Page 49 of Punchline
Silence again.
I slowed to a stop at a red light and kept staring straight ahead, my stomach twisting with emotions I shouldn’t have had after a win and watching my friend get engaged.
“Hey,” Jake said after a while. “Are you good tonight?”
I tapped my thumbs on the wheel. A second too late, I realized I could’ve looked at him innocently, asked, “Hmm?” and pretended everything was fine.
A second too late.
His hand slid over my thigh, the touch more tentative than I was used to from him, which said a lot. “Ethan. Talk to me.”
I pushed out a breath. The light turned green, which gave me an excuse to keep staring at the road instead of looking at him. I had no idea how to navigate this, and I finally just blurted out, “Whatever you want to say, just say it.”
His fingers twitched with sudden tension. “Huh?”
“I… ” I exhaled, letting my shoulders drop. “My fight. I get it. It was pathetic, and it was probably a serious turnoff, and?—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean, a ‘serious turnoff’?”
I gripped the wheel tighter and ground my teeth. “Come on, dude. I’m not stupid. You watched me get my ass handed to me, and the icing on that clown show cake was me tripping over my own stupid helmet.” My face was on fire, which only made the throbbing worse, and I glared at the road as I added, “Not really a turn-on, you know?”
He was silent for almost an entire block. “Do you… Do you think I’d dump you over that or something? Is that where this is going?”
I was too embarrassed to answer. And also too afraid that he was going to say, “Well, you’re right, and now you’re single, because?—”
“Pull over for a second.”
“Pull—” I glanced at him. “what?”
“Just do it.”
Stomach in knots, I did as I was told, grateful we were on a side street with ample parking instead of anywhere near the Strip. With the car in Park and the engine idling, I took my hands off the wheel, but I kept my gaze fixed ahead of me.
“Ethan. Look at me.”
God, couldn’t he see how much it sucked to look him in the eye right now?
I did, though, and I couldn’t read his expression. He seemed earnest and open, but beyond that… I had no idea where this was going. Besides the obvious, anyway. Maybe he’d just wanted me to pull over so I didn’t run off the road when he dumped me.
“During that fight,” he said gently, “did he hit your mouth?”
I blinked. “My—no. Just… ” I gestured at my cheek. “He didn’t touch my mouth.”
“Good.” Jake’s seat belt snapped back, and before I could make sense of anything, he touched my neck and kissed me.
I tensed for a second. Of all the ways this conversation could have gone…
Despite still feeling like the worst fighter and least attractive boyfriend, I couldn’t resist Jake’s mouth. I returned his kiss, and he let it go on for a long, sweetmoment. When he pulled back, he looked about as dazed as I felt.
He swept the tip of his tongue across his lips, and his voice came out as a hoarse whisper. “Still think dumping you is on my mind?”
I stared at him. Nothing was on my mind because his mouth had erased every thought in my head.
Jake caressed the uninjured side of my face. “I know you’re embarrassed about that fight. But you want to know what I was thinking while I was watching?”
Cringing, I said, “Probably not, but go ahead.”
He laughed softly. “Honestly? I was just thinking that I should’ve worked with you on how to get out of a headlock.” He half-shrugged as he sheepishly added, “It wasn’t something I thought you’d need to learn, but apparently it is.”
