“ you’re like a forbidden fruit when i can’t touch you ~ kind of sexy ”
Character: Jackson Collins
Despite the noise in the bar and people attempting to get his attention Jackson heard Laney’s voice perfectly clear and the dim lights did little to hide the blush on his neck. She always had a deep effect on him and even after weeks of not hearing from her it felt exactly the same as it did when they first met. In an attempt to hide his irritation at how easily he could be pulled into her aura he continued cleaning the bar in front of him and gave her a polite smile as he let himself take her in slowly.
He’d been on the beach with some friends when he’d bumped into Liam and the boy had casually mentioned how Laney hadn’t been doing great, but when Jackson offered to go and visit the girl Liam set him with a weird look and told him not to worry. The secretive nature of the O’Neil siblings had annoyed him enough that he tried to forget about the situation but it hadn’t stopped him hovering by his window, his eyes fixated on the bedroom across the way.
What they went through couldn’t exactly be described as a breakup -- it was mutually agreed that they should probably end the casual thing they had before one of them (Jackson) ended up having their feelings hurt (more). He had kind of been hoping to salvage a friendship from it but his jealousy was unjustified and her affinity for disappearing for days on end irked him and before he knew it almost an entire month had passed without talking.
Not that he was counting.
(Not that he knew the date of the last text he sent. Which she read but didn’t reply to.)
“Only kind of?” He questioned, pushing any resentment from his tone and he counted it as a win when she laughed softly and nodded. There was a look of confusion in her eyes at him being behind the bar and he looked to the side nervously, giving her a shrug. “Dad lost a few hours at work so I’ve picked up a second job. It’s easier since my nights are free now.”
As always Laney had a look on her face that seemed like she wanted to tell him something, like she wanted to say more, like she was ready to let him know more than she ever told him before but then she busied herself looking through the cocktail menu and he rolled his eyes. “What are you going to make me?”
It was amazing how smooth she could act like nothing was wrong; how she could pretend like this wasn’t the first time they’d spoken in forever; like Liam definitely didn’t tell her he bumped into him on the beach while he was on a date. Part of him knew it was because he was sure she didn’t miss him half as much as he missed her when they didn’t speak but it was easy to forget that when she gave him that cheeky smile and her eyes brightened just enough to keep his attention.
He set about making her a Long Island Iced Tea, mostly because it amused him that the majority of alcohol in it was from her families own label, and he laughed at the look in her eye. “I’m not sleeping with you tonight,” he told her firmly but by the way her smiled widened he knew he had failed to convince either of them. They both knew that they’d probably go home together, even though he knew he’d get attached, even though they knew she wouldn’t. But, really, when she looked like that he couldn’t be blamed could he? “Get that forbidden thing out of your head right now.”
