You Had Me All Along

You Had Me All Along - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"How's Kaden?" Finn asked me, once the steady flow of people who were working off their Christmas treats slowed a bit, the next afternoon at JumpFit.

   He was wearing his grey JumpFit shirt, with jeans that hugged his thin legs. His hair was styled like it always was, and I felt a pang of regret, really looking at him now. There was no way I could tell him what happened at Kaden's the night before.

   "Oh, he was drunk, sad. He kept drinking while I was there. He thinks no girl would want to be with him because of his daughter and his work schedule."

   Finn made a face. "You need to set him up with someone."

   I let out a laugh, leaning onto the desk. "Like who? I don't exactly have a ton of girlfriends. Or any."

   "Is Sierra single?" Finn asked, glancing to the back of the gym, where she was just waiting for a class to begin.

   I shrugged. "No clue. Kaden needs a girl who's..." I let my voice trail off.

   "Any girl he dates will be jealous of you," Finn told me, serious as ever.

   "What?"

   "You and Kaden are so close. I was jealous of him. Still am, sometimes," he said, then shrugged.

   "Kaden and I are not..." I was so sick of repeating this.

   "I know," Finn whispered, then placed a hand at my waist, leaning in. "We are though, right?"

   I turned into him, smiling. We sort of were, but I wasn't ready to be fully in it and I had to make sure he knew that. Hell, I'd just kissed Carson, so obviously I was confused. I nodded at Finn, just as the door opened and two teenage girls strolled in and over to us, at the desk.

   I took a break a while later and headed to the food court for a smoothie. On my way back to the gym, I saw that tall, muscular body; that dark wavy hair. He was coming from the opposite direction, but going towards Jumpfit, too. Carson.

   A grin spread across his face, seeing me.

   "What are you doing here?" I asked, right away. I figured I'd have a few days to figure out what to do about him. And why I'd kissed him.

   He stopped a few feet away from me. "I was just going to say hi, if you were working."

   "No, no, don't do that. Don't come to my job, please," I said, practically begging.

  "Relax, Ard." The nickname sparked memories I'd long tried to forget. He was the only one I'd let call me that. "I work across the street. I came here to get lunch." He held out the take out bag from the sushi place in the food court.

   "You work where?" I asked, stepping back.

   "Dan's Auto Body Shop."

   "Since when?"

   "Since I got to Seaside, three weeks ago." He smiled, staring at me. "Aren't you nosy?"

   I narrowed my eyes. "Don't come here to say hi, okay?"

   "Why? Your not-boyfriend might get mad?" Carson looked amused, which annoyed me.

   "Carson."

   "Hmm?"

   "Ugh." I shot him a look and kept walking, back towards the gym.