Chapter Forty Six: Jacket
He kicked open his door, stepping aside for me to enter. It had snowed again and the beautiful scent of rain lingered in the air, in his apartment. I inhaled, smiling.
Looking at the counter top, made my stomach ache from the need I felt for him. I reminisced the last time I was here. We'd kissed and then... heat rose to my cheeks in seconds.
He removed his jacket and I pulled off my coat.
He doesn't like me. I tried to make myself believe that.
"You hungry?" He raised his eyebrow, smiling.
Jeez! His smile!
Oh, god! I have to leave. Or I will. . .
I looked away, twiddling with my hands. "Nope." I tried to sound normal. As if the last time we weren't all over each other. Or that we had hung out like this before.
"Pizza and spaghetti it is." I rolled my eyes at this new version of Evan and a small smile crept onto my lips.
He gave the order on the phone while, I prepared some coffee for us. Because, sitting ideal was giving me thoughts. Bad thoughts like how his lips would taste or how his hair would feel...
Shut up... get a grip!
"Coffee?" I nodded at him and smiled.
Stop smiling!!
"So, you wanna talk about what happened at the party. Why you were crying?"
I stopped making coffee and turned around without realizing how close he stood. We were almost touching, as I sucked in a sharp breath.
His fingers grabbed my chin and made me look in his eyes. Those gorgeous swirls of brown, making my heart jump out of me.
I swallowed the bile and just stared at him. I traced the scar on his jaw and he looked away, stepping back.
Why couldn't I keep my hands to myself?
I sighed and spoke, "Why did you smoke?"
"I asked you first." He said, leaning against the counter while I leaned against the island.
I played with my hands, as I started, "Because Josh kissed me without my consent."
I looked up to see he was holding a plastic bottle in his hand, which now was being squeezed to it's death. His eyes piercing mine.
You see right there.... it's jealousy in capital letters.
"Evan?"
Instantly, he looked away and threw the bottle in the trash.
"The guy who came to pick you up yesterday?"
He was there too? I thought he had his shift!
As if he read my mind, he enlightened, "I'd left my jacket in the locker."
Great.
He added, "And the one who picked your phone."
It didn't seem like a question to me.
"Yes...." And I started narrating him everything.
From the start.
Meanwhile our pizza came. We sat on the couch with the blanket draped over us, as I kept talking and eating.
I took another bite of my hot spicy pizza and looked back at infuriated but, somehow composed Evan.
"You should have told me right there..."
"Why? So you could go inside and beat him up?"
"Maybe." He shrugged.
I gaped at his confession that he would do something like that for me.
Then we remained quiet until we were finished with our dinner.
"Evan?" He turned towards me.
"Do you have two pillows?"
His face turned confused.
"Would small cushions work?"
I grinned and asked him to get it. I picked up the blanket and the leftovers of our coke.
"Get a warm sheet too."
"What are you doing?"
"We are going to the roof."
"I have no plan to die freezing tonight."
I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, kicked the door shut behind and ran up with him.
"Oh, it's freezing." My teeth clattered together but, I always wanted to do this.
"Can see that." He pointed at my trembling state.
"Will you help me instead of being so grumpy jerk—which you are."
"But, not like the pain in the ass—which you are." He grunted helping me make our beds.
"Shut up! Jerk." I smiled.
"Okay... Miss Richy rich." He smiled.
I smacked his arm, plopped down and towed him down too.
"Let's stargaze." We wrapped the blanket around us. Though, I was still shivering.
"There are no stars up there." He pointed to the fluffy clouds hiding the stars probably hiding the stars.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Thank you, Einstein."
Surprisingly, he laughed at my joke.
I sighed and stared up. "It's okay... we can do cloudgazing too..." I shrugged and laid on my back looking at the sky which was the most beautiful thing after it had snowed.
Sighing restlessly, he laid beside me and tugged us close in his blanket.
My heart was pounding in my ears, blood rushing to my cheeks, his warmth was making my hands clammy, and his closeness was doing things that I couldn't explain.
Just to remind you it's a very thin blanket.
"Stop clattering." He complained and I turned my head towards him while his eyes seemed busy gazing up.
I could see those beautiful thick lashes, making my fingers tingle. Loose strands rested on his forehead and I wanted to swipe them away.
"I can't. Your blanket is too thin to keep me warm."
His head turned to me. His brown orbs staring at me, quietly, assessing me.
He sat up, "What are you doing?" I worried he was going to leave me alone.
"Giving you warmth." He took off his jacket and wrapped it around me.
I swallowed the stupid bile and nibbled on my lip.
"You will freeze to death. I'm sorry but I—Kyle would like you to be alive."
I pulled closer to him and shared the jacket with him, "And Kyle would want his brother to be alive too." He smirked and pulled even more closer to me.
We were touching from our shoulders to feet. Shiver continued to run through me and I just couldn't help but, turn to him.
"I am sorry." He said, sternly.
My jaw fell ajar.
"I'm sorry for behaving like a jerk most of the time. Honestly? I'd never met a person except Ms. Annie in my life who was nice to me. I didn't trust people, especially wealthy ones. I'm sorry I judged you before I even got to know you. Guess, it's because of the way I was brought up. But, it's no excuse."
His eyes pierced mine with so much intensity that my throat felt dry. I nodded, not knowing what to say.
He pushed a loose lock behind my ear and smiled at me. "I never meant you hurt you."
I nodded again.
"I know..." His had cupped my cheeks, out noses almost touching but not really.
Then I snuggled beside him, resting my head on his shoulder as we gazed at the slowly moving clouds. We laughed trying to see whose cloud will move faster. I won twice but he won four time.
He'd grabbed my hand at one time and I laced our fingers, breathing him in.
"Do you believe in god?"
"What kinda question is it?"
He shrugged.
"Just answer." He said.
"Yes. I do. Do you?"
"I didn't use to."
I blushed profusely, knowing what he intended to say. Or maybe I was reading things wrong again?
"So, this asshole Josh... you're going with him to the Dance?" Something was different in his voice when he asked.
I nodded against his shoulder. "Yes. Remember, I told you how he made me ask him out. Though I really wanted to have my special dance with someone else."
"Hmm? Someone else? Then why don't you go and ask him out?"
I smirked, knowing what game we were playing.
"I tried to... but, he's very stubborn."
"Does he have a name?"
I laughed. "No... he's Nobody." Oh my god! It was out before I could say anything.
He was quiet for so long, I thought he slept.
"Do you babies pee every hour and when they burp, they spit out most of what they ate?"
I looked up at him, and laughed. So hard.
I loved how he just shared another piece of his life with me. Clearly he was talking about Ky.
I smiled, "But, you did it. He's amazing."
Evan nodded, his chin hitting my head.
I loved how we wear lying together watching the clouds in freezing cold. He could have said no or he could have just given me ride home. But, he didn't.
I was breaking his pretend armor, piece by piece.