Page 28 of Playing With Forever

“You wanna come with me to Lowe’s to get the hose, or are you gonna stay here and start wet-vacuuming the floor?”

I silently stared at Evan.

“Baby, hose or vacuuming?”

I still said nothing. Partly because now that I knew it was just a hose—which was something I should’ve checked before I turned off the water, though in my defense, I had been standing in an inch of water—but now that I knew what was wrong, I could fix it myself. However, it would seem I wasn’t going to because Evan was. Partly due to Evan handling the jerk—not in a macho, arrogant way, but instead with disgust because Ted was doing exactly what Evan had predicted he'd do. And partly, but maybe most importantly, because Evan was there at all.

Evan held my eyes as he closed the space between us. When I was within reaching distance, he hooked me around the back of the neck and pulled me closer.

“Josie?”

God, I loved his voice.

“I’ll buy pizza,” I announced.

Evan grinned, which meant when he lowered his mouth and brushed his lips over mine, he did so smiling. This further meant I got to feel his smile as well as see it.

I wasn’t sure which way I preferred to experience his happiness, and before I could get a lock on my reference, he stood.

“I’ll get the pizza,” he contradicted.

“I’m giving you money for⁠—”

“I’m getting that too.” He saw me preparing to argue and rushed on, “I was exaggerating, the connector won’t be fifteen dollars—it’ll be eight at the most.”

I didn’t think I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell to win this argument, but still, I tried.

“Fine. Then I’m buying⁠—”

“Josie.”

Obviously, he thought my name said more than it did.

“I don’t know what my name has to do with it, but clearly you think it’s a full sentence. If you’re buying the part, I’m buying pizza.”

His mouth curved up into another really great smile. This was annoying because it was so attractive I could feel myself giving in.

Plus, I was hungry and there was water to clean up, and I had a feeling this standoff could last a while.

“Fine, if you want to pay, be my guest.”

Again, my response was ungracious, or I should say this time it was more ill-mannered than the first.

“If I tell you you’re cute when you’re ticked off, will that piss you off more?”

He thought I was cute when I was ticked?

“No one’s cute when they’re being insolent.”

“Maybe not, but you’re cute as fuck when you’re pissed. I can guess why you’re ticked, and that guess would be accurate, but that would only piss you off more, so I’ll shut my mouth and be grateful we’re not gonna stand here a year having a silly conversation about who’s gonna pay for an eight-dollar part and a pizza that’s gonna cost a third of the dinner I was gonna buy you tonight. Though, just to add, we’re still going out for steaks.”

I loved steaks, but I kept that to myself.

Instead, I concentrated on the part I found interesting. “You could guess why I’m ticked?”

“Yep.”

I waited for the elaboration, but it would seem Evan had again erroneously thought I spoke one-word sentences.