I shake my head, laughing as I pull off the highway. We cruise through the streets, still buzzing from the win.
“Think the girls had fun?” Jace asks, elbow resting on the window frame.
“Better than spending two hours watching the eating contest between you and Tanner,” I say.
Mel and Jessica left after the interviews. Wanted some time to hang and have Melody meet Jessica’s friend — Denise? Denny? Whatever her name was; she dipped early. Jessica and Mel stuck around a bit longer.
“They’re getting along pretty well,” he muses.
“Yah,”
Jace grins, eyes sliding to me. “So…”
“My God,” I grunt, rolling my eyes.
“What’s happening with you and Miss Viral Content Creator?”
I exhale through my nose, one hand on the wheel. Jace raises a brow, waiting. I’ve wanted to talk to him about this, but playoffs swallowed up our time.
“I tried to dislike her,” I admit.
He snorts. “Sure.”
“Honest to fucking God, Jace, I gave it a real shot. But the little menace won’t let me. Anything she does, there’s this weird feeling in my chest that makes me want to rip it open and give her whatever’s in there.”
“That’s fucking disgusting.”
“What’s fucking disgusting is my inability to grow a spine.” I roll down the window another inch. “Shebats her pretty eyes and suddenly I’m a damn mess. I feel like a guard dog on a short leash, ready to bite someone if they look at her.”
“Ooh,” Jace grins. “Say woof woof.”
“I don’t even know why the hell I’m telling you all this.”
“No, no. This is serious intel. Captain Dominic Moreal has been turned into a house pet.”
I side-eye him. “We fucked.”
“Bout time.” His grin widens. “So, what’s the issue?”
“Every time I think about this ending, this PR bullshit, my blood boils. Like I’ll rip a door off the hinges if I picture her leaving.”
Jace is quiet for a second. “That’s how I feel about Melody,” he finally murmurs.
I glance at him. “Are you saying I’m in love?”
Jace shrugs. “You might be in lust. People confuse the two all the time.”
“I thought so too,” I say slowly. “But it doesn’t feel like just lust.”
“I’m saying,” he says as we pull into our street, “you might just be getting there.” He shrugs. “Do you even know enough about her to want more?”
I chew on that. No, I don’t. Not even close. But I want to know. What flowers she prefers, the songs on her playlist, her views on everything, the thoughts running through her mind. I want all of it.
Conclusion: I need to talk to her more.
Jace taps his knuckle against the window frame, waiting.
“I’m scared I’m gonna fuck this up.”
