Page 57 of Taking Care of You
Out of breath, I manage to get out, “Okay, stop please!” Laughter still bubbling up my throat, I turn to face him, my head resting on my hand. “That wasn’t fair.” I’m breathing heavily and I feel like I’ve run a mile.
Being tickled is hard work.
He laughs and kisses me lightly. “Why should I fight fair?” I give him a dry look, making him laugh. “Come on,” he tells me, dragging me off the bed. “Let’s get cleaned up and go get some breakfast.”
Once I wash my face and brush my teeth, I change out of my pajamas, then head to the living room. He’s standing by the door, with his phone, wallet, and keys in hand.
“Ready?” he asks. I nod and we head out, riding in a comfortable silence.
We pull up to a small diner downtown that I’ve always wanted to try but never had the money to go.
A waitress greets us as we step inside and tells us to have a seat anywhere. We head to a back corner, and I slide into a booth with my back to the door and he sits across from me. I put my hands on the table and he grabs them in his.
“What do you wanna eat?” he asks.
I shrug. I hate that he’s going to pay for my food, since I’m way too broke to cover it. He doesn’t seem to mind, but I’ll always feel like I owe him.
He sighs, like he’s reading my thoughts. He lets go of my hands and comes over to sit beside me.
Putting an arm around my shoulders, Ethan brings me in close so he can whisper, “Creep, it’s fine. I don’t mind paying for breakfast. Or anything else. I still don’t want anything from you. I’ll never want you to feel like you have to give me something in return for me taking care of you. Okay?”
I nod, because what else can I do? I’m sure he’d hold me hostage in this booth until I gave in. “Okay.”
“Good,” he says brightly.
He grabs a menu from the holder in the middle of the table and puts it between the two of us so we can look it over. I decide on a spinach omelet, and Ethan, ever the growing boy, gets thepancake platter with four pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and fresh fruit.
No wonder he’s so big.
Our waitress comes and takes our order a few minutes later.
Once she leaves, we talk about Thanksgiving. Grace is going to cook, which I’m really looking forward to. I haven’t had a full Thanksgiving meal in years. I’ve been going to Crystal’s, and her father isn’t the best cook, though he tries.
Grace has cooked a few times since I’ve been staying some nights with Ethan, and her food is amazing. My mouth waters just thinking about her cooking.
It'll just be me, Ethan and his parents. Elle, Mitch, Ryder, and Crystal will come over after, and we’re going to hang out while his parents go to a homeless shelter to volunteer like they do often. Ethan usually goes with them, but they told him to stay home since he’ll have company. I told them I’d come too, because I’ve never done something like volunteering, but they told us to enjoy being out of school and hanging out with our friends.
Our food comes and we don’t talk much more. Just stuff our faces with the greasy but tasty food.
When we’re finished, I ask Ethan to let me out so I can use the restroom while he goes to the counter to pay.
I handle my business and wash my hands, and when I walk out, I run into someone’s chest. I jump back, looking up to apologize and the words die in my throat.
It’s Tim. He looks almost as shocked as I do. I take a step back and put my hands in my pockets. I move past him and try to walk away, when he calls my name. I startle and turn around quickly, pasting my back to the wall. I’m not sure why I’m afraid of him, but fear lances my heart.
“Jakoby, listen,” he says after blowing out a breath. “I’m sorry. About what happened. I shouldn’t have…done that. After…I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
I nod vigorously, not expecting an apology. I’m not sure if I evenwantan apology from him. I think I did when it happened, but now I couldn’t give a fuck less. Ethan has already told me I deserve better.
But an apology is nice to hear. I think, even if I don’t need it, I deserve it.
“Thanks,” I murmur.
Tim blows out another breath and says, “You’re welcome. I’ll see you around.”
He goes into the bathroom while I head to the front, looking for Ethan. He’s standing by the door, talking to one of his old football teammates. I stand beside him and he smiles down at me, kissing my forehead. “Ready?” he asks. I nod, then he tells his friend, “We have a date. I’ll see you around.”
When we get in the car and Ethan pulls off, I tell him what happened when I came out of the bathroom. He clenches his jaw and looks over at me when he gets to a light. “You okay?”
