the parking lot and onto Clovis Avenue, the tension between us is thick, and I don’t know why.
I decide to break it first.
“Are you mad I took over your car situation?” I ask.
A soft sigh escapes her, and it’s like a sock to the gut. A straight hit to my dick.
I can deny it to myself all I want, but I’m still drawn to this girl. And as more than just a friend, too.
But she’s moved on. Found someone else already. Right?
“I was mad at first,” she admits. “But not anymore. I know you just want to help.”
“I was kind of bossy about it,” I say.
“You totally were.” She sounds amused. “Which made me mad. Not gonna lie. I’m over it now, though. I appreciate your help. And I want to pay you back.”
“No. I don’t want your money.”
“Jackson…”
“No,” I repeat firmly. “It’s a gift.”
“Like for the next five years?”
“Nah, you’ll be indebted to me for maybe only two years.” I laugh when she sends me a look. “Seriously, I expect nothing in return. I want to help you. You need a car that runs.”
A better car than the one she currently has, but I keep that opinion to myself.
“I definitely need a car. Not sure how I’m supposed to get to work the next couple of days. Public transportation?” She makes a face. “I suppose I could take the bus.”
“That late at night?” I shake my head. “No fucking way.”
“How else am I supposed to get home, hmm?”
“I’ll pick you up.”
“Come on, Jackson. You’ve already done enough,” she says. “I can find a ride from someone else. Maybe one of my roommates.”
She barely knows those girls. I haven’t met them yet, and I’m sure Ellie wouldn’t ask them because she doesn’t want to impose on people. Even those she’s known for years.
“It’s no big deal. Though I probably can’t take you to work because I’ll be at practice when your shifts start,” I say.
“Yeah. I start work at four.”
“I can definitely pick you up after though,” I say.
“Won’t you have plans?”
“With who?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs.
“Video game sessions with the boys? Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got going on this week,” I say, chuckling.
“No dates with random girls?” She says this to her lap, as if she’s afraid to look at me.
I’m quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. My mind immediately goes to the kiss we shared. When I was a drunk dick and said shitty things.
It was a good kiss.
Fuck that, it was a great kiss. But I shoved her away because she scares the hell out of me. She makes me want more.
So much more than I deserve.
“Like your date with a random dude?” I throw back at her. I’m suddenly feeling hostile about her date with that guy.
“Carson isn’t random,” she says, defensively.
“Random enough. You don’t know him that well.”
“We had a coffee date over the weekend,” she says.
“Oh really?” A foreign emotion rises up inside of me, settling in my throat. Threatening to choke me.
“Yes, we talked a lot. He’s nice,” she says.
“Is that when he asked you to out?”
“No, he asked me at the party Friday night,” she admits.
Carson moves fast, the asshole.
“What do you even know about that guy?” I clear my throat, hating how irritated I sound.
“He’s perfectly polite.”
Perfectly boring if you ask me, but what do I know?
“And I want to get to know him better,” she adds.
I frown. I’m frowning so hard, I can feel my forehead wrinkle. “You’re actually interested in that guy?”
“Why else would I agree to go on a date with him?” She glances over at me.
“I don’t know. Because you felt sorry for him?”
She laughs. “Um, no. Why would I feel sorry for him? I do actually like him. He’s sweet and funny.”
“Uh huh.”
Whatever. He sounds dull as shit to me, but I’m not the one who has to date him so…
“You’re not dating anyone right now?” she asks.
I actually scoff. “When do I ever date anyone?”
Her smile is small. “Never.”
“Exactly. I’m not going to start now.”
“I want a boyfriend.”
Her voice is so low, I almost didn’t hear her. “You what?”
Okay, I heard her. I’m just making her say it again. But why? So I can torture myself? I can’t be her boyfriend. I can be her friend and that’s about it.
“I want a boyfriend. I’ve never really had one,” she says, her voice louder, her gaze sliding to mine. “So I want one. But I don’t know exactly how to get one.”
“What