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A date? The words snapped me out of the strange hypnosis. I blinked at Jayden as he settled back into the seat, a satisfied smile on his lips. Is that what this was? A date? A pang of nerves went through my stomach. How had I gone from having a quarter-life crisis to dating the guy I’d been sparring with for as long as I could remember?
Everything was changing so fast.
“You can use my shoulder for a pillow, if that’ll help you get some sleep,” Jayden said, patting his arm without looking at me. “I don’t mind.”
Maybe it was because I was still half in shock about the dating thing, but I didn’t question my body’s automatic response to his request. Sitting back low in the seat, I rested my head against his strong shoulder and got a whiff of the same detergent and cologne that I recalled from his hoodie.
The hoodie that had remained in my locker for over two weeks now.
The scent was comforting, just like it had been that day at the Cascades. I melted into that feeling, closing my eyes and quickly drifting off to sleep.
For the first time in ages, I wouldn’t have minded if time had stopped.
Chapter Fourteen
A dress soooo sent the wrong signal.
I stared at myself in my bedroom mirror for a good fifteen minutes, turning this way and that, trying to convince myself that my usual outfit of yoga pants and an athletic top was the better way to go. But I just couldn’t. It wasn’t every day I looked this good.
My long blonde hair lay in soft waves over my shoulders. I’d even put on a little more makeup than my usual swipe of mascara. My lips were glossed, my eyes lined in charcoal. The navy blue floral dress with the pearl buttons that fell just below my knees in a flirtatious, flowy hemline had been begging me to put it on. It had nearly died a lonely death in the back of my closet, but today, it had emerged from the darkness like Khaleesi on her dragon, ready to slay this date.
Shoot. There I went again.
Date?
No, definit
ely not.
I’d woken up this morning with a clear head. I’d meet Jayden at the mall at eight p.m., like he’d texted me earlier today, but I wouldn’t let him get the wrong idea. We were just two friends, hanging out.
Friends. Even that was kind of painful to admit, but I could give that much. Jayden was my friend. We’d gone from half-way mortal enemies to friends. It was progress. A gold star to be added to my senior year. That was it.
So even though the dress was probably a little too friendly for my liking, I didn’t change out of it. Instead, I clomped down the hallway in my black boot and a lacy printed lace-up ankle boot on the other foot.
Charlotte looked up from the TV in shock as I approached. “Cute. Where are you going?”
“Thanks.” I grabbed my purse, feeling oddly self-conscious about my little sister’s compliment. “Just to the mall. Mom and Dad still working?”
“Yep.” She leaned on the back of the couch. “You’ll be back in time to take me to that party tonight, right?”
I sighed. As much as I didn’t want Charlotte at a party with Sarah and her gang, keeping her at home didn’t seem like the right solution. At least this way, I’d be able to keep a closer eye on her.
“Sure. Text me when you’re ready to go and I’ll come pick you up.”
She smiled victoriously and returned to her show. I slipped out the front door and hopped in Mom’s old Dodge van to drive to the mall. The whole way there, it felt like I was breathing in laughing gas from the dentist. And when I walked into the food court and spotted Jayden leaning against one of the seating booths, his eyes directed on his phone, the dizziness I’d been feeling moments ago now threatened to make me fall flat on my face.
He looked hot. Even hotter than in his baseball uniform, if that were possible. He wore a tight pair of dark-denim pants, a white tee, and a black jacket that accentuated the broadness of his shoulders. Memories of last night’s bus ride and the peaceful slumber I’d had on that very shoulder of his caused my gut to flood with embarrassment. I definitely wasn’t prepared for this. My body shot straight into flight mode and I took a step backwards, reaching for the door.
“You made it.”
Jayden had looked up from his cellphone and spotted me a second too soon. The bright smile on his face quickly dissolved as his gaze trailed down my body, taking in my outfit.
“Hi,” I said softly.
Oh, how I wish I’d listened to my gut and changed before I walked out that door! Did I look like I was trying too hard? Had I completely freaked him out?
“Nice dress,” he said, his voice breaking. His eyes met mine again and—maybe I imagined it—but I could’ve sworn his cheeks reddened. “You look really good.”
