“If you are, don’t pick him. Pick me. Choose me,” Kai pleads.
“Whatever you do, don’t pick either. They’re dirty as fuck, loud, annoying, and well…annoying.” Angel grimaces, shaking his head.
“Thanks for the heads-up, but I have no desire to live with either of you,” she replies, and I smile.
“You know, I have money.” Gray flashes her one of those charming, Cheshire-like smiles.
“Congrats. I do too.”
His lips instantly fall. “Flirt with me a little, Josie. You’re breaking my heart.”
“Is he always like this?” she asks at no one in particular, but she does look at me, unaffected by his charm.
“Ignore him.” Angel smiles with glee and laughs a little too.
Gray looks offended and gets into it with Kai and Angel.
“How was your run? You going to let me join you next time?” I ask her.
“Not sure you’re going to want to do that. I’m fast and I’d hate to?—”
“Also, why didn’t you answer my email?” Gray interjects. “I wanted swimming lessons too.”
She huffs out a breath. “Because I didn’t want to.”
The guys laugh and I, well, I can’t help but fall deeper.
I’m not what she needs.
She crosses her leg over the other and her foot accidentally grazes my calf. She goes to move it, but I place my palm on her knee and keep it where it’s at.
We look at each other briefly, discreetly, and that same igniting feeling I felt when we kissed on the couch, burns bright.
I’m not what she needs.
She doesn’t move her leg or brush my hand away. Only picks up her sandwich.
I know I should move it, but I don’t. Not when she’s halfway through eating. Not when we’re deep in conversation about random things. Not when the guys ask her questions about stupid shit. She doesn’t mind it though; she may look blasé about it, but she’s enjoying this. I can tell the way her eyes just shine and radiate happiness, and knowing she’s happy makes me happy.
I’m not what she needs.
“The log scene didn’t do it for you, but the pool scene did?” Kai looks mortified, mouth agape.
We just finished telling them that we watched all theFinal Destinationmovies and now they’re all talking about the worst deaths that happened in them.
“I work in a pool.” Josie scrunches her nose. “That was more traumatic than the logs.”
“Okay, that’s fair…”
More mindless conversation and my palm now rests on her thigh.
I’m not what she needs, but she’s who I want.
39
JOSEFINE
My fingers hoverover the keyboard before I pull them back for the twentieth time, curl them into my palms, and extend them over the keyboard again.
