“So we break up once we stop sharing the cabin?”
“Yes. No strings.”
“With an expiration date,” he says in a tone I can’t read.
“Right.” I catch my breath. “What do you think?”
* * *
Jared
Expiration date.
I want to throw up at the idea of losing Ashley in a month or whenever our shared living arrangement ends. And the fact that she views what we’re doing as friends with benefits stings.
But I have no idea how to label what we are either. And the reality is that I’m not cut out for anything serious. I want to be, but I have yet to prove to myself that I can pull it off. I’ve never tried for more than casual, and from what I know about Ash’s dating history, neither has she.
So, while her suggestion is painful, I have to agree with her. For two scarred people like us, not adding pressure to an already-tenuous situation makes sense.
I will never think of Ashley Hill as a benefit. She’s a queen. A goddess. And my best friend who I’m interested in exploring more with. One look at her face and I can see the nervousness. It mirrors my own fears about what we waded into last night when we went swimming in the pond.
So, I decide to give her exactly what she’s seeking. And I pray we’ll be on the same page at the end.
* * *
Ashley
Jared’s brown eyes assess me for what feels like forever, but he doesn’t say anything.
“J.” I touch his arm. “What do you think?”
Please say yes so we can keep doing whatever it is that we’re doing.
Jared cups my chin so gently I nearly break and ask him for more than casual.
But before I can say anything, he gives his answer.
“Yes.”
His phone buzzes immediately. He reaches over to grab it.
When he glances at the screen, his whole demeanor shifts.
“I have to go.” He kisses me almost as an afterthought and jumps out of bed.
He grabs his clothes and hurries out of the room and into the bathroom.
I’m lying there, trying to figure out if it was a woman who texted him, when he returns to the bedroom fully dressed.
“That was fast.” I don’t know what else to say.
Jared’s ability to dress to impress without spending a second rivals my own speed. My girlfriends always tease me for my lack of effort put into getting ready, and Jared is similar.
“What happened to that thing you do with your hair?” I gesture to his dark head of hair, which is normally messily styled on purpose but right now is just barely combed.
It still looks gorgeous, of course, thick and short to his head with a touch of length.
“Don’t have time today for vanity.” He smirks as he leans over to plant a firm kiss on my lips. “See you later, darling.”
