Two Outta Three (Two Outta Three #1) (6 page)

“I know.”

He nodded his head. “Good.”

The car had warmed up considerably and I felt myself begin to sweat. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heater or from the weight of everything he just shared with me. I unraveled my scarf and attempted to lighten the mood. “Well, now that we got that out of the way, are we still eating?”

Jesse blinked in surprise. His cold expression broke into a wide smile. “Ah, you do know me well. Yeah, I’m actually starving. What’s good to eat around here? Pizza Palace still open?”

“Pizza Palace?” I squeaked. “That place closed ages ago.”

“What?” Jesse’s face fell. “I loved that place.”

I refrained from reminding him that if he had visited even once he would have already known. Instead, I patted his arm and smiled. “There’s a burger joint there now. We can do that instead.”

“Damn, I wanted a pizza,” he replied with a wink.

Though I laughed and tried to maintain a superficial jubilee, deep inside I still felt crushed. I snuck a peek at Jesse, taking in this man—this stranger sitting beside me. He really wasn’t the Jesse I knew anymore. He had a new life, which I knew absolutely nothing about.

At that moment I made myself a promise. My old best friend might have been gone, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make a new best friend. The first step was trying to get to know him again.

Coyly, I asked, “How did you move back here so easily? Sounds like you had a great life in Charleston. Did you have to break up with any girlfriends?”

Coy? Try embarrassingly obvious.

Jesse shook his head. “When was I ever the type to have a girlfriend, Rocky?”

“Ah, that’s right. You were always the one-night stand sorta guy.” I felt myself being shoved and hit my head against the car window. “Hey! Watch it.”

Jesse broke out into a laugh. “Sorry, I forgot what a lightweight you are.” Losing his smile, his voice suddenly deepened. “I’ve changed, Rocky. No more boyish games.”

“No more boyish games,” I whispered.

Chapter 7

Jesse and I settled into the vinyl booths at Raring to Go Burgers. The drive only took about ten minutes, but during those ten minutes we had relaxed considerably around each other. I could only guess that he was about as apprehensive around me as I was with him, but after our mini heart-to-heart, all apprehension flew out the window.

“Can get you anything to drink?” our waitress asked without so much as looking in our direction. I just about grimaced when I noticed her throw a wink at the table next to us where a bunch of guys I recognized from our store were sitting.

“If you’re so interested in them, why don’t you send us another server?” I muttered, causing Jesse’s eyes to widen in surprise. I guess I never was one to stick up for myself back in high school.

“I’ll just have a water,” Jesse answered, clearing his throat. “What about you, Rocky?”

“A Coke.” Tearing my gaze away from the menu, I spotted Jesse throwing me a weird look. I immediately dropped my eyes, feeling suddenly self-conscious. In an attempt to shift the attention back on him, I asked, “You only want water? You can drink if you want to. I can drive back.”

He shook his head. “I don’t drink. Not since I moved away.”

“Oh.” I shifted uncomfortably and looked away, catching the eye of one of the guys at the neighboring table.

“Hey, Rocks.” The man nodded his head in greeting.

“Hi!” I smiled warmly, waving back.

“Wow, don’t you have a fan club,” Jesse snorted, turning the page to his menu.

“What are you talking about?”

Without looking up, he pointed his thumb towards the table. “Him, Ethan. Wow, the Rocky I used to know had trouble saying hi to anyone with a penis. Ow!”

I kicked him under the table. Hard. “I’ve grown up a lot since then and besides, I do not have a fan club. He’s one of our regulars.” Jesse opened his mouth to reply, but I quickly shut him up. “Think about what you’re about to say before you open your mouth. I will kick you in the balls if I have to.”

He began to laugh and shut his menu. Clasping his hands together, he peered at me.

“What?” I asked, a bit taken aback.

“We talked about me so let’s talk about you. If we’re using this time to catch up, then let’s catch up.”

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

Before he could answer, the waitress returned with our drinks and took our orders. After some unnecessary questioning on Jesse’s part—really, how many questions can you have about a burger—the server finally left. I looked at Jesse expectantly.

“What?” he asked, taking a slow sip of his drink. It was obvious he was stalling on purpose.

Feeling impatient, I repeated, “What do you want to know?”

Though it looked as if he were itching to ask me something, he merely shrugged. “Whatcha got?”

I looked up towards the ceiling and thought hard. What was there about me that was even worth talking about?

“Um, I graduated from State with a degree in Fine Arts.”

“So you did go for it.” He nodded his head in approval.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

He took another sip and licked his lips. “The last time we spoke you were second guessing it. You said there was no hope out there for an art student and you even mentioned switching to business or something.”

“I did?” I grimaced. “Yuck! Me? Business? I must have been on some drugs back then.”

Jesse’s shifted uncomfortably. I quickly changed the subject.

“Well, I continued with art. Figured if I was going to be stuck at Rossi’s for the rest of my life, I might as well do something fun while I had the chance.”

“You don’t have to be.” He leaned forward, creating a steeple with his fingers, propping his chin right in the middle of the cradle. “Stuck, I mean.”

“But I do.” I shook my head and sighed. “I mean, Emily bounced as soon as she popped my nephew out of her vag.”

“Lovely visual.”

I snickered. “Besides, it’s not all that bad. I love my parents and I’m basically the boss. Why go anywhere else?”

“True.” He drummed his fingers against the table top, looking as though he was about to explode. Despite our years apart, I knew that look.

“If you want to ask me something, just ask,” I said tiredly.

“Tell me about Ethan,” he said after a moment of silence.

“Why do you care so much?” Wishful thinking at its finest.

“He just seems like a chum. Didn’t think you’d end up with a guy like that.”

“It’s not like I’m marrying him,” I argued. “We went out on a few dates. I’m too young to think about settling down.”

“Obviously. I mean, if you’re going to stand a guy up for your
fourth
date at Carbanaro’s, you really weren’t thinking of settling down.”

“How did you know about that?” I asked in surprise.

“I…uh…Oh! Look food!”

Our waitress returned with our burgers and Jesse wasted no time diving in. I took my monstrosity in my hands and narrowed my eyes at him. One thing hadn’t changed. He still was one strange fellow.

Chapter 8

“You sure you don’t want to go back to the dance?” Jesse took another sip of whiskey and stared up into the starry night.

“Nah. I can hear them playing that stupid Tap Tap Tap song.”

As if on cue, we both started singing, “Tap, tap, tap my way to your heart. Kiss, kiss, kiss so we’ll never be apart.”

We burst into laughter before quieting down and leaning our shoulders against one another. Whether it was for warmth, comfort, or because of something else, I didn’t know. But I certainly wasn’t complaining.

“I wonder if the teachers know that song is about sex,” I wondered, tracing the path of Orion’s Belt with my finger. I cocked my head to the side and grinned. “Actually, I’m surprised you even know it yourself.”

Jesse shrugged. “You’re right, not my usual cup of tea, but the song is catchy as hell.”

“If you like the sort of song that’s sung by a bunch of whining boys that probably don’t know they’re singing about sex either.”

“What would you know about sex?” he snorted.

Though it was ridiculous for me to feel offended, as I was a virgin, I still couldn’t help but be a bit irritated. “A lot less than you, that’s for sure.”

“Are you implying I’m a male slut?” His breath smelled of alcohol and caused my stomach to lurch slightly.

I reached over and plucked his flask from his hand. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”

“Hey!”

Ignoring him, I teased, “And you are a male slut. I’ve seen your shenanigans.”

“Shenanigans,” he repeated. “What are you, my grandpa?”

I bit my lip and looked down at my hands, tossing his flask from palm to palm. The metal was warm from Jesse’s grip and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like if I was holding his hands instead. All those ‘shenanigans’ I saw him lead on and break up with did nothing but cause an insurmountable amount of jealousy and hurt for me. I couldn’t complain. At least Jesse saw me as a friend. A friend was better than nothing and for now it was also better than being a shenanigan.

“Are you mad?” he asked suddenly.

“Mad about what?”

“That I couldn’t go to homecoming with you?”

I don’t think he knew the magnitude behind the question. I shook my head and lied. “No, though I am disappointed not being able to see you in a monkey suit.”

“Monkey suit? I would have rolled up wearing a leather jacket and some sneakers!”

“And you would have looked good doing it too.” I laughed.

Jesse turned towards the gymnasium with a thoughtful look on his face. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Huh?”

He turned back towards me and smiled. “Someday. I’ll take you dancing. I’ll dress up too.”

***

“And he just drove you back to your car and that’s it?” Stephanie hissed, glancing behind her to make sure nobody was listening in on our conversation.

I tightened my apron, trying to appear as nonchalant as I could. “We were just catching up.”

My friend’s face fell in disappointment. “Rats. I could have sworn…”

“Could have sworn what?” I demanded.

“Never mind,” Stephanie said quickly, catching a glimpse of Jesse as he walked up to clock in. She pasted a grin on her face. “Morning, Sunshine. Don’t you look swell?”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Brainiac? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I work three twelve-hour shifts a week. It’s my day off.”

“Must be nice to have a day off some time,” Jesse replied. I didn’t know whether to feel offended or not, but that decision was made for me when I caught him throwing me a wink.

I couldn’t help but smile. I was really happy Jesse and I had spent some time together outside of work. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. For the most part, at least.

Jesse’s head bounced between the two of us. “So, what are you two ladies talking about?”

“Um…” My eyes shot over to Stephanie, widening then narrowing a bit, silently begging for her to help me out.

“We were talking about New Year’s Eve,” Stephanie cut in, throwing me a knowing look.

“Thank you,” I mouthed when I was sure Jesse was looking away.

Stephanie tipped her head forward in silent camaraderie.

Jesse snorted. “What about it? Bethel Falls never held anything remotely worth attending.”

“That was when we were seventeen, genius.” Stephanie huffed in annoyance. “Now that we don’t have to use our poor excuses for fake IDs, we can actually get into some kick ass clubs.”

“I don’t really want to go out,” I interjected. Picturing me in a crowded room filled with drunk, horny people didn’t seem appealing in the least.

“But why?” Stephanie’s voice was as loud as a sonic boom. She wagged her finger accusingly. “You said you’d go with me!”

“So I can be left alone at midnight while you go find some random guy to kiss? No thanks!”

“Then invite Ethan!” Stephanie suggested. “Aren’t you at that stage in whatever the hell you guys have going on where it’s understood you’ll be each other’s automatic dates to these things?”

Jesse frowned slightly, but didn’t say a word.

My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. Looking away, I tried my best to come up with a foolproof excuse not to go. Luckily, that excuse was actually the truth. “I thought I told you his work sent him away for business. He won’t be back until after the third.”

“Well, you didn’t, and that sucks.”

Jesse smirked, clearly enjoying our banter. “A good solution to this problem is if Stephanie just promises to keep her ‘Man Dating’ radar to a minimum and stick with you all night.”

Her mouth widened in shock. “Hey! I resent that!”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, Steph. Why don’t you just make it a girl’s night out? No men. Besides, aren’t you trying to hook up with Daniel, anyway?”

“Daniel?” Jesse asked curiously. I shot him a knowing look, causing his mouth to drop wide open. “You have got to be shitting me.
Daniel
Daniel? Homecoming Daniel? Daniel who turned Stephanie into a class five crazy?”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” The top of Stephanie’s lips curled up into annoyance. “Fine, to show you guys that I am not some boy crazy psycho, I’ll promise it’ll just be a girl’s night. No penises…err…penie…um, is that the plural for it?”

“We get it, we get it,” Jesse chuckled. Leaning against the counter, he bumped my hip with his, surprising me. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You turn into some sex-crazed psycho too?”

“Ha!” Stephanie exclaimed with a laugh.

I shot her an annoyed look.

“Ha!” she repeated in a quieter tone.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

“What, ‘ha?’” Jesse asked, his eyes darting between the two of us.

“Oh nothing,” Stephanie’s voice sounded as if she were singing a childhood song. “Just that Rocky over here has been holding out for Mr. Special.”

“Stephanie!” I hissed.

Jesse looked at me incredulously. “Are you a virgin?”

“Really, guys? We’re going to talk about this here?” I glanced around the store, positive that my mom or dad would pop out at any moment. Luckily, the aisles seemed empty, having only a sprinkling of customers.

“Technically a virgin,” Stephanie answered for me with a giggle.

“How can someone technically be a virgin unless…” Jesse’s voice trailed off as his eyebrows rose. I caught his eyes sneak a peek towards my backside.

I instantly slapped him against the arm. “Ew! No, you disgusting pervert.”

Jesse laughed his familiar throaty chuckle. It felt nice to hear it again. “Okay, so tell me how one can technically be a virgin. I am really dying to know.”

“It was just the tip,” I mumbled, looking down.

“What was that?” Jesse asked, cupping his ear and leaning towards me.

“It was just the tip!” My voice was louder and angry.

“Who tipped?”

“Mom! Hey!” I gasped.

Jesse and Stephanie instantly straightened while my mom wormed her way between both of them. She placed what looked to be a flat sheet of cardboard in front of me.

“I’m doing some filing in the back and can’t seem to figure out how to put this banker’s box together. Dad said you could put one together quick, so I figured I’d pass it over to you,” she said tiredly before glancing at Jesse. “Did someone tip you again?”

He cleared his throat. “Er…no, Ma’am. Not this time.”

“Oh, I was about to say we may need to put out a tip jar. It’s not the usual in our line of business, but what could it hurt?”

“Tips definitely do not hurt,” Jesse replied. He threw me a wink, eliciting a giggle from Stephanie.

Really? In front of my mother? I tightened my fist and clenched my jaw. I was beyond annoyed.

“Get to work on that box,” Mom demanded. “I’ll be in the back office.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Rossi. We’ll make sure Rocky works on her box,” Jesse called out after her.

Stephanie and Jesse burst into laughter. If I clenched my teeth together any tighter I was sure I’d be needing a set of dentures. I grabbed the cardboard and began folding it into place, cursing under my breath.