Runaway ✔

034 • Juice

It was something so small, walking hand in hand with a girl, and still it meant a lot to him. Maybe it was because there hadn't been many girls  whose hand he'd hold, apart from leading them to his dorm room. For a long time the urge to hold hands with someone hadn't been there, but now he held Dana's, he didn't want to let go.

While walking to the pizza stand, he looked aside. A large, sweet smile was drawn on her face. He was glad she liked this place, though seeing her relax was what really did him good. She felt safe with him. Something he'd been wishing for since the moment he found her crying in her  room.

They both ordered a pizza and took them back to the hill  where Juice had parked his bike. There they sat down on the grass.

"You've been here before?" she asked, trying to loosen a slice without pulling off the cheese of the whole pizza. 

"When I was still a prospect, we sometimes hung around here. When we were still the rookies of SAMCRO." 

With her shoe she bumped his boot, teasing. "You still are."

He wasn't entirely sure she was joking and a little awkwardly he slid with his hand over his mohawk, as he always did when feeling somewhat insecure. "Five years ago even more than now. And you? You ever been to a drive-in?"

She lifted her eyebrows. "No. When we got here I already told ya I only know this from TV."

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

She rolled her eyes. "You're a great listener."

Juice felt his cheeks blush. Was he well on the road to ruin this date –  that had started so well? "Sorry," he muttered. "It's probably the nerves."

He took a bite of his pizza, watching how she would react. She tilted her head a little, while putting a piece of cheese in her mouth. Mesmerized he stared at her lips. Man, how long before I may kiss them again? This time for real?

"You're really nervous?"

Her question forced his glance higher, to her eyes. 

"A little," he admitted. "Don't wanna mess things up again."

The wound on his butt stung. With shame he thought back of one of the most embarrassing mornings of his life. 

 "And a mess it was," she chuckled. "As long as you're not injuring anybody, I think we'll be fine." She gave him a playful wink. 

He wasn't afraid that would happen again. It was the way he felt attracted to her that worried him. How did he know when she was ready to kiss again? It was really annoying that Clay had interrupted them last time, if not they would have passed that stage by now. He didn't mind to take the lead, but he remembered very well what she'd said. That being with Jax had brought back painful memories and that she wasn't ready for something serious. Still he hoped to make her change her mind. 

"I'm goin' to ask you a very silly question," she said, holding one hand in front of her mouth because she was still tucking away a part of her pizza. "But I don't even know your real name."

"Well, that's a very intimate question to start with, don't ya think?" he answered with a grin. "That's more of a second base question."

She started to laugh. "You just wanna kiss."

Her laugh chased a pleasant shiver across his spine. "And you don't? You're the one who asked for it so desperately yesterday."

"First I'm gonna finish my pizza."

"Priorities."

"He tastes well."

"The pizza or I?"

She kicked his foot again. "The pizza. I'll say you to you."

He shrugged. "Thought you were talkin' to the pizza."

She laughed again and Juice started to eat his pizza a little faster. 

"You're serious? You ain't gonna tell me your name?"

He shook his head, determined. "Second base. Thus keep on eatin', if ya really wanna know."