Page 74 of Forgive You

“You two are looking good out there.” My hand shields my eyes from the sun as I glance past his toned body.

“I look better. You can be honest.” He drops his wet ass next to me in the sand with a wolfish grin.

“Don’t flirt with me,Cash. I’m not one of your groupies.” I bump my shoulders against his.

“Ha! I don’t have groupies. Unless you count the old lady from the bakery on my block.”

“How old?”

“I’m sure she met Elvis back in the day.”

I belt out a laugh. “Lots of experience.”

He joins in, his pearl white teeth glistening in the evening sun.

“I’m happy you guys are talking again.”

I push out the air in my chest, my muscles releasing some tension with it.

“Me too.” It’s confusing as hell sometimes, but knowing Jason is just a phone call away does something with me.

It’s like everything is slowly clicking back in place after they screwed up the puzzle.

“So you guys are cool?”

“We’re getting there, I think. I hope.”

Part of me knows exactly what we’re doing. Or what he’s doing. I feel it every time he finds a reason to touch me. Brush his hand along my back when he passes by. The way he texts me every morning and calls me every night if we haven’t seen each other.

It doesn’t feel weird or forced, because it’s exactly how we were before shit hit the fan.

But it’s not just that. It’s the kisses he steals. The sneaky ones when I don't expect him. It’s how my skin breaks out in goosebumps when he pushes my hair to the side and connects his lips with my neck.

Ever since my last panic attack a couple of days ago, he’s upped his game, and I’m fully aware I should stop it. But I can’t. Or I don’t want to. Maybe both.

“Why’d you come to LA, Jules?” I meet Jordan’s blue eyes.

I expect them to be laced with accusation, maybe even frustration, but all I see is a kindness I also see in Jason. They are almost identical to his brother’s. A mix of sea-blue, dark, sparkling, and deep enough to drown in.

“Because NVS offered me a job.” I shrug, and he cocks his head as if he’s callingbullshit.“What? It’s true.”

It might look like I came here for Jason, and I’m not gonna lie, I did like knowing I was in the same city as him even though we weren’t exactly on speaking terms. But it’s not like I was looking for a job on the West Coast. It fell into my lap. Call it serendipity, I don’t know.

“Look, I know I’m just Jacob and Jason’s kid brother. But I’m not dense.”

“Never said you were.” I shake my head, then hold his gaze. “What’s on your mind?”

His eyes narrow a little, as if he’s deep in thought, trying to look for answers deep into my soul.

Too bad, I don’t have any.

“I’m just trying to figure out if you’re running from something or running toward something. Or should I say,someone.”

There’s the accusing tone I was waiting for.

“Maybe it’s both,” I confess.

Jordan nods, pointing his gaze at his brother, who’s still being one with the ocean.

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