“Thanks for lowering your standards, idiot.”
Jack laughed and pulled me closer, not insistent, but as though pleading. And I knew he wasn’t joking when he said, “Sleep with me. Please.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking over at the hallway.
“I’m sure.”
“Shouldn’t we go to your room?”
“We’ll be fine here,” he said.
I wasn’t so sure about that, and much as I was tempted, I didn’t need the whole apartment talking about us. And I definitely didn’t want himto wake up sober, regret what he’d done, and kick me out. He was being sweet now, but he wasn’t exactly in his right mind.
“What if you regret it tomorrow?” I asked.
He sighed. “Do you think I haven’t been wanting to do this since I first saw you again?”
He scooted up to make room for me and see how I reacted. I took off my glasses and laid them on the table. “OK,” I said. I lay down next to him and pressed my back into his chest. Almost as if he feared I might reconsider, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in tight. We pulled the blanket around us, and I lifted my head so he could give me a bit of pillow.
“No escaping for you now,” he joked. I could feel his warm breath on my ear, and something stirred inside me. I wasn’t used to having him so close.
“Oh, so this was a trap?”
“Damn straight. You can forget ever seeing the light of day again.”
“Damn it,” I said. “After how hard I worked on my tan…”
“If you’re a sweetie, I’ll let you peek out the window sometimes.”
“Thank you, sire.”
Our bodies shook as we laughed, and for the first time, it felt as if no time had passed and nothing between us had changed. I wished I could freeze time and stay with him forever there on the couch, just as we were. Jack squeezed me tight and rested his cheek against mine.
“Is this OK?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said after a second. “It’s great.”
“Good.” His lips still close to me, he continued, “Good night, Jen.”
“Good night, Jack.”
And finally, I fell asleep.
8
The Flying Knife
Naya wasn’t the type to beat around the bush: as soon as I told her what had happened that night, she wanted to get me out of the house to a safe spot where she could hear all the deets. As usual, she took a century getting ready, blissfully ignoring the awkward silence between Jack, Will, Sue, and me in the living room. I nearly fainted, I was so relieved when she finally emerged, dressed to the nines and with her face impeccably made-up.
“All right, see you guys!” she shouted, then addressed Jack directly: “Ross, I’m going to take her off your hands for a while.”
I blushed in record time, but I couldn’t see Jack’s reaction because my dear, dear friend had already dragged me out into the hallway.
“I love starting chaos,” she said as she pushed the button for the elevator.
“Naya!”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She reached in her purse for her sunglasses and put them on. “It’s just so sad things aren’t like they used to be. You guys were so cute together! I liked you being all lovey-dovey more than this push-pull thing you’ve got going on now.”
