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His lips wilt at the corners as he nods. “Yeah.”
“What you said yesterday was hurtful,” I admit in a low tone, unsure how far I can push him.
“I know.” He scrubs a hand over his face as if trying to erase the memory. “I feel like shit about that. I lashed out and it was seriously messed up. I don’t know what got into me.”
Holy crap. Who is this guy and what has he done with the real Jasper Morgan?
My mouth works a couple of times, but sound remains elusive.
I’m at a total loss.
“Look,” he says, pulling out of the driveway at a speed that doesn’t give me whiplash, “I won’t try to talk you into staying with me.”
I release the pent-up breath held hostage in my lungs. “Good, because I won’t change my mind. You and I don’t mesh well, and we shouldn’t be together.” It’s a relief to release the truth into the atmosphere. And the fact that he’s not arguing makes it even better.
As we drive through the sleepy town, his demeanor becomes even more subdued.
“I get it. We’re over.” His attention stays pinned to the windshield. After a few minutes of silence, he says, “I hate to ask this of you, but can we hold off on breaking up,” he glances in my direction, “officially that is, until after the school fundraiser next weekend? My mom’s been planning it for the past six months and she wants everything to be perfect. She’ll go off the deep end if we split up right before the event.”
Now that I’m this close to being done with him, I just want to snip all ties and move on with my life. I don’t want to wait another week. And I sure as hell don’t want to pretend that we’re still a couple and go through the motions in front of everyone.
I shake my head. “Jasper, I don’t know...”
“Please?” His voice softens. “In hindsight, I realize I was a shitty boyfriend, and I took you for granted, but I’d consider it a huge favor if you’d just do this one thing for me. After that,there’ll be no hard feelings. I promise.” He gives me a small, lopsided smile. “Maybe we can even be friends.”
He won’t hear any arguments from me about being a crappy boyfriend, it’s just shocking that he has enough self-awareness to realize it.
When I remain silent, his tone grows pleading. “I wouldn’t ask if there wasn’t a reason.”
Turning away, I stare out the window as the scenery flies by and contemplate my options. I’m aware of how vindictive Jasper can be, and it’s something I’d like to avoid at all costs. If staying together for an extra week will make our breakup more amicable, then maybe it’s worth it.
Plus, Mom is really looking forward to the event. She’s already purchased fancy dresses that cost an arm and a leg. She’ll be crushed if we break up beforehand, making the situation awkward with his parents.
I seriously can’t believe I’m going to say this but…
“Just until after the charity event, then we’re officially over.”
I wait for Jasper’s trademark smugness to flash across his face and make me feel like I’ve made a tactical error in judgment.
It never happens.
He inclines his head before pulling into the school parking lot. “I know. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Friday night. I was a total asshole. After getting pulled from the game, I drank too much, and everything spiraled out of control. It’s my fault and it shouldn’t have happened. I really need to get a better grip on my emotions.”
I blink, thrown off by not one, but two apologies uttered in the same conversation.
Who is this person?
“Thank you.” Maybe he’s right and there’s a possibility for us to remain friends in the future.
All right, maybe we’ll never hang out together and be besties, but it would be so nice not to have to worry about him making my life a living hell, which is exactly what I was anticipating.
Is six more days spent pretending we’re together worth peace until graduation?
Yeah, it is.
He slides into a parking spot in the first row. “My behavior is why you left the party in the first place and hitched a ride with Austin. I’m just glad he got you home safely, and I should have told you that the other day.”
You’d think after the first couple of apologies, it wouldn’t be so shocking to hear contrition weaving its way through his voice.
