her hand as they dodged the jeers. At last, another couple was ushered into the closet and the spotlight was off of Jayce and Maya. He smiled down at her. “Maybe we could go out sometime.”
She managed to pull her hand away. She looked around everywhere for Zoey or Addy. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m not allowed to date.”
“We wouldn’t have to call it a date. We could—“
“I see my friends. Gotta go.” She turned and fled.
“I can’t believe I forgot about that,” she murmured. By the look on his face, he couldn’t believe it either. “We were both too scared to make out,” she said, “so we messed up our clothes and hair and held hands until they let us out.”
“You were too scared. I was ready to go, babe.”
She remembered that bulge in his pants. She remembered her fascination with it, wondering what it meant and if it had anything to do with her. “You said I always hurt you,” she murmured. That’s when it sank in. She frowned up at him. “You—you liked me? Back then?”
Not so stone cold, now. In fact, the regret couldn’t have been more obvious. Still, he looked away and shrugged. “I had crushes on lots of different girls.”
She was relieved for a moment, until she came back around to his words. You always hurt me. He may have had crushes on lots of girls, but those words had meant something.
“Are you…do you…?” But she couldn’t finish
He turned his face back to her, having regained his stoic expression. “I’d never hurt you.”
How was she supposed to take this? “I know,” she said. “Do you…have feelings for me?” The question seemed so bizarre. They’d barely spoken between high school and now. Why on earth would he have feelings for her?
“Don’t you have enough to worry about without thinking about my feelings?”
She brought her hands up to her chest and fidgeted. She wanted an answer, and she wasn’t going to say anything until he gave her one.
Finally he laughed, bitterly. “It’s just a crush, Maya. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
“You have a crush on me?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d really rather not talk about it.”
“I just—“
“I don’t want things to be any tenser between us than they already are. So yeah, I’ve got feelings. They’re really no big deal. If we could just not be nervous around each other, I’d really appreciate it.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Just not be nervous? I’ll just switch that right off for you, Jayce.” Funny guy. She turned and got to work pulling chairs down, getting ready to open. She couldn’t look at him the rest of the night, but she kept chuckling to herself whenever she thought about him asking her to not be nervous. She’d give anything to have his emotional control.
CHAPTER TEN
There were times in Maya’s life when talking to Zoey just wasn’t very helpful. And Addy was just too busy. During those times, Maya leaned on Kellen.
Zoey was at work, Friday, but Kellen hung out at the house. He helped Maya make lunch for the kids. Then he helped her clean up the kitchen once the kids were off to school. After that, he helped her with the math portion of her HiSET prep course, which turned out to be a disaster because Kellen wasn’t much better at it than Maya.
They were sitting at the kitchen table, hovered over her laptop and laughing. “Yeah,” Kellen said. “You’re going to want to have Zoey help with this. Or Jayce…he’s pretty good with math.”
She blushed at the mention of Jayce’s name. Last night had been excruciatingly awkward and tonight promised no better.
“What’s wrong, Sis?” Kellen, the mind-reader, asked.
She shrugged and closed her laptop. “I don’t get Jayce.”
Kellen’s brows rose in amusement. “What’s to get? He’s a pretty simple guy.”
“Really? I thought so, too, until yesterday. I thought I had him figured out and that he just didn’t like me very much. Now I find out that it’s the opposite. He
She managed to pull her hand away. She looked around everywhere for Zoey or Addy. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m not allowed to date.”
“We wouldn’t have to call it a date. We could—“
“I see my friends. Gotta go.” She turned and fled.
“I can’t believe I forgot about that,” she murmured. By the look on his face, he couldn’t believe it either. “We were both too scared to make out,” she said, “so we messed up our clothes and hair and held hands until they let us out.”
“You were too scared. I was ready to go, babe.”
She remembered that bulge in his pants. She remembered her fascination with it, wondering what it meant and if it had anything to do with her. “You said I always hurt you,” she murmured. That’s when it sank in. She frowned up at him. “You—you liked me? Back then?”
Not so stone cold, now. In fact, the regret couldn’t have been more obvious. Still, he looked away and shrugged. “I had crushes on lots of different girls.”
She was relieved for a moment, until she came back around to his words. You always hurt me. He may have had crushes on lots of girls, but those words had meant something.
“Are you…do you…?” But she couldn’t finish
He turned his face back to her, having regained his stoic expression. “I’d never hurt you.”
How was she supposed to take this? “I know,” she said. “Do you…have feelings for me?” The question seemed so bizarre. They’d barely spoken between high school and now. Why on earth would he have feelings for her?
“Don’t you have enough to worry about without thinking about my feelings?”
She brought her hands up to her chest and fidgeted. She wanted an answer, and she wasn’t going to say anything until he gave her one.
Finally he laughed, bitterly. “It’s just a crush, Maya. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
“You have a crush on me?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d really rather not talk about it.”
“I just—“
“I don’t want things to be any tenser between us than they already are. So yeah, I’ve got feelings. They’re really no big deal. If we could just not be nervous around each other, I’d really appreciate it.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Just not be nervous? I’ll just switch that right off for you, Jayce.” Funny guy. She turned and got to work pulling chairs down, getting ready to open. She couldn’t look at him the rest of the night, but she kept chuckling to herself whenever she thought about him asking her to not be nervous. She’d give anything to have his emotional control.
CHAPTER TEN
There were times in Maya’s life when talking to Zoey just wasn’t very helpful. And Addy was just too busy. During those times, Maya leaned on Kellen.
Zoey was at work, Friday, but Kellen hung out at the house. He helped Maya make lunch for the kids. Then he helped her clean up the kitchen once the kids were off to school. After that, he helped her with the math portion of her HiSET prep course, which turned out to be a disaster because Kellen wasn’t much better at it than Maya.
They were sitting at the kitchen table, hovered over her laptop and laughing. “Yeah,” Kellen said. “You’re going to want to have Zoey help with this. Or Jayce…he’s pretty good with math.”
She blushed at the mention of Jayce’s name. Last night had been excruciatingly awkward and tonight promised no better.
“What’s wrong, Sis?” Kellen, the mind-reader, asked.
She shrugged and closed her laptop. “I don’t get Jayce.”
Kellen’s brows rose in amusement. “What’s to get? He’s a pretty simple guy.”
“Really? I thought so, too, until yesterday. I thought I had him figured out and that he just didn’t like me very much. Now I find out that it’s the opposite. He
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