AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. Tomorrow.” I smile, then lean down again to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to jury duty more.”
Laughing, we head to our respective cars, and it’s only after mine has pulled away from the curb that I realize I don’t have any way to contact Tyler. At least I know where he’ll be the following day.
* * * * *
The next morning, Marney is waiting for me in my kitchen. I wish her a good morning and take the cup of coffee from her outstretched hand, then eye the insulated bag on the counter. Turning toward her with a raised eyebrow, I take the first sip from my mug and close my eyes as I offer a benediction to my BFF for understanding me well enough to know that I won’t share a thing about last night without caffeine.
To her credit, Marney’s patience lasts until I’ve finished that first cup.
“So…?” she asks.
I nod toward the insulated bag. “So…?”
We stare at each other, but Marney breaks first. “Lunch,” she says. “For you and Tyler.”
My first thought is to tell her that it’s totally unnecessary, but then I reach for the bag and open it. There are two deli sandwiches, a couple of bags of chips, and two delicious-looking brownies from our favorite bakery. She’s also included a small vase with a couple of fake roses and red checkered napkins.
“How on earth did you do this?” I ask as I reseal the bag.
She shrugs. “Delivery, my dear. I thought it would give you an excuse to ask him to lunch. I asked Tyler’s friends what kind of sandwiches he likes, so you’ve got one ham and cheese and one roast beef. You guys can decide which ones you want. This way, you don’t have to eat that horrific cafeteria food again.”
“That’s…amazing. Thank you.”
“So…?”
“So…we kissed goodbye.”
“And? Come on, Cam, you can’t just leave me hanging. Was it a good kiss?”
When I nod, she claps and then comes around the center island to give me a hug. “He really likes you,” she says. “And he’s fucking adorable.”
“I know, right?” I stare into my empty coffee mug. “And I think I really like him, too.”
“Understatement of the year.”
“Probably.”
“This is so cool. You’ve got to ask him out on a real date.”
“I will. After the trial ends.”
She tries to persuade me to do it before, but I don’t budge. It’s going to be difficult enough to get through the next couple of days of testimony without being distracted by thoughts of last night’s kiss, let alone once we’re in the deliberation room. My fantasies about what it will be like once we’re more intimate are torture enough; I don’t need to have the actual memories spinning through my head while deciding the defendant’s fate.
* * * * *
A few hours later and it’s clear that no matter what I do, I’m going to be distracted by Tyler’s proximity.
First, there was the endearing awkwardness of our greeting this morning. I don’t usually find it cute when a social situation is uncomfortable, but this was…adorable. Neither of us knew how to greet the other, but it was clear the memory of our kiss was at the forefront of our minds in the way we offered shy smiles while looking anywhere but at each other. Tyler’s cheeks turned pink, and I knew my own were doing the same from the way my face warmed.
When I showed him the insulated bag and told him Marney had packed us lunch, his eyes got comically huge, but he nodded when I asked if he wanted to eat with me. We both moved toward each other, and I knew he wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him. We settled for a quick brush of our hands and a shoulder bump just as the bailiff opened the door to the courtroom and let us in.
Once we sat down, we did our best to pay attention to the testimony, but every time Tyler’s chair or mine creaked, it made us hide our grins behind our hands. A couple of times, we huffed out a just-barely-constrained laugh, and a few times we did it deliberately, the sense of a secret language shared between us making me almost giddy. I wasn’t used to these bubbly feelings, and the need to keep quiet made me feel as if I might explode.
Hoping to get myself under control, I rested my elbow on the armrest and shielded my eyes with my hand, attempting to block Tyler from my sight. His chair creaked. I fought the smile that threatened to burst across my face by biting my lips and redoubled my efforts to pay attention to the testimony of an eyewitness.
It was clear that the prosecution thought this was an open and shut case, but I also suspected the defense was being constrained from using evidence from the defendant who’d made a plea deal. They seemed to be trying their best to get the witnesses to mention certain things, and I had a hunch that would allow them to put potentially exonerating evidence before the jury. I also suspected that there had been a third person in the car from the careful way the arresting officer had worded his responses to questions put to him by both lawyers. Unfortunately, without an opening, the defense was hamstrung because we could only deliberate based on the evidence presented, and all of the testimony for the prosecution was excruciatingly precise, leaving no opportunity. It reminded me of the trial lawyers my father was friends with and the way they talked about their cases. It always seemed there was more behind their words than what they were actually saying, and that was one of the main reasons I never wanted to follow my father into law. It was never about what was true, just what could be proved based on a set of rules that didn’t always mirror the way humans actually thought.
In any event, I’m doing a good job staying focused, until I feel Tyler’s foot touch mine. I shake my head as sparkly tingles of energy race up my leg and push back with enough pressure that Tyler moves his foot away. Then he creaks his chair. I creak mine back and then forward, as close as I can get to an “uh uh” as I can. It’s juvenile and ridiculous, but at the same time, I love how playful it is, like we have a secret language.
