“Well, I like singing with you.”
Despite him pushing too hard about Cole, I was sad to leave his car when he pulled onto the studio’s parking lot. The end of the playlist was upbeat K-Pop. It was impossible to hold back a smile.
“What time are you done today?” he asked.
“I never really know. I’ll just order a ride when the time comes.”
“No you won’t. Just give me as much heads up as you can. I’ll come get you.”
I growled my distaste.
“Jessalyn. I just have practice and PT today. Give me something to do. You owe me that for getting me up at 4:30.”
“I told you not to hold that against me!”
He cackled. “I knew that would piss you off. Just text me, okay?”
“Fine.”
“Have a good day, Sweet Cheeks.”
“Thanks for the ride, Jockey. Be careful going home.”
Chapter 18
Mikey
“Be careful going home.”
It was a simple phrase, something my mom would say. But I knew from Mom’s Kentucky raising that it was a mountain people way to say “I love you.” Almost everyone from that side of the family said, “be careful” instead of “I love you.”
Jessie, like Kitty, was a mountain person.
I didn’t think Jessie loved me, and she didn’t love me likethat, but she cared about me. That was a change from our rocky start.
And what did she mean by home? Our home? Was she acknowledging that we shared a home? Or was it just my home?
I was all tangled up. I had no business having a crush on my roommate. None at all. Still, I started the playlist from the beginning before leaving Jessie’s work parking lot, reflecting oneverything we’d talked about on the way there.
When I got home, I made more coffee and got ready for practice. My body was tired, but my mind was wide awake, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. It was still stuck to me when I strolled into morning skate.
“Morning!” I chirped.
Guy narrowed his eyes at me. “Morning? You’re awfully cheerful.”
“Yeah, he’s like... smiling,” our captain Sorrento said. “More than usual.”
I shrugged. “Don’t know why. I’m pretty tired, actually.” I knew that would get me more questions.
“Somebody got laid,” Leroy taunted.
“Actually, no.”
Guy had fully stopped what he was doing to examine me. “What’s going on with Jessie?”
Figured that he would be the one to know me best. “She actually talked to me—”
“Well, yee-fucking-haw,” Leroy said.
