Page 34 of Just Don't Call Me Yours

“I’ll still go with you,” I say with a laugh, but I feel another yawn coming on and do my best to fight it.

She gives me a dubious stare before turning to Jackson. “You might as well take her back with you.”

Jackson and I both give each other the same glance before I say with more conviction, “No, really. I’ll come to the club. It’ll be fun.”

Matt looks between the two of us like we’re crazy. “Just go home with Jackson,” he says like it’s the simplest solution.

But nothing about being alone with Jackson feels simple right now. The effect he’s having on me tonight is unsettling, and I don’t like it. I don’t want to be keenly aware of how many inches are between us in the booth. I don’t want my body to tense and my heart to race every time his arm accidentally brushes mine. I don’t want to feel my pulse throughout my entire body when he turns to face me, our knees grazing briefly under the table.

I swallow hard before looking back at him.

“He’s right,” Jackson relents. “I’m going to the dorm anyway if you want a ride.”

I blink. “You want to give me a ride home?”

He presses his lips together and tilts his head. “I don’t think I said that.”

His comment dissolves whatever lust just came over me, and I let out a tired breath of resignation. “Okay. Fine.”

“You’re welcome,” he answers, and my eyes narrow.

“Why would I thank you? You’re going there anyway.”

He takes out his card to pay for his meal. “Yeah, but now I have to deal with your always pleasant company all the way there.”

Rae groans, and we both look at her. “Can you two just get along for half a second? This whole back and forth is starting to get annoying.”

Matt looks at Jackson and speaks in a calming tone. “Just take her home, and then you can pretend she doesn’t live across the hall from us like you usually do.”

“Fine,” Jackson mutters.

I look at him again. “You pretend I don’t live across from you?”

He shrugs. “People cope with their trauma in different ways.”

My wide eyes dart to Rae, but she just gets to her feet. “Well, see you later! Drive safe!” she says before grabbing hold of Matt’s arm and pulling him after her. Jackson and I are left sitting on the same side of the booth. When I look over at him, he impatiently waves for me to move so he can get out of his seat.

“You’re such an asshole.” I stand up, crossing my arms as I turn and wait for him.

“And you’re a delight,” he says as he walks right past me, expecting me to follow.

Rae is right, this constant battle between us is exhausting, but at the same time, I don’t know how to stop it. Jackson makes everything more intense, and he makes me feel like I’m not in control of my own emotions. I’ve never had someone get to me the way he does. It makes me crave peace with him, but those same reasons are what make it impossible to keep the peace, too.

24

jackson

Margot’s angry footfalls carry on behind me, and I try to ignore the feeling of her shooting daggers into the back of my head. Opening the door to the pizza shop, I let it fall shut behind me, not bothering to wait for her. If she were anyone else, I would have gladly held the door open, but she’s Margot.

She doesn’t say a word as we walk—which I should be thankful for, but instead, it leaves me unsettled—like she’s plotting something. Once the Mazda is in view, I press the unlock button on the fob.

“This is your car?”

Looking over the roof of the car, I see her stopped in her tracks. “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing,” she says quickly, her eyes jumping back to my car again. “It’s just . . . clean.”

Raising an eyebrow, I glance at my car. It is clean. I washed it a few days ago, but I don’t know why it’s worth talking about. “Thanks?”

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