The Thing About Flip Flops

Chapter Twenty Five: My Genius Revenge Plan Ends With... Well, Read And Find Out

"What movie do you want to watch?" Jack asks me as we queue up Netflix on his TV later that night. I think about if for a little while, then suggest a movie.

"How about Empire Strikes Back?" I ask.

Jack looks at me with a funny expression. "You're a nerd." There's a pause as I elbow him lightly and he sticks his tongue out at me. "Okay. Sure."

We sit on the couch and eat our pizza straight from the box. It's just good old cheese with no olives and no sun-dried tomatoes. Sometimes you have to make compromises.

My legs are resting on the table covered by one of Jack's seemingly endless supply of blankets.

A while later, about thirty minutes into the movie, I notice that there's one slice of pizza left. Jack hasn't noticed yet, but as soon as he does, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll want it. Well, I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.

I take the pizza box and put it next to my feet on the table.

I look at Jack, who's staring straight at the screen with steadfast attention. I mean, I agree. It's really good. But he's concentrating intensely on something, and I know it's probably just the movie but it seriously seems more... I don't even know.

A couple of seconds later, I feel something on my shoulder. I twist my head and see that Jack is laying his head there. Ha, ha. He doesn't know what's about to happen to him. Revenge!

I shift so that he can lay his warm head down on my lap and he stretches his long legs across the couch. He keeps watching his movie but visibly freezes when I begin combing my hands through his tangled hair.

Crap. I have been only doing this for one reason (pizza), but now I'm starting to enjoy the feeling of my hands brushing his soft, dark hair. So does he, apparently, because he looks up at me and grins tiredly.

My hands continue to run through his hair. He lets out a quiet sigh that makes my heart speed up. Like that doesn't happen enough already.

I decide to just go for it. Trying not to think too much about what I'm doing, I toss my legs over his body so that I'm straddling him.

"Jack...I..."

"What-?" He begins to say in a shocked voice, but I cut him off. I move my face towards his so he can't see the pizza box and he shuts up immediately. I can feel his breath against my cheek, and shiver slightly.

Why am I doing this, again?

"I've wanted to do this...for a while," I murmur, staring into his eyes which have gone very, very dark.

What am I doing?

Right. Pizza. Oh, shit. This is stupid. I'm seducing a guy for pizza. What has my life come to?

"Audrey..." He groans my name in a low voice.

I guess I just have to focus on the task at hand and try not to think about the long-term consequences. Oh my god his eyes are so beautiful, with dark brown outsides that fade into more of a hazel colour in the light...

I clear my mind and reach over and take the last slice from the box, not moving my face from Jack's. He doesn't notice. His breathing has sped up, and I feel very proud of myself for some reason.

"Jack?" I say quietly.

"Y-yeah?" He's looking down at my lips for the second time tonight, and his voice is gravelly and low all of a sudden.

My entire body is laying on top of his, my legs digging into his thighs, pressing him down into the couch. I'm suddenly self conscious that he can feel my chest pressing up against his. Then I notice his heartbeat through my chest and feel that it's beating wildly. And I feel something else too...

Jackpot, Jack.

I suddenly pop up and stuff the last piece into my mouth so he can't steal it from me and enjoy his expression. "Thanks for letting me have the last piece of pizza!"

First he looks flustered and confused. Then annoyed. Then mischievous. Then, sitting up and groaning, he says, "Oh, you're in for it now."

I get up, shrugging unconcernedly. "Try me." I chew the pizza, savoring it.

Instead, he lays back on the couch, his arms resting behind his head. I try not to check out his arms.

After a couple of seconds, he blurts out, "I'm going upstairs to change."

I look at him. "Why?"

I mean, he's still in what he wore to school. I guess that explains it. It just seems kind of random.

There's a brief pause where I could swear he looks nervous. His cheeks are definitely turning pink... "No reason. Just a bit uncomfortable."

Oh shit.

My eyebrows shoot up, and he looks away quickly. I burst out laughing and grin at him knowingly and he blushes a little more, muttering something angrily under his breath.

Oh my god, it totally means what I think it means.

I pause the movie, and help myself to more soda as he goes upstairs.

When Jack comes down less than a minute later, he's dressed in dark sweatpants and a loose black Metallica tank top. Oh god. The arms. I can't even. Am I drooling?

He gives me a quick lopsided smirk that speeds up my pulse by a lot.

"A, A, A... what am I going to do about you?" He clucks his tongue and shakes his head mockingly.

I look away, trying to ignore my stupid heartbeat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"So you're telling me you weren't just checking me out?"

"No!" I blurt out defensively. I fold my arms and say, "Why would I? You have a gross grandpa body."

He bursts out laughing, managing to get out the words, "You're so fucking weird."

I roll my eyes at him, "You're not exactly normal, yourself."

He gasps dramatically, then snickers and bats his eyelashes, saying, "You mean...I'm not like other girls?"

Now it's my turn to burst out laughing, and I clutch his shoulder for balance so I don't double over.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... seriously? Getting desperate, aren't we? First you check me out, now you're finding any excuse to touch me? Oh, and don't even mention the stunt with the pizza..."

I shake my head quickly, trying to hide the fact that I'm blushing again. How many times am I going to blush today? "Shut up, I'm just messing with you."

"Sure..." He leaps towards me and pulls on a wavy strand of my hair. I knock his hand away, laughing.

"Hey, how long can I stay?" I ask, still giggling, but trying to change the subject.

"How late do you want to stay?" He asks, suddenly looking unsure. I look at my phone's clock. It's already nine. It hasn't felt that long.

I want to say forever because his arms just look that good in the tank-top (out of the tank-top?), but I don't. I sigh reluctantly, saying, "I guess should probably go soon..."

I don't want to make him uncomfortable if he doesn't want me here. Maybe he's just waiting for me to leave so I don't overstay my welcome.

But Jut just shrugs, looking down dejectedly. "Yeah, um, If you want. Or, you know, you could stay a little longer?"

I grin, trying not to let too much of my excitement show. "I thought you'd never ask."