned. “The flash-bang chaos campaign. My favorite. It’s how Josh got me to marry him.”
I snorted.
She picked up a piece of celery and waved it over my body. “Well, it works. You even look like a rock star’s girlfriend.”
I smiled. “I made him dinner last night. And breakfast this morning.”
Her eyes flew wide. “You did? You’re cooking again?”
“I am.” I wrinkled my nose. “I sort of have to or we’ll end up eating camping food every morning.”
She laughed and she looked genuinely happy.
I took a deep breath. “I’m trying, Kristen. I really am trying.”
Her eyes went soft. “Good. Keep doing it. And fall for him. And when you do, make sure you swing from every fucking branch on the way down.”
* * *
At dinner Jason reached under the table and laced his fingers in mine. I wondered what had happened outside. I hoped Josh’s questions hadn’t been too invasive. It appeared my boyfriend still liked me, but the night was young.
Kristen tossed me a small bag of Doritos and I opened it and poured them onto my plate. But when I went to flatten the bag, she scolded me. “Uh, uh, uh. That’s not how we do it.”
I glared at her.
She dumped her own bag and then turned it inside out on her hand like a foil mitten. She waved it at me, waiting for me to do the same.
Ugh.
“If Jason can take you at your best, he can take you at your bag of Doritos,” she said.
Josh snorted and went back to his corn on the cob. Jason eyed me and I let out a sigh. Technically Jason had never seen me at my best. Why start now, I guess, right?
I put my bag inside out on my hand and waited for Kristen to start. The least she could do was kick off the ridiculous practice. We’d been doing this since the sixth grade. It was kind of a tradition. When she began licking the bag, I started licking mine too.
“The inside of the bag’s the best part,” I said to Jason, lamely. “And it’s her birthday. I have to.”
He laughed and took my hand again, kissing it this time in front of everyone.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Kristen said, holding up her bag hand like an idiot. “We have an activity tonight. Karaoke!” She looked back and forth between Jason and me with her “yay” face.
“Aaaaaand the shoe drops,” I said, crumpling my chip bag and flinging it at her.
Kristen looked proud of herself and Josh shook his head, wiping his mouth with a napkin in his best I’m-staying-out-of-it performance of the night.
“Kristen, no. I’m sure Jason doesn’t want to hear us sing. I’m sure that Jason doesn’t want to sin—”
“I love karaoke,” Jason said.
“He loves karaoke!” Kristen beamed at Jason.
“I’m going to kill you,” I breathed, only half kidding.
After dinner, when the plates were cleared, Kristen and Josh went to fire up the microphones and I cornered Jason in the kitchen.
“I am so, so sorry,” I said, putting my forehead to his chest. “I told you. I told you this would happen.”
He smiled down on me. “What? Karaoke?”
“Yes!” I said, looking up at him. “She’s trying to get you to sing!”
“I do sing professionally. This isn’t particularly distressing for me.”
“It’s distressing for me!”
If he turned into Jaxon Waters in front of me, I was going to pass out.
“Why?” he said, tipping my chin up. “You don’t want me to sing for you? Still a little traumatized by the car wash a cappella?” He smiled, doing that thing where he puts his mouth really close to mine and I can’t focus anymore. He normally reserved this type of behavior for our good-night kiss on the porch. It was highly distracting.
“Uh-huh,” I murmured, not remembering the question.
He pulled away a little, letting me get my wits back. “I’m having a good time. Relax. Josh warned me about the karaoke. He said he’d talk her out of it if I wasn’t okay with it. It’s totally fine.”
“Josh told you?”
“He did. Also, I have no idea how to spell ‘chlamydia.’”
I snorted.
He leaned in and whispered against my mouth again. “You’re going to tell me everything Kristen said on the way home, right?”
“Uh…she said to swing from branches and touch your— No,” I said, shaking