I know he is. It doesn’t make it any easier though.”
“We don’t have to go,” I say. “Whenever you’re ready. If it’s tonight, or ten years from now, we’ll do it together.” I wrap my arms around him.
“I love you,” he says, pressing his forehead against mine. Leaning forward, I kiss him softly, wishing I could take the pain away, wishing I knew how to help them through this. But I don’t. I can only try to hold him up in the many ways he’s held me over the years. He cradles me in his arms and kisses me tenderly, swiping his tongue over my bottom lip. The tension that had been aching between us eases as I relax into him. I never knew that loving someone so much could be so easy.
His smile reaches his eyes when he looks at me. “Thank you,” he says, and just as he’s leaning forward to kiss me again we hear the door open.
“Knock-knock.” Felicia appears in the doorway, swinging a small yellow purse. “Oh look, if it isn’t the two assholes.” She places a hand on her hip.
“What do you want, Felicia?” Jordan says as we turn to her.
“Just coming to get a book from Satchi.”
“Why?” he asks.
“I’m the summer library assistant and we have a bunch of lazy ass professors. He said the book would be on his desk.” She walks to Satchi’s side of the room as she finds what she’s looking for. “See?” she says, holding up the book.
“Fine,” he says. “Now you can leave.”
“Why are you rushing me off? Aren’t you tired of her yet?”
“Listen, Felicia, I’ve had it up to here with your bullshit. You need to back off,” I say moving forward to face her.
“And what exactly are you going to do?” She walks around me with a look of disgust in her eyes.
“That’s enough,” Jordan warns, but we both ignore him as we circle each other.
“I don’t have to do anything but sit and watch you make an ass out of yourself, parading around for a guy who wants nothing to do with you. Who does that?” I smirk. “You’re just a pathetic, selfish bitch who’s too stupid to walk away with her head held high.”
Felicia’s eyes go dark and her nostrils flare, but I continue to smile shaking my head.
“You’re the bitch who’s selfish,” she says as she charges forward, catching me off guard. I fall to the ground hard as she scrambles on top of me. Before she can throw a punch, Jordan pushes her away, causing her to stumble against his desk.
“Are you okay?” Jordan says, hunching over me.
“I’m fine,” I say, placing my hands behind me and pushing myself off the ground. He grabs me and helps pull me to my feet, then we both turn to Felicia, who’s leaning over his desk with her back to us.
“Get out,” he roars.
“Jordan,” she sings. “Come on, baby. You know this is a game.”
“No,” he says, walking up to her. She stands tall but begins backing away. “I’m never getting back together with you.” He continues to walk forward as she backs toward the door. “It’s not happening. It should never have happened to begin with, I should've stayed gone. But you’re right. I was bored, and you were easy,” he says.
Felicia’s eyes are wide as she looks at him. Her mouth opens and closes as if she’s trying to find her words but is having a hard time.
“I would feel bad if I thought for a second that you were doing all this because you had feelings for me, but you don’t,” he says. “You’re just being a bitch because you’re mad you lost.” She bumps into the wall near the door and he reaches around her to open the door. “Now get the fuck out and leave my girl alone.”
Felicia stands in the doorway, her eyes moving back and forth between us, anger plain on her face. A second goes by and it seems as if she’s going to say something else. But she looks at us, shakes her head, and storms down the hall.
19
JORDAN
The engine roars as I press the gas, banking around a curve onto a straightaway. Cherry lives about thirty minutes outside the city and I have always enjoyed the ride out here. I wouldn’t say that Chrome Hills is a small city but there is a lot of stop and go traffic. The green of the trees starts to blur as I speed down the small road