Page 6 of Fine, Dork

“Uh, like, in the bed with you?”

I nodded. At least, I tried to nod. My head wasn’t cooperating.

“Okay.” Jaxon sat on the edge of his bed.

I laughed out loud. “No, hold me.”

Jaxon let out a long, slow breath. He didn’t want to hold me because I was a pathetic mess. But he climbed under the covers with me and wrapped his arms around me. I burrowed my head into his chest and breathed in his scent. Every smell made me want to puke, except for his. Jaxon smelled like the Tide laundry detergent his mom had been buying for the last ten years. He smelled a little bit like coffee and books with a touch of the Old Spice body wash he used. Jaxon smelled like home.

I listened to his heart beating and loved the soothing rhythm. I lifted my head so I could see his face. Jaxon was hot, wasn’t he? He wasn’t like, in-your-face bodybuilder sexy man, but he was hot in a subtle way. He had a strong jawline, a symmetrical nose, and gorgeous eyes.

He grinned at me. “What’s up, K? Why are you staring at me?”

Holy shit, that smile. “I love you, J.”

“Love you, too, K.”

I shook my head. “No, like, I really love you.”

“I really love you, too. You’re my best friend. Now go to sleep.”

I leaned forward and pressed a sloppy kiss to his lips, like a drunk dumbass.

I wasn’t prepared for the way he kissed me back. His lips were soft, and his mouth played with mine like he knew all my secrets and adored me anyway. I felt it in my soul, and I was equally unprepared when he quickly pulled away. “Get some sleep, K.” His voice was thick with emotion.

I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted to ask him if he could ever love me as more than a friend if I cleaned up my act and tried to deserve him. But the alcohol was making my eyelids feel like lead. It was pulling me under, but I was still aware of Jaxon’s weight and warmth leaving the bed. I heard his bedroom door close softly behind him, and my heart ached. I wanted to beg him to stay, but I passed out instead.

4

Jaxon

After dinner on my second day in Hawaii, the two happy couples locked themselves in their bedrooms, and Kinley and I went for a walk on the beach.

“What happened with Savannah?” Kinley glanced sideways at me while we walked.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t want to tell Kinley the truth about why Savannah ended our relationship. It played into every fear that weighed me down, and I hated Kinley seeing me weak or afraid.

“J?” Kinley laced her fingers through mine. “Tell me.”

I stopped walking and sat in the sand, gazing out at the ocean. The sun had just finished setting, and the sky and water were still splashed with shades of dark pink and purple. I patted the sand next to me, and Kinley spread out beside me, propping herself up on her elbows.

“So…” I let out a long slow breath. Kinley watched me with concern filling her pretty brown eyes. “Savannah gave me two very logical reasons for ending our relationship. Number one,” I held up one finger, “My life goals and aspirations weren’t high enough for her.”

Kinley snorted. “Bitch. What the hell did she want from you?”

I grinned and shook my head. “A Nobel Prize, maybe?”

Kinley threw her head back and laughed. “Did you ever introduce her to Tyson then? They’d be perfect together.”

I laughed and mindlessly drew the infinity symbol in the sand. “Nah. Tyson already has a girlfriend.” My asshole brother did approve of my ex-girlfriend. That should have been the first clue that Savannah was all wrong for me.

“Right, the psychologist.” Kinley drew a heart around my infinity symbol and smiled at me. “What was Savannah’s second reason?”

This was the one I didn’t want to tell Kinley. I stalled and drew some wavy lines in the sand to represent water. After a moment of quiet, I answered, “Uh, she said our relationship was too routine. Boring.”

“Well, that’s her fault then, because you are not boring.” Kinley looked all fired up and adamant. It was adorable.

“You’re telling me that I’m not boring? I feel like I’ve bored the shit out of you since we were teenagers.” I was her boring dork, and I hated it.

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