Chapter 5

 

 

“Well tonight was a weird date,” Jackson said to Reed as they left the bowling alley behind.

“You mean Reed and Kate swapping places?” Shelby asked. “Definitely weird.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jackson asked.

“I’m fine,” Reed said, checking his phone for the thousandth time.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Jackson pressed.

Reed looked to his roommate to see his meaningful look, like he needed to talk to Reed privately without Shelby overhearing.

“Yeah,” he said. “Shelby, do you mind?”

She glanced between them and then shrugged. “Call me later,” she said, kissing Jackson before walking to her car.

Reed and Jackson got into the car and Jackson pounced. “This probably isn’t the best time, but you promised to help me plan.”

“Your engagement,” Reed said with a groan. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to figure it out with you.”

“You’re always with Kate,” he said blithely. “I can’t fault you for that, can I?”

Reed glanced at him as he pulled out of the parking lot. Jackson had a smile on his face but there was a tightness about the expression that revealed irritation. Reed grimaced as he realized that once again, he’d abandoned his friend.

“I’m sorry,” Reed repeated. “With Aura and everything I—”

“It was Aura,” Jackson said with a dismissive wave. “And you needed to deal with all that. I’d give you more time but Shelby’s getting suspicious.”

 “How suspicious?” Reed asked.

“Very,” Jackson said. “She’s started to ask questions I can’t really answer.”

“We have fifteen minutes until we get home,” Reed said. “You think we can plan how you’re going to propose by the time we reach the driveway?”

“It’ll help keep you distracted from thinking about Kate and Aura,” he countered.

“Done,” Reed said. “What do you want to do?”

“Something memorable,” Jackson said, “but not fancy.”

“That’s not really your style,” Reed agreed. “Do you know what you want to say?”

“Bits and pieces,” he said. “But it’s not like I have it all figured out.”

They discussed ideas and discarded several. As they talked Reed resolved to focus on Jackson. Even before officially dating Kate, Jackson had taken nearly two weeks to take him to Florida, and after they got back they’d hardly spent any time together. During the marathon date Reed hadn’t even been home.

He glanced at the clock and realized it had only been a half hour, and Kate was unlikely to be done anytime soon. Loath to sit around and worry, he decided that now was the best time to work things out with Jackson.

“Hey,” Reed said. “Why don’t we go play in the park and keep figuring out what to do. You think Shelby would mind?”

Jackson swept his hand to Reed. “Does the great Reed have time for little Jackson?”

“He’s making time,” Reed said. “And if he’s great, it’s because of his roommate.”

“It’s weird to hear you talk about yourself in the third person.”

“You started it,” Reed said.

Jackson laughed, the sound lacking the touch of worry from earlier in the conversation. He texted Shelby to let her know, and a few minutes later they stopped at home and changed into basketball clothes. Then they drove to the nearby park. A handful of people were playing on the illuminated courts but there was plenty of room, so Reed and Jackson chose an empty one.

“Only left hand?” Jackson asked.

“It still won’t be fair,” Reed said.

“You’ve got skill,” Jackson said. “If you spent a little time practicing you’d be as good as me.”

“Practicing won’t give me six inches.”

“I’m not six inches taller than you,” Jackson protested.

“But you play like you are,” Reed said, throwing him the ball.

Jackson smirked and shot from outside the arc, sinking it into the net with ease. Reed retrieved the ball and sent it back to him, but he sank it in again. Reed caught the ball and dribbled it outside.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

Jackson accepted the ball from him. “You have a gift for understanding women. I have a gift on the court. Ready to play?”

They started a game but Jackson’s heart clearly wasn’t in it, and Reed actually scored several points. Jackson didn’t seem to care. He played only with his left hand but gave up several drives where he could have easily stopped Reed.

“What’s on your mind?” Reed asked.

“I’m just wondering if I’m ready for marriage,” Jackson said. “I’m not exactly the poster boy for commitment.”

“Do you love Shelby?”

“Of course,” he said.

“What about marriage scares you?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “You’ve been my roommate, so you know how messy I am.”

“Shelby does too,” Reed reminded him, trying to dribble to Jackson’s left.

Jackson swiped the ball and took it outside before draining a three. “I just see you and Kate and worry I’m missing something.”

Jackson had always been more open during games, his usual penchant for finding amusement in serious situations taking a temporary backseat to the pressures of the game. Reed was disappointed to realize they hadn’t played since he’d met Kate.

“Every relationship is different,” Reed said. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“I just wonder if I’m husband material,” he said. “I’m in college and a year from graduation. Do I really want to tie myself down?”

Reed caught the rebound from a rare Jackson miss but remained in place. “I think you’re looking at this the wrong way,” he said. “Most guys can’t find the right girl for years, but you get to enjoy college with her. Isn’t that better?”

“Probably,” Jackson said.

“Besides,” Reed said. “If you found the perfect team, would you ever want to play with someone else?”

“No,” Jackson said, a smile on his face.

“Then what are we talking about?” Reed asked, tossing him the ball. “Let’s plan this engagement.”

Jackson grinned and caught the ball. “I think we should use a basketball,” he said, dribbling to the hoop.

“To propose?” Reed asked, incredulous.

“It would be perfect,” Jackson said. “Just think. We are playing around, she doesn’t know what’s happening, and then I switch the balls and there’s something inside. Then she finds the ring.”

“Sounds perfect for you,” Reed said with a smile. “But I’m not sure it’s right for the girl.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But how would you do it?”

“Me?” Reed asked. “I’m light years from a proposal.”

“Says the guy that’s clearly in love.”

“You think so?” Reed asked, snatching the ball from his hands and shooting. “What makes you say that?”

“The way you look at her,” Jackson said. “And for a guy that clearly knows the mind of a woman, you’ve been rather dense about figuring it out.”

“What are you saying?” Reed asked. The ball clanged off the rim and bounced into the grass, forgotten.

“Kate’s in love with you,” Jackson said.

“She can’t be,” Reed said, but his voice faded as he heard the truth.

Every look, every smile, the way her green eyes softened when she looked at him. The heat in his chest burned bright as he thought of Kate’s lips pressed against his. He shook his head, afraid to speak it aloud.

But did he feel the same? The prospect terrified yet thrilled him, and he looked away from Jackson’s triumphant smirk. But if Kate was in love with him, why hadn’t she said anything? Why would she hold it back?

“She’s waiting for you, Reed,” Jackson said.

“You think she’s waiting for me to say it first?”

“Do I have to solve everything?” Jackson asked, sweeping his hands wide. “You drive slower than my grandma—and she’s in a walker. She’s loved you for weeks—probably months—even if she didn’t realize it herself. The blondes, Shelby, even Tanner knows it and he’s just barely started hanging out with us.”

“Tanner?” Reed asked.

“Yes, Tanner,” Jackson said. “The guy asked me if you and Kate were engaged. He’s hung out with us twice, and he knows it. Why can’t you see it?”

“This doesn’t feel like what I felt for Aura,” he said.

“That’s because you loved her like a teenager crush,” he replied. “That’s not what you feel for Kate. You have that undying—kiss forever—passionate and lasting kind of love that everyone wants.”

“How can you possibly see all that?” Reed protested.

“Because that’s what I feel for Shelby,” he said.

Jackson began to laugh and put his hands on his hips, the sound echoing over the court. Nearby players stopped their game and pointed as Jackson’s amusement washed over them. Then he thrust his hands in the air.

“I’m getting married!” he shouted.

“Congrats, bro!” someone shouted.

Jackson whooped and clapped Reed on the shoulder. “Good game, brother. I needed that.”

As Jackson jogged to retrieve his ball, Reed remained in place, struck by the ramifications of what Jackson had suggested. Then he felt a thrill as he thought of Kate and looked to the sky in chagrin. He wasn’t ready to shout it to the heavens, but he found himself wondering.

Was he in love?