Jackson hands me a soda. “Want to eat by the pool?”
“We can’t. The cameras.” I jerk back in a panic. “The cameras! They recorded you!”
“Relax. I have a buddy who works at the security place. He’ll go in and make me disappear.”
“He can do that? How?”
“He’ll cut that part out and replace it with video showing nobody’s there.”
I eye him suspiciously. “How do you know this guy?”
“He goes to my school. He’s done this before, not for me but other people. He probably shouldn’t be working at a security company but so far, he’s managed to not get fired.”
Taking the pizza box, I sit on the floor. “Come sit down.”
He sits across from me, and I feel him staring at me as I open the pizza box. I’m sure I look awful after spending over a day in bed, crying. My hair’s a mess. My makeup’s smeared. And I’m guessing I stink since I haven’t showered.
“So what have you been up to?” I ask, taking a slice of pizza. I didn’t think I was hungry, but the smell of pizza has my stomach growling.
“I’ve mainly been at the gym or at practice.” He smiles. “And waiting around for Trudy to come over.”
I smile back. “You haven’t been waiting for me.”
“I have.” He takes a slice of pizza from the box. “I got used to you stopping over.”
“Are you saying you missed me?” I ask in a tone that sounds flirty. Why did it come out that way?
“I did,” he says, matter-of-factly, before biting into his pizza. “You’re starting to grow on me.”
“Like a fungus?” I joke.
“Kind of. You try to get rid of it. It keeps showing up.”
I reach over and shove his shoulder. “You’re mean.”
“I’m kidding.” He sets his pizza down. “I actually really did miss you.”
“You must have. You went to a lot of work to see me. Even had to break the law.”
“Tampering with a camera isn’t really breaking a law.” He shrugs. “Or maybe it is, but I don’t care. I needed to see you. Make sure you’re okay. So are you?”
I look down. “No.”
“The guy was an ass. You know that, right?”
I nod. “Still hurts.”
“I know. But it’ll get better. I promise.”
My eyes lift to his. “Doesn’t feel like it will.”
“You don’t feel better than yesterday?”
“I do now. I didn’t this morning.”
“It’s the pizza.” He finishes his slice. “Pizza fixes everything.”
“Or maybe it was the guy who brought it.” I don’t know why I said that, but I did, and now my heart’s beating out of my chest. I just admitted I like him. A guy who already has a girlfriend. I’m no better than the bitch who took Axl from me.
