Page 10 of Places in Time
Chapter 6
“Okay,Ethan, you know the drill,” Ginger said once we were back in my car. “Tell me what you thought of our latest visit.”
“I think…” I licked my lips nervously. “I think it may be possible that Jude’s, uh, gay.”
She raised an eyebrow in a move I’d come to recognize as some sort of disapproval, or perhaps just general mocking. “Twenty years of friendship, and you’re only now coming to this realization?” She shook her head. “Okay, is there anything else?”
The image of those big hands cupping my face, thumbs stroking my cheeks. The look in Jude’s eyes as he gazed at me. His arousal in reaction to my drunken attempt at a kiss. I reached into my pants and adjusted myself.
“What are you doing?” Ginger asked, sounding horrified.
“Huh?”
She flicked her gaze to my fingers, which were underneath my nose.
“Oh.” I would have been embarrassed, but she was a figment of my unexpectedly creative imagination so instead of making up a lie, I said, “I’m smelling myself.”
“Smelling yourself?” She said each word slowly.
“Yeah. I had my hand in my pants just now so…” I shrugged.
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s normal. Everybody does it.”
“That’s not true.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, everybody with balls does it. Happy now?”
“I can honestly say that I am not, in fact, happy right now. Let’s get back to the topic so we can finish and I can escape.”
“So you can escape?” I asked incredulously. “You’re the kidnapper and I’m the captive! I’m the one who should want to escape.”
“There is absolutely no reason to raise your voice, dear.”
I growled.
“For someone who claims to want this to end, you’re certainly not doing your part.”
“What’s my part?” I yelled.
“Tell me what you learned during our last visit,” she said each word slowly.
“You don’t have to talk to me like I’m stupid.”
“You’re an actor so I’m sure you remember that line fromForest Gump.”
I glared at her.
She smirked at me.
“Fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed. “What I learned is that Jude maybe likes me a little. You know, inthatway.”
Ginger looked at me expectantly. When I didn’t say anything else, she sighed dramatically and straightened in her seat. “I think you may have the emotional maturity of a twelve-year-old. You know, ineveryway.”
“Hey! There’s no reason to be abusive, lady! I’m trying here.”
“Well, try harder to see what’s right in front of you, Ethan, because you only get one more trip.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
