The Crush

Without saying anything further, Jace walked over to the Jeep, prompting Colton to lower the window.

Jace stuck his hand out. “I’m Jace.”

They shook.

“Colton.”

“Where do you live?”

“Over on Hyacinth.”

“What’s your last name?”

“Sterns.”

Jace nodded once and walked back over to me. “Be careful.”

I exhaled. “I will.”

My heart ached. I missed him so much.

Jace disappeared into the house, and I went back to Colton’s Jeep and let myself in the passenger door.

After a bit of awkward silence, he started the car. “That was your roommate?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. That’s Jace—my brother’s best friend and our temporary roommate.”

“No offense, but he seems like an asshole.”

I could understand why he felt that way, but it still made me a little defensive. “He’s just protective of me. He’s no different than Nathan that way.”

“I can see why you haven’t brought me around yet.”

“Yeah, well, that needs to change. I have a right to bring anyone I want back to my house, and my brother is just going to have to live with it.”

But if I really meant that, why hadn’t I brought him over? Why didn’t I invite him over tonight? I couldn’t, of course, admit that the reason had to do more with the “asshole” he’d just met than my brother.

Colton sighed. “Well, if meeting that dude was so much fun, I can only imagine what it’s going to be like to meet Nathan.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry. It’s not easy when the only family you have is your crabby older brother and his grumpy friend. Testosterone rules in my house.”

I knew things would be different if my parents were around. Nathan would be less invested in my personal business. And my mother, in particular, would have loved Colton’s sweet personality.

“It’s okay. I can take the heat.” He reached for my hand. “It’s worth it.”

• • •

That evening, Colton drove me home after we’d gone out to dinner.

I said goodnight to him at the door, and the last thing I expected when I entered the house was to find Jace sitting alone out by the pool.

I pushed the sliding glass door aside, prompting him to turn to me.

“Hey…” I said.

His voice was low. “Hey.”

“Where’s Nathan?”

“He went out for drinks with some guys from the dealership. I guess he sold another car today, and they were going to celebrate.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. I’m so thrilled for him.”

“Yeah. No shit. Glad to see him happy.”

I walked over and took a seat three loungers down from Jace’s, hesitant to get too close. “I’m surprised to see you here. You’re usually out.”

“Nowhere to be today, I guess. Just sitting alone with my thoughts.”

There was no amount I wouldn’t have paid to know what thoughts swirled inside Jace’s head.

“Nothing wrong with clearing your head.”

“It’s been a while, huh?”

“Yeah.” I exhaled, surprised. “I’m glad we ran into each other earlier. It was a long time coming.”

Jace stared at me for a few seconds. “You like this guy?”

I shrugged. “I do. It’s too new to tell if it’s more than just a casual thing. He’s really nice, though. He’s nothing to worry about, if that’s what you’re thinking. Totally innocent.”

“I know. I ran a background check on him.”

I smiled. “I figured that was why you got his last name.”

“Damn straight.” He stayed quiet for a moment. “You can come closer. I won’t bite.”

The thought of him biting me sent a chill down my spine.

I stood up and settled into the seat next to him. “I’ve missed you.”

He nodded. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“When you were staying with your parents, I wondered if you were ever coming back. But then when you did…I wasn’t ready to face you, so I’ve been making myself scarce.”

“I’m sorry to have put you in that position. This is your home. You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

“That’s the thing… I am comfortable around you. I love it when you’re home. But I guess I just assumed I make you uncomfortable lately.”

“That’s not it at all, Farrah. You make me the opposite of uncomfortable. My feelings make me uncomfortable. When I’m around you…I’m happy. That’s what I struggle with.”

This man definitely knew how to make my heart come alive. He also knew how to confuse the hell out of me.

I looked up at the dark night sky. “I started seeing a therapist.”

“Really? That’s a pretty big deal. Since when?”

“Since around the time you went to stay at your parents’. A co-worker gave me the name of someone a long time ago, and I decided to bite the bullet. She had the availability to take me, so I put my fears aside and did it.”

“Good for you. I’m happy to hear that. Do you feel like it’s helping?”

“It’s always good to get suppressed feelings out, so I would say it’s helping in that sense. It’s still too early to tell what the long-term benefit will be.”