“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. In fact, we came close a couple times.” I lowered my voice toward the end, but she heard me clearly enough.
“What do you mean you came close a couple times?” She tossed her plate aside and turned to focus solely on me. “I need details.”
My audible sigh didn’t get her to back off; instead, she moved closer. But I was secretly happy about this turn of events, needing someone to talk to about what had been occurring between me and Jackson. Perhaps if I said these things out loud, they’d make more sense to me. I could dream, couldn’t I?
“The first time was when I went over to his place, which is right next door, and I’d been rubbing oil on his shoulder because it was bothering him. Long story short, he dislocated it a while back, and every now and again, it’s sensitive. Anyway, I wanted to ask him a question, one I quickly forgot when he flippantly said that I could do whatever I wanted. I teased him and told him not to say that. At that point we were just playfully bantering. But then he put his hand on my waist and stood up, saying that he was serious and that I could do whatever I wanted right then, and he wouldn’t object. But that I had to be the one to make the move because he wanted me to be in charge. I’m paraphrasing.”
I stopped talking in case she wanted to interject, but all she did was fan herself. When she still didn’t comment, I continued.“And the second time was right after Mitch showed up. Jackson walked me up here and even came inside to make sure I was okay. At one point I broke down in tears and he comforted me, telling me that he wouldn’t let Mitch hurt me. I felt safe with him, which was probably why I tried to kiss him. But he didn’t make a move. Instead, he told me he wasn’t going to take advantage of me, you know, because of what had happened with Mitch. And that if something did happen between us, he’d be unbearable because he’d be jealous. Honestly, only some of what he said registered. I was too busy praying he’d take me up on my offer. But in the end, he just left. This happened last week, and since then, we’ve just been cordial toward the other. He trains, I do my job where he’s concerned, and that’s it.”
It was an enormous relief to get all that off my chest. I’d been dissecting every interaction between us, and it was nice to give life to those rampant and sometimes uncertain thoughts.
“Wow” was Abby’s initial response, which wasn’t helpful.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I’m still processing. Wow,” she repeated. “Give me a second.”
I nodded, giving her time to gather her thoughts because I needed to continue this conversation. She was the only person I had to talk to about this stuff.
“Okay,” she finally said, drawing in a deep breath. “The good thing is that he let you set the pace the first time. He didn’t push for you to do anything. That’s a point in my book.”
“A point? You’re keeping score now?”
“Looks like it.” She laughed. “As far as the second time, he didn’t want to take advantage of you, knowing how vulnerable you were. That really speaks to his character. I like him even more now.”
“So, is that two points?” I asked, my smile mirroring hers.
“He’s up to three.”
“Where did the third point come from?” I asked.
“It came from him being unbelievably hot.”
“That tracks,” I replied, sharing in her laughter. I started to say something else, but there was a knock on my door.
“Is that him?” Her eyes widened as she gently bounced on the couch in excitement, readjusting her dark strands into a messy bun. “I wouldn’t mind getting another look at him, this time up close and personal.”
“All right. Calm down. I don’t know who is out there.”
The only people who knew where I lived were Jackson, his team, and my family. Mitch flashed through my mind, but while he knew where I worked now, there was no way he’d know about this apartment. None of the utilities here were in my name because everything was included, a perk of my job.
As I moved closer to the door, my instinct told me Jackson was on the landing, and I was proved right as soon as I peered through the peephole.
“Hi,” I greeted, opening the door.
“Hey, you got a second?” He stepped into my apartment before I answered. Then he saw Abby. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I can come back later.”
“That’s okay. We don’t mind,” Abby said as she stood.
“That’s my sister, Abby.” I pointed in her direction, as if there was anyone else here.
“Hey,” Jackson said, jerking his chin in her direction.
“Hey yourself.” My sister was suddenly next to me. “You’re even hotter up close,” she blurted.
“Abby,” I scolded, shoving at her arm.
“What? He is. He knows he is.”
