Page 77

But every time they got in their respective cars and sped out of the parking lot, they met at the same place—Jade’s little driveway. They’d cooked meals together, gone grocery shopping at the Piggly Wiggly. There had been multiple mixed loads of laundry done and bodywash sharing. Their toothbrushes had even touched heads with surprisingly little disgust on both their parts.

The shacking up had commenced, and the night before, they’d finally discussed how they might handle getting to and from work now thatthiswas a realthing. Franny hated to admit it, but she’d been surprised with how easily Jade had taken to the idea of saying, “Fuck it,” and showing up together. She had pitched it to her as an “it makes more sense environmentally to save gas” idea, but Jade had come right out to say that if others didn’t go to any great lengths to hide their entanglements, they shouldn’t have to either.

So they wouldn’t.

They’d keep things professional. No public displays of affectionduring school hours. No spilling tea to any of their colleagues. But they’d let them think whatever the hell they wanted, and if some of them ran into something along the lines of the truth, then so be it.

“You’re not going to fuck it up,” Franny told her, believing every word.

“Well, I’m me, which means there’s always room to fuck it up.”

Franny pulled away until she was leaning up on her elbow, looking Jade in the eye. She soothed the wrinkle between Jade’s eyebrows with her thumb and planted a kiss there when her brows unfurrowed.

“I don’t accept that.”

Jade chuckled, her eyes rolling fondly. “Of course you don’t.”

“My Jade is not a fucker-upper. In fact, she’s a fixer-u—” Franny stopped, grimacing.

“A what, Francesca? A fixer-upper? I’m a fixer-upper?”

“In my defense, I didn’t really think that through all that well. But you know that’s not what I mean. I’m just as liable to screw things up as you, which is why we have to hold each other accountable.”

“And how do we do that?”

“We call each other out on our bullshit. We listen when we get called out. We don’t go running for the hills at the first sign of trouble. And we definitely”—Franny kissed her neck—“definitelydon’t give up without a fight.”

“A relationship manifesto,” Jade said. “They’re like our team rules.”

“Exactly. They give us something to remember every time we step out on that field, Coach.”

Jade groaned loud and long. “I actually really hate you calling me ‘Coach’ in bed.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I’d much rather you go back to ‘my Jade.’ I enjoyed that way more.”

“My Jade.” Franny leaned forward and kissed her, thumb moving over one of the dark nipples that became exposed as the sheets settled around their waists. “My Jade. My Jade. My Jade.”

“Francesca.”

A shiver ran through Franny’s body, the same way it always did when she heard her name on Jade’s lips.

“Maybe we’ve got a little time for—”

The shrill sound of two phone alarms blaring at the exact same time cut her off, and she groaned.

“Fuck,” Jade whined.

“’Tis time.” Franny jumped out of bed before she began to entertain the idea of convincing Jade to quit their jobs and live in bed full-time. “School’s back, baby.”

“I hate you.”

“You so don’t. You… opposite of hate me.”

A look flashed across Jade’s face that immediately made Franny’s stomach flip. They didn’t have time to think about that. It was too early, too hectic, too… She clenched her eyes shut, willing the image of it away, along with her silly desires to say things they couldn’t possibly have been ready to say.

Then, when they brushed their teeth in tandem, eyes locked in the bathroom mirror, Franny pretended not to understand what the heated gaze between them was for.