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He shakes his head. “Are we going, or not?”
And there is the coldness. I know I’m being foolish, but I keep thinking the connection I feel when our bodies are close is going to somehow change his mind–that we’ll wake up the next day and he’ll want to hold my hand and call me sweet names.
“Going,” Caroline says. “And why are you two so late? You told me you’d be here by seven. According to my clock, it’s eight.”
I share a look with Jesse, and neither of us seem to come up with what should be an easy to fabricate excuse. All I can do is picture his strong hands on my body and his insanely big manhood stretching me like I’ve never been stretched. The memory makes my cheeks go red, and Caroline notices.
She stops at the door, fist on her hip. She looks between the two of us. “Are you two… you know?”
“No,” I say quickly.
“Not exactly,” Jesse says.
I jerk my head toward him, completely surprised by his answer.
“Not exactly?” Caroline sounds thrilled, not mad. “Not exactly!” She pumps a fist and hugs me, waddling me from side to side while she grips me tight like we’re a pair of penguins. “I knew it. Mia told me there was so much chemistry between you two she thought she was going to barf. Like a couple of lovesick puppies, she said. I thought she was just exaggerating. Oh my gosh, can you imagine how much everybody in town is going to love hearing about this? Maybe it’s not too late to do some kind of date night event for the Frostival, something to really showcase you two–”
“Easy,” Jesse says. He shoots me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Andi. It’s better to just admit it to her. She can keep a secret. If we kept hiding it, she wouldn’t know it was a secret, though. She might have started asking the guys about her suspicions and made it even worse.”
“Oh, yeah, totally,” I say. I’m trying to sound neutral about the whole thing, but I secretly love being out in the open about it. Even if it’s just with one person. It makes what’s happening feel like less of a crazy fever dream. It makes it easier to hold on to my foolish hope that Jesse will change his mind about keeping things strictly physical. If he ever does, then I can properly freak out and try to decide if that’s what I even want. Baby steps.
But for now? Somebody actually knows. There’s someone I can actually talk to about this. I could scream with relief.
“You know I have to tell Mia, though,” Caroline says. “I tell Mia everything.”
Jesse sighs. “I know.”
“Should we just tell Jake and the guys, too?” I ask.
“No,” Jesse says. “No,” he says again more softly. Then he looks to Caroline. “It’s just casual fun, though. It’s not like we’re talking about white picket fences and commitments, okay? Andi doesn’t know how long she’ll be here and neither do I. We both know this thing has a short fuse, and we’re both ready for the end to come sooner than later.”
Sheesh, I think. I don’t know if I would phrase it exactly like he just did. “Super casual,” I say, winking. Except I can’t help thinking about the way my heart was trying to melt all over him last night and this morning… and like a dozen other times since I arrived in Frosty Harbor.
Caroline looks a bit skeptical, but she just nods. “Alright, well, why don’t you two lovebirds walk together to the harbor, then?”
“What are we doing down there, exactly?” Jesse asks.
She sighs. “Do you listen to anything I tell you? I swear, normally you’re the one reminding me. Ever since your new boo showed up, it’s like you’re an airhead.” She knocks on his head and he looks every shade of uncomfortable imaginable.
“I don’t remember,” is all he says.
“Kids skating lessons. Your whole team is going to be there. Mia is going to be there. And it’s a drop-em-and-go arrangement. If parents want the morning off, they can leave the critters with us.” She looks at me now. “Every year, we try to plan something like this where parents can sneak off and get some last minute holiday shopping done. Or just take a nap.”
“That’s cool,” I say. “I may just be moral support. I think my ankle is too sore to strap on skates again.”
“Yeah, you’re not going on the ice,” Jesse says. He seems to realize he spoke a little too firmly because Caroline and I are both looking at him.
He shrugs at us. “She rolled her ankle less than twelve hours ago. I don’t want her making it worse.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It was pretty nice having you pamper me all night. Maybe I’ll trip on my way out the door and enjoy another day of being treated like a princess?”
Jesse scoops me into his arms like I weigh nothing. I laugh, then thread my hands behind his neck and smile up at him. “Going to protect me from myself all day?”
“If I have to,” he says.
“Oh my God,” Caroline coos. “It’s so cool seeing Jesse in love again.”
“Don’t use that word,” Jesse warns. “I told you it’s casual.”
