Page 75 of Dare You to Run

Hendrix said he would buy me a ticket, but I don’t feel right asking him to do that. I know he is not lacking for money, but I don’t want him to think I expect things from him.

I’m staring at my laptop screen, finishing up the last of my project and waiting for Hendrix to call when I hear Lizzie yell out from the living room.

“Any of y’all expecting someone driving a sweet ass car to be making a visit tonight?” I pop up from my bed and shuffle down the hall.

Sami and Mara crowd around the window, peeking out of the blinds like the nosey neighbors they are.

“Where’s Jenelle?” I ask.

Sami looks over at me and replies, “Lab. She said she’d be home around ten.”

I look at my watch and see that she has another hour before she gets home, so it can’t be that she got a ride with someone who is dropping her off.

“Holy fuck me hard. That is one morally gray glass of water,” Mara moans.

“I call dibs,” Sami shouts.

“You can’t call dibs on someone you don’t even know. What if he’s not even–oh my god. He’s walking up the sidewalk.” Lizzie scrambles about, her hands flapping around.

Sami and Mara jump back from the window and scurry around the living room. I decide to take a look at this person they are in a tizzy about, and walk over to the window. When I look out and see the face of the man approaching our front door, I too turn into a horny chicken with her feathers on fire.

I hurdle over the coffee table and lunge for the front door, yanking it open and practically ripping it from the hinges.

“Hendrix!” I shout and fly out the door and straight into his arms.

“Hi, little mouse. Miss me?”

I grab his face and plant kisses all over it. Cheeks, nose, eyes, forehead, just everywhere. He holds me tight, squeezing my ass and snaking his arm around my back. He smells of cedar and motor oil, only a scent he can pull off.

“Can we go inside?” He mumbles into my neck.

Without lifting my head or letting go, I nod and he walks in.

“Hey. I’m Hendrix. You all must be Dagen’s roommates,” he greets, his voice so deep and so smooth.

“Yeah-huh.”

“Yip.”

“Us. That’s us.”

My three friends suddenly have tongues too big for their mouths and forget how to form complete sentences. His boots echo over the wood floors and the girls begin picking up various items that are laying around.

“You can sit on that leather chair,” I tell him.

“Okay, little mouse. Are you going to let go?” I shake my head that is still buried in the crook of his neck. “Good.”

He gently sits in the comfy chair and readjusts me, my knees bent and tucking in on either side of his lap.

“What are you doing here?” I finally ask.

“I missed you. Figured I’d visit for a few days. Is that okay?”

I lift my head and stare into his blue eyes. “More than okay. Thank you. I don’t think you realize how much I was needing this. Needingyou.”

“I think I do because it was the same way I was needing you.” I bat away my tears because dammit, I’m tired of crying all the time. “Is there somewhere private we can go?”

“Kinda. I share the master with Lizzie, and the other three have their own room. Maybe I can see if we can borrow one of the singles.”