Page 87 of Pick Me

“For?” I yelled back.

“I’m walking you to your class.”

“Oh, that’s exciting. I’ve never had a guy walk me to class before. Guess that means we’re going to be showing off our relationship status to the rest of campus.

“Get used to it, Pyro. You’re going to be by my side from now on.”

“Oh, possessive.”

“Damn straight, and after your class, wait outside for me.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to be one of those kinds of possessive boyfriends? One where I’m not allowed to walk around without you?”

“No. I want you to have your own independence. However, I also want to take you on our first date. Will you let me do that?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Then put some clothes on and let’s go.”

“You know, I really thought there’d be more people watching us.”

Jackson looked up from his club sandwich, scanning the bar. The place was quiet for a Tuesday afternoon. Only a handful of people were playing pool, and a few others were lazily picking at their meals.

Finishing his bite, he raised a brow, smirking. “You sound upset about that.” He leaned forward over the table, licking his lips. “Shall we put on a show? Make sure everyone is watching?”

I rolled my eyes, placing my palm on his lips and pushing him back into the booth opposite. “No. I just thought people would find it weird to see us together like this.”

“Eating lunch?”

“No … Not fighting.”

He huffed out a quiet laugh and reached for my hand, his fingers curling around mine. His thumb traced softly across my skin.

“They can’t hear us, Thea, and I think you’re forgetting that we’re always seen together, so this is no different.”

He was right. We were in the same group of friends. Even if we were bickering, we’d always ended up stuck sitting next to each other.

Funny. Looking back on it now, sitting next to Jackson always brought me a sense of comfort. I knew where I stood with him, which meant I could be honest with him.

I just hadn’t seen what was standing right in front of me.

“It’s nice to not be fighting,” I admitted.

“You’re telling me.” His eyes widened as he blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting this, Pyro, but I’m so happy I realized.”

“Me too.”

His fingers tightened around mine, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. But before I could lean into the moment, a voice cut through the warmth.

“Jackson.”

Grace.

The hairs on my arms prickled, a chill skittering down my spine the second I heard her voice. Before I could pull away, Jackson’s fingers tightened, his grip firm. When I met his eyes, his expression shifted instantly. With tense shoulders and a locked jaw, he slowly turned to her.

“What do you want?” Well, if the snarl didn’t hint that he’d had enough of this girl, nothing would.

She glanced between us, her smile tight and forced. “Well, I haven’t seen you in a while, and I’m surprised to find you here. You said you’d had enough of this place.”

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