Chapter 21

JAX

I havemy hands on her hips for a few seconds.

There's a moment there, just fucking lingering.

She knows it. I can see it burning in her eyes. It's written all over her face too.

"Better get you home, Mila," I whisper.

"Yeah," she says.

That's when she grabs my wrists and pushes my grip away.

I'm respectful. For now.

I open my hands and she turns to walk.

I walk alongside her again.

This time the silence has way more meaning than either one of us probably intend.

"How about that movie?" I ask.

She looks at me. "Killer."

"Literally."

"That was really good. I hope he gets a chance to expand on it."

"You think?"

"Well, it was only an hour long. I think most movies have to be hour-and-a-half or more."

"That's true," I say.

"I hope the newspaper picks up a story on it. Maybe I should post about it. I mean, I'm not like some influencer on social media…"

"I'm not judging. Post whatever you want."

"I don't know. I just kind of want people to be happy. And to succeed."

"That's a good attitude to have, Mila. But… what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you happy? Do you want to succeed?"

She smiles. "Jax, no offense, but I'm going right into med school. I have a long road ahead of me. I'm good. I know exactly where I'm at and what I'm doing."

"So you planned all this?" I ask.

"What? Tonight?"

I nod. "You have it all figured out. Let me get this straight then… you purposely mentioned this movie to me. That night at Willow's. You mentioned it to test me. And I passed the test."

"That's the most insane thing I've ever heard."

"Is it though?"

"I was rambling that night."

"Because of me."

"Because you had no shirt on!" Mila yells.

"Oh? Was that the first time you saw a guy without a shirt on?" I tease.

She tilts her head. She's pissed at me now. "Where is this going, Jax?"

"Nowhere. We're just talking."

"You want me to try to take some kind of blame for what you did tonight."

"And what did I do tonight?"

"You followed me. You had no interest in that movie. Don't lie." She points at me. "Don't freaking lie to me, Jax."

So now I'm stuck. Kind of.

I touch my chin. "Fine. You caught me."

"Ha!"

I shrug my shoulders. "Now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you caught me. Fair and square. You mentioned the movie and it kind of stuck with me. I wanted an excuse to see you again so I bought a ticket."

"Kind of risky, no?"

"Why? Was someone else supposed to be there?"

Mila frowns. "Never mind. I don't like where this conversation is going. Forget it."

"You know I'm not going to forget a thing about tonight or about you, right?"

Mila looks forward.

I have a feeling, if there was more light right now, I'd see her blushing.

We arrive at her dorm a few minutes later.

Now comes the fun part… that whole vibe of just standing there at the door.

The two of us thinking the same damn thing.

The insane trajectory of a stolen kiss.

If I kiss her, she's not really in the wrong, right?

I dare that piece of shit Ward to come after me.

I welcome it.

Mila touches the doorknob and takes a deep breath. "Jax…"

"Hey," I say. "Sleep tight. Okay? Be careful, watching for any cursed college murderers."

She looks at me and smiles. "Thanks for that. I'm going to be scared now."

"There is a way to fix that," I say.

Again, both of us knowing exactly what the other is thinking.

All she has to do is open the door, nod and I'm…

"Goodnight, Jax," she says as she opens the door.

She rushes right into the dorm, shuts the door and locks it.

I know she's standing on the other side of the door, regretting not having me follow her.

That's good enough for me… for now.