Page 13 of Hiding from Hope

“What are you working on out there?”

“New bookshelf.” He gestures to the current one in the corner of his room before he spins and sits on the edge of his bed, facing me. “Old one has had it.”

“I didn’t realize you were an avid reader?” I ask, squinting at his collection to see if I recognize anything.

“You can look.” My eyes dart to him, and he grabs a shirt to pull on, tilting his head to the shelves. “Go for it.” Swallowing to wet my dry throat, I steel my spine and remember that I am a strong, confident woman and I don’t need to be anxious around any boy. Even if it was the one guy who muddied my mind. I enter the forbidden zone and beeline straight for the shelves, reading the titles.

“Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Dracula… Age of Innocence, a lover of classics, I take it?” I giggle.

“It’s the best kind to read.” He sighs.

I turn my attention to him for a moment, and he just stares in my direction, his expression relaxed, but there is still something so intense about having his attention on me. I look back to the shelves. “I’ve always wanted to read that last one.”

“You can borrow it.”

“Oh, no. That’s fine. The school readings are enough right now. But I have them all on my list.” I straighten and go to head for the door when Jessie continues.

“You read much?”

“Nothing of your taste, I’m sure.” I smile and turn when I make it back to the threshold of his room, leaning on the door frame once again.

“I might surprise you.” His lips pull into a half smile, and it has my stomach dipping in that familiar way it does when he is around. His piercing eyes of green and blue search my whole face.

“Jock, nerd, handyman. Is there anything you can’t do?” I mock and he laughs huskily under his breath, but doesn’t respond. My eyes scan his room for a brief moment, and I note the trophies on the top shelf and a few picture frames. He has… are they flowers?

“They’re Jenny’s,” Jessie informs me, obviously noting where my gaze had snagged. “She won an award at cooking school, and they gave her a bunch of roses.” He rolls his eyes and my nose scrunches as I smile.

“Roses are the worst. So cliché,” I joke.

“So cliché,” he agrees with a gentle laugh and that comfy silence washes over us again, nothing said or needing to be said before he breaks it, “I thought all women loved roses.”

“Well, I guess I’m not all women, then.” I sigh and go to head back to Addy’s room, but his deep voice pulls me back in.

“What’s your favorite, then?”

“Hmm?” I ask, turning back and seeing him leaning forward, his attention stuck on me like he is hanging on for the answer.

“Flowers. If you don’t like roses like every other woman in the world, what are your favorite?”

“Marigolds,” I respond, feeling the smile grow on my face as I recall the bunch Mom just planted in the backyard. “They are bright and bold. I swear they shine. Like a bunch of little suns you get to hold in your hands. You can’t look at a marigold and not feel joy.” The corners of his lips tip up, and his eyes grow slightly wider as he opens his mouth to say something. Except we’re interrupted.

“JJ, you ready?” Jenny pushes past me into Jessie’s room and grabs her purse from the end of his bed. He stands at attention quickly when she walks into the room, his cheeks slightly pink and no longer making eye contact with me. He clears his throat.

“Ahh… yeah. Casey was just asking about the books.” I don’t know why he had to explain that, but Jenny doesn’t seem to care. She rolls her eyes and slides on her shoes.

“C’mon Jessie. I’m hungry. Let’s go.”

“You guys aren’t staying for dinner?” I ask them both, but direct to Jessie. Jenny isn’t usually the nicest person, and I don’t really know what Jessie sees in her.

“Heading to her parents’ for dinner. Celebrate her award.” He gestures back to the roses and grabs his sweater. I nod and back away to head to the bathroom. My bladder is officially screaming at me to stop thinking with my hormones and finally go do what I was on my way to do when I got distracted.

“Well, have fun.” I force a tight smile and turn toward the bathroom.

“Later, Ace,” Jessie says as they start to descend the stairs, and when I look over my shoulder in their direction, Jessie throws me a wink and then he’s gone.

Like none of that even happened.

Casey

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