“So what did you do today?” He picked up his burger in one hand and took a careful bite. As he did, he made a soft noise of pleasure in the back of his throat, sending a jolt through me.
Straight, I told myself.He’s straight. “I worked on sketching out and storyboarding for the next phase of production for a while. Then it felt like every time the director called action, someone would trip over something or send something flying, so I had to rearrange the set a little to flow better with the way thecameras were set up for the day. I swear, every single shot, they needed me to adjust something. I bet we have to scrap the whole day’s work.”
He groaned. “That sounds terrible.”
“It wasn’t fun. How about you?”
“Binged that show. Nothing exciting.”
I chuckled. “Did you eat anything? Anything other than watch ladies in corsets dance around to instrumental pop music?”
He sighed and fixed me with a look. “Yes,Mom. I ate.”
I rolled my eyes and threw a wadded-up napkin at him. “You know you love me.”
In response, he flipped me off, but I noticed a hint of color on his cheeks as he did. When I looked at him again, I also noticed a smear of ketchup that had somehow managed to get on his cheek. “Oh, you’ve, uh, got something…” I gestured to his face. He wiped at his face with a napkin but didn’t get it. “Not quite. Um, higher up.” Again, he missed, and I shook my head.
“Let me just…” I grabbed a napkin and impulsively wiped his cheek, removing the ketchup. As I touched his face, I froze for a second. His hot breath on my wrist sent a shiver through me, and his cheeks colored further, his gaze flickering down to my mouth briefly. Ketchup wiped off, I pulled my hand away, feeling a little lightheaded for some reason.
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, anytime.” After cleaning up our plates, I retreated to the far corner of the couch with the pretense of wanting to stretch out. In reality, my stomach was churning with desire.
Chapter 11 - Asher
The entire day after the ketchup incident, my stomach was in knots. Something felt different and I couldn’t quite pin it down. When he’d touched me, my whole body had felt electrified. Lightning had shot through me. I didn’t know what to make of it and I didn’t understand what was happening. I’d never felt that way about a guy before. Besides, Micah and I were friends. It would be like having a crush on Jackson. Not happening.
Jackson came by during his lunch break the next day to keep me company for a little while and I was grateful for the reprieve from my thoughts and from being alone. Around lunchtime, he knocked on the front door and before I could even call out to let him know the door was open, he burst into the living room like he was a one-man surprise party.
“You will never believe the date I had last night,” he said instead of saying hello to me like a normal person.
I sighed deeply. “Why is it your dates are always doomed from the beginning?”
Jackson scoffed and dropped onto the couch dramatically. “I don’t know, but I believe in love. One day I’ll find my Prince Charming. Anyway, he’s an athlete, right? Apparently, he’s big into ultra-marathons. Long-distance running. So, he’s telling me all about his most recent ultra and how sometimes runners lose their toenails. And then he pulled off his shoes and socks to show me said missing toenails.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and fake retched. “Tell me you at least found this out before dinner.”
“Worse. At dinner. He took his shoes off right there in the restaurant.”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment. “That’s disgusting.”
Jackson laughed. “All in a day’s work. If you want to find a Prince, you’ve got to be willing to kiss a few frogs, and all that.”
“I think this goes beyond frogs.”
He hummed and shrugged again. “Anyway, what’s new in your life?”
“Absolutely nothing of interest.”
“Liar,” he shot back. “Come on, give me something. Make it up if you have to.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. Honestly.”
“How are things with you and Micah?”
“Micah?” My voice sounded weirdly high-pitched. “Things are great.”
“Uh-huh. I can tell when you’re lying.”
