“I didn’t need you to save me.”
Her words, however automatic, angered me.
She corrected herself almost immediately. “I actually appreciate you swooping in regarding Joey,” she said after a beat. “He makes me nervous.” She said it in such a low voice that it tempered the anger that had been kindling.
“I think we should try to get him banned from the events.” This seemed like a safe topic. I didn’t want to dwell on the kiss, especially since I hadn’t yet wrapped my head around what it meant.
She immediately started shaking her head. “On what grounds?”
“He makes you uncomfortable. That’s reason enough for me.”
“But technically, he hasn’t done anything.”
“He backed you in a corner in a hallway with no exit at the last event,” I argued.
“Okay, but when I’m questioned as to whether I tried to push past him, and I tell the truth, what do you think they’re going to say?”
Her response bothered me. “You don’t have to justify your feelings. You get a say in who is around you. You should trust your instincts, and right now, your instincts are telling you to stay away from him.”
She nodded, her fingers going up to restlessly comb through the hair that had been messed up when we’d been making out. We still hadn’t talked about that. It was a conversation we wouldhave to have—one way or another—but I was thankful we had something else to distract us at present, because I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t certain I would ever be.
“But if I say something, and he’s kicked out, he could make a big deal of it on social media,” she said in a low voice. “He could cause it to go viral by saying he was just minding his own business. You know how misogynistic people on the internet can be. It’s a powder keg out there right now.”
She wasn’t wrong. Still, I didn’t like the idea of Joey being around her. “You’re afraid of him.”
“But I don’t have a reason to be. He’s just … always there.”
“That’s enough. You have a right to feel safe.”
“But what if there’s nothing wrong with him? What if he really is just minding his own business? He doesn’t deserve to be locked out of these things if I’m the one making a mountain out of a molehill.”
She shouldn’t have been questioning herself. That wasn’t fair. But I knew how this stuff worked out for women. Even other women would judge her. That was simply how it worked. I’d seen it with countless celebrity and political scandals. This would be on a much smaller scale, obviously, but she was right. If Joey wanted to make a stink, this could blow up. She would be the one facing consequences under those circumstances.
“It’s not fair,” I said finally.
She eyed me for a long beat. Finally, a small smile quirked the corners of her lips. “Life isn’t fair.”
“Maybe not, but it should be.” Only then did I realize my hands were still on her hips. I jerked them away, my cheeks burning as she eyed me. “I … um…”
Should I say something? Should I apologize?
“It’s okay,” she said in a soft voice.
“It’s really not.” I hated myself, but I didn’t know why. We weren’t dating. I’d dragged her outside against her will andkissed her without asking for permission. Those were two big no-no’s in my book.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Her hand landed on my chest, causing hope to flare again. Her smile was rueful. “It was an emotionally charged situation. No harm, no foul, right?”
I swallowed hard. What if I wanted there to be harm? Not that I wanted to hurt her. It was more that I wanted to cause a ripple in both our lives.
Despite that, I flashed a flat smile and nodded. “No harm, no foul.”
“It was a much better activity than the alternative.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Which is…?”
For some reason, despite the surreal fact that we were hunkering in the dark outside Vic’s on the River, she giggled. The simple sound sent things zinging through me. Feelings I couldn’t remember ever feeling.
What the hell is going on with me?
