Chapter 10

Rory jumpedout of the car. "What are you doing here?"

Jay Sanchez just kept smiling, that familiar smug look on his face making Rory's heart skip several beats. She forgot how handsome he was. His deeply tanned skin, his toffee-colored eyes, his lean frame. Jay was always slender yet fit, built like the soccer player he was. Soccer was one of the things they had in common, her mind drifting to their afternoons scrimmaging on the beach, the rest of the Scoopers getting mad at them for kicking up so much sand.

Rory couldn't help it as her eyes drifted to his faded Haverport High Varsity Soccer sweatshirt, then to the pair of charcoal joggers on his legs. He even wore his Scoops hat backward on top of his wavy midnight-black hair.

"What do you think?" Jay responded, still smiling at her as she approached, Bea at her heels. "I told you the surprise would be epic."

Bea looked up at Rory with a devilish grin. "Told you."

Rory nudged her. "You be quiet over there."

"You free today?"

Rory looked back at him, still stunned that he was here. At her house. In that outfit. She felt like she was going to combust.

She looked down at what she was wearing and internally winced. Still in her baggy sweatshirt from that morning, her hair a ratty mess piled high in a bun. At least she had the decency to throw on her favorite pair of light-washed jeans with two artfully ripped cuts at the knees.

"Oh yes, she's free," Bea answered for her. "Very free."

Rory glared at Bea, who was looking mighty proud of herself.

"Bea bear, where you been?!"

Rory's heart jumped to her throat at the sound of Tyler's voice from next door. She watched him approach with an amused grin on his face at the sight of her with Rory, matching in their new necklaces. But when his eyes finally caught on the third person in their group, he paused, the grin sliding off his face.

"Jay," he said. His voice sounded less confident. Small, even. "You're here. Why are you not at college?"

"Drove down to see my baby," Jay answered.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Jay slid an arm around her waist. He tucked his hand underneath her sweatshirt and slipped a finger around a belt loop of her jeans, pulling her closer to him.

She watched Tyler closely, watched his expression turn utterly horrified. His eyes were wide, his lips pressed into a firm line. He was not happy. At all.

It felt…good. She was giving him a piece of his own medicine, and she liked it.

"Your…your baby?" Tyler choked.

"Yeah, well, she was so upset yesterday, and I had no plans today. So, I thought I would come home and surprise her," Jay explained. "Are you surprised, baby?"

Tyler did not look pleased with any of this information—that she was upset, that she called Jay to talk instead of him, that he called her baby. He looked down at her, his face etched with hurt.

"Yes," Rory replied shyly. "Yes, very surprised."

"I'm just—I don't—" Tyler stammered.

Jay pressed his mouth into a forced smile as he looked up at Tyler, who had at least four inches on him. Being under six feet never stopped Jay from being the most confident person in the group. He knew he was handsome, and he always used it to his advantage. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

Tyler froze, just staring blankly. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to attack Jay. Her heart pounded in her chest, waiting with bated breath.

But he just shook his head. "No, no problem. Come on, Bea bear, let's go home."

Bea smiled at Rory. "I want a full report when you return, understand?"

She grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

Then Bea pointed to Jay. "And no later than eight thirty, do you hear me?"

Jay barked out a laugh. "Eight thirty? But that's so early!"

"That's thirty minutes before my bedtime, and I expect to hear that update tonight."

"Bea, now," Tyler huffed.

She watched her shuffle behind Tyler, his back hunched and tight as they walked home. He held the door open for his sister before briefly looking over at the two of them. Jay's arm was still protectively around her, his thumb rubbing back and forth on the skin above her jeans. Tyler stared back at Rory, almost like he was pleading with her. Last chance.

But she didn't budge, and instead leaned her head against Jay's shoulder. He purred at the gesture.

Tyler shook his head and went inside.

"Well, that was satisfying," Jay murmured into her hair.

She smiled but didn't really have the energy to laugh. It was satisfying at a surface level, but it also left her feeling a little sour.

Jay curled his arm in, holding Rory to his chest so she was facing him. It was the closest they'd ever stood together. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Now," he said. She could smell his minty breath. His body was warm against her as cool air breezed by, the rustling of the leaves like a harmony around them. Around this very new, very unpredictable moment. "All the food sucks at school, and I have found myself dreaming about Pop's for a solid month now."

"Dreaming about fish and chips? Kinky."

"Well, it's when I'm not dreaming about other things," Jay teased, winking at her.

She held her breath. Dear god, was this really happening? With the way that Jay held her waist tightly and smiled lazily down at her, it was clear. He wasn't just messing around like he always did. There was something here for him, too.

"I already ate," she confessed. "But I'm happy to steal some of your fries."

"Only if I can call you a seagull," Jay teased.

"I thought you called me baby."

"I can't help it," Jay said, his voice so low it rumbled out of him. Like he was confessing his darkest secret. "You've always been my baby."

Even though the line was cheesy, she melted. She smiled up at him, tucking her arms close and placing her hands on his chest. "Well, in that case," she teased, "I get half of your fries."

Jay barked out a laugh, giving her one tight squeeze before letting go. "Get your cute ass in my car."

She did, opening up the passenger door. She noticed a curtain moving at the window next door and looked up, wondering if she would see Tyler standing there, watching them. But she saw no one, just the outside breeze rolling through the open window. She got in, letting Jay reach for her hand as he pulled the car onto the road.

* * *

"Okay,I seriously should have just bought you some fries," Jay chaffed. "You're hogging."

"But I'm your baby," she taunted, snatching a couple more fries from his Styrofoam container. "With that kind of title, I get to eat from your plate whenever I want."

Jay just chuckled, looking amused. Looking happy.

She took a sip of her Diet Coke, watching him gaze out at the ocean. They had taken the fish and chips to go and now sat on a very cold, very deserted beach. Haverport felt like a different town during the off-season. It was quiet, uncrowded, and peaceful. No summer people filling up the parking lot at the public beaches. No long lines at stores or restaurants. No screaming kids and tired parents who always looked like they wanted to pull their hair out. No traffic down the main drag.

But it also meant no Scoops and no late nights with the people who mattered to her most. Having Jay here felt like home as they sat on a quiet beach at Hillside Park, just the two of them.

He tucked the empty container aside and pulled her close, placing her calves over his thighs as he rubbed a hand up and down her leg. Sitting next to him apparently wasn't good enough. After curling that arm around her back at her house, Jay hadn't stopped touching her. He held her hand in the car. He rubbed her back as they waited for seafood, slowly brushing it up her spine until he reached her neck, drawing circles with his thumb.

It was incredibly intimate for having not yet defined what they were. Even more so given that they hadn't kissed. Yet now, with the way Jay was looking at her, she had a feeling that was going to change. Real soon.

Though, something wasn't sitting right with her, and it was getting harder to ignore. Jay finally had the chance to do whatever he wanted, party whenever he wanted, be with whomever he wanted, yet he had a plethora of time to chat with her. It felt like an outlet for escape.

She sucked in a breath. "Jay, tell me the truth."

He reached his other arm around her waist, tucking it under her sweatshirt once more. "The truth about what?"

"Tell me what's going on at college," she said. "About how you're really doing."

His eyes went wide. She waited for it, for those pupils to turn onyx, for the fighting to start. That was how it always was with them. Especially when Rory pushed too far for his liking, got too personal. But he was touching her, for crying out loud. If he couldn't get vulnerable with her now, then maybe they didn't stand a chance.

But to her surprise, he didn't get mad. He just let out a long breath, looking out at the ocean before them. "College sucks, I hate it."

"But you were so excited about it."

He shrugged. "I know. It's just not living up to my expectations."

"Classes?"

"No, not my classes. Those are fine, I guess."

"Parties?"

"Only been to one, it sucked. Carl throws better ones."

"Okay…friends? Have you met anyone new?"

"Why, want to get rid of me already?"

She pinned him with a Be serious look. "Not at all."

"Good," he said, pulling her close. Their noses were touching. He cupped the side of her face with his hand. Her heart was pounding as fast as it did during a soccer game. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

Holy crap.He was really going to kiss her.

Jay pulled back and brushed his thumb against her lips. He let out a shaky breath. "I just thought…I thought college would be different, you know? Nothing's right, and I sort of feel like I'm losing myself. I'm on campus going through all the motions, doing what I need to do, but I don't know…I just feel lost."

She didn't know what to say, but she knew this wasn't something she needed to fix. So she whispered, "I'm sorry," as he tilted his head down to hers again, holding her close.

"You're the only thing that feels normal to me right now," he said. "Does that scare you? Because if it does, we don't have to do this. I don't want to pull you into whatever this is—"

"Jay."

His toffee eyes dimmed as he looked into hers, looking like he was bracing for disappointment.

"It doesn't scare me," she whispered.

He nodded. At that moment, he didn't look like the confident Jay she'd always known. He looked like a kid. Timid, scared, vulnerable.

She decided to be the confidence he needed and closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his.

In an instant, his hands were in her hair, loosening her bun as he kissed her. His kiss was hot, urgent. Shivers ran down her spine.

I'm kissing Jay Sanchez. I'm kissing Jay Sanchez.

She wrapped her arms around his back, but it wasn't enough for him. He slid her on his lap, her legs curled up on his side as he held her tightly, his lips warm as he slid his tongue down her throat. He was good at this, really good. It kind of pissed her off that they'd waited for so long.

The thought made her pull away. "Why now?"

Jay just pressed in again, kissing her with such ferocity, she felt like she couldn't comprehend it all. But he slowed soon after, dropping a delicate kiss on her neck before whispering in her ear.

"Because I'm an idiot, and I didn't realize what I was missing," he said like a prayer.

She pulled back, looking into those candy-colored eyes again. "Yeah, you are an idiot."

He smiled at her, looking so happy it almost broke her heart. She hated that he was going through so much, and so far away from home. She wanted to give him what felt good, to make his world a little brighter after months of feeling so dark and so alone.

He didn't give her too much time to think as he leaned in again to kiss her, rubbing the small of her back underneath her sweatshirt, his fingertips trimming the back of her sports bra. So she played too, moving her leg to straddle him as she ran her hands through his wavy hair, letting his Scoops hat fall behind him, loving the rumbling sound that escaped his chest when she did it.

He broke away from her. "I'm sorry for being an idiot."

"Like at the party," Rory added.

Jay exhaled. "I deserved that slap."

"You did," she grumbled, turning her head away from him, her stomach turning at the memory of that horrible night.

She felt his hand trace under her chin, guiding her back to him. "And you were right. I should have never asked you to fake flirt with me to get girls, or put you in a position that made you uncomfortable. Even when I—" He broke off.

Rory cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"I knew how you felt," he admitted. "Or at least, I had a feeling."

Rory covered her face with her hands and groaned. "How?"

Jay pulled them away, holding them in his and tracing her palms with his thumbs. "I guessed. You get adorably red every time you get mad at me. It makes it fun to mess with you a little bit."

She glared. "Even when it means making things really fucking awkward between me and Ty?"

His face fell. "Yeah, that was bad."

"Really bad."

"Please," he said, letting go of her hands and wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. "Please forgive me. I've had a lot of time to think about it. I really messed up."

She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, loving the way her touch was making him ease some, his eyes closed, his face relaxed.

She lowered her face to his, her lips close enough to brush against his. Then she smirked. "I'll think about it."

He tightened his grip. "Tease." Then he kissed her again.

She knew he wasn't innocent, that he'd been wrong in the past with the things he'd said. But right now, she didn't want to go back. Just forward. Right now, the only things that mattered were his lips, his hands, and the warmth of his embrace shielding her from the cold ocean breeze.