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Despite what Nicole claimed, she was definitely warming up to Raina, which made Jesse’s heart warm as well.
“That’s amazing.” Jesse smiled back, reaching out to lightly tap Raina’s fingers with his. Instead of letting go, Raina intertwined their pinkies.
“Did you know we would be matching?” Raina asked, gesturing to his outfit with her free hand.
Jesse glanced down at his purple button-down, then at the darker-purple flowers on Raina’s light-purple dress. The color matched perfectly, and he would’ve bet everything he owned that Gracie had chosen his shirt on purpose. “I didn’t, but I’m pretty sure Gracie picked out my shirt, too.”
“She’s a good friend,” Raina said fondly.
Jesse took his time to reply, wanting a few seconds to enjoy the moment. The feel of her fingers in his. How her eyes lit up as she looked at him. How hisentire bodylit up when he looked at her.
“Raina…is this going in the direction I think it’s going?”
She stiffened, but didn’t make a move to unlock their fingers. “I…”
“I know how I feel,” Jesse continued, praying he wasn’t about to get his heart broken, “and I think you know it too. But I guess my question is, do you feel the same?”
“I think so,” Raina said, her voice barely a whisper. Vulnerability shone through her eyes as she gazed at him. “But I don’t know what to do about it. I really like you, Jesse, but my family would riot if we started dating. This kind of relationship goes against everything I’ve grown up believing.”
Jesse nodded. The words felt so much more real when Raina said them out loud. “There are only two people in this relationship, though. Your family isn’t a part of it. It’s just us, Raina. It always is.”
“The thing is, in my community, everyone talks. It will never be ‘just us’.”
Jesse took a step back so he could look at her. “Put everyone else and their opinions out of your head. When Gracie and Dean got together, everyone seemed to have an opinion. But it’s different for us, okay? Whether it’s your friends at Trinity or your home community, they don’t get a say in our relationship. That’s for you alone to decide.”
“It’s hard,” Raina admitted. “I mean, I’ve been hearing these things my whole life. Jewish custom states boys and girls aren’t allowed to touch. But.” Raina blushed. “I like touching you.”
“I get it,” Jesse said. “You’re trying to figure out a balance between what you’ve been told and what’s right for you.”
“Sometimes I wonder if you can be my exception. But that’s not the way it works.”
Jesse took a deep breath. Raina deserved honesty from him. He wasn’t going to lie—he really liked her. And this time, he was ready to admit it, but he also didn’t want to push against her boundaries.
“I didn’t expect to have such a connection with you,” he told her. “When I came over to help Zara unpack, I thought you were beautiful, but shy. I didn’t expect to get to know you. I didn’t expect to have the…theprivilegeof spending time with you. You became part of my family, the people I hold close to my heart.”
He paused, holding his hand up when Raina tried to speak. “I was told I could bring a date to the official family dinner—the one that never got rescheduled And I was torn. On one hand, I had Nicole, who’s been my best friend for years, but then you swept into my life and I had no idea what to think. There was this gorgeous, amazing girl and all I wanted was to hang out with her. But…she didn’t get along with my best friend, and I felt like I had to choose. And I know,” he added quickly, “you would never make me choose. But I didn’t want drama. I didn’t want fights.”
“Jesse—”
“I was wrong,” Jesse continued “Because I didn’t need to choose. And that’s something both Nicole and I have learned—your heart is as big as you make it and you can have so many incredible connections, all unique in their own way. Nicole text-scolded me earlier for forgetting to invite you to this family dinner, and I realized it had completely slipped my mind. To me, it was a given that you would be here. I’m sorry, Raina. That was all on me.”
“Oh, Jesse,” Raina breathed out, her eyes glassy.
She blinked a few times before launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Jesse hugged her tight, letting her take comfort from him. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, holding each other, but footsteps from down the hall had the duo jumping apart.
“Should we finish this conversation later?”
“Most definitely.”
They’d been lingering by the doorway but now hurried to join the others as two more family members entered the room. Uncle Aaron had been invited, dressed in his usual white button-down dress shirt and black tie, but it was Blake trailing behind that caused multiple curses from various people in the room. Jesse wasn’t sure what was more offensive—Blake having the audacity to show up, or the fact he was dressed in a truly heinous orange flower-print top and clashing green shorts. Great for Hawaii, but certainly not for a formal family dinner smack in the middle of winter. If Blake was going to show up and cause drama, he could’ve at least respected the dress code.
“Hello, everyone,” Aaron said, straightening his tie. “How have you all been?”
Dean began talking about his classes, but Jesse didn’t pay much attention as he guided everyone to their seats, putting Blake and Zara on opposite ends of the table. Theo, Dean, and Gracie sat next to Zara, while Nicole, Jesse, and Raina took the other side, creating a sort of wall of separation between Blake and Zara. Aaron helped himself to the seat at the head of the table.
Theo was the first to reach for the salad, putting a generous helping on his plate. “So, my dad couldn’t make it?”
The fork in Zara’s hand clattered to the table, but everyone ignored it in favor of staring at Aaron.
