Chapter 10: Did I Mention, Red Is My Favorite Color?
WARNING!!! GRAPHIC STUFF IN THIS CHAPTER!!! DO NOT READ IF IT OFFENDS YOU OR MAKES YOU MAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, YA'LL!
I twisted my hands around the steering wheel, sending glance over glance at Julia, sitting comfortably in the passenger’s seat and looking serenely out the window, like we hadn’t just bought a whole bunch of stuff to mess around with. Yeah, no biggie, right? I swallowed hard and focused my eyes on the road before me. Yes, very biggie.
“You wanna head back to my place?” I asked her nervously, swallowing again and wiping the sweat off my forehead on my arm. “Sure. As long as Alex isn’t going to be home. We might get a little loud.” Her warm, tender fingers brushed across my arm, making me shake. Her lips went to my ear, “I’m a screamer, Jason.”
“Oh, man.” I gulped and gripped the wheel tighter. She giggled and pulled away, taking her iPod out of her pocket. I was about to tell her there was no Wi-Fi, when she went to her music and started playing The Neighbors Know My Name. She was such a tease.
I started taking deep, slow breaths through my nose, trying to ignore the way she was saying my name under her breath, swaying her hips slightly to the beat of the music. “Does this song bother you?” she asked me innocently, fluttering her long eyelashes at me. “Oh, no,” I said sarcastically. She laughed. “A little testy, McCann?” she asked me, gently touching my tensed shoulders, a habit I’d picked up whenever I was ‘frustrated.’
“Just a bit.” “Awl.” She pouted her lower lip. “Why?” I sent her a look, and she giggled. “Are you nervous?” her hands wandered to the back of my neck, and she softly started rubbing the tight muscles there. “Well, I’m scared about what you’re going to make me do,” I said honestly, pulling into the driveway. She laughed. “Come on, McCann. I’m not that dirty.” “Are you sure?” I mumble under my breath, jumping out to open her door for her. Me, the gentleman.
We walked to the house in silence, me carrying the plastic bag containing two cans of whipped cream, a giant bottle of chocolate syrup, and two boxes of Betty Crocker brownie mixes. I shoved the door open and walked into the kitchen; my throat was dry, and I seriously needed something to drink. “Make yourself at home,” I called back to Julia, who was looking at the pictures by the couch. I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water, hurriedly chugging it down.
I didn’t know what she wanted me to do with our ‘goodies’, so I set the bag on the counter and walked out into the living room after filling my glass up again. “You want anything to drink?” I asked her, leaning against the kitchen doorway. “No. I’m good.” She didn’t look up from the picture she had in her hand. “You were such a little cutie,” she cooed at the frame. “What?” I asked, putting my glass on the coffee table and walking over to her.
“You would find that,” I groaned, trying to take it from her. She held it out of my reach, giggling. “Come on. It’s cute.” “Yeah, sure. Give it.” “You had light hair! You’re so cute!” “Julia, seriously.” She danced away from me, running to the front of the couch. “Look at you! Waddle Jason!” I started laughing at the baby faces she was making at the picture, chasing her around the couch.
“Julia, come on!” she laughed with me, then screamed as I pull vaulted myself over the back of the couch. She ran away from me, sprinting down the hallway and laughing as I tried to run after her and tripped on the rug.
“I meant to do that!” I called after her, yanking off my shoes and chasing her. She laughed. “Sure you did, Jason!” I grinned. I loved the way she switched up my name between Jason and McCann. Either way she said it, it sounded good. “Bet you can’t find me!” I laughed. “Like me following your voice isn’t going to help at all,” I said, rolling my eyes.
