Give me your thoughts on the context and who is saying that quote.
Sterling
"Why do you look as though you're getting ready to go perform the violin for the fishies?" I tease Jackson as I flop down onto my bed. I lay on my side and prop my head in my hand, ogling his abs while he gets dressed.
Before me, he's standing in front of the mirror buttoning up a navy dress shirt. "Don't you have Gabby to go bug?" He replies.
I sigh and study my nails, the silver polish already chipping around the edges. "She's sleeping again. Had I known that was all she was going to be doing this trip, I would have never come.
So, perhaps, that's not true, I think, hungrily inhaling Jackson's lean form. The vacation has given me plenty of alone time with my friend's brother. And for that, I'm extremely grateful.
Amen.
He gives me a sharp look. "You shouldn't say that," he grumbles.
I hold up my palms, not wishing to argue. "Fine but you still haven't told me what the special occasion is."
He turns to face me, a broad grin lighting up his olive features. "Kelsi's coming over for dinner."
My stomach instantly drops, and I sit up straight in bed. "You're lying. When did you get the time to ask her out in between vomiting in the bushes and slurring your words?"
Wiggling his eyebrows, his smile transforms into one of mischief. "That's exactly when I invited her over." He scoffs playfully. "As it turns out, I'm rather bold when drunk."
I slide off the bed. "And she accepted?" I question incredulously.
But it's not because I don't believe that Jackson isn't hot enough, sexy enough, or dreamy enough to land her. It's because I can't fully grasp that he's about to embark on a relationship with someone that isn't me.
He lifts a brow. "Well, don't act so shocked. She readily agreed, for your information. I guess it turns out that she's into me after all." He buttons up his cuffs and all I can do is fume as I stare at him.
The doorbell suddenly rings and he perks up as though he's some sort of guard dog. "I'll get it!" He calls, striding from the room.
I stick out my tongue in the direction he has gone before flopping onto the mattress again and staring up at the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling.
How can I convince Kelsi that Jackson would make the worst boyfriend ever?
As I begin to develop my sinister plan, I hear chatter and the sound of a feminine laugh in the living room. Clenching my jaw, I vow that no matter how much my stomach protests, I will not be joining the family for dinner. I refuse to be a spectator in the demise of my own life.
But fate has other plans.
Kelsi appears in the entryway of my bedroom, radiating ethereal beauty as though she is a miraculous mirage. "Hi, Sterling," she greets shyly, tucking a vibrant scarlet lock behind one ear and gingerly perching on Jackson's bed.
I notice that she has painted her fingernails black.
I'm instantly annoyed, the blood in my veins set to a low simmer. Can't she get her own identity?
"What do you want?" I snap. "Your date is in the other room." I'm aware that I'm being bitchy, but I can't help it, I'm hardwired to despise the girl that tries to steal my man.
Even if he's not my man and she's not robbing him because she has no clue that I have the faintest interest in him to begin with.
She bites her lip and gazes at me with round eyes as though she's a wounded puppy. "I was hoping we could be friends," she says with a soft sincerity.
Ugh.
I reluctantly place a lid on the pot of my boiling blood. Everyone loves puppies and it's hard to stay angry when a stray is staring at you with their begging eyes. I debate on whether I should tell her that if she wants to be "pals" then she needs to back off of Jackson, but I don't trust her.
How can I be certain that she won't blab my biggest secret to him the minute she leaves this room?
Instead, I roll my eyes and fling my legs over the side of the bed. "I guess I am sort of hungry," I say, ignoring my fiercely growling stomach.
At the dining table, Jackson's dad is already helping himself to a heaping portion of ziti. This is why he is severely overweight.
Gabby takes a small bite from her garlic bread, her face as grey as the curtains hanging in the window behind her. I try to catch her eye to ask if she's alright, but it seems as though she's more focused on just keeping her food down then she is on making polite conversation.
Jackson's mother tenderly scoops a piece of chicken parmesan onto his plate, and I wonder if she's ever going to realize that her twenty-year-old son is no longer a child. Then shaking out a crisp white linen napkin, she sets it onto her lap. "So, how did you two meet?" She asks, glancing back and forth between him and Kelsi.
I straighten my back and lean forward, resting my chin in my hands. Oh, this is going to be entertaining. I can't wait to hear Jackson explain away how he snuck out of the cabin after hours to party with a bunch of strangers.
But this is Jackson and of course, he has an answer almost as dull as he is at the ready.
He clears his throat, avoiding my scrutinous gaze. "Kelsi works at the movie theater back home."
I expect his mom to have a twinkle in her eye and gush over the new love connection that is forming but instead, she frowns. "Oh. I thought she was a local girl."
Jackson furrows his brows. "Why do you say it as though her not living here is a bad thing?"
She gestures at Kelsi as I chomp into a roll, wishing it were popcorn instead. This is going to be really interesting. Thank you, Mrs. Moretti.
I may not even have to worry about a budding relationship between my dream guy and some redhead if his mom is willing to go to bat for me.
She sighs. "I'm just worried about you losing focus on your studies is all."
He presses his mouth into a hard line, the muscle in his jaw twitching. "You mean my violin."
She nods. "Well, yes. You've come too far with it to just throw it all away for some girl you've only just met."
He surprises me by slamming his palms onto the table. I jump from the shock, my roll dropping from my fingers and tumbling beneath my chair. Damn it. I was eating that.
"Why can't you ever just let me relax?" He bursts out. "I've never given you a reason to believe that I'm not taking my future seriously."
I whip my head in his father's direction, expecting a severe tongue lashing that will result in a crimson face and spittle torpedoing everywhere. I anticipate a lecture on Jackson not being allowed to speak to his mother that way, but he's too happily absorbed in his pasta to barely even recognize the building tension.
Mrs. Moretti shakes her head, her eyes suddenly glossy. "You're gifted, Jackson," she weeps. "I only push you because I know that if you set your mind to it, you'll be able to achieve massive success with your music."
"Maybe I don't want a career in music!" He barks. "Did you ever think to ask me if perhaps, my interests have changed since I was a kid?" In a turn of events, his cheeks are the ones growing rosy.
He gestures at me, and I'm taken aback. What the hell do I have to do with any of this? I'm not to blame for your change of heart. Don't drag me down with you.
"Maybe, I want to paint my fingernails black or...or attend parties like a normal adult my age," he continues.
Oooh. Oops. Yea, that's totally all me.
I slink down in my chair, ready to follow my voyaging dinner roll anywhere.
"Jackson, please," his mother begs. "Let's chat about this calmly." But it's too late. He's already pushing back from the table and tossing his napkin onto his full plate of food.
Part of me wants to give him a standing ovation for his sudden rebelliousness but I see that he's holding his hand out towards Kelsi and suddenly, I'm ready to side with his mother that he should be making his violin his priority.
He tugs on her fingers, and she follows him out of the house. I shoot Mrs. Moretti my frostiest glare for instigating a fight and causing her son to walk out. At least when he and Kelsi were at the dinner table, I could keep an eye on them.
Who knows what they are getting up to now. I press the tip of my nail to my teeth and begin chewing. What if he's wrestling a bear for her?
Suddenly, I'm in need of fresh air. I excuse myself from the table and wander outside. My feet carry me down the gravel path, past the field of wildflowers and into the garden. There is an outdoor bed that's perfect for sunning on clear blue skies kinds of days.
I make my way to it but am instantly assaulted by the sight of Jackson and Kelsi making out feverishly. The man apparently works fast as he's already got her silk blouse pushed open, exposing one of her creamy shoulders.
I cover my eyes. "Oh God, I'm so sorry," I rush out, backing away.
"Wait," Kelsi says, stopping me.
Hesitantly, I peer through my fingers. Is this the part where she kills me because I know too much?
She glances over at Jackson, hitting him with a beaming smile and then she looks back at me before holding out her hand. "Join us," she purrs seductively.
My jaw drops open, and my sights shift to Jackson. He lifts one shoulder, but his expression is giddy at the thought of being with two girls at once.
"I...uh..." I stutter, stepping away even farther.
"Sterling?" Kelsi lifts a brow. "Is that a yes, or no?"
Question of the day: I think there's only one question to be asked here. Do you think Sterling will accept the invite?