Jade’s steps stutter and her gaze flicks up to mine. She hesitates, a wave of distrust passing through her eyes. I don’t know how much she’s had to drink but judging by her inability to filter her expressions, I’m sure it was more than the legal limit.
“It’s just my arm, Sunny. You’re going to end up eating concrete if you keep stumbling the way you are.”
A lopsided grin pulls on her face. “Then I’ll look how you probably do without your fake teeth in.”
My eyebrows tug together. “What?”
“You’re a hockey player.” She narrows her eyes. “You mean to tell me all those perfect teeth are real?”
I snort, shaking my head. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve managed to keep all mine so far.”
Jade laughs and my heart jumps. It’s a soft melody, sliding against my eardrums, seeping into my veins. She surprises me as she slips her arm through mine, the inside of her elbow hooking around mine.
We’re both silent, except for the sound of her occasional hiccups as we walk farther down the street, toward the intersection. On the left corner, there’s a small diner and we stop out front when we reach it.
Jade tilts her head back, her auburn hair falling down her back. Her lips move as she reads out the name of the place, but the words are barely audible.
It wouldn’t matter if they were anyway. The only thing I can hear is the sound of my blood whooshing past my ears as my heart pumps harder with every beat.
She’s fucking breathtaking.
She straightens her head, turning to look at me with a sheepish grin. “Would you judge me if I said I’ve never been here before?”
My mouth falls open, my eyes widening. “You’ve never been to Diane’s before?!” I stare back at her, mocking surprise, although she’s too drunk to tell the difference. I bite back a grin, swallowing my laugh. “Not having their waffles is the highest crime one can commit in Hillford.”
“Well, I suppose you’d better turn me in then.”
I shake my head, winking at her as I pull open the door. “I would never.” I tug on her arm, guiding her into the diner. “We still have time to change that before someone else does, though.”
Jade smirks. “Well, you’re the only one who knows my secret.”
“It’s safe with me.”
The diner’s relatively empty, since most people who come at night are probably still at the bar. One of the servers from behind the counter waves at the two of us.
“Pick whichever table you’d like!”
Jade is the one who leads, pulling me to an empty booth in the back corner. She unthreads her arm from mine and slides into one of the bench seats. I slide into the one across from her.
“I already know what I want,” she announces, a smile pulling across her lips as she shrugs off her coat.
I arch a brow as I slip off my own jacket. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” My eyes are drawn to her lips and the way they roll as she releases the syllable. My throat bobs as I swallow hard, forcing my gaze away from her mouth.
I don’t know what the hell my problem is.
“Hi!” The server from behind the counter steps up next to our table, almost as if she was summoned by Jade’s words. “I brought you both menus, if you want to look over them.”
“I think we both know what we want, don’t we, Sunny?” My voice is low and thick with tension as my eyes bounce to Jade’s.
Her nostrils widen, her pupils dilating as she stares back at me for a beat. Her tongue darts out to wet her perfect plump lips and I wish my tongue was hers. I close my eyes, the muscle in my jaw tightening.
“I’ll take a water, a black coffee, and whatever he’s having for food.”
I open my eyes, arching a brow at her before looking at our server. “I’ll have the same to drink, but my coffee with cream and sugar. We’ll both have the stuffed nutella waffles with strawberries and bananas.”
She jots it down on her notepad, smiling at the two of us before she excuses herself from the table.
