replied, glancing down at his polo. “Thanks.”
I nodded. “I love it when guys wear pink.”
He smiled at me. “I’m going to have to keep that in mind.”
We rode the rest of the way to the party in a comfortable silence. I didn’t feel like I had to fill it with nonsense like I had with Anthony.
“This is my buddy Ron’s place,” Jeff said as he steered his pickup truck into a parking spot along the street. “We went to high school together. Most of the guys from the baseball team will be here tonight.”
He came around and opened the car door for me and I couldn’t help but smile at him. We walked up the path to the house and, once again, he held the front door, allowing me to go in before him.
“Come with me to the kitchen. I’ll find you something to drink.”
“Don’t you want anything?” I asked him.
He shook his head as I followed him through the crowd. “I’m driving you home tonight, remember?”
Jeff didn’t strike me as the type who’d be irresponsible enough to drink and drive, but it was still good to hear him say it out loud.
“What do you want?”
“Oh,” I said, looking around the kitchen, spotting a crowd gathered near a keg. “I guess water’s fine.”
“No beer?”
I shook my head, remembering its awful taste from the night at the bonfire. And if Jeff wasn’t drinking, I didn’t want to make a fool of myself if I developed a buzz.
“I’m good with water.”
He nodded, then filled a red plastic cup with tap water. He opened the freezer and tossed a few ice cubes in.
“I could look for a lemon in the fridge if you want.”
I smiled at him, trying not to laugh. “It’s okay. I can go without.”
“I wasn’t sure since you had lemon water at Betsy’s,” he replied. “Some people are fussy about that.”
“I--I’m surprised you noticed,” I said, caught off guard.
He shrugged. “Guess I’m just the observant type.”
I took the cup from his hand and sipped from it. “Thanks.”
We walked towards the living room and the house seemed more crowded than it had when we got there.
And then I saw her.
A tall blonde girl scanned the room and I recognized her immediately. Brittany. Jeff’s...girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend? Who knows what? I knew what Jeff told me, but I wanted to be sure.
The only thing I knew was that she had to be looking for him.
I glanced over at him and could tell by the wide-eyed expression on his face that he’d seen her, too.
“Do you mind coming with me onto the patio?” he asked.
I smiled, glad that he didn’t want to see her. That had to mean that it was really over between the two of them. Otherwise, they would’ve come together.
We walked out onto the back patio which was much less crowded than the house. Ron didn’t have much of a backyard, but it was nice. Quiet. I liked it better out here.
Jeff took a seat, so I dropped into the chair next to him.
“This is a lot nicer,” he said, and I nodded, surprised that we’d been thinking the same thing. He seemed like the type who would enjoy being around a lot of people. “Besides, this way I can actually get to know you better. You’re an interesting girl.”
I glanced at him, biting my lip, glad that the dark night hid the blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks. “I don’t know what makes you think that, but I can’t complain that you do.”
He laughed, and asked me to tell him more about my life in Spring Dells.
Jeff didn’t interrupt me once that night. We talked and talked, even as the sounds of the party inside grew fainter.
And as the night wore on, we kept talking, laughing, joking, and the smile on my face felt as if it’d been crazy-glued into place. I never wanted to leave.
***
Jeff dropped me off in front of the house a little after three in the morning. I immediately noticed the light flickering on the rooftop patio at Anthony’s and wondered what he was still doing up.
I knew it probably wouldn’t end well if I went
I nodded. “I love it when guys wear pink.”
He smiled at me. “I’m going to have to keep that in mind.”
We rode the rest of the way to the party in a comfortable silence. I didn’t feel like I had to fill it with nonsense like I had with Anthony.
“This is my buddy Ron’s place,” Jeff said as he steered his pickup truck into a parking spot along the street. “We went to high school together. Most of the guys from the baseball team will be here tonight.”
He came around and opened the car door for me and I couldn’t help but smile at him. We walked up the path to the house and, once again, he held the front door, allowing me to go in before him.
“Come with me to the kitchen. I’ll find you something to drink.”
“Don’t you want anything?” I asked him.
He shook his head as I followed him through the crowd. “I’m driving you home tonight, remember?”
Jeff didn’t strike me as the type who’d be irresponsible enough to drink and drive, but it was still good to hear him say it out loud.
“What do you want?”
“Oh,” I said, looking around the kitchen, spotting a crowd gathered near a keg. “I guess water’s fine.”
“No beer?”
I shook my head, remembering its awful taste from the night at the bonfire. And if Jeff wasn’t drinking, I didn’t want to make a fool of myself if I developed a buzz.
“I’m good with water.”
He nodded, then filled a red plastic cup with tap water. He opened the freezer and tossed a few ice cubes in.
“I could look for a lemon in the fridge if you want.”
I smiled at him, trying not to laugh. “It’s okay. I can go without.”
“I wasn’t sure since you had lemon water at Betsy’s,” he replied. “Some people are fussy about that.”
“I--I’m surprised you noticed,” I said, caught off guard.
He shrugged. “Guess I’m just the observant type.”
I took the cup from his hand and sipped from it. “Thanks.”
We walked towards the living room and the house seemed more crowded than it had when we got there.
And then I saw her.
A tall blonde girl scanned the room and I recognized her immediately. Brittany. Jeff’s...girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend? Who knows what? I knew what Jeff told me, but I wanted to be sure.
The only thing I knew was that she had to be looking for him.
I glanced over at him and could tell by the wide-eyed expression on his face that he’d seen her, too.
“Do you mind coming with me onto the patio?” he asked.
I smiled, glad that he didn’t want to see her. That had to mean that it was really over between the two of them. Otherwise, they would’ve come together.
We walked out onto the back patio which was much less crowded than the house. Ron didn’t have much of a backyard, but it was nice. Quiet. I liked it better out here.
Jeff took a seat, so I dropped into the chair next to him.
“This is a lot nicer,” he said, and I nodded, surprised that we’d been thinking the same thing. He seemed like the type who would enjoy being around a lot of people. “Besides, this way I can actually get to know you better. You’re an interesting girl.”
I glanced at him, biting my lip, glad that the dark night hid the blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks. “I don’t know what makes you think that, but I can’t complain that you do.”
He laughed, and asked me to tell him more about my life in Spring Dells.
Jeff didn’t interrupt me once that night. We talked and talked, even as the sounds of the party inside grew fainter.
And as the night wore on, we kept talking, laughing, joking, and the smile on my face felt as if it’d been crazy-glued into place. I never wanted to leave.
***
Jeff dropped me off in front of the house a little after three in the morning. I immediately noticed the light flickering on the rooftop patio at Anthony’s and wondered what he was still doing up.
I knew it probably wouldn’t end well if I went
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