“Mmm,” I mumble as he nestles his face into my hair.
“You seem tired.”
“I am.” I yawn. “I think you wore me out. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”
It’s easy to drift off with Jordan’s fingers trailing barely-there strokes down my arm as he whispers gentle affirmations in my ear.
I don’t know what time it is when a loud, steady beep startles me out of my reverie and the sense of calm relaxation is replaced with panic.
The smoke alarm. I guess I spoke too soon about surprise interruptions.
Jordan tosses me his t-shirt from the floor, and he pulls on a pair of sweatpants before we hurry toward the front door, both of us barefoot. As soon as my door is open, the beeping intensifies. The hallway smells terrible, but people aren’t rushing, and I don’t see any smoke. It seems likely to be a false alarm. Getting swept along with the crowd, we join our neighbors as we all file out of the building and into the parking lot.
I spot Jake and Alice, who seem to be back to trying to avoid each other. His head is down, and her arms are crossed as she faces away from him. Hopefully, they won’t notice me and I can avoid having to answer for my current state of undress. But Jordan doesn’t understand the assignment, and he calls out and waves to them. He takes my wrist and tugs me in their direction while I try to use my other hand to pull the t-shirt down far enough to cover all my assets. As soon as we’re standing together, it’s clear Jake and Alice are too engaged in an argument of their own to notice what I’m wearing.
“How hard is it to follow the directions? They are printed right on the bag!” Alice moves her hands to her hips while she turns and glares up at her boyfriend. They’re official now.
“I thought it would be faster.” Jake shrugs.
“Wait. What happened?” Jordan asks.
Alice explodes as she throws her hands up. “This guy set the microwave timer fornineminutes instead of the typical two it takes to make popcorn.”
“It was an accident. The nine was right next to the popcorn button,” Jake tries to defend himself, but it falls flatbecause fifty people are standing on asphalt in our pajamas because of him. “I guess I need to go take care of this,” he mutters before moving to the front of the crowd and announcing, “Sorry, folks. This was all me. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I promise there’s no fire. The only casualties tonight are a few charred popcorn kernels and my bruised ego.”
An older tenant from downstairs grumbles about how he’s going to miss the end of his true crime show. A few ladies chime in, less than thrilled to be standing in the chilly night air. As much as I like Jake, I’m kind of on the neighbors’ side with this one. I’m two inches of fabric away from mooning the entire apartment complex. At least it’s dark.
Alice unzips the bright floral hoodie she’s wearing, takes it off, and proceeds to tie it around my waist. “Take this, you beautiful goddess. While I process my jealousy over the fact that your legs are twice as long as mine, we can at least give you a little more privacy.” As she knots the sleeves around me, she nods, satisfied with her handiwork.
“You’re a lifesaver.” I smile down at her. I love a girls’ girl.
Alice pulls me away from the crowd to whisper conspiratorially. “Sleeping in Jordan’s shirts now, huh? Careful. That’s exactly how it started with me and Mr. Popcorn Scorcher over there.” She hooks a thumb in Jake’s direction. Alice and I really do have a lot in common.
It’s pointless trying to hide what’s happening. Her boyfriend lives in the same apartment as the guy I’m seeing. They’re bound to see and hear things. Plus, I’m standing in front of her half-naked. Besides, I’m dying to talk about it with someone.
“Actually, speaking of scorching, things got pretty hot with Jordan earlier,” I admit.
“OH MY GOD! I KNEW IT!” When a dozen heads turn our way, she lowers her voice to a whisper. “Details. Now. Out with them.”
“I don’t know what to say. It just sort of happened.” I shrug.
Alice beams. “Of course it did. Look at the two of you. You’re both irresistible. It was bound to happen eventually. Frankly, I’m shocked it took this long.”
“I can’t deny Jordan is a fine specimen of a man. But it’s more than that. He makes me feel…grounded?”
“Aw. I love this for you.” She swoons.
I look over to where Jordan’s standing on the curb, patiently nodding along as he listens to dozens of baseball questions and some unnecessary advice about the upcoming games from the older tenants who, as irritated as they are with our current situation, seem happy to have his undivided attention. I give him a small wave, and when he smiles at me, my nerves settle. He’s keeping everyone calm, just by being here.
Being around him soothes something inside me, and I’m feeling fully myself for the first time in a long while. When I’m with Jordan, I’m not trying to look and sound smart, the way I act in school. I don’t feel like I need to be on my best behavior, like I do at home. I’m not tip-toeing around his feelings and being careful with my words so I don’t set him off, the way I have in the past around my brother. For the most part, with Jordan I can just be me and know he can handle whatever that means. He’s going to be traveling for a stretch of away games next week, and I feel like I already miss him. It’s scary how attached I’ve already become. I know I shouldn’t. I’ll be leaving North Bay soon.
“Does Mike know about you two?” Alice asks.
“No,” I respond too quickly. “Please don’t say anything to Danielle either.” I beg her with my eyes.
“I won’t,” she promises. “I get it. I really,reallydo. But can I give you some advice?” When I nod, she continues, “I’ve learned from experience that loving someone out loud feels so much better than trying to hide it. Even if your family doesn’t agree with your choice, owning it is freeing.”
