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Raina nodded. “I want to be involved with my kids, but not as involved as—”
“Your mom,” Jesse finished, his fingers inching toward hers. “That makes sense.”
She made the first move, boldly intertwining their hands. “You get me.”
Jesse didn’t know how anyone could meet Raina Cohen and not want to understand every fiber of her being. “How could I not?”
* * *
Raina almost didn’t remember Jesse was touching her, if not for the factJessewas touching her. As they walked down the halls, hands swinging in between them, it was all Raina could think about.
Jesse Ashcroft is holding my hand.
Jesse’s thumb brushed against my wrist.
Jesse’s shoulder tapped mine.
“What’s going on in your head?” Jesse asked, breaking Raina out of her thoughts.
She looked up at him guiltily. “How do you know something’s going on in my head?”
Jesse smirked. “Come on, Rai, give me some credit. You twitch whenever I move my hand, you’re staring off into space, and I called your name three times and you didn’t respond.”
“Sorry.” Raina blushed, but found herself feeling secretly flattered that Jesse had noticed all those things about her. That was a good sign, right? Or maybe the fact that they were holding hands was the ultimate sign.
“Don’t apologize. This is okay, right?” Jesse asked, motioning to their linked hands.
“Yes, um, you don’t have to keep asking,” Raina said. How would it feel to have him touch her whenever he liked?
“It’s the polite thing to do,” Jesse said, a serious look on her face. “My parents may not have been around much, but my dad was the one who taught me, Dean, and Theo how to treat a woman.”
“What did he tell you?”
“He impressed on us not to do anything she didn't want, to always ask for permission—verbal permission—and respect her boundaries. We also talked about how as you get to know a person better, you learn what they’re comfortable with and can adjust accordingly. Like, you know when Dean kissed Gracie last year? Their first kiss?” Raina nodded. “My dad would have been furious. He taught us all to make sure that the girl was okay with it first.”
“And Dean did not.” Raina chuckled. “At least they worked things out in the end.”
“Right. They’re an example of how each couple is different.”
“Do you want a relationship like theirs?” Raina asked. “Oh wait, I think we’ve discussed this before.”
“A little,” Jesse agreed. “I want a relationship where I have a connection similar to theirs, but…” his voice trailed off. “I’m not sure how to phrase it.”
“Something a little more quiet?” Raina suggested.
Jesse’s eyes lit up. “Yes. Exactly that. Their drama works for them, but that’s just not me, you know?”
Raina nodded emphatically. “You know, I think we’ve discussed this before.”
Jesse paused for a second, bending down to fix his shoelace. “What, are we not allowed to repeat conversations?” he joked.
Raina laughed as they continued walking, doing her best to relax and forget that all the nerves in her hand were currently electrified. “Jesse? Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Jesse said, glancing over at her. “Is everything good?”
Raina bit her lip. “I like what we’ve been building the past few weeks. But I have to know…what happened between us? Because everything was good, and then there was that weekend at Theo’s, and then you, well, you know.”
“I do. I—” Jesse paused, sighing. “I liked you then. And I was torn that night, whether to come talk to you or go and deal with Nicole. She was out of line. I yelled at her for hours. And somehow, we got back to Trinity, and I still hadn’t found a time to talk to you. Then Nicole came to me. She told me that you never really liked me, and you were only trying to seduce me as part of some huge revenge plot in the Gracie/Dean prank war.”
