Graphic. Ha. I never would’ve putgraphicandJamietogether in the same sentence, ever. Now I had a very clear image in my head ofgraphicandJamie.
“I just hate the idea of him thinking he’s still got a holdon you, Daze.” Jamie looked at me, and since I was still leaning between the seats, we were close. I fought the urge to flinch back, forcing myself to hold steady. “Because he doesn’t. Right?”
You know we’re meant to be together. Words I’d nearly caved into. I swallowed hard. “Right.”Liar.
“I guess we’re doing this then.” Nellie’s voice still held a vaguely nauseous tone to it, but she perked up a little. “Daisy, can you meet up tomorrow? We can go over rules.”
Jamie frowned. “Rules?”
“Rules,” Nellie confirmed. “History. Getting your stories straight.Hello. Out of all the books you read, you’ve never read a fake dating one, Mr. Bookworm?”
His frown of confusion morphed into one of annoyance. “I don’t read romances.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Nellie popped her door open, and the cabin light flicked on. I didn’t immediately move to follow her, and Jamie didn’t either. She peeked her head in, eyes finding mine. “After the kids go to school, we’ll come over.” Just before she shut the door, she told Jamie, “Take Daisy home. I need space—and bleach for my eyes. Maybe there’s some left from what I used on Beck’s hair.”
Nellie went inside, but Jamie didn’t reach for the keys in the ignition to start the car back up. Instead, we both sat still. I felt the strongest urge to clear my throat.
He finally looked over his shoulder. “You’re going to stay in the backseat?”
“Oh. Uh.”Yes, please, can I?“No.”
Normal Daisy would’ve crawled up over the console, falling into the passenger seat with a huff of air.Normal Daisy wouldn’t have cared about leaning on Jamie for balance, probably accidentally sticking her butt in his face.
Normal Daisy had melted into a puddle somewhere between the walls of Lydia’s mansion. I felt like I was stuffed into someone else’s body now.
I popped the door open, climbing out of the car only to open the passenger door and slide in. Jamie started the car after I slid back in, reaching for the gearshift. “Seatbelt,” he reminded me.
Right. Seatbelt. My arms felt awkward close to my chest, my hands awkward in my lap, my legs awkward where they were crammed under the dash. I just felt like one big bundle ofuncomfortable.
But why?I thought as Jamie backed out of his driveway, shifting the car into drive.It’s just Jamie.
Just Jamie. Jamie, who liked to read old-timey books until he fell asleep mid-sentence. Jamie, who would cry when he watched Disney movies where the parents died. Jamie,who I’d watched eat nearly two dozen sugar cookies only to puke them all back up thirty minutes later when we were fifteen. Just Jamie.
For some reason, that comforted me enough that I could peek over at him. Jamie, who drove with both hands at ten and two and barely took his eyes off the road. Jamie, my best friend.
“Are those secretly spicy books?” I asked suddenly.
Jamie choked on an inhale. “W-What?”
“The books you read. Are they spicy books?”
“No, they are notspicy.” A corner of Jamie’s lips tugged. “Is that your way of saying I did a good job?”
Again, something in me short-circuited.Too good of a job.“Y-You were passable.” My cheeks warmed as I turned to stare through the windshield, letting the glare of the headlights blind out the image in my brain. “You surprised me. I thought you were actually about to kiss me.”
“I wouldn’t kiss you,” Jamie said at once.
“Why not?” The words came out of me unbidden, almost indignant. Offended.Gross, he’d said earlier when I’d thrown the hypothetical out. “It’s such a horrible thought? Kissing me?”
“I wouldn’t do something without knowing you wanted it.” Jamie didn’t glance over, but his fingers tightened on the wheel. “And you wouldn’t have wanted me to kiss you. Right?”
He could never know, I decided then and there. He could never know what I’d thought. What I’d imagined. What I’d nearly done. “Right.” I quickly tossed my head to the side. “I’m surprised you even thought of it, though. I never would’ve thought about pretendingthatwith you.”
Jamie shifted in his seat. “It was just… impulse, I guess.”
Impulse. Sure. He’d grabbed my hips without hesitation, leaned into me as if it’d been as easy as breathing—or like he was finally doing something he’d always held himself back from.Impulse.
Jamie was such a liar. He totally read romance novels.
