The Impact of You

Chapter 36

Avery

“Break a leg!” I squeeze Madison and Noah one last time before they slip out of our dorm room. They have to be to the theater early for all the opening night preparations, which leaves me plenty of time to get ready for my date tonight. Jase has made reservations at an upscale restaurant, but first we’re going to watch the play Madison and Noah are in. I grab my shower stuff and shuffle off to the communal bathrooms.

An hour later, I’m squeaky clean, shaved, made up and dressed. I sit down at my laptop to type a quick response to the email I got earlier from Jessica. It’s been a month since we met face to face, and we’ve emailed back and forth several times. Our relationship has evolved into long emails full of random thoughts, deep-seated feelings and life happenings. It’s nice. Even my dads are really cool about encouraging my relationship with her. I check the time, stuff my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, add some lip gloss and slip into my bright pink ballet flats.

I’m waiting on the sidewalk outside my dorm just as Jase pulls up in his sleek black car. He stops and his face breaks into a smile when he climbs from the car to greet me.

“Beautiful…” He leans down and whispers, his lips brushing past the skin near my ear. It sends a tingle down the back of my neck, settling at the base of my spine. As hard as this past month has been resisting giving into the physical with Jase, I think it is exactly what we need. It gives us the chance to actually just date and get to know each other better without sex complicating things. Things between us are great, though. Complete open and honesty, which feels really good. But the slow build between us physically has reached epic proportions. He will be mine tonight. Period.

Our dinner reservations are at an upscale sushi restaurant that has recently opened and has been getting good reviews. Jase assures me that jeans will be fine, but I’d paired them with a dressy cream- colored top trimmed in lace.

Jase’s eyes slip from mine, dropping lower to survey me from head to toe. I squirm under his gaze and clamp my thighs together, praying that I’ll make it through the play and dinner without trying to rip his clothes off. Or my own. Hmm, that could work. We have thirty minutes before the play starts…

“Avery?” he asks, pulling my mind from the gutter it has gleefully dived into.

Keeping my thoughts from wandering to later and the little scrap of black lace panties he’ll discover is becoming increasingly difficult. “Yes?”

He smirks, shaking his head as though he’s reading my mind the entire time. Jase is sex on a stick in a pair of fitted dark jeans and a navy blue button up shirt that brings out the deep blue of his eyes. His hair is an absolute disaster, just the way I like it – a perfect mess. My fingers could roam to their heart’s content and it wouldn’t make the least bit of difference.

Crossing the distance between us, Jase pulls me tight against him and drops a sweet kiss to my mouth. “Ready?” He smiles down at me, sparkling eyes playful and hungry. I’m ready to skip dinner and get onto desert, but I merely nod. We have a play to go to first, and I can’t stand Madison and Noah up. They’ve adopted Jase into our circle over the past month and so of course we’ll be there at their opening show.

We arrive at the theater in plenty of time to grab seats near the front. Watching Madison and Noah in the school’s flirty reproduction of Grease is so fun, the two hours pass quickly. Noah as Rizzo is over- the-top-goodness, and I can’t wait to hug him for not only winning the role, but for owning it. At the end, Jase stands and cheers for them along with me, and we fight our way backstage through the throngs of people to give them both a hug.

Jase has taken his mission of bringing me out on proper dates seriously, and after the play, we’re hand in hand, heading across town to make the dinner reservations.

The restaurant is sleek and stylish and the sushi is divine, but sitting across from Jase at an intimate table for two, and feeling his eyes move across me is too much. Using my uncooperative chopsticks, I’ve tried as delicately as possible to wrestle pieces of sushi into my mouth in the most ladylike way possible. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Jase pops another piece of the spicy tuna roll into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he watches me. He’s in no hurry, and I wonder if he’s feeling any of the same fire I am. But I know he is. Intensity lights his eyes as he watches me. He finishes chewing and places his chopsticks beside his plate. “Dessert?”

I’m ready to kick him under the table, but I fix on my most polite smile. “No thanks. You?”

Jase chuckles, his eyes raking over my skin as he takes his time answering. “Yes. Once we get home, I’d very much like some dessert.”

Gah… He is so overwhelming. Just knowing what’s going to happen later between us makes my thighs tremble. I am more than ready for him now.

Jase settles our check, then guides me from the restaurant with his hand on the small of my back. It’s an innocent touch, but he’s hardly touched me all night, so the contact feels like an unspoken promise for more.

I was never like this with Brent. I’m ready, confident and sure. I’m sure about Jase.

When we get to Jase’s, we’re all hands and smiles and maybe even a few giggles on my part as we weave through the bodies. I’m thankful that he has zero interest in hanging out downstairs where the party rages on. He wants to be alone as badly as I do.

On our way to the stairs, Stacia places her hand on his chest and stops him. She staggers just a bit in her too high heels, before pulling her hand back.

“You two are back together?” Stacia laughs, too shrill and obvious.

I hold my chin high, refusing to let the fact that she saw my dirty little secret make me feel like damaged goods. If Jase is over it, then so am I.

“Drop it, Stac,” Jase warns, his voice tight and not amused.

Stacia grins devilishly, looking back and forth between Jase and I. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”

Shit. My stomach drops. “Tell me what?”

Stacia laughs again. “Never mind.” She smiles sweetly, wedging herself in between Jase and me as she passes so she can brush up against his chest.

Jase looks like he’s about to hit something.

“Jase?”

He takes my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. All the heat and passion for our night together disappears and is replaced by a terrible nagging feeling. What isn’t he telling me? What happened between him and Stacia?