by Staci Hart
She slammed the pot down on the burner and spun around with her face tight and pink. “You want me to unload? Because I can unload. I have plenty of shit to unload.” She folded her arms across her chest and sucked in a breath. “You’re never fucking home, and when you are, you just fucking make a mess that I have to clean up. The dishes are piled up in the sink. I’ve been working all day, and I’m fucking hungry, but we don’t have anything to eat but a goddamn can of cream of mushroom soup. I HATE mushrooms. But you never go grocery shopping. I always have to, and I haven’t had time. You ate my fucking leftover pizza that I’d been saving, the food I planned on eating when I walked in the door, but you beat me to it, so now I’m going to eat canned fungus glop because I’m fucking starving.”
He scanned her face. “Anything else?”
She ticked off points on her fingers with her blue eyes flashing. “You hog the bed. I’m sick to fucking death of having your big heavy arm all over me when I’m trying to sleep. We never go out. When was the last time we watched a movie together? We haven’t been on a date since I can’t even remember when. I don’t remember the last time we really laughed together. Do you?”
He said nothing, but a tingle worked down his spine as he realized what was coming. It was exactly what he wanted, but to hear it from her was almost more surprising than any conversation he’d imagined.
“I didn’t think so.” She paused, staring at him. “What the fuck are we doing?”
“I don’t know, Tori.”
They stood in silence for a moment.
She scanned his face, begging him to understand. “I don’t want to feel like this, Jon. Like being with you is an inconvenience as much as it is convenient. I don’t think I love you anymore. Not like that.” Her voice wavered at the confession.
Jon’s chest ached as he walked around the bar and opened his arms. “Come here.”
She leaned into him, and he squeezed her tight, wondering if she could tell that he felt the same through that simple motion. He cupped the back of her head and kissed the top of it.
“Don’t cry. I don’t want you to be unhappy. I’m sorry I pushed you this far.”
She looked up at him with big, wet eyes and a red nose. “It’s not just about you, Jon. It’s me. I love you, but I don’t want to be with you. It’s just really confusing.”
“I know. It’s all right. I feel the same way, except I don’t want to murder you when I pull wads of your hair out of the bathtub drain or you leave your makeup brushes all over the bathroom.”
She laughed, the sound muffled through her running nose. He wiped her tears away with his knuckles.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“We’ll figure it out.”
She sighed. “I’ve been wanting to say all that forever.”
“How come you didn’t?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t want to deal with the fallout. I can’t afford to live on my own, and neither can you.”
Jon nodded. “You know, I just figured all this out yesterday. It was like I really saw everything for the first time, and I’ve been killing myself trying to figure out how to tell you how I felt.”
“Oh, God. I might have waited if I’d known. You confronting anyone is a special level of awkward.”
He chuckled and hugged her again, feeling more peaceful and connected to her than he had in a long time. It was over. They would be fine. They’d be friends. But most importantly, they could both move on.
———— Olympus ————
Hera looked away. Love was nothing without commitment. Jon and Tori would work things out eventually. She’d be sure of it. They only needed a little motivation.
Hera had gotten involved on a whim, mostly with the intent to interfere with Aphrodite’s plans. She cared little for the humans, and she didn’t even mind whether or not Aphrodite knew she’d had an influence in the matter, content enough just to know she’d stopped something her rival had orchestrated. So she set her plan in motion, and it wouldn’t be long before it was fulfilled.
She smiled to herself, looking forward to it.
Galvanized
A WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE their breakup, and Jon had fallen into the new pattern with ease, surprised at how simply he and Tori had shifted into friendship. Everything was easier, other than the sleeping arrangements. He’d taken the couch without a second thought, and as much as his back ached, he was happy, dreaming about Josie every night.
Anne hadn’t called him in on a job, and he hadn’t called them either, even though he had an itchy trigger finger. He wanted to do the right thing. Respect the ending of his relationship with Tori. Respect Josie. Also, he was scared shitless of Josie’s reaction, that she’d shoot him down for good, or he’d somehow mess the whole thing up.
That morning, he lay stretched out on the couch with The Price is Right the background noise of his thoughts. Tori came in with a bowl of Raisin Bran.
“Scoot.” She motioned at him with her spoon.
He smiled and shifted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ooh, Plinko. My favorite.” Tori took a bite as she dropped onto the couch and folded her legs.
They watched as a girl dropped a Plinko chip, and it bounced down, hitting the pegs on the way to land just next to the ten-thousand-dollar slot. The crowd gave her a comforting ‘Awww.’
“What’d you do last night?” Tori asked between bites.
“Surveillance.”
“With Josie and Anne? You see them a lot.”
“No, haven’t seen Josie since last week.”
Something in his voice tipped her off, and she glanced over at him with her spoon hovering over the bowl. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“You like her.”
He rolled his eyes. “What are you, psychic?”
“Jon, please tell me you didn’t sleep with her while we were together,” she warned.
“Come on, you know I wouldn’t do that to you.” He slipped a hand under his head as he watched her.
She eyeballed him. “Yeah, I know. I just had to ask. Have you made a move yet?”
Jon shifted, feeling squirmy. “I don’t like her, Tori.”
She gasped. “Oh my God. You really like her.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I just said I don’t.”
Tori laughed. “I know you better than that, Jon Landreaux.” She took a bite of cereal and looked down into her bowl with her nose wrinkled. “I think the milk is bad. Anyway, you should ask her out,” she said as she set the offending bowl on the coffee table.
He eyed her with an eyebrow up. “You and I just broke up. Don’t you think we need time or space or something?”
“It’s been over for longer than we’ve been broken up. Think about it. Would you be okay if I dated?”
He thought about that, surprised that he hadn’t considered it before, especially since he hadn’t stopped thinking about dating Josie. He felt a small stir of jealousy at the thought of Tori with someone else, but it fluttered out almost as soon as it started.
“I suppose I’d be all right with that.”
Tori smiled. “I feel the same way. Don’t get me wrong. Part of me will want to slap her, but I’ll just tell that part to shut up. I think you should ask her out.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
She slapped his bare foot. “What can I say? I’m a giver.”
Jon snorted.
“So you would be okay if I dated too?”
His lips slipped into a small frown. “Yeah, I guess so. How come?”
She eyed him with caution. “I have a confession to make.”
A little tingle crawled up his neck. “Oh?”
She nodded. “Part of what pushed me to end it was … well, there’s this guy at work.”
The flutter of jealousy was much more imposing at the news. “You didn’t …”
“Cheat on you? No. But I like him
, a lot actually. He’s a Lit major at NYU, super smart, funny. Hot. We went to coffee the other day and—”
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
She blushed. “Sorry. I’d just feel a lot less guilty about it if I knew you were dating someone.”
Framing it that way made him feel better, too. He could ask Josie out with Tori’s blessing and not feel bad about her being alone. She wouldn’t be alone, she’d have NYU-smarty-pants-waiter-boy to keep her company. Jealousy sparked again, but burned out instantly at the thought of Josie in his arms.
“All right. I’ll ask mine out if you ask yours.”
“Deal.” She fist bumped him.
They turned back to the contestants spinning the wheel, but his mind was on Josie. He could call her, but that felt wrong. He could go over to her place, talk to her. Ask her out. Part of him wanted to get up and leave right then.
Tori smirked at him. “You’re bugging out, aren’t you?”
He made a face. “Psh, no.”
She shifted to fully face him, overly eager. “How are you going to do it?”
He sighed, resigned. “I don’t know. I don’t even know when I’ll see her again.”
“Call her.”
Jon shook his head. “I can’t tell her all of this shit over the phone, Tori.”
“Well then go find her. You’re a private investigator for chrissake. Go hunt her down.”
Adrenaline flashed through him at the thought, but he kept his cool, just shrugged. “I can wait. It’s unnatural to stop watching The Price is Right before the Showcase Showdown.”
She nudged his foot. “Just go, douchebag. And bring me back some donuts.”
“How about I just go get you some donuts.”
“Yeah, okay.” Tori rolled her eyes. “You just go get some donuts. I’ll let you know how the showdown rounds out.”
He swung his legs around and pulled on his boots, suppressing a smile as he ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his keys.
“Tell Josie I said ‘hi,’” Tori sang as she stretched out in his place.
He pulled on his leather jacket. “That would not help my case. Also, I’m not going to find Josie.”
“Okay. Chocolate covered with sprinkles and Bavarian cream, please.”
He mussed her hair as he walked by. “Anything else, Princess?”
“Coffee. ‘Kay, thanks, bye,” she said with the wiggle of her fingers.
Josie rolled over in bed that morning and stretched, thinking about her day to come. She hadn’t seen Jon for a week, but still she woke up every morning thinking about him. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing and why he hadn’t called. The irony didn’t escape her.
Anne swore she wouldn’t call him in for help until Josie gave the word that she was over it. The bad news was that she didn’t know if she could get over it, or how long it would take if she did. Plus, it was likely only a matter of time before he came around again. The cycle was inevitable, unless she broke ties with him completely. Her stomach dropped at the thought.
She could keep telling herself that she didn’t want to be with him, that it was only physical, but the truth was that they fit together in a way that was natural and easy, and as much as she wished things were different, they weren’t. He was a jerk for exploiting that. A hot jerk, but a jerk nonetheless.
Josie flipped back her covers and climbed out of bed. She was met at her threshold by Ricochet, her smoky gray cat, who mewled at her and ran his body against her calf.
“Hey, Rick.” She scooped him up and headed into the kitchen where she found Anne eating a bowl of Froot Loops at the bar over a comic book.
“Morning,” she said around a mouthful of cereal.
“Hey.” Josie dumped her cat on the counter and reached for a bowl.
“Sleep well?”
“Well enough. What’s on the agenda for today?” The Froot Loops pinged cheerily in the bowl as she poured them.
“Research day.”
“Ooh, yes. That means no bra or pants.” Josie fist pumped, and Anne giggled. She opened the fridge for the milk, but all she found was the empty carton. “What the fuck, Anne?” she groaned.
“What?”
Josie held up the carton and shook it. “Why would you put that back in the fridge?”
“There’s a little bit left! I thought Ricochet might want it.”
“You suck.” She poured the last bit of milk into the cat’s dish and trudged out of the kitchen. “Guess a bra and pants are in my future after all.”
“Just have some toast,” Anne called from the kitchen as Josie pulled on jeans.
“I don’t want toast. I want Froot Loops,” she yelled back. She reached for her bra, but decided it was too much work and left it laying on her dresser, opting for her leather jacket to rein in her boobs. “Be back in a few, joy thief,” she said as she grabbed her bag and keys.
“You’re so dramatic.” Anne rolled her eyes.
Josie poked her in the arm. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Anne grinned.
When Josie opened the door, she almost ran straight into the solid chest of the man who stood in front of her door, barely able to stop herself from barreling into him. She looked up with her heart banging in her chest for more than one reason.
It had been a week since she’d seen him, but any progress she thought she’d made was erased in a single second. She was just inches from Jon’s chest, her lips almost touching his chin as she tilted her face to look into his eyes. They were smoldering down at her, the corner of his lips pulled up, obviously very amused. She cleared her throat and took a step back.
“What the hell, Jon? You scared the shit out of me.”
“Hey, Jo. Sorry.” His voice was low and deep, that drawl sending goosebumps up her arms.
“No problem.” Her cheeks were on fire. “So, um…what can I do for you?”
His smile stretched wider. “That question has so many possible answers.”
Josie rolled her eyes and hung a hand on her hip. “Funny. What do you want?”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I was just going to grab some donuts and coffee. I’ll tell you on the way, unless you had somewhere to be?”
Anne leaned to look through the open door and raised an eyebrow at Jon. He winked at her.
“No. I mean, yes, I was going somewhere, but it can wait.” She made a face at Anne and closed the door.
Josie followed him down the hall, watching his broad back, wondering why he’d come there instead of calling. But there was really only one thing it could be, so she asked as they walked down the stairs, “So, what’s the job?”
“There’s no job. I just wanted to see you.” His voice echoed in the stairwell, and she stopped dead, her boots rooted to the step. He slowed when he realized she’d stopped and turned to face her when she spoke.
Her hands trembled by her side. “Look, Jon, this has gone on long enough. The constant flirting is hard enough to endure. You aren’t actually coming on to me right now, are you?”
“Actually, yes. I am,” he said with an infuriatingly hot smile.
She threw her hands up in the air. “Jesus Christ, Jon. You have a fucking girlfriend. Why would you put me in this position? You do it every day. Every goddamn day. You’re driving me crazy.”
“Tori and I broke up,” he said as he took a step up to her, and she couldn’t move. “And I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a very long time.” He took another step up, eye level and inches from her. She couldn’t breathe. “But more than that, I’ve wanted to do this,” he said as he slipped his hand into her hair and urged her toward him. Josie closed her eyes, her lips tingling as she waited for the connection with shock locking her to the spot. When his lips touched hers, tender and demanding all at once, she was lost.
In that moment, everything was simple. She wanted him, and he wanted her. Everything else was just details.
His arms slipped around her waist and squeezed, pulling her in
to his chest. She wound her arms around his neck, and they let go of all the wishing and waiting, sharing unspoken promises with each kiss.
He broke away, and she was thankful his arms were around her because her knees were Jell-o. “Whoa,” she whispered.
“‘Whoa’ is right.” His voice was husky, and he smiled at her. “So does that mean you’ll go out with me?”
“Right now, I’m pretty sure I’d follow you anywhere.”
His lips tipped into a sideways smile. “Glad we’re on the same page.”
Josie just stared at him, smiling stupidly with her arms around his neck, not sure what else she could do. Everything had changed in a split second. A few words. A kiss. That was all it took.
His eyes were deep blue and burning as they roamed her face. They were the same eyes she’d looked into a hundred times and told herself she didn’t want him. Locked all her feelings up behind a fifty-foot wall and hid the key. She was just thankful she hadn’t thrown the key away.
Jon broke the silence. “There are about a million things I’d like to do with you, but I feel there’s an order in which I should do them. I want to do this right, Jo, so before I pick you up and carry you up to your bedroom, I’d like to take you to dinner.”
Dinner seemed like a year away when all she wanted was to kiss him again. He could have picked her up and taken her upstairs right then, and she would have been in heaven. “And what if I don’t want dinner?”
He smiled and said against her lips, “Humor me.”
“Ever the gentleman.” She kissed him, and her brain exploded again, her mind skipping from his lips to his tongue to every nerve affected by the contact of his body.
Jon pulled away, leaving her breathless. “Come on,” he said with a soft peck on her lips.
His fingers threaded through hers, and she skipped down the stairs behind him and onto the sidewalk. He pulled her into his side, and she slipped her arm into the warm space between his jacket and back. She fit against him comfortably, just the right height for her shoulder to rest under his arm, and she marveled over the fact that it didn’t feel overly familiar or strange. It just felt right.