Biceps are the one redeeming quality of the male sex.
I mean, there are other things, like excellent kisses…but those get you in trouble. For the most part, biceps are pretty awesome and far less trouble than kisses.
Peace out,
Mira
“It’s about time I see you. Where have you been all summer? I hardly saw you,” Maddie whines, wrapping her arms around me.
“I stayed pretty busy. But I did miss you,” I tell her.
She pets Winston and he doesn’t growl. Yet. Hopefully he won’t when she catches him off guard later, but chances of that are slim. He’s still a jumpy guy. We’re moving into an apartment right by school that allows small animals. Winston barely passed the mark, being twenty pounds. Our lease is through the school year and we’re on the first floor; it’s not the cutest space I’ve ever seen by any means, but it’s a thousand times better than the dorms.
She kisses me on the cheek and goes back to unpacking. “I forgive you. Once I realized how much Jaxson is in the picture, I couldn’t be too mad at you. That boy is too hot to pass over.”
I laugh and move a box to the counter to start unpacking it. “Jaxson is a friend,” I tell her. “Nothing more.”
“Pssh. Right. He wants to be your everything,” she sings. “You forget, I heard “Blue-Eyed Shadow” or “Black-Haired Beauty”…whatever that song was called. He wants you bad.”
I roll my eyes but don’t encourage her further. The less she thinks about Jaxson and me as a couple, the easier it will be. Once she gets her mind on something, it’s hard to veer it elsewhere.
“Is anything happening with his music? His band was incredible. I’ve thought about him a lot and know they have what it takes to go big.”
“He’s working with his stepdad right now. I know he likes the work, but I think deep down, he’d rather be doing music. He fought to go to Berklee—I can’t figure out why he argued with his stepdad so much over going there if he was just going to do music on the side…”
It’s something I’ve brought up more than once, and while I love Jaxson’s strong work ethic, I want him to be sure he’s doing what he wants to do.
“That is weird. Well, let me know when they’re playing next. We can go hear them,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.
I groan. “If you keep making that face every time we talk about him, we will NOT be going to hear him play…ever.”
She scrunches her face up. “You’re no fun.”
She dumps the utensils into the drawer and then tries to organize them. I don’t bother to tell her there could’ve been a simpler way; she does things her own way.
“If we’re not lusting after Jaxson, that means everyone else is a potential subject,” she says. “I should see if Alex has any friends!”
“No. Back off. I’m good,” I tell her. “I just want to focus on school.”
“No FUN,” she reiterates.
When classes start and I find myself missing Jaxson far more than I’m comfortable with, I rethink my stance with Maddie. Maybe meeting someone new is exactly what I need to get my heart and libido back on track.
That’s never made much of a difference before, my heart argues with me.
But he’s back in your life, and that’s all you’ve really wanted, my brain shuts down my heart.
And he doesn’t make it easier, sending me flowers the first week of school, and filling my nights with sweet text messages.
I drove to Fiesta Island today, missing you and Winston. I can’t let Winston forget me—he was just starting to warm up to me. When can I come see you? I mean…him. :)
Me: Soon!
And on another night…
I read a book—can you believe it? It was called “How to Win the Heart of your Best Friend”…or maybe it was “I’m Hopelessly in Love with Her and Other Truths”…something like that. Great read. Hopeful. Bittersweet. Infuriating. And very, very hot. You should check it out.
Me: eye roll emoji
And another…
I sold a hugely lucrative property today. Success! It feels dim without you here to celebrate it with me. You’re not that far away. Please have dinner with me. I’m beginning to think you’re avoiding me.
Me: When did you become so annoying?
Is it working?
Me: Let me get used to this new schedule and we’ll put something on the calendar.
UGH. It’s not working as quickly as I’d hoped. Pencil me in soon, please.
Part of me is relieved to have the smallest bit of distance between us. It had been too easy to blur the lines when we saw each other regularly. I immerse myself into my classes and Winston and wedding jobs on the weekends.
During the third week of classes, I walk out of my marketing class and run into the guy in front of me. My papers go flying and I look up, already apologizing.
“Miles?” I say, grinning.
“I can’t believe it,” he says. He bends down and helps me pick up the papers, handing them to me as we both stand back up. “Mira Hart, how are you?”
“I’m great. How are you? I had no idea you were here!”
“I transferred closer to home. My mom is going through a divorce,” he adds, eyes clouding over.
“Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” He gives me an appreciative look. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember. Damn,” he adds, grinning wide.
“You’re pretty spectacular too,” I flirt back. “I don’t remember these arms in high school.” I eye his muscular arms and then get embarrassed at the way I’m ogling him. He was cute before, but now he is hot.
“We should get together, catch up,” he says. “Are you doing anything Friday night?”
“I have an early morning Saturday, but I could go out for a bit,” I tell him.
We exchange numbers and I walk away smiling. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Miles. He looked out for me when I needed him most. It’s so good to see him again.
When Friday rolls around, I try to get out of the apartment without Maddie knowing I’m going out. I change into clothes that are cute but not too cute, and when she asks me to go with her and another friend to the restaurant a block over, I tell her I’m going to hit the library.
“I miss my Mira,” she sulks.
“We can do something fun on Sunday,” I tell her. “I have to work tomorrow, but Sunday is yours.”
“Deal,” she says.
I meet Miles at a restaurant he wanted to try and we hug shyly when we see each other.
“Is there a reason you insisted on meeting here instead of me picking you up?” he asks.
“I have a very nosy roommate,” I answer. He laughs and leaves it alone.
We cover the small talk of what we’ve been up to since senior year and then he hits me with the question I know he’s been dying to ask.
“So, are you still hung up on Jax Marshall?”
I choke out a laugh and take a sip of my Coke. “Jaxson and I have recently been in each other’s lives again,” I answer. “We’re friends. He thinks he wants to be more. I don’t. Seems like maybe we’ll always be complicated, but bottom line, we are friends.” I tap out the last three words with my hands on the table.
He leans in, his eyes twinkling in the low lights. “Hmm. Complicated.” His lips move to one side as he studies me. “Would you say that there’s any hope for me yet?”
“I’d certainly put you at the top of the list for options,” I tell him, smiling. “If I was looking, I mean…”
“Oh, right…when will you be looking?”
My heart ping-pongs along with our banter. “I always had a bit of a crush on you, in spite of being hopeless about Jaxson in high school.”
“Had I known that, I would’ve tried a lot harder.” His eyes fall to my mouth then and I flush, wondering if he’s remembering.
He seems to know exactly when to move the conversation to lighter, safer territory, and the rest of the night, we both talk freely about anything and everything. I’m shocked when I look at my watch and see that it’s eleven o’clock. I look around and see that the restaurant is closing and we’re the last of the remaining customers.
“I think they’ve been shooing everyone out of here but us. They must have known we needed the time,” he says, grinning.
He walks me to my car and there’s the first twinge of awkwardness as we look at one another.
“It’s really good to see you again, Mira,” he says.
“It’s great to—” I start and am cut off with his kiss. I’m so surprised, I don’t kiss him back at first, but then I snap out of my daze and kiss him back. I hold onto his firm biceps and swoon into his mouth. When we finally pull away from each other, I feel weak.
“You’re not going to run this time, are you?” he asks, wiping his thumb over my bottom lip.
Still breathing hard, I shake my head. I hope not, I think. “No,” I say.
He kisses me again, smiling this time when our lips first meet. “Good,” he says when we part. “I could get used to this mouth,” he says, leaning in for one more kiss. “You better go before I kiss you all night.”
I drive home smiling and tapping my steering wheel, giddy over a great night and a great kiss. I’ve hardly thought about Jaxson at all. Things are looking up.
I’m walking into the apartment when I turn the sound back on my phone and a slew of messages go off. At least five from Jaxson and twelve from Maddie. I race into the apartment and Jaxson is sitting on the couch with Winston by his side. He smiles up at me and then takes another look at my face, my lips, and what I imagine is a red chin from the razor stubble that I was basking in all the way home, and his face falls.