Page 15 of Popular (Private: The Extended Edition #5)

Janae

The worst part of being a twin?

Knowing what they’re thinking when you don’t wanna know what they’re thinking.

“ Stop judging me ,” I hiss from across the passenger seat of our rented SUV.

“I’m not judging you.”

Hitting him with a sarcastic stare causes him to roll his eyes in exasperation.

“Okay, I’m not outwardly judging you.”

“Stop inwardly judging me.”

“Give me more to work with.”

“Jer!”

“What?!” he croaks in tandem with pulling up to a stoplight not far from the airport. “You’re the one that’s just up and ghosting the dude.”

“I’m not just ghosting him!”

“Oh, so then why isn’t he driving you to the airport?”

“I…um…” Unfortunate familiar cravings cross my tongue forcing me to mess with my hair instead. “He…” My fingers begin combing up the back of it to create a high pony. “It’s too early.”

“Did he say that?”

A long lull passes before I meekly reply, “No.”

“Did you offer him the chance to decide that?”

Uncomfortable silence yet again appears first. “No.”

“Did you even give him a chance to figure out when he can see you again?”

Combing becomes frantic. Chaotic. “No.”

“ If he can see you again?”

“ No. ”

“And the refs say…” he cups his ear as if listening to an actual third person, “it’s a personal foul. Ghosting. ”

“That’s not a real foul.”

“It is in our personal lives.”

“Why are you giving me so much shit for this?”

“Why do you pick work over everything else?”

“Why do you?!” I defensively squawk and turn my frame to better face him. “Why is it only a problem when I do it?!”

“It’s a problem when I do it too!”

His admission successfully silences me.

“Unlike you, Nae, I haven’t found a reason to change it.

” He takes the right towards the drop off area.

“Hell, I haven’t even found a reason to think about changing it.

” His hoodie bearing shoulders innocently bounce.

“Yeah, ball comes before everything else except you, but one day I want that shit to change. I wanna have a life outside of the court.” Creeping up to the curb allows him to finally find my stare again.

“You’ve had all these opportunities and maybe they weren’t worth it, but I think this one is.

” Jer shifts into park. “And I think you think this one is. And maybe that scares you more than you can admit which is the underlying reason why you ghosted him.”

“ Maybe it does and maybe it is, ” escapes just above a whisper. “But this is my dream gig, Jer. I have to go after it.”

“I’m not saying don’t. I’m just saying…maybe learn to have room for both the dream gig and the dream dude in your life.”

A small nod of acknowledgement is followed by me leaning over to hug him.

“Although, you already have the dream brother,” he mirthfully adds. “Maybe you don’t need anything else.”

Warm laughs are attached to a kiss goodbye on the cheek. “I’ll text you when I land.”

“And you’ll text J.T. when…?”

Instead of answering, I simply grab my suitcase from the back, wave goodbye, and shuffle off to make my flight.

Post fast passing through security – benefit of traveling all around the globe for work – I swing by Mocha Loca Casabloca for a cup of coffee, the absurdly long line the perfect opportunity to take out my phone to text J.T.

Except what do I say?

Thanks for the best sex of my life?

Thanks for being the best friend I’ve ever had?

Thanks for being the fling I never got to tell I wanted to be more?

Is saying any of that shit over text even okay?

Shouldn’t it be said to his face?

Is my brother right?

Should I have made the time to tell him everything before bailing?

Did I bail because that’s what I’ve always done?

What’s easiest for me?

Even with Wheeler, I basically ditched him whenever the chance to do something for work came up, but I just figured that was because I wasn’t invested like he was.

Yet here I am.

Totally invested in Justus Reese and flaking all the same.

OhmyGeordie.

I don’t really know how to have a work, life balance.

Ugh.

Does anyone though?

Is that like a trained skill?

Then again…how exactly do you get training if you never even bother to try it?

Coffee acquiring occurs quite a distance from my terminal and fortunately for me, by the time I actually arrive, boarding is beginning.

My first-class window seat honestly wasn’t my default choice.

I don’t mind flying coach.

I never have.

Beats riding the bus for longer hours with more obnoxious people.

And I would’ve flown coach this morning except if they overbooked – like they’re known to do – it’s coach passengers that get the boot first, which I cannot get.

I have to be on this plane.

I have to make it to my audition.

I have to get this job.

I have to… “make it so”.

Just like J.T. encouraged me to.

Sadness swells into a lump in my throat, pushing me to pull out my phone once more.

Put my fingers on the keys.

Try to type something – fuck, anything – to the guy who completely changed my life without even trying.

“They’re gonna tell you to turn that thing off,” an unexpected voice states from the seat beside me. “Might as well do it now.”

Disbelief immediately bobs my jaw.

No…

Seriously?!

He’s here?!

How?!

Why?!

How?!

“How…?” breathlessly escapes into the cabin. “How did you get a seat next to me?”

“Being a tech nerd has its perks.” The grin I don’t want to live without reaches his ears. “And so does being best friends with one of the richest men on the planet.” Giggles thoughtlessly flood the space prompting him to purr, “ I always wanna hear that sound, Beloved. ”

Melting over the nickname is attached to my hand landing on his forearm.

“I’m sorry for ghosting you like I did.” Hope flickers through his hazel gaze in such a way I have to explain.

Need to. “I should’ve called or texted or told you when I would call or text as soon as I could, but I guess…

I don’t know dick about how to prioritize more than just work in my life. I’ve never had a reason to before you.”

“I’m told it’s a learning process,” he sheepishly murmurs. “And so is making time for those you wanna keep in your life.”

“Sounds hard, Imzadi .”

“Pretty sure karaoke was harder, Beloved.”

Warm snickers precede me proclaiming, “Well…I’m willing to give her all she’s got, Captain.” Our stares lovingly linger in one another’s. “If you wanna make this fake relationship real that is . ”

“Do you?”

Gentle strokes of my thumb are delivered to the skin underneath it. “Yeah.” More sweet caresses are executed. “That’s basically what I was going to text when I figured out how to say that…”

“And that’s basically what I was planning to say when I sat down. That and how I found a bit of Kirk in myself to do the weird, crazy, seemingly impossible but most improbable thing of boarding a crowded flight simply to tell you I’m falling for you.”

“I’m falling for you too.”

Unmatched happiness spans through his expression and voice. “ I like that. ”

“ I like you. ”

“ I like you too. ”

Excitement has me momentarily sinking my teeth into my bottom lip. “You know…I’ve never had a guy just drop everything and get on a plane for me.”

“And I’ve never had a woman worth dropping everything to get on a plane for.” He sweetly leans over to let his lips lightly knock against mine. “ Until now. ”