“Do you like popcorn?” I ask instead.
He sinks his arm behind his head, and I look up to find his soft eyes moving over me. “Yes.”
“Do you talk during movies?”
“Sometimes. Depends on my mood and what we’re watching. Thrillers? No, not unless I’m alone and I need to talk my theories out loud. Scary? Occasionally.”
“Why do you talk during scary movies?” I ask.
“Because sometimes you just need to voice out loud how stupid it is that they’re running upstairs and not toward their car,” he says, and I snort laugh.
“What if they can’t get to their car? What if the bad guy is at the front door?”
“Jump out of a window,” he says, like it’s obvious.
I laugh and push off of his lap, grabbing my sweatshirt as I do. “Wow,” I taunt him.
“Does this mean I can stay longer?” he asks.
I peer back at him over my shoulder, sighing at his naked body lying across my old couch. Oreo jumps on top of him from the floor and settles onto his chest as if she’s claiming him.
The sight makes me chuckle. “Yeah. Besides, I think Oreo would claw me in my sleep if I kicked you out. Be right back.”
I quickly go to the restroom to clean myself up, and when I return, he’s still in the same place I left him. I pad across the small space into my kitchen and start opening the cabinets, looking for the bags of popcorn and chocolate morsels I usually have lying around for early nights like this. I find a bag of peppermint bark instead, and with a glance at my Christmas tree in the corner, I decide it’s the perfect addition.
I pop the bag of popcorn into the microwave, tap the button, and turn to crumble up some of the bark. My phone lights up on the counter when I’m nearly done, though I don’t bother checking to see who’s texting me until I have the popcorn out of the microwave.
Because burnt popcorn might break my heart right now.
And when I do finally look at the text, I’m glad I got the popcorn out first.
Jax
Hello, darling.
I think I miss you.
Which is odd because I’ve never missed anyone.
I can’t help biting my lip as I pick the phone up to reply. I gave him my number before he left me earlier, with a promise that I’d text him once Nick left.
So many firsts for you today.
You must be overwhelmed.
Is my brother still there?
Yes
Did you tell him about us?
I might have mentioned you coming to the bar today.
Nothing else? You didn’t tell him how wet you were for me? How damp those little lace panties were?
I expected photos of you jerking off with them.
Wish granted.
