Page 64 of The Jilted Lovers Club
“Something you love but feel vaguely embarrassed admitting. Like it’s indulgent or weird or something you’d never bring up in polite company.”
“What’s your answer?”
I narrow my eyes at him, but with a playful smile. “Nice try, I asked you first.”
His eyes crinkle at the edges, and he tilts his head in thought. “Oh, I know. So I get these fruit snacks for Lottie. There’s like maybe five or six to a package, and they’re super soft, and easy to chew. I cannot stay out of them. I give her a package, then I take a package, or I’ll eat one after she’s gone to bed. One day I had like five of them, one right after another. Like, I could seriously get more refined snacks, even fruit snacks meant for older kids or adults that have way more in each package. Instead, I’m eating these little jelly treats like candy. And they’re not cheap! I buy them in bulk, and I’m still having to replenish them every week because I can’t keep my mitts off them.”
I laugh at this, though I know damn well I’d be doing the same thing if my house had a box of fruit snacks in it.
“All right, I told you mine. Now tell me your deep, dirty, guilty pleasure, and make sure you spare no details.” He grins, waggling his eyebrows. Then he grows serious. “And not yourguilty pleasure of stalking your baby cousin and never visiting her.”
“Hardy har har.” I think for a moment, then recall one that I can’t possibly tell him.
He notices. “That face. Whatever you just thought of, that’s the one.”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine. On days off, when I’m completely burnt out, I stay in my sweats all day with the blackout curtains drawn. No sunlight. No responsibility.”
“So far, that just sounds like a healthy boundary.”
“I’m not finished.” I smirk. “I dig out a secret box of Lucky Charms I keep hidden from myself, pour a giant bowl, and park it on the couch. Then I binge old cartoons, like Rugrats, Kim Possible, Blue’s Clues—but the Steve version, not that Joe dude.”
His brows lift. “You go full nostalgia hermit?” He looks at me like I’m unreal. I duck my head.
“See? I told you it was weird.”
“Actually, it sounds awesome.
“Wait, really?”
He waves down the server. “Can we get the check when you get a sec?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Not interested in dessert?”
He smiles, then looks at me, a wicked look in his eyes. “We’ve got dessert at home.”
When she walks away, he mouths,Lucky Charms, and I swear it’s the second sexiest moment of our day.
An hour later, we’re in sweats, curled up on the living room floor in a nest of pillows and blankets, and we’re each holding a big bowl of Lucky Charms drowning in milk.
And on the screen? Blue’s Clues with Steve. Obviously.
“I forgot how calming this show is,” Ashton says between bites. “Why is it still so good?”
I shrug, transfixed by Steve chatting with Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. “I used to imagine Steve was my older brother.”
Ashton looks at me, curious but not judgmental. “Really?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have siblings growing up, but I didn’t want to be the oldest. So I made one up.” I smile, a little sheepish. “Steve was always there in my imagination, cheering me on when I tried new things, telling me it was okay to mess up.”
He doesn’t say anything, just watches me as I talk. I take a deep breath and keep going.
“My mom could be…” I sigh. “Well, she was harsh. She’d criticize my clothes or my weight, sometimes in front of her friends. If I spoke up, she’d say I was too sensitive. Steve was my buffer. In my head, he’d defend me, tell her to back off.”
I glance at the screen, blinking at the cartoon dog wagging her tail.
“One time, I didn’t just imagine it—I said it out loud. She was picking at me again, and I snapped: ‘You must feel really powerful, picking on a ten-year-old.’”
Ashton let out a low whistle.
