Page 5 of To Love Jason Thorn

“Hi little Olive,” someone whispered rightnext to my ear, causing me to jump.

“Jason,” I whispered back, my hands jumpingto my chest to keep my heart in place. “You scared me.”

He chuckled, showing me the dimple. “Iknow.”

I laughed back, my eyes shining with lovefor the boy I’d known for seven years now.

Tugging at a piece of my hair, he winkedand walked past me with a cold water bottle in his hand. He pushed over Dylanand sat right next to him.

Eyeing the small seat next to Jason, Iasked, “Do you want anything other than water?”

Turning his head, he smiled at me. “Thankyou, beautiful. I’m good.”

I melted into a small, very happy puddle onmy mother’s favorite carpet.

“Stop flirting with my sister, youshithead,” Dylan muttered, but I was too occupied with my dreams to tell Dylanto shush—not that he would listen to me.

Grabbing Dylan’s soda and a few paperplates for the pizza, I went back into the living room.

“Pour your own drink,” I said, dropping thebottle a little too harshly on the coffee table in front of him.

“How many slices do you want, Jason?” Iasked, kneeling on the floor and not quite meeting his eyes.

Dylan sighed and muttered, “Here we goagain.”

He didn’t like that I always gave the firstslice of pizza—or cake, or pie, or any type of food actually—to Jason.

Putting his water bottle down, Jasonreached out to help me up. “You are not sitting on the floor.” He pulled me upto the couch. “I’ll handle the pizza.”

Plopping down next to him, I let him divvyup the slices between the three of us.

“Two slices good?” he asked, giving me thefirst share.

Be still my heart.

“Yes, thank you.”

When he leaned back and shot me anotherquick wink, I forgot all about my pizza and reveled in the fact that I wasabout to spend two hours sitting right next to Jason watching a movie. It wasthe perfect night to text him.

“What are we watching?” I asked, taking asmall bite from the huge slice.

“Nothing you’ll enjoy. We are alreadyspending our Friday night babysitting your ass so you don’t have a say in themovie choices.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Dylan,” Jason murmuredwith his mouth full.

“So you’re saying you prefer to stay intonight instead of going out with the girls?”

As my eyes filled with tears ofembarrassment and something else I couldn’t name, I put my plate down andattempted to get up, only to be pulled back by Jason.

“Children,” he said in a tone similar to mydad’s. His warm hand was still closed over my wrist, keeping me seated—or morelike paralyzed. “I promised Emily I would babysit both of you just in case youdecided today was the day to kill each other. So, cut the crap and start themovie already. The girls aren’t going anywhere, Dylan.”

Still embarrassed, I cleared my throat toget their attention. “You guys don’t have to stay in for me. I’ll be okay,Dylan. You know I don’t mind staying alone.”

Looking at my miserable face, Dylan finallyshook his head and reached for his plate. “Nah, it’s okay. Jason is right; thegirls aren’t going anywhere and we’ve wanted to watch this for weeks, now is asgood a time as any.”

The movie started and they both settledback as all my excitement for the night slowly trickled out of me.

When Dylan jumped up and said, “I’ll getthe lights,” I was still playing with the paper plate in my lap.

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