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March 2016
The driveto Joe B’s Diner was quiet but hung thick with a conversation that Katie and I both knew we had to have. As soon as we got into the Uber, Katie prompted me to wait until we sat in our booth to start my story. She wanted no interruptions and complete freedom to have natural reactions.
So there we were—officially seated in our booth with menus still flat on the table. I glanced over the drink selection casually and tried to ignore the daggers Katie delivered from the other side of the table.
“Why didn’t we just take Jaxon’s Jeep instead of getting an Uber?” she asked when she noticed I wasn’t budging. She picked up her menu, scanned the options, and tapped on her choice.
“Jaxon doesn’t let people drive his Jeep.” I shrugged. “And we never mentioned that before when we made these plans.”
“Yeah,” Katie piped up. “You’re right. But that was before, maybe if there was something that happened recently . . .”
“Alright,” I snapped and smiled at her. I slid my menu to the side and crossed my arms on the table in front of me. “Where would you like me to start?”
“From the beginning, bitch!” she demanded playfully.
Over the next fifteen minutes, I spared no details when I told Katie the story about the fight Jaxon and I had back at the condo, and how it led up to me spending the night and most of the morning in his bed. She asked no questions, completely invested with eager eyes and a satisfied grin.
I paused when the waitress came over to take our order and again when she brought us two mugs and our coffee carafe. I poured us both a cup and added two sugars and two creamers to my mug. I shook my last packet of sugar and sighed into the booth.
“Katie, I told him I loved him,” I admitted softly.
Katie blinked and jerked away from her coffee mid-sip. She set the mug down on the table, and her eyebrows knit together. “Okay.” She swallowed. “Wow . . . damn, you said I love you to Jaxon before I could say it to Connor?”
I palmed my forehead. “Oh my god,” I whined.
“Oh my god,” she repeated in an amused tone.
“Oh my,wait—” I pointed at her. “Did you tell Connor that you loved him?
Katie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Well, no, not yet. I’m still figuring out how to say that part. But table that conversation,” she said quickly, and a sly smile appeared on her face. “Ineedto hear more about this.” She pursed her lips and picked up her coffee mug. “I actually already knew you guys slept together. I ran into Jaxon last night.”
“Oh god. Was he crying at the breakfast counter?” I mumbled. The thought of Jaxon regretting everything that happened left an unsettling pit in my stomach.
“Stop that right now,” she snapped. “I’ve told you since day one that boys got a thing for you.”
I took a deep breath. “Yes, and does thisthingmean I get to watch him sleep around for the rest of the year? Or is it athingthat we ride out until the semester is over? Either way, I can’t be mad. He’s told me since the beginning that he doesn't do the morning-after”—I shook my head—“ugh, I knew this would happen. I would sleep with him, and then I’d sit here with you and overanalyze everything.”
“Correction, we are not overanalyzing. We are dissecting, and there is a difference,” Katie added and pounded her fist on the table for emphasis.
We both laughed and took another pause when the waitress brought our food. I was starving when we first arrived, but talking about everything that happened out in the open made me a little nervous to eat. Katie’s French toast and bacon smelled phenomenal. My eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancake were suddenly questionable.
I picked up the carafe and refilled my mug. After another sip of coffee, I took a bite of bacon and chewed as I prepared to reenter the conversation.
“Well, in the spirit of dissecting, he did say one thing this morning that stuck with me,” I said.
“I doubt that he only saidonething that stuck with you, but go on. Let’s entertain it,” Katie joked.
I smiled as I replayed it in my head first. “He said he would never tell me not to make noise. Which sounds like he is saying that . . .”
“There will be a next time for you to make some noise.” Katie nodded and finished the statement for me. Another satisfied grin spread across her face.
I had to cover my mouth so my recent bite of bacon didn’t hit her on the forehead.
Katie shook her head approvingly. “Please tell me it was amazing. I feel like he has to be good.”
“It wasverygood.” I sighed. “It’s like he knows what my body wants before I do. It’s so different with him. It’s different from any other guy I’ve been with.”
“So are you going to talk to him about it?” Katie pushed a piece of bacon around her plate and eyed me suspiciously. “Or are you guys going to continue communicating through silence?”
