“I am absolutelynotkidding!”I exclaimed, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might crack a rib.“I didn’t even mean to—my thumb just—”
“Oh my God.”She pressed a palm to her chest as she tried desperately to steady her breathing.“This is priceless.No, wait, this is fate.Beautiful, delicious fate.”
“This is a nightmare is what this is,” I hissed, covering my face.“Wait, maybe I can just respond and tell him not to…”
My eyes zoned in on where the worwordDeliveredswitched toRead.
My life was officially over.
Her laughter softened as she stepped closer, squeezing my arm.“Hey, relax.You look fucking incredible.If anything, he’s the one who's going to be panicking—and immediately get blue balls.”
Groaning, I sunk my head in my hands.“I don't want him to get anything when it comes to me.I hate him.He hates me.”
“Could've fooled me.”She smirked.“You're gonna have—”
I peeked through my fingers at my phone, my heartbeat taking a new rhythm as I watched it light up immediately.
Jaxon.
“Tell me,” Nerissa said, eyes glittering, “does that reaction scream hate to you?”
My pulse betrayed me, fluttering traitorously as I thought about our date, about our almost-kiss.I'd been avoiding him since then, knowing that we almost crossed a line.
But now, the line had been obliterated with one photo.
“It doesn't matter.”I scoffed and slid the button to decline.“We have a deal and we're sticking to it.No getting involved is part of that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Trust me, nothing will ever happen between Jaxon and I.”
Not if I had a say in it.
She gave me a knowing look before heading back into the dressing room.I grinded my teeth and ran my fingers through my hair.Whatever this was turning into… it was definitely not part of the plan.
My phone dinged, and his name flashed across the screen again, this time with a text.
And all it took was one word for me to know that my accidental photo would cause a chaotic chain of events.
JAXON
Trouble.
10 | All I Could See Was Trouble
Jaxon
MyplacesmelledlikeChinese takeout and beer thanks to the two idiots on my couch.Jesse and Ariyo were planted on the center couch, controllers in hand, bodies leaning forward as they locked into the game.The TV flashed neon violence and shouted commentary, but it all blurred into background noise for me.
I was laying comfortably on the couch to the right, my sketchpad balanced on my knee as the pencil moved across the page.A sense of calm always came over me whenever I was doing that.My fingers moved on instinct more than thought, and the projection of the memory in my head stared back at me.
If only I could just—
My phone buzzed.
I barely glanced at it at first, expecting a random notification from my socials, but my gaze caught Nerissa’s name.
What does the little devil want now?
