A Rose in Bloom

He turned his body sideways to dodge her sharp rising knee.

“Not nice, Elyssa!” He swept his leg behind hers, and she crumpled. Moving quickly, he stretched his arm beneath her to support her weight and prevent her fall. Before the shock had registered on her face, he pulled her back up, crushing her against him. Her eyes blinked their surprise, and he felt her trembling in his locked arms.

*****

Elyssa’s heart threatened to pound itself out of her ribcage. She was enclosed in Jaxon’s arms. So tight, she could feel his heart beating against her. So overwrought, her nerve endings were on fire. So close she could feel his breath on her skin. How did I get myself in this predicament?

She craned her neck back to look up into his eyes, opening her mouth to protest, but no words emerged. His earnest, searching gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, and she stopped breathing.

Is my breath okay? Did I eat anything with peanuts? No… just popcorn and Milk Duds. Still, I wish I’d had a breath mint. I’ve got to get away from him before I pass out.

“Elyssa, I didn’t go see the movie with another girl, unless you count one who’s been dead for three years.” His eyes met hers.

“What are you talking about?” Elyssa squirmed, failing to extricate herself from his grasp. She turned her head to the side and took a quick breath before holding it again as she looked up.

“My sister used to make me go see romantic comedies with her all the time. She passed away three years ago, but I knew she would’ve loved this one. So I went to the movie by myself… in her memory. Okay? Just don’t tell anybody. Especially Nate—he’d never let me live it down.” His voice was low and husky. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

“Oh.”

“Do you know what this means, Elyssa?”

“What?”

“It means I’m not a player.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. You could still be a player.” He winced. Was it what I said? Or is my breath bad? She tried to breathe through her nose, but found it was clogged.

“I’m not a player.”

“It all depends on your definition of player, and mine is pretty strict.” Elyssa jutted her chin out, trying to achieve a look of disdain in spite of her intimate position in his arms. “Answer me this. How many girls have you dated this month? No, wait! How many girls have you dated this year?”

I do not care about the answer. I do not care about the answer. I will not get my feelings hurt, no matter how many other girls—

“None.” His smile was decidedly smug.

“None? Ha! Let me clarify… How many different females have you spent time alone with in the past twelve months?”

“Oh. I see. Let me think again. Hmmm…” His lips moved as he silently counted. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds. Still the count went on. Elyssa felt slightly lightheaded as she continued to hold her breath while he added up his girlfriends.

“Never mind, Jaxon. I don’t think I want to hear the—”

“None.”

“But you counted forever. I don’t believe you—”

“Wait! One—the answer is one.”

“I think you’re miscalculating a bit.”

“Nope. Only one. You can ask Nate if you don’t believe me.”

“If you only dated one girl, you must have been serious about her. So what were you doing with me? Was it about the building? Was it all just a game to you? Were you teasing me?”

“I didn’t say I dated one other girl this year. I said I dated one girl. You. That is, if I can call watching a few minutes of a movie with you before getting tossed out of the theatre a date.”

“Me?” Her voice came out as a squeak, as she let a little air out of her lungs, taking a quick breath to replace it. “I mean… No, this isn’t a date.” She wriggled, working her arms up until her hands pressed against his chest.

“And I was very serious.” He leaned down until his forehead rested against hers. “I am very serious.”