Page 178 of Withered

After a toe-curling kiss, we break apart and paint the fence. If there was an instrument to measure the sexual tension between two people, we would’ve exceeded the limit, shattering the equipment itself. That’s how strong the tension is. I try to diffuse it when I flick the brush loaded with paint onto his cheek.

He chuckles. “Don’t start if you don’t want to end up on the bed.”

I stop immediately, while another part of me wants to do it again just to see where it goes. But I decide against it.

We keep painting and playing in between. By the time we’re finished, the paint on our skin has dried. I help Jake carry all of the boxes and other items inside. Then we wind ourselves up in the kitchen, where I open the fridge and find a bottle of my favorite litchi juice.

“You like that, don’t you?” Jake says, standing a few feet away.

“How do you know?” I ask him, still looking down at the bottle in my hands.

“You always drink that,” he shrugs lightly. “More than water at times.” He laughs at that. “I think you might have a problem there.”

I giggle. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Go take a shower,” Jake adds as he chugs some water.

“You sure?” My brows raise. I can just go back to my house and take one there.

“About what?” He asks, smirking. I swear this boy used to be all cold before I got to know him, but now he’s always smirking no matter what I say. Leave it to him to turn anything into something sexual.

“Shower,” I say.

His grin grows. “Oh, yeah. Let’s just take it together and save the water.”

That is something he should not have stated. My eyes widen as I see the vivid image that is now taking shape in my mind. I had never considered having a shower together. Hell, after that embarrassing fall in my bathroom, my mind never went near the bathroom again, yet the idea is so attractive.

“N-Not that,” I clear my throat. “Don’t you want to take one first?”

“Why will I go first when we can go together?” Jake is full-on smirking. The more he smirks, the more my cheeks heat up. He is highly aware of the effect he has on me, and this is considered teasing.

He walks over to me and pinches my cheek, saying, “You’re cute.” He adds, “I’ll take one downstairs.”

I shake my head and say, “It’s okay. I’ll get going now. See you tomorrow?”

He nods somewhat reluctantly.

After getting a kiss on the forehead, I waved him bye. The three magical words are on the tip of my tongue; I’m afraid to say them. I’m afraid Jake won’t feel the same way about me. He’ll leave me before the words are even out. So, I wait. That’s all I can do for now.

My parent’s expressions when I enter the house covered in paint are priceless. I am happy, and that’s all that matters.

Jakedidn’tshowupat my door for school on Monday; his car was gone too. I call him a couple of times, but his phone was off, so I settle for messages. I assume he has soccer practice and forgot to tell me, but he isn’t there.

When I arrive, Kristy is leaning against her car.

I look around the parking lot and see no trace of Tyler. “Where’s Tyler?” I ask.

Her shoulders fall, and a bored frown crosses her face. “He has some out-of-town work. Won’t come to school for a week. Where’s Jake?”

I shrug, not knowing. “I thought he’d be here; he’s not. His phone is off too.”

“Weird,” Kristy says as we make our way to our lockers. “Ty’s phone is also turned off. Perhaps they both went together.”

Unease prickles at my skin and settles at the pit of my stomach. He could’ve told me yesterday, but we were having so much fun, it might have slipped his mind.

The rest of the day at school passes in a blur. If the boys are together, then we girls get time to catch up. I almost forgot how fun Kristy can be and how much she can talk my ear off. I wonder how Tyler manages her. I’m happy things worked out with them.

Because my bench buddy is absent during English, I sit in the front row. Professor Caleb keeps staring my way in between classes, and when the bell rings, I’m the first to get out of my chair before he stops me again.

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