Annalise Writes

Chapter 17

At the mere thought of Carl, a single, glistening tear rolled down my cheek.

However, my pride wouldn't allow me to snivel or blubber in front of Jax. He was still sitting beside me, and his undeniable hotness was beginning to make me feel extremely self conscious about my undeniable ordinariness. There was no way I'd let this tatted, pierced up godlike specimen see me ugly cry over a dumbass like Carl!

Thus, with a graceful flick of my finger, I wiped away my tear. I sniffled prettily and clamped down on my rising tide of emotions. I felt proud of myself for keeping my cool and managing to look so damn good while feeling so damn sad.

"Hey," Jax murmured, "come here."

I was shocked when he pulled me into his arms. I didn't resist at all, though. If anything, I melted into his hard, solid warmth like a puddle of goo. He started to stroke my hair in a deliciously soothing manner. I nearly purred.

In a gruff voice, he commanded, "Don't let your ex bring you down, Annalise! A guy who cheats on his girl ain't shit. He wasn't even man enough to break up with you in the first place. I'm glad his cowardly ass isn't wasting any more of your time..."

Shamelessly, I ate up Jax's words. Helplessly, I blushed at his touch.

Was this what it felt like to be the female lead in a Hottpad story?

Damn, I could get used to this sort of thing...

I gazed deeply into the endless pools of Jax's cerulean aquamarine blue eyes and let my lower lip tremble ever so slightly.

"Oh, Jax," I breathed dramatically, "I knew all along that you weren't like other guys. I wish real men could be more like you..."

Jax gave me a funny look. His expression flickered with discomfort.

"Um... in case you haven't noticed... I'm a real man, Annalise."

"Right, of course, I'm sorry," I apologized awkwardly, "you're absolutely right! You're 100% a real character—I mean, erm—man!"

He pulled away from me. His mood seemed to darken almost instantly.

I wanted to kick myself.

"That's not what I meant to say at all, Jax," I insisted, "that stupid shit just... came out of my mouth... on accident."

"In a way, you're not wrong," he said with a sigh. "This whole situation is trippy as fuck if you think about it. I may be a person now, but, at one point, I was only a one-dimensional character in your book. I'm basically like some crazed fever dream come to life from some horny bitch's imagination... I don't blame you for not taking me seriously."

Yikes.

Was he taking a jab at me? Was I the horny bitch in question?

"I'm really sorry, Jax," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to make you feel lesser than in any way. I know you're very much an individual in your own right."

He gave me a small smirk. "It's okay, Annalise. I know it's probably hard for you to focus on my amazing personality when I look so fuckable on the outside."

His remark rendered me speechless for a moment. My eyes widened. My face flushed.

Damn, I felt exposed!

Had I been ogling and objectifying Jax like a beautiful piece of man meat this entire time?

Very possible.

I realized, then, that my attitude towards him needed to change. Jax inhabited the real world now. He deserved respect and normalcy like any other person. I needed to stop looking at him through the lens of a thirsty fangirl.

"Hey, Jax?"

"What's up?"

I stared meaningfully into his eyes. "I respect you."

He arched an eyebrow. "Uh... thank you?"

"I see you."

"Annalise... stop. You're weirding me out."

My face fell. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed.

I decided to change tactics.

Helpfully, I offered, "If you want people to take you seriously, then maybe you need to stop referring to yourself as 'fuckable.'"

"Why?"

I grinned. This was going to be my big mic drop moment.

"Any time a guy's ego grows bigger than his dick, he automatically becomes unfuckable."

Jax snorted. "What the hell? That makes no sense, Annalise. Did you pull that line from a Pinterest quote or something?"

"It wasn't Pinterest. It was Instagram," I countered breezily. "What about you? Did you plagiarize that 'fuckable on the outside' line from the story I wrote for you?"

"So what if I did? You know it's true."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please!"

"I bet you $100 right now that I could get a girl to fuck me in the next twenty-four hours."

"Dude! You don't even have a job. If I win, you won't be able to pay me."

Jax eyed me with interest. I felt my cheeks grow warm again under the intensity of his stare. His proximity was a little too close for comfort. Against my will, my heart rate picked up some pitter-pattering speed.

He leaned in close and whispered, "Except... I'm not planning to lose, babygirl. What do you say? Care to make a bet?"

He wasn't planning to lose? And he wanted to make a bet?

Why was Jax acting so strange all of a sudden?

Then, it hit me.

I glared at him. "Um... this bet is almost exactly like the storyline from The Nerd and the Player."

Jax grinned sheepishly. "Damn it! You caught me, Annalise! I was wondering how far I could push it before you realized what I was doing..."

"Not cool, dude! Not cool!"

He chuckled. "I thought it was pretty funny. And it serves you right for treating me like a non-person."

I punched him lightly on the arm. "I said I was sorry, okay? I promise that I'll be better about it from now on."

He seemed pleased with my answer. "Thanks, I appreciate it, Annalise."

I smiled at him, he smiled beautifully back at me, and, suddenly, my breath caught.

Perhaps Jax had been right about himself all along.

Ah, fuck.

I swallowed. Hard.

The guy was starting to look way too fuckable for my own good.