He draws back. “Fuckingwhat?”
I step up to him again. “It’s romance, Reign. I love romance. Romance makes me feel good. It makes me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. And since you’re my ex-boyfriend’s ex-best friend, it’s your duty to sit here and wipe my tears and blow my nose when Jack dies in the end.”
“No.”
I shrug. “Sorry, bro code. I don’t make the rules.”
It’s a testament of how shocked he is, how horrified he seems to be at the prospect of watchingTitanicwith me, that I’m able to maneuver and turn his big body toward the bed, and then push him onto it.
A feather turning the path of a hurricane.
He goes sprawling down on the mattress, but catches himself on his arms, his thighs spread wide, his eyes staring up at me, still astonished and slightly horrified.
“So you make yourself at home, all right? And I’ll show you howwilda St. Mary’s girl can be.”
At my words, those eyes of his narrow and he finally gathers his sense enough to growl.
Ha.
That’ll teach him to mess with me.
And tell me false tales and ask me inappropriate questions, and fucking call me a boring good girl.
As I’m turning around to go put on more clothes, I swear I hear him mutter, “Stupid fuckingTitanic. The door was totally big enough for two.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
Who: The Bubblegum
Where: The second-floor bedroom in the carriage house on the Davidson estate
When: 10:40 PM; one night after the movie night with Reign
Dear Bandit,
You covered me with a blanket.
When you left my bedroom the other night after watching not one but two movies.
Well, partially.
We started out with Titanic and as I’d told you, I did end up crying. On and off throughout the movie. And like a good ex-boyfriend’s ex-best friend, you supplied me with tissues. But I guess at one point you got tired of passing me the tissues and actually offered me your t-shirt.
Not really actually.
As in you didn’t take the t-shirt off and offer it to me, no.
You placed your large hand on the side of my head and made me lean on the tight globe of your shoulder. So I could cry on it and soak the fabric of your t-shirt after all.
You didn’t say one word. Didn’t even look at me. Simply kept your eyes on the screen, your jaw tight, and herded my head toward your body with your warm and strong hand, and I automatically knew what to do. Curl up against you.
It was very shocking.
Actually the fact that it didn’t feel shocking, me crying on your shoulder, was what shocked me the most. The fact that it felt so natural.
Watching a movie with you.
Anyway, when Jack had sunk to the bottom of the ocean despite the door being big enough, I loaded Pride and Prejudice on my laptop. You didn’t say anything and I didn’t take my head off your shoulder.