Page 101 of Absolute Certainty
Holding their pizza in one hand, Jay knocked lightly on the door. “Coming,” he heard her call out.
Sahar opened the door with her signature smile, flaming red hair loose and wavy, her face somehow prettier than ever.
“Hi,” she said before slowly moving aside for him to walk in.
Jay let her guide him back into the place where he’d almost had all of her. Pathetically, his breath hitched at the memory.
“Hi, sunshine. What happened?”
She gave him a small, sad shrug. “The universe decided to be a little shit because for five seconds things had been going too smoothly for its liking?”
Limping toward the living room, she nudged him to follow. He set the pizza down on the coffee table and pivoted to face her.
Jay opened his arms in her direction. “Come here.”
Sahar curled herself into him, and delicious notes of orange blossom from her shampoo or perfume drifted into his nose. Squeezing her close, he cradled her head in his hand.
“Thanks,” she murmured, her arms tightening around him.
He tipped his head to the side, pressing his mouth to her temple in a featherlight kiss. “For what?”
A heavy sigh descended from her lips and echoed inside his heart.Fuck.“Last night was shit. This morning’s been shit. I needed a hug.”
A part of him hoped that she meant fromhim,specifically. Because Willa could’ve hugged her, couldn’t she? Any one of her castmates could’ve.
“I got you,” Jay whispered.
He held her for a few seconds, letting her take as much of him as she wanted. Knowing he could be here for her eased him, too.
When she eventually let go of him, her pretty brown eyes were glassy, heavy-lidded. Blinking, once, twice, Sahar forced a smile up at him. He didn’t want her to do that. She didn’t have to smile if she didn’t want to. He was about to say something before she spoke. “I forgot to grab us drinks when I got plates and napkins. Would you mind?”
“Sure. Where do you keep them?”
“In the fridge. Ginger ale for me and whatever you want. I think we have Dr. Pepper and Coke.” She pointed toward a small hallway. “And we keep our alcohol on a little mini bar right before our rooms.”
“What about your water?” he asked.
“You’re going to drink water? That’s boring.”
“I’ve only had caffeine today. My head will explode if I have more.”
“Fair. Filter by the sink, glasses in the cupboard right next to it, and ice in the fridge dispenser.”
Jay followed her instructions, grabbed the drinks, and sat beside her on a light gray sectional couch. Sahar had her leg elevated on another chair, a fluffy pink pillow propped underneath. Now that his headspace wasslightlymore clear, he noticed what she was wearing, and the small space between them contracted. Light blue sweat shorts and a matching top, her long legs exposed. Lord help him.
She spoke after a few moments of silent eating. “You said Eloise is in the city with her mum?”
He nodded mid-bite and chewed prior to answering. “Yeah, Maya’s sister and her daughter are also here from D.C., so it’s a girls’ weekend. They’re seeingHatchard’s Academytonight for Lex.”
“Fun! Does Eloise like musicals?”
“Oh, yeah. She loves them.”
A genuine smile tilted up her mouth, and his heart did a small backflip, thumping repeatedly in a plea to catch that look again.
He eyed the crow tattoo on her forearm, wanting to ask about it once more. Wanting to tell her about his—how it’d been one of the first things he noticed about her after her perfect smile. But he swallowed the desire, shoving it aside for now. “How’s your ankle?” he asked instead.
She let out a low sigh. “The pain’s not unbearable, but I’m really disappointed I can’t perform.”
