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“You’ll find plenty of things.”
I put the truck in park, now in my driveway, and turn it off. After walking around and opening the door for Jamie, I take her hand in mine and we walk to the front door.
“I really like spending time with you, you know,” she admits softly, throwing a quick glance my way.
I flash a smile before unlocking the door. “I’m glad to hear that because I feel the same.”
Once inside, she pulls me into the living room. Jamie sits on the couch, makes me sit next to her, and she takes her shoes off. “Time to show you one thing to do with your free time. Where’s the remote?” she asks as she grabs the blanket from the back of the couch.
I grab the remote off the coffee table before slouching into the couch. Jamie rests her legs across my lap, crossing them at the ankle, and throws the blanket over us. She leans against me with her head on my shoulder.
“Now, all you have to do is either sit here in quiet peace or watch TV.” As an afterthought, she adds, “I know I’m comfortable, but are you comfortable? That’s rule number one.”
I laugh. “I’m comfortable.” I turn on the TV and scroll through the channels until Jamie snatches the remote away and settles on something to watch.
“Rule number two,” she says, “don’t take more than two minutes to pick something to watch. You’re supposed to relax, not waste time channel surfing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She chuckles and then we’re quiet. I focus on the show for as long as I can before I’m over it. I switch to focusing on Jamie. Her body is warm against mine. One of my hands glides up and down her leg from mid-thigh to her ankle. That works for a while, but the urge to get up and do something is still there. I can think of ten different things I could be doing at the shop. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely am enjoying my time with Jamie, but we aren’t actually doing anything right now.
“Jamie?”
She lifts her head to look at me. “Yeah?”
“This sucks.”
She laughs. “Cuddling up on the couch with me sucks?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I immediately try to explain, causing Jamie to laugh again.
“Well, you can’t say you’re lonely because I’m here, which means you’re bored. I’m offended.” Her smile says she’s teasing. “It’s an adjustment you aren’t used to. You need more of a distraction.” She leans forward and kisses me.
Making out is definitely one way to distract me and it’s quite effective. My hand settles on her knee; she has one on my chest. It’s a slow, leisurely kiss with no expectations. I itch to pull her closer, hold her tighter, but she seems content with leaning into me. It still amazes me how right and good it is to kiss her. How I so quickly want to take things further and how I must resist doing so. Nothing in life has felt q
uite as perfect and fulfilling as being with Jamie, even if I did get bored watching TV with her.
We kiss for a long time before Jamie pulls away with swollen lips. “I think we should officially end our date now.”
“You don’t want to stay a little while longer?” I don’t want to take her back just yet. “You can control the TV.”
She chuckles. “I already do. I picked the show, remember?” That is true. She rests her head on my shoulder and whispers, “Just a little while longer, Brent.”
I rest my head on the back of the couch and soon, my eyes droop closed.
“Brent.” There’s a light shaking of my shoulder and I open my eyes as I rouse awake. “We really have to stop sleeping on couches.”
“I agree.” A quick glance at my phone shows I should probably get ready for work. However, I’m pretty sure Jamie has an early class this morning. “We should get you back to campus.”
She waves me off. “There’s no sense in you taking me to campus when it’s out of the way, especially if you’re planning to do it before you get ready for work.” I open my mouth to object, but she cuts me off. “I’ll be fine, Brent. I can find my own way back and be on time for class. Otherwise, I won’t let you take me until you’re leaving for work and then I’ll miss my class, which is perfectly okay with me, but something tells me you wouldn’t want me to miss class either. Pick the lesser evil. Someone picking me up or me missing class.”
I shake my head a little in wonder. “And you say I’m bossy. You decide what you want to do, and that’ll work for me. I’m hopping in the shower.” I kiss her cheek as her legs slide off my lap and then head upstairs. Before I can get too far, her phone rings and I hear her groan. My feet stop on the second step. I glance back to see her hunch over with her head resting in her hand.
“Morning, Mother.” She’s quiet for a moment. “Why did you go and do that? I told you I was fine. I don’t need to talk to anyone about this. It’s absolutely ridiculous that you think I do. Cancel the appointment because I’m not going. You need to trust me on this because I am fine.”
At this point, it’s uncomfortable to listen and I don’t feel great about the fact that I am when she definitely hasn’t realized it, so I quietly escape upstairs. Whatever happened the other night when I surprised her at work, when we ultimately ended up at the shop, has stayed in the back of my mind. Is whatever was bothering her then the same reason her mother’s calling? Do I make another attempt at getting her to talk about it?
When I return downstairs after having made my decision, it turns out it’s pointless. Jamie chose to have someone to pick her up because she’s gone with only a quickly written note that she’ll see me Saturday left behind.
