“That Jillie I see up there?”
He bristles. “Yeah. Give her room to breathe, man, if all you’re going to do is fuck with her head.”
“That’s not my way, and you know it.”
“Maybe not purposefully, but with Jillie, it seems to be a subconscious thing with you,” he informs me.
“It wasn’t intentional.” I brace my hands on my hips and look down at my sneakers in the sand. I take a deep breath and meet Elan’s gaze, squinting against the sun. “Are you with Gianna?”
“Yeah, not that it’s any of your business.”
“It kinda is. I needed to know that.”
“Why?” he asks, but from the way his spine straightened, he already knows the answer.
“I want to talk to Jillie. See if we can try.”
“Try.”
“The girlfriend/boyfriend thing. A relationship. If she’s still interested,” I add.
He huffs a breath and looks at the sky with a growl. When he looks at me again, I see the turmoil in his eyes. He may not be in love with her, but he’s well on his way.
“She is,” he says.
“She is…”
“Interested. She’s interested in you, no matter how hard she tries not to be.”
I nod, not daring to show the grin fighting to break through.
“She tries real fucking hard, man.”
I wait.
“You fuck with her head or hurt her in any way, I’ll ruin you. I may not be able to do it because you’re bigger, but I know someone who can.”
That threat? It’s genuine. I can see it in his demeanor, his eyes.
“Look, man, I’ll be honest. I’ve never been in a relationship.”
“Ever?” he interrupts.
“Never.”
“But Ella?” he says, and I laugh.
“She’s got you all saying that. Pisses Ellen off.”
He smirks. “That’s the point.”
“I figured. But no. Ellen and I weren’t... anything”
“Fuck buddies,” he deduces.
“No. It just looked that way. But Jillie’s different. I knew it the minute I saw her at that party.”
“I hate this shit,” he admits. “Just remember, if you hurt her…”
“Not my intent.”
He nods, and I nod in return. Then he starts walking away, and I start walking toward Jillie who’s standing there in the sun, head tilted back, swaying slightly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was asleep on her feet. But I know she’s not. She turns when she hears me behind her.
Fuck. I’m nervous as a virgin on prom night.
