Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,22
and I was short. I needed a stepladder or something.
“Do you need some help?” Jared asked.
“No, no, I’m good,” I waved him off. The last thing I needed was him touching me, I’d either flinch and freak-out or… or I might actually somewhat enjoy it, like I had the previous times he’d touched me.
I finally made it into the car and I could hear Jared trying to hide his laughter. I know I gave him quite the show.
He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, heading out of town.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my heart beginning to jump in panic.
“I’m not telling,” He glanced at me and winked.
I crossed my arms and looked out the window, going through a mental roster of possible places he could dump my body. I mean, why would a guy as good-looking as Jared want to go out with me?
Not able to hold my tongue, I asked, “Why me?”
“Huh?” Jared flicked his eyes my way for a second, before looking back at the road.
“You could be going out with any girl of your choosing, tonight. Why me?” I twisted the seatbelt strap nervously.
“Why not you?” he countered.
I snorted. “I know I don’t come across as the nicest person. Am I just a challenge to you?”
His jaw clenched and his knuckles turned white where he gripped the steering wheel.
“You are definitely not a ‘challenge’ for me, Katy. Is it impossible for you to believe that I may actually want to get to know you?”
“It’s just… I know guys like you. You’re used to getting what you want and when you don’t, you get angry,” I looked out the window, shrugging my shoulders. “You can have any girl you want, Jared. Just look at you.”
“So, you’re saying, that because I’m good looking, I’m a douchebag?” he looked at me with a raised brow. With a sigh, he continued, “Katy, I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve dealt with in the past, but I’m not like that. At least not anymore,” he muttered under his breath. “As for the, ‘any girl I want’ part, did you ever think that, maybe, I want you,” he whispered the last word. It seemed to hang there, suspended, between the two of us.
You.
A word had never affected me the way that one did.
“I’ve said it before, Katy,” Jared adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, “but I’ll say it again. You don’t know me, so don’t pretend you do. I want you to know me, but you don’t, not yet. So please,” he begged, “don’t make prejudices’ against me. I’m not judging you, the least you could do, would be to show me the same respect. Deal?”
“Deal,” I gulped.
11
WE RODE IN SILENCE FOR A GOOD THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE WE ENTERED A SMALL TOWN.
I figured Jared was going to stop at one of the various restaurants, but instead, he kept driving.
Five minutes later, we came to a small park; Jared turned onto the gravel parking lot and parked.
“We’re here,” he announced, unbuckling his seatbelt.
I looked around.
“We came all this way, to go to a park?” I asked, incredulous.
Jared chuckled. “Oh, how you doubt me, Katy.”
“But I’m hungry!” To further drive home my point, my stomach growled, loudly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got the food part covered,” he hopped out of the car and jogged around to open my door. He held his hand out to help me. I glared at his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you, Katy,” he whispered.
I took a deep breath and placed my hand in his.
Just like at the club, I didn’t feel much of an urge to pull away.
I let him help me out of the monstrous vehicle and promptly removed my hand, before I did something weird, like hang on.
Jared laughed and shook his head.
He moved to the back of the SUV and opened the trunk. He grabbed a cooler and a couple of blankets.
“Are we planning on sleeping in the park?” I asked.
“Only if you want,” he winked.
I gave him a horror stricken look.
“I’m just kidding, Katy,” he assured me.
I almost wanted to tell him that my scared expression had nothing to do with his words, and more to do with the butterflies attacking my stomach.
“This way,” he nodded for me to follow him.
I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts. “Want me to carry something?” I asked, when I saw him struggling with the blankets.