Jason's POV
I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. This is all hitting me really f*cking hard and really f*cking fast. "Should we talk about things?" I asked Maria more aggressively than I meant to.
She looked up from her meal and locked eyes with me. She sighed but put the burger down and gave me her full attention. "Do you want to?" She asked me.
"No, but we need to," I gritted out, trying not to take the stress out on her.
This is all my fault, I shouldn't be mad at her for it.
"Of course we need to talk about it, Wolfie. Just not right now. We need to talk when we're not exhausted, starving, and injured."
I shook my head, "You're right." Then my attention shot back to her, "How's your abdomen?"
She shrugged and glanced down at the wrap job one of our pack doctors did, "Finally healing after some rest," she said. She glanced up at me, "thanks for that, by the way."
I nodded, "No problem."
"I liked holding you." Did I say that out loud?
She giggled.
A smile tugged to my lips.
"And I liked being held," she grinned shyly.
I couldn't help the matching grin that grew on my face as well.
"Now eat, it'll sober you up and food is good."
"Hey, I am perfectly sober," I lied.
She snorted and shook her head, "Sure mister," she deepened her voice and put an over exaggerated frown on her face, "We should talk about all our problems right this instant," she mocked me.
"Hey, I do not sound like that!" I defended, holding back a smile.
She put her hands on her hips. "I do not sound like that!"
"Oh yeah, very funny, very mature," I nodded in feigned agreement.
"But of course," she crossed her legs, leaned back in her chair, and stuck her pinky out from her plastic cup, "I am the epitome of maturity."
She jumped when her chair started tipping back, spilling some of her soda as she almost flipped.
I started laughing hysterically at her antics, the irony of her last comment and her chair almost flipping being too much for me.
She breathed heavily with wide eyes, "That wasn't even an ironic joke, that for real just happened," she said, sounding like she was coping with it herself.
My laughter boomed louder.
She clutched her chest with one hand while the other clutched the table for safety, "My life just flashed before my eyes."
I shook my head as the laughter continued.
I know I don't have the right to feel this.
But I can't help but think it.
I f*cking love this woman.
'. . . Yeahhhh. . . Even I don't think you're allowed to say that.'
Shut up Ki.
Maria sighed.
We had finished our food and now we're just awkwardly standing outside the restaurant I picked for us.
Neither of us know what to do next.
"So. . . Did you like the food?"
"Oh, yeah," she nodded.
"Good, good."
"How'd you like your meal?"
"It was nice," I answered.
"Cool," she smiled and nodded.
". . .Yeah."
"Do those look like storm clouds to you?"
her where
soon," I tilted my
talking about
Hush!
"Yeah," Maria nodded.
maybe not," she
I
is so painful to
airline food,"
"Oh —"
f*cking now, or I'm
take you somewhere?"
'Oh sh*t.
'Are
Yes.
at my randomness. "Um. .
walking without thinking. But the way she stiffened in
. I'm such
'You're just
No, I'm just an
I let go
. . . I should have never gotten into the habit of just grabbing
'I feel it
'Why did it feel
tricked ourselves
in my
'Oh.'
'Well, don't
Well,
slightly concerned with how I stopped talking or
we be mad at
I don't
don't wanna be mad at her
her eyes, "I'm sorry," I told
back at me and I could tell she knew I meant for more than just zoning out just
She only
a date?" I asked, taking both her hands gently in
don't feel so bad
She laughed kind of unsurely, clearly caught off guard. "I thought you were taking me
eagerly. I chuckled awkwardly at the sight of her slight surprise. I
say no. It's not like we've earned
"Um —" she started, but before she
wanna start over,"
She blinked
a date would be a good way to. . . I know I messed up and I suck for it but. . . Can we just. . . Ugh," I became frustrated when the explanation wouldn't come to
we
half of this isn't
never gonna go for that, you
you," Maria said as she stuck her hand out for a hand shake. "I'm Maria, but you can call me Mari," she
My jaw
is the best being to have ever walked the
'Do not cry,
relief and gratitude burn the back of
'Jason!'
Relax! I'm not
'Thank the goddess. Now close your mouth and say something before you
dumbly as I
Ki
'Smooth.'
in response and
may not have been smooth but it was worth
smiled at her in complete awe of her ability to forgive me even
to go on a
sad smile appeared on her beautiful face, probably
"We had a rocky start," she squeezed my hand that was still in hers. "I wanna get to know you." Her smile morphed into something
if we're "allowed" to say it.
grinned brightly at her answer. "I couldn't agree more," I said to both Maria
'Yeah, too bad the real
gonna let you out when we got to
'Wait, no,
Goodbye.
him in my head
back to the real world Maria was
I like
"What I would give to know what
"Haha," I laughed
of you in compromising positions, so I
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FdD2sovZA6+owRHay+7XWBuwO0++L4S99EvlXRG29X7SCHW+OTF+B05oiJ2BpthGMXIKrZAfzwlhzOc7YPI1dcjFyK0scdSO//KWXyXzSVYUiViOQb4muZYKPzz2Bo/cwI9b9/zWO372QPZTn1z6kTCj3s2VnvKO1Y0ROmzKQwiQG/rO54Cfy2B34XInB3IP5mDlbc9eqthpDS00yLduv+5U9AgGJ8WWDHJpXZbep4W3DFP4xcUE3QrHBsGtYXScIWqekNDrQ7zl3g==
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