Jack: Don’t remind me. Trying to be good here.
My pencil moves across the fresh page, capturing the strong line of Jack’s jaw, the way his forearms flex as he pours drinks. The steady confidence in his stance behind the bar.
I pause long enough to type out a message.
Me: Thought you could handle a little teasing.
Jack: There’s teasing and there’s torture.
I laugh, turning to my sketchbook where I add shading to the sketch, deepening the shadows beneath his rolled sleeves.
Jack: So about that picture…
Me: Patience.
I smudge the shadows behind him, suggesting the warm glow of those Edison bulbs he pretends to hate.
Jack: Evil woman.
My pencil captures the slight curl at the corner of his mouth when he tries not to smile. The quiet strength in his hands. Jack’s essence emerges from the page - strong, grounded, unexpectedly gentle. Everything I didn’t expect to find in this small town.
Me: Here’s your picture.
I snap a photo of the drawing and send it.
The typing bubbles appear immediately.
Jack: This is incredible, Eden. The way you captured...
Several seconds pass and another message.
Jack: Thank you.
Something warm unfurls in my chest.
Me: Don’t let it go to your head.
Jack: It’s perfect. Although I don’t think my nose is that big.
Me: Artist’s interpretation. Deal with it.
Jack: Gotta say, your hands are pretty talented. Still thinking about how they felt in my hair earlier.
The low burn in my belly intensifies. My fingers tingle with the memory of gripping his hair while he pressed me against the storage room wall.
I can almost hear his voice, low and rough, whispering in my ear.
Me: Keep talking like that and I might start thinking you actually like me.
Jack: Maybe I do. That a problem?
The wall I keep around my heart is crumbling, brick by brick, replaced by something warm and dangerous.
Me: It would be terrible.
Jack: Terrible for both of us. But mostly for me, because I’m the one who has to keep pretending I don’t want to kiss you again.
My fingers hover over the phone. Everything in me wants to tell him I feel the same way.