AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Katie would be totally open to going out this weekend, and that meant Connor would come too. If I invited Bryson, did that mean Jaxon would be there?
Yeah we can meet up. The guys were going to go out anyway this weekend.
Friday?
I desperately wanted to ask if Jaxon would be one of those guys on Friday. But instead of being direct with what I wanted to know, I went with a much more casual response. According to Jaxon, we weren’t supposed to be close, and if I brought him up, that would be weird.
Sounds good! I’ll text you Friday to see where you’re at.
;)
Two things came out of that short conversation.
The first thing was I instantly stressed at hanging out with Bryson and Jaxon in a bar scene. Drunk Maci had proven with both Drunk Bryson and Drunk Jaxon that not all decisions could be thoughtfully made when we got together.
The second thing was I could confirm that the chlamydia argument was finally put to rest between Bryson and me. He had agreed to hang out in a place where people would actually see us together, and everyone knew how effective a winking emoji could be when it came to texting.
It was just an unspoken gesture in my generation.
Chapter33
Jaxon
January 2016
This was nowthe second time I walked up the stairs to Maci’s apartment, unsure of how she would greet me when she answered the door. It couldn’t be worse than the first time when she answered the door with Bryson on the other side of it, and I was buzzed off a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. All of the possible scenarios I played in my head for this reunion already looked better than the first time.
So I wasn’t sure why I hesitated to knock. I tapped loudly on the door with my middle knuckle two times and waited. Just as I removed my earbuds, Maci stood in the doorway, wearing a long sleeve shirt and baggy gray sweatpants. As soon as she looked me up and down, that familiar right dimple appeared on the side of her mouth. Even though she looked exhausted, I still found everything about her attractive.
I didn’t realize I was smiling until I went to smile back at her.
“What’s up, Mace?” I said hoarsely and cleared my throat. The swell in my chest proved how much I missed her over break.
She let out a sigh and her shoulders relaxed. “Hey.”
She took two steps toward me to close the space between us. Her tiny arms wrapped around my waist, and I pulled her into me, pressing her hard into my chest and resting my chin on her head. I took in her familiar scent of lavender mixed with the perfume she wore. She smelled like the night we went out.
She went to turn into the living room, and I grabbed her wrist.
“Hey,” I said softly.
She met my gaze, and the words caught in my throat.
“If you ever ignore me again, Maci Lawson, I know where you live now, and I’ll find you.”
She smiled at the familiar line she pulled on me a few months ago. I tugged on her wrist to let her know I wasn’t done.
“Don’t do that to me again,” I whispered.
Her eyes softened, and I wasn’t sure if it was the moment of vulnerability or the fact that I could read her without words, but I knew she felt the same way.
“Perfect timing!” Katie’s high-pitched voice came from the kitchen. “Once Connor gets out of the shower, we can eat.”
I stepped into the living room and closed the front door behind me. I tossed my bag on the side of the couch like I usually did and threw an arm around Katie. She smiled over her Instant Pot, and I glanced around the kitchen. It was as if no time had passed at all.
“The place looks bare without your Christmas decorations,” I observed and inched back toward the food. “Whatcha makin'?”
“Baked potato soup,” Katie said proudly. “There is French bread and salad too.”
