Chapter 18
Avery
In the morning, Jase’s mom redeems her cooking abilities by making the most delicious homemade
waffles with fresh blueberries. We gather around the table, eating quietly, but I can feel Jase’s eyes
constantly wandering to me. He and I haven’t said much to each other afterst night’s extremely
heated make-out session. I didn’t think Jase was used to going too slow, but I was proud we kept
things under control. Even though our shirts were off, our pants stayed firmly in ce. Which wasn’t
easy, especially since I could feel Jase’s arousal straining against his jeans. Sheesh. I need to keep my
mind out of the gutter. I focus on taking another bite of the waffles in front of me.
“So…what should we do today?” Jase asks.
“You guys do whatever you’d like,” his mom answers.
Jase turns to look at me, measuring my reaction.
I shrug, my expression rxed and open.
“Well, I thought we could hang out with you today,” Jase says to his mom, “And then tonight I could
take Avery out and introduce her to a few of my friends.”
“Yeah, that sounds great. I’m open to whatever.” I feel surprisingly at home andfortable being with
Jase and his mom. There’s none of the awkwardness of being a house guest, or trying to force polite
conversation just to fill the silences. We’d broken through that pretty quicklyst night – gotten into
some pretty heavy topics, which Jase navigated us through with ease. He has an easy-going nature
about him that makes people feel instantlyfortable. I like being around him. I feel epted and at
ease, which for me is really saying something. Thesest few years, I haven’t always feltfortable in
my own skin, let alone in thepany of a guy like Jase. I’m d I met him and gave him a chance.
Despite what I’d heard about his reputation, he’s been nothing like the hard-partying, womanizing frat
boy that Madison made him out to be. And truth be told, I actually like that he has a past he isn’t proud
of. It might make it easier for him to ept mine knowing he isn’t perfect, either.
I help Jase’s mom with the breakfast dishes while Jase does a few chores around the house –
changing a light bulb in the garage and recing a battery in a smoke detector. It feels very natural and
homey being here with them. I am thoroughly enjoying the weekend break away from campus and the
dorms.
We lie low the rest of the day, rxing at home with his mom. She makes us lunch and even breaks
out Jase’s baby albums. He was the cutest, chubbiest, blond-haired, blue-eyed baby ever. Seriously,
he could have been a model.
Jase sits in the armchair and frowns while his mom and I huddle together on the couch, flipping through
the pictures, giggling and murmuring what a cutie he was. Seriously, he was blessed gically. I have
no doubt that someday he will make beautiful babies.
Jase says the night will be low-key, just a casual get-together at his friend Radar’s apartment.
Apparently, his friend Steve’sst name was Radaresky and everyone had called him Radar since
eighth grade. Jase has been friends with this group for years and he tries to visit them whenever he’s
home for the weekend. They’d chosen to remain in town and get jobs rather than go off to college. He
also mentions this is a group of friends his dad doesn’t approve of. No wonder Jase is so loyal – it
seems he’d do just about anything to defy his dad.
I dress in a pair of skinny jeans andyer a couple of long-sleeved tees on top. The nights are starting
to get cooler as fall settles in. Jase meets me in the foyer, looking scrumptious in jeans and a light blue
hoodie that brings out the blue in his eyes. Only Jase can make jeans and a sweatshirt look sexy.
Sheesh, I’m in trouble.
Jase kisses his mom goodbye. “We’ll bete, Mom, so don’t wait up.”
“Okay.” She waves us off.
It’s a quick drive across town to an older brick-front apartment building. Jase leads me up three flights
and taps on the door in a series of secret knocks before pushing it open. It’s interesting to get a
glimpse of his life outside the frat house. I like all the sides he’s showing me: first, the sweet, caring
side with his mom, and now his willingness to introduce me to friends from home.
“Hey!” A scrawny blond guy yells when Jasees through the door. “Adonis!” he says, lifting his ss
in a mock salute.
“Adonis?” I ask Jase, trailing behind him to enter the apartment.
Jase chuckles and shakes his head. “Greek god.”
That’s right. Adonis was the Greek god for beauty. I can see that. He has a freakin’ eight pack for
Pete’s sake. Not to mention that gorgeous face, piercing blue eyes and his perfectly styled hair that
looks like he’d rolled out of bed after a sexy romp. But it’s funny to me that even his male friends are
aware of his superior status and tease him about it.
He takes it good-naturedly – the look on his face is rxed and amused. He leads me toward a round
felt-lined poker table and toward the group of guys in the middle of a card game. He introduces me to
Radar, the wide-smiling blond who called him Adonis; Dave, a shaggy-haired hippie type; Sal, an olive-
skinned cutie with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes; and Matt, a tall red-headed guy with the
lightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. They all say hello, but it’s obvious we are interrupting their game.
We venture into the living room next, where a guy and girl are ying a video game and another girl
sits sulking on the end of the sofa. Jase doesn’t introduce me, but I see them exchange a nce that’s
anything but friendly. I sense they have a past, and as curious as I am, part of me doesn’t want to
know. I’m already aware of Jase’s history with girls, but that doesn’t mean I want to sit there while a girl
he’d slept with shoots daggers at us with her eyes.
I tug on his arm. “Can we get something to drink?”
“Sure.” Jase looks relieved to leave the awkwardness behind.
We stand in the kitchen sipping from bottles of beer while the question about who the bitter girl is in the
other room remains unspoken on the tip of my tongue. Part of me just wants to ask him, but I hold it in.
I’m not dating him and I’ve told him practically nothing about my past, so what gives me the right to
pry?
Jase looks thoughtful, leaning against the counter like he wants to say something. “The answer to your
question is yes,” he says finally.
Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.
“What question?”
“You’re wondering if I slept with that girl in there.”
Whoa. His honesty levels me. “And you did?”
He nods. “In high school.”
“Why are you telling me this?” He doesn’t owe me an exnation.
“Because I know you could sense something and I want to be honest with you.”
“Oh.” Honesty. What a concept.
“It was only once, drunkenly at a party. I think she was hoping it’d turn into something more.”
I study him, his navy blue eyes, his chiseled rough jawline dusted with light stubble. I can see how girls
probably throw themselves at him, hoping it’ll turn into more. “But it didn’t?”
He shakes his head. “I was a dick back then. It was my senior year of high school, and I was getting
ready to leave for college. I didn’t want to be tied down with a girlfriend; I wanted to y the field. And
when she told me she’d always liked me, I assumed she’d be okay with one night…”
While I couldn’t rte to exactly what that girl had gone through, I did still know the string of rejection
when the guy you’d given yourself to physically didn’t value it. “You should go talk to her. Apologize.”
Recognition crosses his features, but before he can answer, Radares strolling into the kitchen. He
and Jase share a bro hug – the kind thates with a hand shake and then a couple of loud pats
across the back. Then Radar turns to me.
“Wee to Radar’s love pce.” His hands sweep out in front of him, indicating a tiny messy kitchen,
and dim, sparsely furnished apartment beyond. If he believes this is a love pce, I’m certain Radar
hasn’t seen any action in quite some time.
“Dumbass.” Jase yfully shoves his friend on the shoulder. “Keep an eye on Avery for a minute. I’m
going to talk to Lauren.”
Radar nods. “Sure thing, boss.”
I don’t know what mighte of it, but I am proud of Jase for at least trying to make amends with the
girl.
Radar grabs a fresh beer from the fridge before surveying me up and down with a smile. “Jase must be
pretty serious about you. He’s never brought a girl home for the weekend before.”
I flush pink. “Oh no, we’re just friends.”
Radarughs, a dimple appearing next to his mouth as his smile widens. “Trust me. He wants to be
more.”
I want to dispute it, but I wonder if Radar could be right. I’m not sure what’s going on between me and
Jase, only that I like where it’s headed.
Jase
Avery is quiet on the ride back to my mom’s. She spends the drive flipping through the radio stations. I
can tell there’s something going on inside her head, but I don’t pressure her. I know she isn’t quite
there yet with me, I know she’s getting closer to letting me in. Especially after I’d manned up tonight
and apologized to Lauren.
Avery and I didn’t stay long at Radar’s after my conversation with Lauren. It started off awkward, but as
soon as I’d uttered the words I’m sorry, her shoulders dropped and she’d instantly rxed around me.
After that, the words just came to me. I told her how I’d used girls as a distraction to escape my home
life, and she admitted she learned girls can’t trap guys into a rtionship simply by getting physical. We
talked for about fifteen minutes, each of us morefortable and relieved by the end of the
conversation. I knew things wouldn’t be awkward if I ran into her again. The whole experience was a
revtion.
Afterwards, I found Avery and Radar where I’d left them in the kitchen,ughing over a story he was
telling her. We stayed a little longer, visiting with the guys before calling it a night. The mood changed
after my conversation with Lauren, and plus I didn’t mind leaving early because the thought of being
alone with Avery appealed to me more.
The house is dark and quiet, but I can navigate my way in the dark, so I ce a hand on Avery’s lower
back and guide her to the stairs. Once we’re on thending, I walk her to the door to the guest room
and stop, rather than bringing her to my room like I really want to do.
She isn’t mine, andst night I probably pushed things too far. And sensing Avery’s quiet,
contemtive mood on the drive home, I stand silently with her at the door to the guest bedroom.
“I’m proud of you for apologizing to Lauren,” she says finally.
I’m quiet while I watch her. I’m not sure what she wants from me, what she needs. If I did, I’d give it to
her, without question. But those sad eyes of hers are hard to read. I lean down and nt a kiss on her
forehead. “Night, Whistle.”
She nods once, blinking those wide green eyes at me, then disappears into the guest room.