“What did you just call me?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Nothing, I… That’s not the point.” I blush. “Don’t change the subject. What happened?”
He can’t stop smiling. “No, really, what did you say? Because it sounded like you called me your boyfriend.”
I choose not to entertain his ego and cross my arms over my chest. My cheeks are burning up. Stupid brain!
“Fine.” He grins. “My guys made me pick things up where we left off. They always do when I leave for a while. Call it an insurance policy. They need to be reassured that I’m still with them.”
He wiggles in his seat. Something’s bothering him.
“What is it?”
“It’s probably nothing.”
“Haze…”
“It’s just… They usually give me the benefit of the doubt, but this time, it’s like they don’t believe a single word I’m saying. They’re real fucking obsessive. They don’t trust me anymore. I have to prove myself to them. I mean, goddamn, they wouldn’t even let me use my phone when I was there.”
That explains it.
“Do you think a guy in the East side could’ve told them something about us? Like confirm it to them?” he asks.
“What? No, they wouldn’t do that.”
Haze nods halfheartedly. He’s not convinced.
“You have no idea the bullshit I had to come up with just to be here right now. I thought they’d never let me get away.”
“But I mean, can you blame them? They’re right, aren’t they? You are in bed with the enemy.
”
He places his hand on my thigh and I shiver at his touch, but for the first time in a while, I embrace it. We both know I never came close to unloving him. Now that he’s ready to tell me everything, nothing’s holding us back.
“I’m not in bed with the enemy, Kingston.” He squeezes my leg, his hand traveling upward slightly. I hold my breath, my heart hammering in my rib cage. Then, at a red light, he turns to look at me and smirks. “Not yet.”
I can’t avoid the wave of nostalgia pouring over me when Haze and I walk into the familiar fifties diner where we had our first date—if you can even call it that. The memories are still vivid in my mind. This was shortly after Tanner went crazy on me and Kendrick went to beat him up, only to get beat up himself. The guys had set up a date with Haze through my phone so that I could convince him not to tell the whole world about Kendrick’s state. This is where I told Natasha, who was flirting with Haze, that he had STDs.
Ah, good times.
“You remembered?” I smile.
“What do you mean? We’ve been here before?” He frowns.
“Yeah, on our first date that wasn’t a date,” I say, feeling a bit hurt that he forgot.
“Oh, that was you? I thought it was Bianca,” he jokes, and I roll my eyes. He pulls me to him and kisses my cheek, his warm laughter wrapping me up. “Of course I remembered.”
The lady whose uniform makes her look like she came right out of Grease shows us the way to our table. The doctor’s appointment turned out to be a waste of time. I’m completely fine and there is nothing wrong with me apart from a sore bump on my head. Which means we made a deal with the devil for nothing.
“So this is where you tell me everything? A bit crowded in here, don’t you think?” I glance around the room.
“I’ll tell you at my place. I thought we’d enjoy one last meal before I reveal all of my darkest, deepest secrets and send you running for the hills.” He smiles, but I know, deep down, he means it. He fears my reaction.
It can’t possibly be that bad, can it?
“Fine, one meal. But then you tell me everything.”