Page 14 of Not Your Enemy

With a roll of her eyes, Jade started. “I thought I was in love with this girl in my algebra class. She was new in town, which was hella rare in Clark, and I just knew we were kismet and all that. Junior prom was coming up, and all these guys were asking girls with posters and flowers. I thought it would be cute to ask this girl, who I did not know very well, to prom by coordinating a surprise flash mob during lunch. Well, the flash mob composed of the theater team and myself, so it was a real A-team.”

Crissy snickered into her wineglass, and Jade shot her a mean look.

“I’d borrowed the stereo from the choir room and turned it on, signaling the start. The first guy forgot his part, which made the rest of them jump in late. It looked insane, and I was too embarrassed to even ask her after their piss-poor performance. They got written up for disturbing lunch, and I just didn’t go to prom.”

“That sucks,” I said with a chuckle. It was a funny story, but it was also sweet. Just imaging a younger Jade wanting to give her crush such a sweet gesture.

By the time Jade and I got home, it was late, and I was ready for bed. Heading up the stairs, Jade called for me from below. Turning around, I looked down at where she leaned against the banister.

“Too late for a movie tonight? We could watchPride & Prejudiceif you want.” Maybe telling her things I loved was a bad idea because shewas already trying to persuade me with them. And fuck did it sound good to curl up with her and drift away with her running her hands through my hair.

But I shouldn’t want that; I should just go take a shower and then hop in bed. Maybe text Jana and check in, pick my clothes out for work tomorrow, work on my knitting.

“Sure, let me change and I’ll be back down.” I had no control with her, and the more I was around her, it only seemed to get worse.

“Don’t be long.”

I made quick work of changing into some cotton shorts and the T-shirt I had been wearing earlier today. Making my way back down, Jade was in her typical middle of the couch spot. She had our movie pulled up on the TV and my blanket sitting next to her. She patted it warmly in invitation, and I smiled at her eagerness.

As the movie played, I decided I wanted to be bolder tonight. Grabbing Jade’s arm from behind my shoulders, I examined her tattoos closer. They were so unique, and they fit what I knew of her so well.

“Do you have any more tattoos, or just these?” I asked.

“I have more; I’ll show you sometime.” I ran my fingers lightly down her arm, simply relishing the feel of her warm skin.

“Other than being super, owning a tattoo shop and being extremely direct, what else is there to know about you?” I asked, trying to put a spin on her earlier words.

“I like art, not like how my mom did, per se. I’m not a collector, but I enjoy making art, drawing, going to galleries, things like that. I’m a big thrifter. Antiques, clothes, jewelry—all the good stuff. Let’s see…I love music, indie, rock, R&B, some metal. I’ve been to a ton of concerts, love seeing bands live.”

She and I were opposites in a lot of ways. I wasn’t much into music, other than just pop that came on the radio. She thrifted while I was buying stuff new, and shewas so much more creative than I was. But they were all things that intrigued me. I liked how different she was: her rougher edges, original qualities. If anything, I just wondered what she saw in me.

“That was way cooler than my list,” I said, only half joking.

“Your list was perfect.” She was a sweetheart when she wanted to be. “When did you become friends with my sister?” She asked, moving her arm back around my shoulders.

“In college. We shared a dorm and pretty much hit it off right away.” Jade nodded as if just taking in the information.

“Where are you from?” she asked, and it was odd to think she didn’t already know these things about me. I guess it just felt like I knew her for longer than I had, thanks to her sister bringing her up endlessly over the years.

“Riley, my parents still live there.”

“Lucky! I bet growing up was so much more fun in a place that had decent things to do. Here, we just met up in parking lots.” I laughed because that did sound terrible.

“It was okay. I wasn’t very popular, so I didn’t go out much. I had a couple of friends, but we mostly just hung out at each other’s places. College was when I came out of my shell more. I’d gained a lot of my confidence then, and to be honest, Jana helped me a lot with that. She was always encouraging me to wear cuter clothes and take risks and such. Sorry to bring her up so much, but she’s just been a good friend to me.” I bit my lip, slightly taken aback by how open I was being.

“You don’t have to apologize; I understand she’s your friend. I’m happy that she’s had someone like you in her life.” I expected her to tease me about apologizing, not make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

“That’s kind of you to say,” I said, looking into her eyes.

“I want to kiss you again,” she said, and my throat closed a bit at her words.

"I still think it would be best if we didn't. Not that you paid attention to that when you kissed my cheek this morning."

Leaning in slightly, her mossy green eyes locked on mine. "I'm sorry," she whispered, sounding honest.

"I'm not," I replied boldly and pushed my lips to hers.

It was even better than I remembered it being. Her taste, her tongue against mine. My arms were around her neck, one hand buried deep in her soft hair. Her hands slid down my waist and back up again as we needily kissed each other.