the passenger side. Jason gives the driver the steely look of death as he passes.
“Where’s Guilden?” he asks, still looking pissed off.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No. I want to park my truck, spend the night, and get the hell out of here.” His words bruise me. We just got here.
“Back up and bang a U-ie,” I say, trying to keep a positive attitude. Jason turns the truck around and I watch my tiny roommate Julia climb on top of our stuff and make herself comfortable in the middle of the sidewalk. He follows my directions in silence. I can only imagine what he’s thinking. We find a spot large enough for the truck a few blocks down Guilden and I release a sigh of relief as he turns the truck off and takes the key out of the ignition.
“Hey,” I say. He looks at me with eyes the color of storm clouds today. “In case I forget to tell you, thanks for the ride.” I let the words flow off my lips, begging him for another ride.
“How am I going to let you go to school here if you look at me like this? It’s obvious you need to be taken care of on a daily basis. This separation is never going to work,” Jason concludes.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and slide over next to Jason, leaning across his lap, facing him. I kiss him as innocently as possible. I have to will my hands not to knot in his hair. Even this kiss leaves me breathless.
“Not here,” I whisper and lean back.
“You started this, Annie,” Jason chastises, and I look around for pedestrians. It’s broad daylight and Julia is standing on the curb with our things.
“You’ll have me arrested. I don’t think I’m the prison type.” He leans his head on my forehead. His breath is hot on my face.
“You may not be the prison type, but you are the break-the-law type.”
“I’m coming around to it.”
“Oh, don’t play innocent. Just because you wasted all that time with Brian Matlin does not make you a saint.”
“Can we leave poor Brian out of this?” I say, and slide back toward my door. I open it and hop out without waiting for his answer. We reach Julia just as she is about to give up and leave my stuff on the curb unattended. Jason carries every bag up ten steps and into the house as Julia peppers me with questions.
“So, this is the cowboy. He’s hot, Charlotte.”
“I know,” I say as we both watch Jason toss bags over his shoulder neither of us could drag. “I think I’m obsessed with him.”
“Great,” is all she says in response. We continue to watch Jason as a car full of guys pass and beep at us. Jason scowls as he comes back out for the last bag. “What are you guys doing tonight?”
“I’m going to take him to Stuff Yer Face.”
“You’re going to take the cowboy to Stuff Yer Face?”
“Yeah, and can you call him Jason?”
“I’m really not sure if I can.”
“I have to resign and we have to eat, so I figured we’d go to Stuff Yer Face. Do you want to come with us?”
“Yes. This is going to be hilarious. I’m on my way to the bookstore, though. I’ll meet you guys there.”
* * *
I go in the house and find Jason already in my room. It’s on the top floor, in the attic really. The ceiling is pitched and there are two twin beds, mine and Julia’s, taking up most of the floor space. Julia convinced me to paint it at the end of last year and the light blue color she picked is smurfish, but it gives the room a cheery, if not nauseating appearance. He’s looking at the necklaces hanging on the corner of my mirror. A silver heart charm on a chain. The heart has an A engraved on the back. I wrap my arms around him from behind as he holds the tiny heart in his enormous hand.
“It has an A,” he says, and releases it.
“My Aunt Diane gave it to me when I was little. It’s an inside joke between my mother and me. I used to tell her I’d be in therapy by twenty-five because she changed my name.”
“It’s never changed for me.”
“I know,” I say, and slide under his arm so I
“Where’s Guilden?” he asks, still looking pissed off.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No. I want to park my truck, spend the night, and get the hell out of here.” His words bruise me. We just got here.
“Back up and bang a U-ie,” I say, trying to keep a positive attitude. Jason turns the truck around and I watch my tiny roommate Julia climb on top of our stuff and make herself comfortable in the middle of the sidewalk. He follows my directions in silence. I can only imagine what he’s thinking. We find a spot large enough for the truck a few blocks down Guilden and I release a sigh of relief as he turns the truck off and takes the key out of the ignition.
“Hey,” I say. He looks at me with eyes the color of storm clouds today. “In case I forget to tell you, thanks for the ride.” I let the words flow off my lips, begging him for another ride.
“How am I going to let you go to school here if you look at me like this? It’s obvious you need to be taken care of on a daily basis. This separation is never going to work,” Jason concludes.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and slide over next to Jason, leaning across his lap, facing him. I kiss him as innocently as possible. I have to will my hands not to knot in his hair. Even this kiss leaves me breathless.
“Not here,” I whisper and lean back.
“You started this, Annie,” Jason chastises, and I look around for pedestrians. It’s broad daylight and Julia is standing on the curb with our things.
“You’ll have me arrested. I don’t think I’m the prison type.” He leans his head on my forehead. His breath is hot on my face.
“You may not be the prison type, but you are the break-the-law type.”
“I’m coming around to it.”
“Oh, don’t play innocent. Just because you wasted all that time with Brian Matlin does not make you a saint.”
“Can we leave poor Brian out of this?” I say, and slide back toward my door. I open it and hop out without waiting for his answer. We reach Julia just as she is about to give up and leave my stuff on the curb unattended. Jason carries every bag up ten steps and into the house as Julia peppers me with questions.
“So, this is the cowboy. He’s hot, Charlotte.”
“I know,” I say as we both watch Jason toss bags over his shoulder neither of us could drag. “I think I’m obsessed with him.”
“Great,” is all she says in response. We continue to watch Jason as a car full of guys pass and beep at us. Jason scowls as he comes back out for the last bag. “What are you guys doing tonight?”
“I’m going to take him to Stuff Yer Face.”
“You’re going to take the cowboy to Stuff Yer Face?”
“Yeah, and can you call him Jason?”
“I’m really not sure if I can.”
“I have to resign and we have to eat, so I figured we’d go to Stuff Yer Face. Do you want to come with us?”
“Yes. This is going to be hilarious. I’m on my way to the bookstore, though. I’ll meet you guys there.”
* * *
I go in the house and find Jason already in my room. It’s on the top floor, in the attic really. The ceiling is pitched and there are two twin beds, mine and Julia’s, taking up most of the floor space. Julia convinced me to paint it at the end of last year and the light blue color she picked is smurfish, but it gives the room a cheery, if not nauseating appearance. He’s looking at the necklaces hanging on the corner of my mirror. A silver heart charm on a chain. The heart has an A engraved on the back. I wrap my arms around him from behind as he holds the tiny heart in his enormous hand.
“It has an A,” he says, and releases it.
“My Aunt Diane gave it to me when I was little. It’s an inside joke between my mother and me. I used to tell her I’d be in therapy by twenty-five because she changed my name.”
“It’s never changed for me.”
“I know,” I say, and slide under his arm so I
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