Page 67 of Summer Breakdown
“It’s his dream house. Well, it’s the dream home of two people in the kitchen right now.”
Jasmine smiles. It would suit them perfectly. Ezra and Cam with their matching grills, Cam with rollers in, feeding cows. “I can imagine them there.”
Frankie smiles. “He’d let Marcel do whatever, of course.” It’s nice that everyone in the group thinks Jasmine and her family will be with them for a while. Ezra put an entire path on the side of his house for her child who, reasonably, could walk ninety percent of the time.
“I do like my house, and the lack of mice.”
Frankie laughs, then looks to the house when they hear laughter that sounds a lot like Frankie’s. “We should go. That’s my parents.”
“Okay.”
Why is she nervous? Jasmine isn’t anyone’s girlfriend. Her children are well-behaved. Meeting parents isn’t a big deal.
So, why does it feel like it is?
Frankie stops. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Frankie frowns, turns, and blocks the way, not letting her out of the shed. Her hand rests against her arm. God, she’s testing Jasmine with the whole not pushing her against a wall thing. Her head tilts. “Tell me something.”
Jasmine smiles despite herself. “We only see my parents, like, once a year. I feel like meeting parents is important. What if they hate me?”
“They won’t hate you.”
“Mike’s parents hated me.” It shouldn’t be a comparison. Mike was her boyfriend, and Frankie is not her girlfriend.
Frankie scoffs, her hand slipping from Jasmine’s arm to her hand. “I hate them. Give me photos. They’re banned from Titans grounds.”
Jasmine laughs, her head tipped back. Frankie looks at her with a smile.
“You’re ridiculous,” Jasmine says.
“You’re beautiful,” Frankie replies quickly, then swallows. “I want to be more intentional with you.” Her thumb rubs over her knuckles. “With what I tell you, and how I act. So, I hope this might make you feel better. I think you’re gorgeous, obviously, but with more things than that. I want to clarify—“
“You’re talking like you’re answering a work email,” Jasmine replies. She steps slightly closer.
Frankie chuckles. “I’ve practiced this just as many times.” She swallows. “The night we met, it wasn’t bad for me.”
“Oh.”
“I think it might have been the best orgasm of my life,” she laughs, with a huff, running her hand over her face. Jasmine’s body lights up. She might start ascending.
She gasps. “It was? Are you lying?”
“I’m a terrible liar,” Frankie says. It’s true; she is. “I never want to lie to you. I’m really sorry if I ruined it for you.”
Jasmine smiles. “You didn’t.”
Frankie takes a deep breath, then says, “I don’t want there to be any confusion. I left, and I’m sorry. I am. I’ll never forgive myself, and—“
“I forgive you,” Jasmine says easily. She forgave her the next morning. She forgives her for the rest too. It was easy the moment she told her she missed her.
“You do?”
“I do.”
Jasmine pictures her saying “I do” in another setting. She’s not going to mention it, though.
