The Keys to Jericho (45 page)

Dash says, “I think Jared is pretty, too.”

Looking away from Kat I glower at Dash. “What the hell?”

He points his crab pliers at me. “Your eyes aren’t orgasmic, though. They’re a moody color, which certain women may find a turn-on. Back me up, Kat.”

Kat gapes at Dash. “Uh…” She then glances at the table, nodding. “Yeah.”

Leaning to her, I teasingly ask, “Really? Do I turn
you
on?”

Glancing at me with a gleam in her eye, Kat shrugs. “You’re okay, I guess.”

“
Okay
?” Still holding Kat’s hand, I hastily burrow my face into her neck, making her giggle. I try not to linger there or kiss her, but I do graze my lips along her skin before I move away.

Unable to help my own smile, I also can’t help staring at Kat’s pretty smile. I like seeing her smile, but it’s even more magnetic when it’s because of me.

Liberty shrieks, “Oh, my God! Stop denying it already! You two should be a couple!”

Kat and I both jerk our attention to her at the same time. Feeling my muscles tense, I slowly reply, “We’re just friends. Not dating.”

“Maybe you should rethink that because you look hot together.” As my teeth clamp, she turns to Rio. “Right, babe?”

Glancing at me, he warily nods. “Uh, yeah.”

Liberty yelps, “Dasher, come on. Don’t you?”

Dash unapologetically grins as he snaps open a crab. “Volcanic.”

Liberty hits the table with the palm of her hand. “There you go! What are you waiting for, Jared? Ask her out!”

Reigning in my fury, I evenly say, “We spend enough time together driving.”

She waves her hand at Kat and me. “Okay. So move this along. Kiss her.”

I bite, “Knock it off.”

“You’re seriously not going to date her?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Picking up my beer, I snarl, “
River
…”

“Lib, stop.”

“Why don’t you want Kat for your girlfriend?”

Pushed past my breaking point, I sneer, “Because maybe I don’t want to be her pussy-whipped bitch like
your
boyfriend.”

Rio finally snaps to attention. “Jared, come on!”

Kat again jerks her hand from mine as if I burned her, and her scorching eyes match the sentiment. Looking over at her, I say, “Shit. I didn’t mean…”

“Yes, you did, Jared.” Kat shakily sighs. “You always mean what you say. You just don’t want me to react to it.” She turns to Dash, which angers me even more.

I tersely inhale, and seethe to Liberty, “Why do you have to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Purposely get on my nerves!”

Hearing Kat’s chair scrape over the cement, I look to see her standing.

“Kat, where’re you going?”

Ignoring me, she leaves the table, and Liberty jumps up to follow.

As I watch Kat leave, swerving in and out of people, I debate whether to follow her.

Rio says, “Where in the hell is your damn filter? Why do you have to say shit like that? Don’t you realize how much you hurt people? This time it wasn’t just Kat.” I turn back to my beer and he says, “I’m always here for you, Jared. Yet, you couldn’t give a shit. You push people away, and one day, you’re going to push them to the point they’re not going to come back.” I guess as a toddler, I pushed too much, since my mom got tired of my shit, too.

“If that were true, you and Dash would’ve been gone years ago.”

“That says a lot, don’t you think?”

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I stare at the table, undecided what to do, until I mindlessly blurt out, “I don’t get why you’re still around. If I’m such an asshole, then why in the fuck are you wasting your time on me?”

Unusually quiet, Dash finally says, “If you don’t want us around anymore, we’ll go.”

Leaning forward, propping my elbows on the table, I sigh. “Look, I know I’m a shitty friend, but I’ve never led you astray of that. I’m just me. I don’t candy coat shit, and I’d rather not be an open book. It’s not who I am. You both know this, so for you to think I’m not being myself, well then, you’re both delusional.”

“Jare, you’ve got to bend some. We’ve adapted for you. That’s what friends do. Nobody stays the same. People grow, mature, and learn from their mistakes; however, you refuse to do those.”

“Why in the hell haven’t you guys ditched me then? Everyone else does.”

“Not true, Jericho.”

“Jare, we wouldn’t ditch you out of spite. We just can’t keep trying to help you if you don’t want it. There’s give and take in every kind of relationship. You give your advice, your ear, and your time, but you won’t take any of those in return. Some people would be okay with
taking
all the time, but Dash and I aren’t. We want to be able to return the favor for you. Staying closed off like you are doesn’t help any of us maintain a friendship.”

The waitress stops at our table and Dash grabs the bill and says, “I know you think I can’t help you, but I’d like to think I can, if you let me.”

Rio nods. “Same here. We know you have a lot of shit going on, but talking to us will help. Don’t shut us out. We’re truly here for you. Utilize Dash and me as your sounding boards, not as your punching bags.”

I shake my head. “Christ, Duquesne. You either have balls of steel or are complete morons to stay friends with me.”

Rio shrugs and laughs. “Probably more of the latter.”

Dash tosses his credit card onto the bill folder and says, “Just Diet Dr. Pussy. I’ve been using you to buy me beer since we were kids.”

I abruptly smile. “That’s the truth, you baby-faced prick.”

After Dash takes care of the check, he jumps up to go to the restroom. When he’s far enough away from the table, Rio says, “You need to talk to Kat.” I petulantly inhale as I sit back, while he shifts to face me. “Jare, I know you don’t want to hear it, but if you want to keep Kat in your life, you need to have a serious talk with her. If your feelings for her are becoming deeper, you need to do something about it. If they’re not, then you need to let her know that, too. Don’t lead her on.”

Shaking my head at the table, I truthfully confess, “I don’t know what I want, Rio.”

“Well, she does, so decide what you do want because if not, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. For both of you.”

“Let’s hit the road, boys,” Dash says, shoving my arm as he breezes past our table.

I give Rio another heavy glance before I get up and follow Dash.

When we get back to the house, we notice Liberty’s car is gone. Oh, shit. Rio eventually gets a text from Liberty saying that they went to a movie and shopping, and won’t be back until later.

When I go to text Kat, I can’t find her name or number in my phone. It’s the third time I scroll through my contacts when I notice a listing for
Ball and Chain
with an Annapolis area code. That unexpectedly makes me smile, but it’s short-lived before I feel anxious about that. Many reasons come to mind—mainly because the labeling thing is nerve-wracking, but also because I may not be able to call her even a friend still.

She’s wrong about me always being right. I don’t know shit about anything.

I spend the rest of the day lying on my bed, while Dash relaxes in the Jacuzzi. I’d find that funny, but I can’t find it in me to care enough.

Finally, around 8:00, they return, and from upstairs, I hear them talking about heading to the beach to find a spot for fireworks.

I bound down the stairs and immediately receive a grubby look from Liberty, but that’s more than I get from Kat, who won’t look at me at all. I notice her hair is out of her bun and hanging over her shoulder. I want to run my fingers through it, watching the purple ebb and wane.

Liberty and Kat leave first, but we trail close behind to the crowded beach, which makes me wonder why we couldn’t have just sat on the front porch, since we have a nice view from there.

Kat sits with Rio and Liberty, but Dash surprisingly sits behind them with me. Jesus. Why didn’t I just stay in my room?

I’m quiet until the middle of the fireworks. Oddly, they seem to mirror the scene in my head. Taking a risk, I lean up and whisper to Kat, “Can I talk to you?”

Without looking away from the sky, she morosely says, “You’ve already said quite a lot, Jared.”

Moving closer to her, turning my hat backward, I prop my bent knee between her and Liberty, which gives me another dirty look from the wench, but I give her one in return, and successfully curbing the urge to also flip her off.

Next to Kat’s ear, I say, “I’m sorry I said that.”

“But you meant it.”

I sigh. “Not all of it.”

“There wasn’t much to it, so I’m guessing the truth prevails and you really don’t want to be friends with me.”

Catching another look from Liberty, I indignantly roll my eyes at her and plead with Kat, “Can we please go somewhere else?”

She shakes her head, but turns it to whisper, “I’m not going to be your extended one-night stand anymore.”

“What?” She looks back to the sky, leaving me gaping at the back of her head. That’s exactly what I was trying to avoid, a one-night stand. I knew I wouldn’t keep it to one night, but I also know I can’t stop now.

Stunned she thinks that’s what I’m doing with her, I lean even closer to Kat, most likely drawing attention from the other three. “How can you think that’s what I’ve been doing with you?”

Turning to me, she mutters to the sand, “Then what
are
you doing with me?” Besides having the most mind-blowing sex of my life and just spending every day with her, I honestly don’t have an answer to that.

As the finale barrels on overhead, I watch her watching the sky above, wishing I had answers to her questions. However, the most pressing thing on my mind is much more than having answers for her. Though we had misunderstandings in school about dating other people, she still rejected me. That fact remains, and I’m left riddled with doubts of whether I can openly trust her with not ripping me apart. I’ve already been shredded before by not being wanted. This time, I don’t think I can be fixed, if that’s what I am now.

Yet, if I don’t trust her, then why can’t I stay away from her?

I can’t even answer
my
own damn questions.

On the way back to the house, I walk next to her, but she refuses to acknowledge me, which stings. With the crowd around us and the other three distracted, I grab Kat’s hand, sliding my fingers between hers, but when she wrenches her hand free from mine, the sting is harsher.

Without thinking, I take her hand again, only now, clamping my fingers around her wrist. When she tries to jerk her hand away from my grip, she can’t.

She testily asks, “What are you doing?”

“We’re going to talk.”

“No.”

“Yeah. We are.”

“You can’t force me to talk to you.”

“Then
I’ll
do the talking.”

“No, thanks.” Even though she’s arguing with me, she doesn’t make it known to the other three. When Dash stops to unlock the front door, she doesn’t overtly struggle as I grip her wrist.

Upon entering the living room, Dash says, “Okay. What now?”

Plopping down on the couch, Rio says, “I don’t know.”

Liberty yammers about having to check her messages, but not before she and Calder get into a discussion about what movie they can watch.

Bypassing them, I tow Kat to the stairs and she hisses, “Jared.” She finally pulls to break from my grasp, but I tighten my grip as I lead us up the stairs.

From below, Dash yells, “Hey, where are you two going?”

Liberty shrieks, “Do you think…?”

Rio says, “Just leave them alone.”

Marching us to my bedroom, since it’s the closest, I drag her in and promptly shut the door, locking it.

Releasing her wrist, she lightly rubs it. “What the hell is your problem? Are you trying to kidnap me?”

Crossing my arms, I shrug. “Call it whatever you want. If it’s the only way I can get you to listen, then yes.”

She rolls her eyes. “Can I go now?”

I sigh, scratching my jaw. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …”

“Say something stupid and childish? You did.”

“I know. It just came out in the heat of the moment. She knows how to get to me.”

“Why? She said we’d make a hot couple. That’s horrifying to you?”

I shake my head, glancing at the carpet. “Not horrifying, just unexpected.”

Kat sullenly says, “Oh. I’m not pretty enough?”

Closing my eyes, I groan. “Shit. Again, that’s not what I meant. I can’t fucking win.”

“I’m going downstairs.”

My eyes fly open and I move with her to block the door. “No, you’re not.”

She frowns and her irritated gaze drills me. “Why not?”

Keeping my voice even, I ask, “How could you say I’ve only used you for an ‘extended one-night stand?’”