Mine Would Be You (26)

I reach for my second mimosa and revel in the mostly champagne drink. As we wait for our food, I notice myself sometimes leaning towards Jackson. My eyes flicker to him during conversation to see the flash of the dimples or the easy way that he interacts. Drawn to him whether I want to be or not.

Sometimes, he’s already looking at me, sometimes he’s not.

But he’s hard not to look at.

I like when he’s not watching me because I watch him interact with my friends. It lets me gauge how they feel or how they interact with him. Sloan loves most people, especially people who are bright and earnest. But it’s Harper I’m surprised by. She interacts with him, asks him questions, and laughs at all his cheesy jokes. She makes sure to send me a wink when he isn’t looking too.

Thankfully, our food comes and is placed in front of each of us. We all dig in, falling into a comfortable silence. Jackson ordered a waffle like I did, except with chocolate chips and strawberries on the side. I practically cover mine in whipped cream, one quarter at a time, and add strawberries along the top as we eat. The only sounds are the car engines and our silverware until we fall back into conversation.

“You’re telling me you like 22 Jump Street better than the first?” Roman looks at me, shock written all over his face as he takes a bite of his breakfast sandwich.

“I love the first one. I can quote the entire thing front to back.”

“She has a cat named Jenko. No one ever knows it’s from those movies,” Sloan chimes in, and that causes Jackson to let out a big throaty laugh.

I shake my head lightly as I see another table look over at us, just two girls that are seated behind us with their own pitcher of bottomless mimosas, but they just send me quick, easy smiles, and I turn back to focus.

“Okay, but the second one is just so good. The comedy is perfect, I’m sorry. Jenko’s reaction to Schmidt dating the captain’s daughter alone? Amazing.”

“I’m with her on this one, Rome. I like the second better too.” Jackson takes a sip of his mimosa since most of his plate is already cleared.

“You are a suck up.” He points to Jackson who’s laughing and turns to me. “And you, I’m questioning a lot of things right now. I’m so disappointed.”

I stick my tongue out at Roman and take a bite topped with whipped cream and a strawberry.

“I wanna meet this cat,” Jackson says. His eyes flick to mine, filled with amusement. “You got a little something—”

He reaches over with his thumb and swipes softly over the skin right above my mouth, and the dollop of whipped cream that he wiped off my lip is now on his thumb. My heart starts beating erratically in my chest at the simple touch, the light feel of his thumb on my skin. He sends me a sly grin before popping it in his mouth and then extending his arm behind my chair again.

Sloan kicks me under the table, and I know she’s probably grinning from ear to ear.

Meanwhile, I’m just trying to catch my breath.

“No, you don’t. That cat only likes her. He only puts up with us cause we’re around all the time,” Sloan says, and I shrug. I like that my cat really only likes me.

“We’ll see. I’m a very determined person,” Jackson responds, and I don’t think he’s just talking about Jenko anymore, but I don’t bring any attention to it.

Mostly because I can barely focus on anything besides the last bite of waffle and the fact that his fingertips are lightly brushing the open skin on my back. Right where the tattoo that goes down my spine is, his fingers are strumming over the skin like guitar strings. Except softer, lighter.

Like he doesn’t want to push too far, but he still wants to touch me.

“Are we still going to the Hampton house for your birthday?” Roman asks, this time directed at Jackson. Hampton house?

Oh, dios mío.

Jackson adjusts his sunglasses on top of his loose curls. “Hell, yeah. Are you still down?” Roman nods. “You guys should come.” Jackson taps his fingers on my spine as he says it, as if to say I’m talking to you.

He looks at us girls, and Harper’s got a huge grin on her face. We haven’t made it down there this summer yet. We’ve had to resort to laying out on the rooftop of our building or the gym pool.

“I’m so down. When is it?”

“We’re doing the weekend before my birthday. Probably leave Thursday, July fifteenth, in the evening and stay until that Sunday.”

“I’d love to,” Sloan says with a grin, bumping shoulders with Harper.

My lips fall into a frown as my eyes flick between the grins on everyone else’s face. Isn’t a weekend at the Hamptons too much? Even if it is over a month away. Spending that much time with Jackson at his Hampton house, even with a group, is a lot. And on top of that, I assume that Myles and Emma will be there.

“What’s that face for? Valentina Andreá Arrieta Scott. We’re going.” Harper points her finger at me, and I roll my eyes, but I’m suddenly nervous and anxious all over. The sensation settling over my skin like a scratchy blanket I can’t get off.

“What about work? Can we get off?”

“It’s one day. Yes.”

I glare at her, not sure how to express to her that it’s too much, too soon, and especially for me to make a decision right away.