“Sorry,” I say, looking down at the pizza. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why?”
When I don’t answer, he shoves the pizza aside and scoots closer to me.
“Rumor, what are you trying to tell me?”
“Nothing. Just forget it.”
He lifts my chin up to look at him. “It didn’t sound like nothing.”
I push his hand off my face and look to the side. “You have a girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“She stays at your place. You . . . do stuff with her. You may not call her a girlfriend but you’re in a relationship with her. And I’m not going to come in and ruin it the way Axl and that girl did to me. I’m not going to hurt someone like that, not after knowing how it feels.”
“It’s not a relationship. Kristen and I are friends.”
I look at him. “I saw you, remember? That night I was behind your house?”
“That was then. This is now.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that ended. We don’t do that anymore.”
“Do what? Have sex?”
“Sex. Kiss. Any of that. I told her I’m not doing it anymore.”
“So you admit you were in a relationship?”
“That’s not what it was.” He sighs and sits back on his hands. “I didn’t want to get involved with anyone and neither did she. So we had an agreement. No strings.”
“Friends with benefits.”
“I guess you could call it that.”
“So why’d you end it?”
“The agreement was we’d end it if we found someone.”
“Kristen’s dating someone?”
“I think so, but she wouldn’t confirm it.”
“But she still wanted to end your agreement?”
“She didn’t. I did.”
“Oh,” I say, disappointed he has someone else. Not that I’m looking to get in a relationship again, but if I were, I’d want it to be with Jackson more than anyone else. “So who is she?”
He leans forward. “Tiny brunette. Beautiful smile. Tight little body. Doesn’t take shit from anyone, except her loser boyfriend but he’s history.”
I slowly smile, my heart taking off again.
“Her name’s Trudy but she goes by something else. I can’t remember. It’s kind of an odd name.”
