Kind of like Simone.
I stopped short just as he turned to face me. “She didn’t think I’d show?”
That didn’t sit right, but her father didn’t seem to notice. “She wanted to give me fair warning that a boy might be coming over so I didn’t burst into her room with a shotgun—kidding, kidding.” He flashed me a wicked little grin and I saw the similarity between him and Simone again. “But she added about eighty times that you probably wouldn’t show so she wasn’t sure why she even bothered to tell me.”
I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that so I called upon the good manners my mom had instilled in us all with a vengeance when we were little. “Thank you for having me in your home, sir.”
“Sir,” he repeated with a laugh and a shake of his head. “Jax said you were a gentleman, but I thought he just meant I could trust you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Jax…” I repeated stupidly. I felt about ten steps behind in this conversation and her father was already walking away so I started to follow.
“Oh sure, as soon as Simone mentioned your name I did my due diligence.” He flashed me a smile before he stopped before a closed door at the end of the hallway. “Jax is as good as family and would lay down his life for my girl. If he says you’re a good egg, I believe him.”
I nodded, oddly touched and completely unable to explain why. Maybe that her father was so protective of her, or that he trusted Jax, or that Jax had given his approval… Whatever it was, my voice was weirdly solemn as I met her father’s searching stare head on. “I respect your daughter, sir. That’s why I’d like to be her friend.”
He continued to stare for another long moment before giving me a short nod. Then he gave a few sharp knocks on the closed door and shouted out, “Sims, your boyfriend is here!”
My insides did a sharp nosedive as her father turned to me with a wink. “She’s gonna kill me for that one.” He was still laughing as he walked away and Simone threw the door open with an irritated groan.
“Dad—” she said in the sort of world weary tone reserved for put-upon teen daughters the world over. She stopped short in the doorway at the sight of me.
I grinned.
She blinked.
She had glasses on and blinking just exaggerated how big her eyes were behind the wire-rimmed lenses. “You’re here,” she said, shoving the glasses up her nose as she shifted from one foot to the other. “I didn’t think you were really coming,” she mumbled as she looked down.
I looked down too and knew I failed to smother my smile. I couldn’t help it. She looked so stinkin’ cute in those flannel pajama pants and oversized hoodie.
“May I?” I asked, nodding toward her room which was currently guarding with crossed arms.
“Oh, uh…” She glanced back. “Sure.”
I followed her and took it in. My smile grew at the utter Simone-ness of this room. The movie posters up everywhere—everything from eighties rom coms to Golden Age classics to last year’s blockbuster action movie. Interspersed between all the posters and memorabilia was original artwork. I stopped in front of a sketch that was an interesting mix of skeletons and flowers. “You did this?”
She stopped beside me and I saw her purse her lips as she eyed it critically. She glanced up at me. “I was going through a goth phase.”
I choked on a laugh as I tried to imagine that. “How long did that last?”
She shook her head. “About two weeks. It wasn’t really my thing.”
She remained silent as I finished my self-guided tour of the room. I glanced over at her. “You’ve gone through a lot of phases.”
Her lips twitched as she shrugged but her voice was even. “What can I say? I’m a complicated woman. It took me a while to find myself.”
I grinned and so did she.
“So you’re found now?” I asked, eyeing her from the top of her tousled hair to the bottom of her rabbit-slipper-clad feet.
“Oh yes,” she said, her voice a hilarious monotone as she wiggled her toes in those ridiculous slippers. “I’m all grown up. Super mature.” She gave a haughty sniff. “I’ve got it all figured out.”
I moved toward her, unable to stop this goofy grin she seemed to bring out. “You’ve figured it all out...except for flirting.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “That is correct.”
“But…” I clapped my hands together before throwing them out wide. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Right,” she said slowly. “Although, I still don’t get why you’re doing this.”
“It’s my good deed of the semester,” I said with a little wink as I headed over to her bed and fell onto it.
She crossed her arms. “So, does that make me your charity project?”
“Nope,” I said, crossing my arms too as I leaned back against the wall. “It makes you my entertainment.”
She looked wary but her lips were starting to curve up in obvious amusement. “You’re really that bored, huh? I would have thought you had a crazy social calendar, what with being Lakeview High’s star pitcher and most sought after hottie, and all.”
Her cheeks turned a little pink at the hottie comment, but we both ignored it because she’d clearly been kidding.
“Yeah, well, I’m easily bored.”
She eyed me oddly but didn’t prod any further. I didn’t exactly want to explain to her that I haven’t made any good friends here or that I hadn’t wanted to.
I definitely didn’t want to explain why I was here right now, because...I wasn’t totally sure. All I knew was, since I’d started talking to Simone, I’d become more aware than ever that I was going through my days in a haze of boredom.
Maybe I’d been lonelier than I’d thought.
