Page 77 of The Hookup Type

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I know Katie misses me. It’s been a while.”

“She does talk about you nonstop.” I played into his joke, and he smiled.

I sighed at the sight of him back in front of me and immediately caved. I wasn’t sure why I even pretended like there would be another answer. “I guess you can come to dinner.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

“Oh, shit,” I gasped. “My brother is going to be there.”

“Am I not approved to meet your brother?” he asked suspiciously.

“No,” I deadpanned and quickly shook my head as soon as I realized what I had just said. “Of course you are. But Chase is coming here because his boyfriend just broke up with him.”

“That sucks.” Jaxon looked at me empathetically. “Did he say why?”

I reminded myself that the conversation I had with Chase before Jaxon sat in front of me actually happened. “He cheated on Trey,” I said to the table.

It felt weird to say it out loud without knowing the whole story. When I looked up, Jaxon was staring at me. His green eyes popped against his black hat, and his lips looked fuller now that they were surrounded by facial hair. I felt the familiar tug behind my belly button and demanded that my libido take a backseat to this conversation.

“Shit.” He sighed. “Maybe they will work it out. You said they’ve been together for like, what, three years?”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure how Jaxon would respond to relationship drama, considering he had never been in one. But as far as support went, his suggestion was on the right track.

“I’ve gotta head to class,” I admitted. I shoved my laptop into my book bag and gathered up my belongings.

He stood with me, and I immediately closed the space between us. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and squeezed. I breathed in his scent, and he tightened his grip.

“Jaxon, I can't breathe.” I laughed, and he let me go.

“I’ll swing by around five,” he said.

“Five,” I repeated.

We parted ways, and even though the breakup news with Chase was heavy, reuniting with Jaxon made me ten times lighter.

While it always seemed simple to get things back on track, we never ceased to find things that would derail us all over again. I just hoped that this mend would last longer than the last one.

* * *

Chase gotinto Ohio from Pittsburgh right on schedule. He had about a half hour or so until he arrived in Bowling Green, and I wasn’t sure who was more anxious about his arrival.

Katie worked furiously in the kitchen on some buffalo chicken crescent roll she found on Pinterest while I tried to distract myself with homework. Jaxon and Connor lounged in the living room on their phones and pretended to watch Katie’s current binge showGossip Girl.

I was happy to report that Katie was finally out of theGilmore Girlskick, which meant that she was feeling better about the Tyler incident. I stared at the glory of Blake Lively as Serena and tried to think of my next sentence. I was interrupted by the peanut gallery.

“This could be the worst show yet,” Jaxon said without looking up from his phone. “The only reason it’s decent is because Blake Lively is in it.”

“Typical,” Katie shouted from the kitchen, and I laughed to agree with her.

“Leighton Meester is hot too,” Connor added. His elbow rested on the arm of the recliner, and he was completely invested in the show.

“Who is Leighton Meester?” Jaxon asked.

“Blair,” Connor answered quickly.

“Who the fuck is Blair?” Jaxon exclaimed, and we all laughed. It was nice having him here again, and I knew Connor also enjoyed having him back.

Katie joined us in the living room and took her usual seat next to Connor in the recliner. He put his arm around her, and she relaxed into him. “It will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” she announced.

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