Page 17 of Jump Start

“How was the rest of your day?” he asked softly in my ear as I huddled closer to him.

My heart was beating a million miles an hour, and my brain couldn’t concentrate. I knew we’d had a few moments together over the last few days at Echidna, but sitting next to him without anyone else around was jarring and exciting.

“Well, I just had the long drive back, but it was nice to see my family. We’re not all together very often.”

Thomas cleared his throat suddenly, causing a vibration on the side of my face.

“I know what you mean. I don’t really remember when my family and I were last together.” He didn’t expand any further. I tested the waters and nestled my head against the space between his shoulder and neck, which was met with his arm wrapping tighter around my waist.

This felt right. Why hadn’t we been doing this the whole time?

“I’m sorry, everyone should be able to spend time with their loved ones.” I felt his chest breathe in and out more deeply.

“It’s okay, Echidna are my family, really. And my brother. I have everyone I need.”

Hopefully not everyone.

That momentarily snapped me out of my Thomas-filled daydream. I stood up quickly and headed over to busy myself in the kitchen, eventually finding two bowls.

“Chopsticks?” I asked, not waiting for his response and getting two pairs out anyway. He nodded and pulled out the containers. I had to admit, this was exactly the type of food I felt like eating. We sat on the bar stools at my kitchen bench and dove into our food.

“So, are you a GT racing fan yet?” Thomas asked as he took a large bite out of a piece of broccoli.

I chewed my mouthful before replying, “Well, I must admit, it’s very exciting. I think I am!” His face lit up as I spoke, which caused my heart to skip a beat. His warmth towards me felt so welcome after only getting sarcasm and surly behaviour since we met. I much preferred this version of him.

“That’s what I like to hear! Another one for the books, and we’ll slowly convert more. I know all the sexy F1 drivers are really popular right now, but I love the heart and soul of GT. Some of the drivers in the GT sport have regular full-time jobs and they get to race with full-time drivers in the PRO-AM class. I learnt a lot from those guys when I was in that category.”

I always noticed such a light in Thomas when he spoke about his profession. He was genuinely so proud to be in GT racing and I knew it meant a lot to him. He was good at it too.

“Sexy?” I questioned as he raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, you know, all those Italian stallions in Ferrari. They’re sexy, right?” he asked, resting his chopsticks on the corner of his bowl.

I laughed and accidentally snorted. “You’re telling the story. I think you’re pretty sexy actually…and you drive a Ferrari.” Itook a gamble. It would be a flirty comment that would either land or create an awkward silence.

“Do you now?” he replied, his eyes focusing on me made me blush.

“I suppose so. When you’re not talking.” I winked back at him. He smiled and reached out, placing his hand on top of mine, which was resting on my thigh.

“Lucky there’s plenty we could do without talking,” he said with a wink, causing us both to laugh out loud.

“Holy shit, that was cringey! Yet somehow, it still worked on me,” I said, laughing as I took another bite of food. I enjoyed this feeling of joking around with Thomas, being light-hearted and friendly. It felt nice and I hoped it would continue.

Feeling confident in our exchange, I decided to ask him something I had been thinking about for a while.

“If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?”

He looked at me apprehensively but nodded. “I’ll give it a go.”

I took a breath. “Why are you calling me? And asking to come over? The article’s done. I sort of thought you would want nothing to do with me after that.” I ended my questioning with another bite of food.

Thomas took a moment to answer, putting down his chopsticks again before speaking. “If it’s not clear to you, then I need to reevaluate my tactics.” He chuckled.

I looked at him quizzically.

“Harper, I like you. I think I always have. I have no idea why I was such a prick to you, and I will never stop being sorry about that. I feel calm when I’m around you. And you challenge me. I can’t get you out of my head. That’s why I’m calling you andbringing you food. I’m here because I’ve missed seeing you every day.” He looked me in the eyes and patiently waited for me to speak, a smile in the corner of his mouth.

I smiled. Not just a little grin, but a face-splitting smile. Hearing him say that confirmed a few things for me. First, I wasn’t imagining the little moments I thought we had shared, and second, my feelings for him were definitely growing. I stood up and walked over to where he was sitting with his hands placed on each thigh.

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