Page 35 of Always Choosing You

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.