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JORDAN

J ordyn’s been standing in front of the display window for a good fifteen minutes. She tilts her head slightly, staring at a short black dress on a mannequin. Even all the way from where I’m sitting—inside my car a few feet from her, watching her unnoticed—I can see her eyes lingering. It’s soft and thoughtful, as if she’s imagining herself wearing it.

Now I’m imagining her, too. My God. If she has that on, I won’t be able to look away. That dress will hug her curves perfectly.

Jordyn does this sometimes—gets so lost in her own world that she forgets everything else. I saw it happen at the cafeteria, her favorite coffee shop, and the library. Sometimes, I even noticed her mentally debating with herself. Cute.

Then, something else happens.

One guy in the most preppy boy outfit I’ve ever seen—white skinny jeans, light yellow polo, and dark brown loafers—barrels past her. His shoulder clips hers, just hard enough to make her stumble back, and her backpack slips.

It hits the concrete ground with a soft thud, spilling its contents. Jordyn crouches quickly, her cheeks pink, fumbling to gather her things.

The asshole doesn’t even apologize.

White-hot anger blazes through me. Without thinking, I step out of the car and shove the guy. His mouth falls open, but he catches himself. “What’s your problem, man?”

“You blind or something? You bumped into her. At least say sorry and help her.”

He casts a wary look over his shoulder and adjusts the sunglasses sliding down his nose. “I didn’t see her.”

“Blind it is.” I cross my arms and lift my chin. “Apologize.”

The asshole looks me up and down, decides I’m not worth his while, and slides his hands into his pockets. “No.”

“You got mommy issues, or are you generally rude to all women?”

He sighs dramatically. “Listen, this bitch is clumsy enough?—”

In one single motion, I grab his jaw and shove him to the wall beside the store, his head banging against the concrete. “Say that again. I’m afraid I didn’t hear you the first time.”

The color drains from his face, and his eyes flit from me to Jordyn, who has stopped picking her things and stares at us in horror.

If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that bullies are just cowards pretending to be brave. The moment someone stands up to them, they lose it. The mask slips.

The same thing happens to him. Predictable.

He raises both palms and swallows hard. “Okay, fine.” He turns to Jordyn. “Miss, I’m sorry.”

Jordyn gives a slight nod, and I take that as a cue to let him go, completely dismissing him from my mind and crossing the distance between Jordyn and me in seconds. I crouch beside her and begin putting things back into her backpack. “You okay?”

Relief flashes across her face, followed by a sheepish smile. “Yeah, thanks. You didn’t have to do that, though.”

“Why not? You don’t deserve the disrespect. Besides, you don’t let that shit fly. You shouldn’t.” I’m about to say more, but I see a burrito on the ground. My head snaps up. “Why do you have a burrito without a wrapper?”

Jordyn groans and grabs it, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. “It’s a pencil case, you moron.”

“No way!” I grab the other side and pull, curiosity getting the better of me. “Let me see.”

“Stop. We’re blocking the way.”

“Let me see just one sec.”

I try to grab the middle of the burrito at the same time as her, and the accidental touch sends a jolt of electricity down my spine. It happens again. The first time it did was when I handed her a coffee. When I felt the world slowing down and vanishing into thin air. When my entire body vibrated with awareness because she was near, so near I could pull her to me and kiss her.

Why does she have this kind of effect on me? It’s jarring and disorienting, like I’ve slipped inside the life of someone else.

Clearing my throat and the jumble of thoughts in my head, I smile at her. “So, how about it, Jordyn? Will you let me have that lunch? Don’t you think I finally deserve it? I’m a clean eater, and I keep my mouth closed when chewing. I promise.”

The line between her eyebrows deepens, and I wonder what I’ve done to earn such mistrust. Or maybe that’s just how she operates? Like mistrusting is her default and I need to prove I’m worthy of her trust.

She sucks the inside of her cheek, thinking. “How do I know you didn’t set that up, and that guy isn’t one of your friends?”

I burst out laughing. “My God. Someday, you and I are gonna need to talk about your trust issues and how you think everything’s a conspiracy. But to answer your question, you don’t know for sure. Now, will you go out for lunch with me?”

Jordyn rolls her eyes, but I see the answer even before she says it. “Fine. Yes. But the moment I hear you grind your food loudly, I’m out.”