“That’s my cue to leave.” Jase evacuated to the cookie table where Brek and Dean had already taken up residence.
Heather should’ve followed, but her eyes were glued to Morty’s attempts at sultry. She was worried Harry might bust a hip, but really, it was Morty who was using every bit of his body. All he needed was a pole to grind on.
Velma and Claire hurried toward Heather.
“You got a limo.” Velma grasped Heather’s arm.
Claire took the other arm. “And things look to be going really well with Jase.”
Really well, unless his family got involved. And his family always seemed to get involved. Heather swallowed the lump in her throat. “Things are okay.”
“Uh-oh.” Velma pulled her away from the Harry and Morty dance contest. Claire followed.
“What happened?” Claire pulled out a chair at a nearby table for Heather.
Heather sat. “Honestly? Nothing. But Babushka mentioned a family thing tomorrow that I was supposed to know about, but Jase said it’d be better if I didn’t go.”
“Is this because his mother knows you make penis cookies?” Claire leaned her elbows on the table.
“I don’t really know.” Heather slumped in her chair. “I feel like he’s blocking me out of part of his life. And that’s fine. I mean, it’s fine, right?”
She’d ruined many relationships by pushing too hard, too fast, but Velma and Claire did not look like it was fine.
“It’s just that I really like him. And I think…”He’s the one.
“Think what?” Velma asked.
She couldn’t say it out loud. Not when he was in the midst of building walls around certain parts of his life. And, yes, she knew his family drove him nuts. She also wasn’t so dense as to think that they weren’t the most important thing to him. When they called, he came. When Babushka needed anything, he was there. They were everything to him. But he’d also made this prom night special for her. He’d put a load of effort into it. And she was overthinking things. Per the usual.
“Think what?” Velma asked again.
“You know how I meet a guy, and then I start thinking that things are getting serious. I start to fall for him.” She waved her hand like they should know exactly where she was going with this.
“And?” Claire asked.
“And then I find out that it’s one-sided and it’s really only me who’s taking things seriously, and they’re really only into fun Heather, not forever Heather?”
“She’s scared.” Claire gripped Heather’s hands. “Don’t be scared of it.”
“I’m at the starting-to-fall-for-him stage,” Heather said. There it was, all out in the open.
“Have you seen how he looks at you?” Velma asked.
“What do you mean?”
Claire scooted closer. “That boy looks at you like you’re everything. Dean said that he didn’t even have that look around his ex.”
“Brek said he thinks you’re good for Jase.” Velma tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “And Brek doesn’t say much about anything when it comes to his buddies, but he likes that you two are together.”
“Since Jase’s been back, he’s been in a weird bubble. He’s fun, but he doesn’t let anyone get too close,” Claire continued. “That’s what Dean says.”
“He’s letting you get close.” Velma looked over to the refreshments table where the boys huddled.
Hewasletting her get close. Heather had to let go of the past and all the things that had happened with her other relationships. Jase wasn’t pulling away, they were just forging ahead in a new way. If he needed to go slower, she could do that.
“So I’ll let whatever this is pass.” Heather reaffirmed it to herself with a glance to where Jase was still hanging out by the cookie table. He caught her stare and winked.
Her insides warmed.
