Like Dragonflies

She’s just as awful as everyone else in this shallow-ass town. I don’t know why I expected more from her. Not much more but I definitely didn’t expect that kind of blowup.

A dull throb radiates from the base of my skull. Soon, my head is pounding and all I can think about is Mars. I won’t see him again until his next shift at The Grind House.

I will see him though.

Mom can’t stop me from seeing him.

She can try, but she’ll have one hell of a fight on her hands.

Mars

Something happened between Sage and her mom. One moment we were kissing and happy, the next moment, she ghosted me. I called and texted, but she never responded. It wasn’t until my shift was over, and I was cleaning up, that Haley gave me the message Sage called The Grind House main line.

My mom is being a psycho and forbade me to see you.

I remembered the sucker punch to my gut at her words. But, in her next breath, she made it all better.

But I won’t let her keep me from you.

Sage kept good on her promise. She came to The Grind House on Wednesday and stayed my entire shift “studying.” And every break I got, I took her to the back room to kiss her supple lips. Late at night, once her parents go to sleep, she calls me from her house phone. We talk until the sun comes up. Both of us are running on fumes of sleep, but it’s worth it.

She’s worth it.

“Have a good weekend,” Dave calls to me after my Friday night shift.

I give him a wave over my shoulder, but my attention is on The Beast. And the beauty sitting on the back of the tailgate. God, she’s fucking gorgeous.

“Come here,” I growl.

She jumps off the back and runs toward me. Her skinny arms wrap around my neck as I grab her ass. A squeal erupts from her as her legs hook at my waist. I can hear Dave chuckling on his way to his car as I kiss my sweet girl.

“You taste like cookies ‘n cream lattes,” I murmur between kisses.

“I had like three.”

“I’m pretty sure it was four.”

Tonight she “studied” my entire shift, too. Her mom thinks she’s working on a group project with some classmates.

“And here I was just going to go home and nap,” I tease, nipping at her bottom lip.

“No napping allowed,” she says, pulling away slightly to look at me. “You have to spend the night entertaining me.”

My brow arches. “The night?”

“I told my mom I was going out with a girlfriend to the movies and would probably just stay the night with her.” Her grin is wicked. “I brought a bag. I hope it’s okay I come with you.”

The idea of having her all night to myself is more than I could ever hope for.

“It’s more than okay,” I say, squeezing her ass cheeks through her jeans. “I’m so fucking happy.”

She grins, her green eyes shining bright in the moonlight. “I’m hungry though. You?”

I lean forward and nip at her throat. “I’m starved.”

Dave drives off and Sage’s giggles are muffled by the sound of his engine. I kiss my way to her ear and nip the lobe too. Walking her over to the tailgate, I sit her down so I can look at her.

“I know your mom thinks I’m Duncan trash,” I say, frowning.

She starts to open her mouth but I press my thumb to her lips, silencing her.

“But I’ve never wanted to crawl myself out of that dumpster more than I have since I’ve met you. With you, I want to give you so much more than I am. I want to be the best person I can be.”

Her green eyes are watery as she kisses my thumb. “You’re the best person I know.”

Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead. “You know a lot of shitty people then.”

She laughs, filling the night air with the musical sound. It makes me want to pluck each note from the night and hold it to my chest.

“I know a lot of shitty people.” She looks over her shoulder. “Speaking of, we should get out of here before one of said shitty people tries to ruin all our fun.”

Her hair smells like honey and almonds, even though it should smell like grease from eating at Jimmy’s. Collette is going to be so pissed she missed seeing Sage. It was a nice dinner and I got to show Sage where I work when I’m not making her awesome lattes. At first, I felt a little ashamed, but she didn’t seem weirded out or embarrassed.

She was happy.

Like now as she hums along to the radio. When I passed Dad’s truck at Duncan D’s bar, I knew I could sneak her in and away from his drunk ass. Most days, as long as I stay out of his path, he doesn’t come looking for a fight.