“Let’s put any and all surprises on the veto list,” Izzy says, and I can’t help but smile. Her long hair is pulled up into one of those bun things that sits at the top of her head, and she’s wearing running shorts and a worn Wild Bluffs High School Mustangs T-shirt I recognize from fifteen years ago. I try to calm the swirling in my stomach that the long stretch of leg exposed by the shorts has incited.
Becca looks between us before heading toward the door, waving a hand over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m just going to... See you later, Jaxon.”
“Soo, gone full stalker on me now, have you?” Izzy says, her eyes dancing as she looks up at me.
Things between us are starting to feel more normal, and it gives me hope that Izzy might forgive me.
“It doesn’t look good for me,” I say, still holding the balloons and flowers, despite the long strings whacking me in the face every time the wind blows.
I’m not sure what the best way to bring up the conversation I overheard is without making this whole situation worse. Izzy almost certainly doesn’t want my opinion on anything, let alone who she should date, but also, my brain feels like it’s short-circuiting thinking about Izzy going out with someone else.
“Well,” Izzy says, reaching out to take her gifts from my hands. “Thanks for the flowers and balloons. And for the letter. It meant a lot to me. And for the surprise visit, I guess, but I’m sure you have other things you need to do like play music or work out or do famous musician th—”
“Don’t go out with JJ Swanson,” I cut in before my mind latches on to the part about her reading my letter.
Which was the worst way I could’ve approached this. You’d think all the media training I’ve done would’ve prepared me not to fling random thoughts out of my mouth.
Izzy takes a step back, the light in her eyes dimming into skepticism. “What? How did you—”
“Don’t go out with him, Iz.”
“It’s none of your business, Jaxon. And it’s Izzy to you.”
Totally. Certainly none of my business. Which is why I should just walk away. Tell her I’ll see her on Monday with her coffee. Definitely shouldn’t keep bothering her about this. Except…
“I know I don’t know him anymore, but it feels like a bad idea,” I say. “Even Becca thinks so.”
“Jaxon,” Izzy says, her tone serious. “It’s none of your business who I date.”
“He’s a shitty human being,” I say, practically begging.
“Yeah, well, for the last fifteen years, I’ve thoughtyouwere a shitty human being…and this isn’t making me feel any different.” She looks sad as she says, “I need a date, and it’s going to be JJ.”
Okay. It’s fine. I’ll just leave. I can totally salvage this if I can just get my big mouth to stop saying things without my consent—
“What if you chose me instead? Whatever you need your date for.”
A tentative smile flares at the corner of Izzy’s mouth, so I continue, “What if I helped you out? It’s not like I have anything better to do. I can be your”—my mind searches for the right word, the one that won’t scare her off—“fake boyfriend.”
Izzy’s nostrils flare slightly, any semblance of joy completely gone. For a second, I think she’s going to yell at me. But instead she backs away.
“No. That’s…” She lets out the least happy-sounding chuckle I’ve ever heard. “No.”
“Iz—”
“No, don’t ‘Iz’ me. You know what?” She throws up her hands. “I forgive you. Okay? So, we’re good now. Don’t feel obligatedto bring me coffee or offer me pity dates in exchange for my forgiveness. I don’t understand why it’s so important to you after all this time, but if you want me to forgive you, fine. You’re absolved. You can go back to your life without me.”
Fuck. No. My heart feels heavy in my chest at the thought of losing her from my life again. “That’s not what I meant.”
I don’t even know what I meant. I just…I couldn’t handle the thought of her going out with someone else.
“I may have started this as a quest to get your forgiveness, but that’s not enough for me anymore, okay, Iz?” I say, taking another step toward her. “Talking to you every morning feels like the first ray of light that hits the earth as the sun rises each morning. And last night? It was raindrops on the dry soil that is my life. It was the most fun I’ve had in…a really long time. It felt like some missing part of me was falling back into place. It felt like we were friends again.”
“Yeah, it did. Which makes it hurt so much more that you’d offer to pity date me,” she says as she wraps her arms around her middle.
“It wasn’t a pity date!” I say, taking a step closer to her. I hate that she thinks that. I’ve never once pitied Isabel Harper in my life. She’s too smart, too funny, too kind, to ever evoke that feeling in me. “I offered because you said it was something you needed, and as your friend, it’s something I could help with. Why do you need a date so bad anyway?” I ask.
My heart is beating faster now, and all semblance of control snaps as Izzy’s eyes flare, her temper fully ignited.
