Page 39 of Operation: Ogre

“You alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow, do you want to go out for dinner?” Jaxon asked after a minute.

I glanced up. “What?”

He wasn’t looking at me, instead staring at his feet. “Tomorrow. We should go out to dinner.”

A ringing started in my ears as my stomach curled, then took off in a flutter of butterfly wings. “Why?” Ohmygod is this a date? Is he asking me out?

“We could work on our project.”

My brow furrowed. I would think the library was a better place to work.

“We could get phantom cakes at the diner. Do breakfast for dinner,” he commented.

I loved phantom cakes, especially smothered in maple syrup with bacon on the side. There was an all-night diner in town that I loved. A lot of students did homework and hung out there. The food was cheap, the portions generous, and the owners were friendly.

“Okay,” I said. “You won me over.”

Jaxon’s gaze took on heat when he shifted to look at me. His voice was a deep rumble as he said, “I’m glad. I like winning you.”

What the fuck was I supposed to wear on this maybe-date-not-date? I hated the uncertainty of it all. We were best friends. This was a time to work on our project. Not a date. And yet… It didn’t feel like anything other than a date, but maybe I was being ridiculous. Looking for signs or something to feed this feeling that I was fighting not to acknowledge. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t be that person, as easily as it was to fall into that trope.

So what did it matter what I wore? It didn’t. Jaxon had seen me looking like shit, sick with the flu, puking; I doubted I could look any worse, no matter what I wore. Keeping that in mind, I snagged the first pieces of clothing in my closet: a purple crop top, a white button-up, and a pair of jeans. I slipped into the bathroom, tugged them on, then pulled my hair up into loose space buns. I refused to evaluate my appearance like this was a date and simply strode out the door.

Jaxon was finally back, and I fought the urge to throw myself at him. It had barely been any time since I’d last seen him, a handful of hours at the most, but I’d missed him. It shouldn’t have been possible, at all, and yet here we were.

A smile lit up his face when he saw me and made my heart pitter-patter in my chest. I couldn’t help my returning expression. He was still allowing me to braid his hair, so it hung over his shoulders in two plaits, and he looked rather fine in his plain black t-shirt and jeans. I couldn’t help but run an appreciative gaze down his body. Jaxon was hot. Like, mega hot. Not to mention cute. Fuck, I wanted to squish him.

Two steps later, Jaxon was in front of me, slinging his arms around my waist to draw me close. His lips found mine, and my heart stuttered before racing to the point it pounded against my ribs, as if it was trying to escape. No one was around to perform for. No one around to say this kiss was for. It was just him and me. I gripped the front of his shirt, kissing him back for all that I was worth.

I might not have known what was going on. I might not have wanted to think about what I was feeling. But I knew I couldn’t push Jaxon away. He felt too right, too perfect, too… Mine. I moaned, and his tongue gently prodded into me. I opened wider for him, for my Jaxon. This. This was what I was fighting—or had been fighting. How could I fight when he felt like he belonged to me? This was what I’d feared. I hadn’t known it before this moment, but this was it. Somehow I’d known that Jaxon was meant to be mine, and if we didn’t make it, if he didn’t choose me, I would never be the same again.

I would… Fuck, it was hard to even breathe thinking he might not be with me a month from now if I indulged this feeling and he didn’t return it. My gut grew heavy, and my mind whirled. Soon, I wasn’t even paying attention to his mouth on mine, but rather the panic of not having Jaxon. It had been like three weeks since the start of school. How had so much changed so fast? It seemed impossible.

Slowly, he pulled away, and I was panting, but it wasn’t from arousal. It was panic, pure and simple. He didn’t seem to notice as he remained close to me. His lips brushed mine as he said, “You look nice.”

Forcing a bright smile as I ignored the rapid pound of my heart, I grabbed one of his braids and gently tugged. “Do I?”

“Yes, very hot.”

His words rushed over me like a wave and soothed the frantic energy that had taken up space in basically every cell of my body. Unable to help it, I laughed because of the sudden release of tension. I tugged on his braid, then twirled it around my fingers. “Well, I’m seducing you.”

“Are you?” He bit his lip.

Chuckling, I pulled on his braid again. “I’m teasing.” Mostly, I silently added. What would it be like to actually seduce Jaxon? Would he enjoy it as much as I thought I would?

The warmth that had been blooming in his eyes dimmed, and something inside of me died. Did Jaxon like me like that? Did he feel this pulse between us? Was it not just me? Regardless, I didn’t want to hurt him.

I pressed closer and grinned up at him; I was rewarded with a lightening of his cheeks. I twirled his braid around my fingers again. “I can be persuaded to seduce you.” Dear monster god, was I flirting? I’d never done this well before. I lacked practice. “If you want.”

Jaxon pressed his forehead against mine. “What if that’s exactly what I want?”

I bit my lip, my pulse picking up and sweat dampening my forehead. I honestly didn’t know. This was all new and terrifying. But more importantly, this was Jaxon. I couldn’t lose him, but I couldn’t lead him on or lie to him. Holding him tight so he couldn’t escape, I was honest with him. “I don’t know.”

“Do you not want this? Me?”