Page 56 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

He grins wider. “What—I’m serious.” His palm spreads warm up my side. “Never had the balls to tell you before. Been holdin’ it in. But I just… need you in my hands.

“‘Cause if I’m touching you,

“that means no one else is.

“If I’m holdin’ you,

“you didn’t disappear.

“If you’re here,

“then you ain’t anywhere else.

“And that means… we’re okay.”

Only one thing will mean we’re okay.

I fall back a step, meeting his eyes.

“You want something solid? Then stop livin’ in this in-between and sign the contract. That’s the only thing that counts in my world.”

His forehead pushes into mine. “Nah, I ain’t talkin’ to Baby right now,” he murmurs, frustrated. “I’m talkin’ to Allison. Contract or not, you, Allison Taylor, shake me up and hold me down, and I need to know I ain’t crazy.” He squeezes my hip, pulling me back into him. “‘Cause right now I’m feelin’ real fuckin’ crazy.” He laughs once, humorless. “Doesn’t even make sense. I know. Can’t even articulate this shit.”

His head buries into my neck, and he groans. “You got me sick, Sonny. Sick in the fuckin’ head.”

The alcohol’s a pickaxe to all his inhibitions, chipping away the swagger, exposing the underlying truth.

When he pulls back, his gaze crawls down to my mouth. “Yo, deadass, you got mayo on your lip.”

I freeze, horrified. “What?”

“Yeah, I been sittin’ here thinkin’ about lickin’ it off.” His eyes lift to mine. Then fall back to my mouth. “I don’t think I can hold back much longer.”

“Shut up. You’re lying.”

Before I can lift my hand,

he grabs my face in both of his,

and licks my lip,

scooping up the mayo, smug and fast.

“Drew!” I choke on a laugh.

“You’re disgusting.”

He holds the back of my head,

smiling against my mouth.

“You think I was gonna not?”

It starts stupid:

me grinning against his lips,

him chuckling low,