“Like me?”
“Yes. Tall, muscly, handsome.” He sucked in a breath. “Masculine.” His eyes became watery as he turned his face away. “Getting a degree first was a good idea. I’ve got something to fall back on. And a whole load of debt,” he added under his breath. He turned his face towards me again. Though his lips were curled into a bright smile, his eyes were still sad. “I know they want what’s best for me. It’s a shame that their dreams for me don’t align with the ones I have for myself, you know?”
“Yes, I know.”
Unsupportive parents were something we had in common. The other thing was Dillon, and that was pretty much it. We couldn’t be more opposite if we tried. From our physiques to the things we were into—assuming Jae still liked the same things he had three years ago anyway.
“What’s your favourite colour?”
Jae’s eyes widened. “What?”
“What’s your favourite colour? I remember you used to like blue.”
“You…remember that?”
“Of course. Dillon made me trail around fifty gazillion shops before your sixteenth birthday so he could find you a top in the perfect shade of blue.”
“I’m sure that was a chore for you.”
I hesitated. Had it been a chore? I remembered being the one to find the perfect top—in Dillon’s eyes anyway—and I remembered the look on Jae’s face when he opened his present from Dillon. His eyes had lit up beautifully, and the smile on his face had illuminated the room.
“No. It wasn’t. Do you still have that top?”
“Yes.” He plucked a daisy out of the grass and twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. “I still like blue. Turquoise blue, if we’re being specific.”
I snapped my fingers. “That was it.”
“What’s yours?”
“Red or blue. I’m afraid I can’t narrow it down to a specific shade. I’m not that up on fashion.”
Jae flicked his gaze over me. Surprisingly, his appraisal made me shiver in a nice way.
“I don’t know. You look pretty trendy to me.” He half reached out to me before pulling back and pressing his hand against his thigh. “I love the earring.”
“Thanks. Do you still dance?”
“No. There aren’t many classes for adults, and the ones that exist are for total beginners. Not much use for someone who started dance lessons at six.”
“Uh, no, I can see that. It sounds like there’s a hole in the market.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I think the assumption is that either you’re serious and good enough to become a professional dancer, or it was only a childhood hobby. The dance school I went to took pupils up to eighteen. Older if you wanted to do teaching qualifications.”
“Did you?”
“No. I learnt to sing, dance, and act so I could be a triple threat if I ever wanted to go into acting. But modelling is where my heart lies. Hopefully, my dance training will come in handy one day, but if not, I enjoyed it while I did it, which is what counts.”
“I’m sure it will. Something to do with poise?”
Jae laughed.
“Sorry, I’m clueless.”
“You’re not. You’re sweet. Seriously, you’re being so nice to me. Thank you.” He tucked the daisy into his hair. “You must have a gazillion things you’d rather be doing than babysitting me today.”
“This is a thousand times more fun than babysitting.”
“Oh?”
