Page 64 of Between the Blue

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I won’t take it for granted.

“Your house is nice,” I tell her.

She walks past me, heading for my car. “Liar,” she says, echoing me.

I follow behind her. Hop in the driver’s side. She sits in the passenger seat. Closes the door.

“I’m not lying,” I say. “It’s a cute house.”

“Cute.” Jules scoffs a chuckle. “That’s rich people talk forsmall.”

I start the car. Pull onto the road.

“I didn’t–”

“It’s okay,” she cuts me off. “Itissmall.”

It is. Certainly several sizes smaller than my house. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Her family owns a roller rink in a small town. I couldn’t expect them to be in a mansion.

I hear a flick and look over. Jules is lighting another menthol cigarette. She rolls down the window as she inhales.

My curiosity finally gets the better of me.

“Why do you smoke those?” I ask her.

Jules blows out the minty smoke slowly. She’s quiet for a few seconds, and I can see she’s thinking about her answer.

I love that about Jules. She’s not uncomfortable in silence. And she’ll take as long as she needs to say what she wants to say.

“They make me feel like my brain is turned on all the way,” she finally says.

“Huh.”

Fair enough.

“What about you?” she asks.

I turn my head. Find Jules staring at me. She’s chewing her bottom lip. My eyes flick down to it. Because they have to.

“Are you asking what turns me on?”

Jules mouth falls open then, and she swats at my chest. Lets out a laugh. It sounds like music.

“It’s a holy week, Ben. Control yourself.”

And, for the rest of the drive, I do.

Jules wins over everyone at the party.

Because of course she does.

I can't take my eyes off of her the whole time. She made herself right at home. Made every girl love her instantly and every guy take a second look.

I’m watching her now standing in a group of my friends. She’s sipping a glass of hot buttered rum and talking with them like they were her friends all along.

I’m leaning against a wall, fiddling with one of the bundles of mistletoe my teammate hosting the party stashed all over his house.

I finally had to find a corner.

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