Nova wasn’t quite sure what had crawled up Jonah’s ass, but he was being seriously weird. He probably had a right to be annoyed, to think about it, with her unexpected appearance. She snuck a look at his down-turned face, staring at his computer as if it were his best friend. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea. It didn’t seem like he wanted to talk to her, much less share space.
She glanced across the open space of the apartment and out the large windows. The city was already coated in a layer of white. There was no chance this storm was going to be less dramatic than all the predictions. Jonah continued to click and scroll on his computer, as if she wasn’t literally in the next room, well within reach of his voice and his attention.
She could’ve just gone back to her beautiful bedroom and hunkered down in there. It was nearly as big as her entire apartment. Staying out of Jonah’s way would make it easier on both of them for however long they were stuck, but that wasn’t her style. Nova didn’t do together but separate. It had to be one or the other. Especially with someone who was like a brother.
She decided to take matters into her own hands and attempt to shift whatever wrong turn they’d taken. Being with Jonah had always been easy, and it could be again. She left her phone on the couch and walked back into the kitchen.
She stood right next to him. He didn’t budge. She tapped a nail on the marble counter. His attention didn’t even flicker. He was outright ignoring her. She’d thought talking about food would have been neutral territory, but apparently that had been too much. The way he snapped at her question was as if she’d just cursed him out.
More seconds passed. The way his fingers flew across the keyboard might have meant he was busy with something important. Maybe that was it. He was trying to get work done and she was in his way. She replayed their brief conversation in her head. Nope, she wasn’t the one who’d started it.
He paused typing and squinted at the computer. So much intensity filled his features, as if he were looking up how to dismantle a bomb. Jonah had always been focused, even as a bratty teenager who thought he knew everything. Problem was, he usually did. She gave him shit about his being a smarty-pants, constantly, but she secretly loved it. Most of the guys she hung around had all the arrogance, with nothing to back it up other than an occasionally pretty face and a fat wallet.
The way Jonah was acting felt different. Nova put her glass down, a little too loudly, but completely on purpose. His head finally jerked up, his dark eyes unblinking. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re being weird. I know you weren’t expecting me, but we can coexist in this enormous place, can’t we? Am I such an imposition?”
His face did the strangest thing she’d ever seen. Confusion in his eyes, shock in his mouth, tension in his jaw. Had she just offended him… again?
Then he shook his head like a wet dog. Like, really shook it. “No way. You can’t possibly think that. You have just as much a right to stay here as I do.”
He slid his laptop away from him and turned his attention completely toward her. “Sorry I’m acting like a dick. I was nervous enough about this interview, but now it probably won’t happen, and I’m pissed off about that. Now, I’ll have to do this whole thing over again.”
She looked into his eyes, and finally saw the Jonah she recognized. She tugged at the sleeve of his baggy t-shirt. “No worries, Jojo. I’m sorry the whole job thing got so screwed up. But you’re so amazing, maybe they’ll just give you the job without a formal interview.”
He smiled, and it lit up the whole fucking room. “Thanks, Nov. Sweet of you to say. And, I’m really glad you’re here. I would probably go insane if I was stranded here by myself for days. We might end up having a great time!”
The thoughts that crossed her mind brought a rush of heat to her chest and throat. Those were not best friend’s little brother kind of thoughts. And not the kind of fun she should have been thinking about. He probably meant video games, silly movies, and maybe even a dance party or two. She let go of his shirt. A change of topic was desperately needed. “You know I’m mad connected, right? I’ve probably styled somebody who’s somebody at that fancy firm of yours. Want me to check?”
This time, he reached out and held her arms, as he had in the lobby. It felt just as weird. “Generous offer, but I’m going to say no. Thank you.”
She shrugged, which caused him to drop his hands and it surprised her how much she hadn’t wanted him to. There was something about a man’s hands, especially if they were big and strong like Jonah’s.
“Now,” he said, sliding his palm to her back and pivoting her to his laptop, “here’s a list of all the restaurants around here. Why don’t we order a bunch of food for tonight?”
Nova stared at the neat rows and columns on Jonah’s computer, filled with restaurant names she recognized. A closer look showed that they were sorted by cuisine and distance. Like the clear organization of the spreadsheet, her thoughts sorted themselves. That’s why he’d been so focused on his computer. He hadn’t been ignoring her at all. Quite the opposite. He was trying to plan for their dinner, for their night.
She smiled at him, still aware of that warm hand on her back. “Cool. You need to post that on the What’s Up New York site.”
Was that him blushing? “I’m sure the people who actually know this city have much better listings than this. It’s just for us. I figure we’ll be cooking for the next few days because everything will be shut, but tonight we can order out. How does that sound?”
Nova scrolled down the screen, trying to distract herself from the memory of the dinner she was supposed to have been attending. The romantic dinner with the guy who ended up disappointing her like all the others before him. She could pretend it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care that much, but she did care. Not necessarily about Evan, but about her heart, weary from rejection.
Jonah pointed to one of the squares on the screen. “I’d love to do sushi. Talia’s always talking about Sakana. What do you think?”
Nova had been to Sakana a dozen times. It was good, but not her favorite. Tonight, it would have to do. “Sure. Sounds fine.”
A look of confusion crossed his eyes before they settled back into their unending neutrality. “Okay, then,” he said, that rare hint of a southern drawl making a surprise appearance. He clicked on a browser tab, opening the restaurant’s website. “I’ve got the menu pulled up. Why don’t you let me know what you want, and I’ll order.”
Nova glanced up at the clock, enjoying her own flash of confusion. It wasn’t even four o’clock, several hours too early for dinner. “Uh… what are we… senior citizens? You don’t mean we’re going to eat now, right?”
His lip curled to one side. “Obviously not. But, it might be a good idea to order now. In case they’re planning on closing early.”
Ridiculous. “It’s Valentine’s Day. No restaurant is going to close early.”
“But you said yourself the storm is getting bad. That would seem like a good enough reason to close.”
Was he really mansplaining her city to her? “Not how that works. But it’s fine to order now.”
He pulled at his t-shirt, the fabric stretching over a remarkable mound of muscle on his shoulder. “Fine.”
He took several steps away from the computer, and her, turned his back and faced out the picture window overlooking a winter wonderland. She would’ve loved to see the look on his face, even if Jonah rarely revealed anything in his expressions. Unlike her, who was probably broadcasting the shittiness of her day all the way across town.
She was glad to have Talia’s amazing apartment as a sanctuary, but holing up with Jonah was starting to feel like a bad idea. She was in too crappy a mood to be with anyone, much less a man who was more like a stranger than a friend. Sure, they had known each other for years, but did they really? Everything about him was taking her by surprise, and while she craved the comfort of a place that felt like home, this was all wrong.
She sighed and looked down at the menu, running the cursor up and down the page. There was nothing new to see. She already knew exactly what she wanted.
Nova opened the small drawer next to the coffee machine, pulled out a notepad and pen, and wrote down the three items she wanted to eat. She spent a few moments looking at Jonah’s back, admiring the sharp line of his jet black hair against the light gold of his skin, the dramatic breadth of his shoulders, which she could see moving ever so slightly with each breath. He was such a good kid. Didn’t deserve the toxicity of her mood and the likelihood she would take out all her disappointment with the males of her species on someone who’d only ever been sweet and kind.
She added a couple more things to the list and shut the laptop. He didn’t budge, so she decided to take a look in the fridge, the freezer, and then over at the bar. There was no doubt this place was stocked. They could drink themselves silly for a week and still not run out. But she needed to put some space between she and Jonah, for both their sakes.
“Hey,” she said, hoping the tone of her voice would entice him to turn around. He didn’t.
“Hey, Jonah,” she tried again.
He turned only his head. “What’s up?”
She cleared her throat for no reason whatsoever. “I’m going to run down to the liquor store. I can pick up dinner on the way back. Okay?”
She failed at stopping the grossly appeasing look on her face.
He turned away from her, again, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Then he snort-growled. WTF?
“Uh…” was all she could muster.
Then he spun around. “I was going to get dinner, Nova.”
His lips flattened into a line, the deep emphasis of ‘I’ still vibrating in Nova’s ears. A swirl of impossibilities created a veil that dulled her naturally sharp tongue. Was this a Valentine’s Day thing? Did he think…
She cocked her head in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly be so naive, could he?
“I didn’t mean anything… just thought it would be easier, so that both of us didn’t have to go out in the storm.”
He nodded, but no agreement arrived on his features. “I’ll go.”
The idea that it was so important to Jonah that he get dinner made no sense. “It’s no big deal. I know where I’m going, and-”
“It’s not about knowing my way around, Nova.” His voice was much louder than she’d expected, and it made her stumble back.
She put her hands up, instinctively, having gotten used to the temper tantrums of the men in her life. But, it made her feel dumb. Jonah had not spoken angrily. In fact, it might not have been that loud, just so different than than his regular, soft, measured speech, it translated wrong in her brain.
The moment it became clear what had really happened, a wave of foolishness overtook her. She was used to the intricate manipulations that constituted her relationships that simple, straightforward, agenda-free communication sounded like a foreign language.
“Let’s both go,” she answered, offering by a sincere smile.
Finally, the angular composure of his beautiful face broke into something other than lightly-concealed irritation. “Yes, that sounds great.”