Page 62 of Body Checked & Pucked

“That was nuts,” he says.

“Nuts? That was amazing!”

“You really like scary movies, don’t you?”

He’s smiling at me.

I instantly feel vulnerable.

“I just said it was a good movie,” I say. “It’s not that big of a deal, Jax.”

I stand up and grab my popcorn and soda.

“You know, Mila, you don’t have to get defensive over everything,” Jax says. “If you want to know… I like the way your face lit up just now. Genuine excitement. Happiness. That looks good on you.”

With that said to me - making me blush - Jax turns and starts to inch along the aisle.

I quickly take my popcorn bag with the same hand as my soda so I can reach out and grab for his shirt.

He pauses and looks back at me.

“It was a scary movie,” I say.

“It actually was,” he says.

I shrug my shoulders. “Feel like walking me back to my dorm?”

20

MILA

I’m right behind Jax.

He’s a mile tall and his shoulders are a mile wide.

I can’t see a thing around him.

He reaches back when the area gets crowded.

I don’t know what to give him to hold… other than my left pointer finger.

His massive hand swallows up my finger in a second, but then he hooks his pointer finger to mine.

Oh, God, look at the size of his finger…

The second we are out in the lobby I pull my hand away.

I can now stand next to Jax.

We exit together, casually.

Just friends…

I hate the sound of that even. I don’t want to be friends with Jax. For many reasons, but a big one would be the controversy it would cause in a second.

“I have to tell you, Mila, I’m not really sold on scary movies all that much,” Jax says.

“Oh, so you didn’t want to see this movie?”