by E. L. Todd
“No ladies?”
“Nope.”
“That has to be a record for you. What’s it been? A few weeks?”
“A month, actually.” I’d been jerking off a lot—thinking of that night she and I fooled around.
“Is everything okay?” She crossed her legs then faced me again.
“Yeah…just haven’t been in the mood lately.”
“Do you go through these phases often?”
Never. “Every once in a while.”
“Well, at least you’ll really enjoy the sex when you put yourself out there again.”
The idea of having sex with anyone but her didn’t seem appealing at all. It would be another meaningless night with a random woman. With Taylor, kissing her was more exciting than any hot sex I’ve ever had. It was full of passion and desire. And it was sexy as hell.
That’s what I wanted. “How’s your classroom doing?”
“Good,” she said. “I’m giving them another exam soon. This time, I’m doing it my way.”
“Be careful with that.”
“That last exam was way too easy. They need something more complicated.”
“What about a field trip?” I was just relieved we weren’t talking about my sex life anymore. Because when I thought about sex, I thought about her. And that made me hard in my jeans, and it would be impossible to cover up—if she looked.
“I haven’t done one yet.”
“It’s almost the end of the first semester, and you haven’t done a field trip yet?” That was bound to piss off some parents.
“There just hasn’t been time.”
“You need to make time.” Like, ASAP.
“I don’t know…then I have to get chaperones.”
“I’ll be a chaperone. You only have twelve students, so two adults should be fine.”
“Really?” she asked. “They won’t think it’s weird a random guy is volunteering for a school field trip?”
I wasn’t just a guy. “It won’t be a problem. Remember, I used to be a teacher.”
“Oh yeah.” She smacked herself in the forehead. “Sometimes I forget.”
“Let’s schedule one. How about the Planetarium?”
“Ooh…that could be cool.”
We could sit together in the dark. I could innocently touch her hand and imagine she was touching mine in the same way. If we had enough quality time together underneath the projected stars, maybe she would look at me differently.
Maybe she would forget about Sage.
***
“Hey, dear. How are you?” Mom spoke into my ear over the phone.
I was sitting at my desk at work. “Good. How are you?”
“Great. My shop is closing down since the holidays are just around the corner. I keep asking your father to take me to Paris, but he won’t budge…”
“He’ll come around, Mom.” I put my feet on the desk and closed my eyes, wanting this conversation to end. I suspected my love life would come up—because it always came up.
“Will you be driving up with us this weekend?”
“This weekend?” Driving up with them where?
“To Suzie’s wedding. You don’t remember?”
It totally slipped my mind. I didn’t care much for weddings. I couldn’t be myself at family weddings because that was just weird. “Now I do.”
“Well, Paul’s daughter is going to be there. She’s actually sitting at our table.”
Oh no. My parents were setting me up on another blind date. They were the worst. Most of them were super conservative debutantes, and that definitely wasn’t my type.
“Volt?”
I could get out of this forced date by not going to the wedding at all. But that would make me look like a huge dick when I already said I was coming. The only other alternative was to bring someone.
Taylor.
The light bulb went on in my head, and I just went with it. “I’m bringing someone.” Taylor would come along if I asked her to. She loved food, people, and dancing. A wedding would be perfect for her. And there’s no one else I’d rather go with.
Mom was dead silent before the gasp came. “You’re bringing someone?” Her voice was louder by tenfold and her excitement bubbled like a newly opened bottle of champagne. “Volt, that’s absolutely wonderful. I’m so excited to meet her. I’m sure she’s amazing.”
She is amazing.
“Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Taylor.”
“Awe…beautiful. How long have you been dating?”
“We’re just friends, Mom.”
“Oh, okay.” She was rolling her eyes through the phone. I could actually hear it. “Your father and I won’t scare her off.”
Better not. “I’ll see you on Saturday then.”
“Alright. I’m looking forward to seeing you, baby.”
My mom still called me baby. But what was I supposed to do? Ask her to stop? She’s my mom. I can’t do that. “I can’t wait to see you too.”
“Love you, baby.”
There she goes again. “Love you too.”
***
Clay didn’t open his notebook like he usually did. He fell into the chair across from me and gave me a mischievous grin. He had a trick up his sleeve, and I suspected I wouldn’t like it.
“What?” I asked.
“Volt and Taylor sitting in a tree…k-i-s-s-i-n-g—”
“Are you five?”
“You act like such a loser around her.”
If Clay noticed it, then she must have too. And that was the most mortifying thing ever. I had the smoothest moves when it came to women, but all of those plays went out the window when Taylor stole my heart. Now I could barely say hello to her. “I admit I’m a little off my game.”
“Off your game?” Clay laughed. “You look like a stupid buffoon when you stare at her like that.”
“I know.” He didn’t need to tell me twice.
“How does she not notice?”
“I don’t—” That last sentence gave me some hope. “You don’t think she notices?”
“Nah. She’s totally blind.”
Was I really taking comfort in the observations of a sixteen-year-old? “That’s a relief.”
“Why don’t you just ask her out?”
“Because…”
“Because why?” he pressed.
“She doesn’t see me like that. I’m just a friend to her.”
“And isn’t asking her out on a date a good way to show her otherwise?”
“But she’ll say no, and it’ll be weird.”
Clay stared at me like he didn’t understand me at all. “I don’t get it. I thought real men weren’t scared of anything?”
“They aren’t, but…it’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“Because she’s my friend. And if I make a stupid move, she might stop being my friend.”
“I don’t have many friends,” he said. “But I always assumed they were your friend no matter what?”
“Well…yeah.”
“Then go for it. She’s cute.”
“I know she is.” I noticed it every damn day. “But she’s seeing someone.”
“Oh…she has a boyfriend?”
“Not a boyfriend. They aren’t serious—at least not yet.”
“Then you can do something.”
Clay was too young to understand. “If I did, that would make me an asshole.”
“Hey, watch the language.”
I chuckled when I realized I shoved my own foot in my mouth. “You got me.”
“Why would that make you an asshole? And yes, I can cuss that one time because you just cussed.”
He had a good argument, so I let it slide. “It sounds like she really likes him. And if that’s how she feels, it would be disrespectful to step in and ruin something that could turn into something that she wants.”
Clay stared at me blankly.
“I couldn’t do that to her.”
“You lov
e her, right?”
Love was a strong word, and I wasn’t ready to say it. I wasn’t sure how I felt. “I don’t want to be with anyone but her. I haven’t felt this way since… Well, it’s been a while.”
“Since what?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure why I was telling Clay any of this. He was my student, but he was also…something more. I wouldn’t consider him to be a friend. I guess he was…like a son. “I was with this girl for a while, and I was going to ask her to marry me. But I found out she was sleeping around.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, it did.” It was brutal.
“And you’ve been single ever since?”
“Yeah. It’s hard for me to trust people.”
“And you trust her?”
I trusted her more than anyone else on the planet. “She would never hurt me.”
“Then you have to do something—whether she’s seeing someone or not.”
“But she doesn’t feel the same way. I would just make her uncomfortable, mess up our friendship, and ruin her relationship with this guy.”
“But if you told her how you felt, maybe she would feel something for you.”
Or maybe not. “I’m going to wait it out and see how it goes. If she breaks up with this guy, I’ll make a move.”
“You better. Stop acting like a pussy.”
“Whoa, watch your mouth.”
Clay didn’t regret what he said. “Sometimes, you need someone to light a fire under your—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Tushy.” He rolled his eyes. “And you clearly need a fire under yours.”
***
I texted Taylor as I walked home. Baby, you busy? I growled to myself when I realized what I wrote and how fluidly I dropped the nickname. I erased the word before I sent the message. You busy?
Just got home. What’s up?
Can I come by? I was already outside her apartment.
Sure. I’ll throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave.
Excellent thinking, baby. Ugh, I did it again. Excellent thinking.
See you in a few.
I took the elevator to her floor then knocked. My heart was racing in my chest, and I tried to keep my breathing regulated. She did strange things to me. Made me feel strange things.
She opened the door still wearing her school clothes. She wore a long dress that had zebras on it with leggings underneath. A black scarf was around her neck to keep the incoming fall chill away. “Hey. The popcorn is done.”
“Then I got here right on time.” I walked inside and stopped myself from hugging her. “How was your day?”
“Good.” She opened the bag of popcorn then plopped down onto the couch. “Clay is a really great kid.”
“He is, huh?” I sat beside her and shoved my hand inside the bag.
She threw a few pieces into the air and caught them in her mouth. “You can tell he’s a smart guy. He just hasn’t been educated well.”
“You hit the nail right on the head.” Clay was wiser than most kids. He understood how the world really worked, and he knew how to survive. Most kids didn’t understand that kind of pressure. Their motivation stemmed from desire, not hunger.
“He’s so fond of you. I can tell.”
“Yeah…” We did have a good relationship. I could tell he looked up to me in a lot of ways. And I could tell he trusted me.
“He’s lucky to have you.” She wrapped her arm through mine and gave me a squeeze.
Even that got me hot.
I loved it when she touched me.
I wanted her to keep touching me.
“Thanks.”
She turned back to the bag of popcorn, crunching every piece in that tiny mouth of hers.
“Hey, I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
“Sure. Anything you want, I’m there.” She turned her full attention on me, still shoving popcorn into her mouth.
She made eating popcorn sexy as hell. “I have this wedding to go to this Saturday, and I want you to come as my date.”
“A wedding?”
“It’s my cousin’s wedding.”
“Oh…” Instead of agreeing right away, she remained apprehensive.
“I talked to my mom today, and she has plans to set me up with some family friend…so I told her I was already bringing someone.” Hopefully, that wasn’t too forward. Blind dates arranged by my parents were the worst.
“She’s trying to set you up with someone?” she asked in surprise.
“My mom is pretty adamant about me taking a wife.”
She chuckled. “Wow. That’s brutal.”
“So, you’ll come with me?” Please come with me.
“Uh…” She turned away, her mind distracted by something else.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Honestly, there’s no pressure. I could just bring someone else. It’s not a big deal.”
“Who would you bring?”
I didn’t want to bring anyone else. In that case, I’d rather go alone. “I don’t know…one of my regulars.”
“But won’t they think things are getting serious? You know, since they’re meeting your family?”
“Uh…I hope not.”
“No, I’ll go.”
Thank god. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t have plans already?” With that stupid asshole.
“No. I’d love to go with you.” She settled back in the couch beside me. “Now I have to go shopping.”
“For what?”
“Something to wear.”
“You already have plenty of stuff.”
“But I don’t have many nice dresses—the kind you wear to a wedding.”
“What’s wrong with what you wear every day?”
“You’re the first person who made fun of me for it.”
Now, I didn’t understand why I ever teased her. She looked beautiful in everything. She had the kind of beauty that thudded constantly. It didn’t matter what she wore or how she did her hair and makeup, she just looked perfect. “I was a jerk. Taylor, you rock everything you wear. Honestly.”
She smiled. “Aww. You just gave me a compliment.”
I would give her compliments for the rest of her life—if she would be mine. “And I meant it.”
Chapter Four
Taylor
I was dreading this.
Like, super duper.
I made the call and listened to the phone ring. “Don’t pick up. Don’t pick up.”
But of course, he did. “Hey.” Sage’s voice came across the phone. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. How about you?” I started pacing in my apartment, feeling my heart pound with adrenaline.
“Just got home from the gym. Hearing your voice is a nice reward for working out so hard.”
I was too nervous to crack a smile. “I would have loved to see that.”
He chuckled, his voice deep and hypnotizing. “Have plans tonight?”
“No. I’m free. I was hoping we could do something.”
“Yeah, sure. Two nights in a row, I’m down with that.”
Here it goes. “Well, I actually need to cancel tomorrow…” I knew this was going to blow up into a fight. I could sense it. Sage and I weren’t even official yet, and the relationship was tense.
“Oh. Everything alright?”
“Yeah. I told Volt I would go to a wedding with him, like, six weeks ago, and I totally forgot.” A little white lie didn’t hurt anyone, right? “His mom keeps trying to set him up, and he thinks she’ll back off if he has a date.”
Silence.
He was pissed. I knew it.
Sage sighed into the phone. “Well, if you committed, you committed, right?”
Really? He wasn’t mad? “Yeah. I can’t leave him hanging.”
“I’m free tonight, so no harm done. Want to get some dinner?”
“Absolutely.” That went over much smoother than I anticipated.
“Just let me hop in the shower.”
“Ooh…can I watch?”
He chuckled. “I’d love that.”
***
“Where is this wedding?” Sage drank his beer as he sat across from me.
“Uh…not sure. Connecticut, I think?”
“You don’t know?” he asked playfully.
“All I heard was free food and open bar.” Actually, I didn’t hear any of those things, but I hoped it was true. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the stem of my glass.
“That’s necessary at any wedding…if they want people to go.”
“Well, I like weddings anyway. They’re fun and happy.”
“So, Volt can’t get his own date?”
I suspected his irritation would flare up eventually. “No, he can.” That was never the problem. “He doesn’t want to take one of his regulars to a wedding because they’ll think things are getting serious. He has to avoid that.”
“One of his regulars?”
“Yeah. He’s a terminal bachelor.” I chose not to believe that. When he met the right woman, he would be saddled and subdued. But until then, he was a wild bronco.
“A player?”
“That’s another word for it. He likes playing the field and doing what he wants. He refuses to have a relationship.”
“Why is that?”
He never told me. “I’m not sure, but I think he got his heart broken sometime in the past.”
“He’s never told you?”
I shook my head.
“I thought you were best friends.”
“We are. But he doesn’t talk about that sort of stuff with me. I don’t think he talks about that stuff with anyone, actually.”
“Sounds like whatever happened was pretty brutal.”
“Yeah…” She must have left Volt for another man or cheated on him. I wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was both. “Anyway, I’m his date for the evening.”
“Is that why you’ve never hooked up?”
Well, we kinda had hooked up. “What do you mean?”
“Because he’s a player. You don’t seem like the type of girl who’s into that.”
“I guess. But I also think we’re better friends than lovers.”
Sage seemed to be coming around after his outburst over Volt. Maybe he finally realized there was nothing to feel threatened by. “So you’ve tried to be lovers before?”
“Uh…no.” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. We did kiss one time, but I was delirious with pain. Volt stopped me from doing something I’d regret so it didn’t count. But I changed the subject anyway just to avoid the conversation. “When was the last time you were in a relationship?”