Page 38 of Not Just Gal Pals

Damn, I liked spending time with her. And kissing her. And the more time I spent with her, the more into her I got. The sensible thing to do would be to cut off contact for the remainder of her stay. That would eliminate the risk of accidental kisses and hopefully reduce my current levels of pining. But that option sounded very unappealing right now.

We walked past the bandstand and down the pier until we reached the railings. The moon peeked out behind clouds, faintly reflected on the river. Across the river, a few lights twinkled.

I leaned against the railing, listening to the water lap against the side of the pier, and tried to gather my thoughts. If cutting off contact with Jenny wasn’t the answer, what was? I sighed, and it came out louder than expected.

“Are you okay?” Jenny turned to look at me.

I’d never been great at communicating my feelings, and it was even harder when I was unsure what those feelings were, but I had to say something. It might as well be the truth.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m finding this whole thing—us—a little confusing.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” Jenny gave a wry smile. “Kissing about thirty seconds after agreeing to keep things platonic didn’t exactly clarify where we stand.”

I chuckled. “No, not exactly.”

“Since platonic doesn’t seem to be working for us, what do you think about—”

Oh shit. Is she going to suggest cutting off contact?

But Jenny didn’t finish that thought. Instead, she looked at the sky. “Did you feel a raindrop?”

“No,” I replied quickly, hoping she’d continue what she’d been saying.

“Hmmm. I’m sure I felt one.” Jenny grabbed my hand, the soft warmth of her skin against mine sending my nerve endings tingling. “Let’s go to the bandstand, just in case.”

She tugged me toward the bandstand. I still hadn’t felt a drop of rain. “You know you don’t need an excuse to take a closer look at the fairy lights, right? You could’ve just asked,” I teased.

Jenny laughed. “Hey, I’m not making it up. I swear I felt a raindrop.”

“Uh-huh.”

As we got closer, I had to admit that the fairy lights were a nice touch. They gave the bandstand an ethereal charm, like it was a floating portal to another, magical world.

We walked up the stairs onto the bandstand floor, where Jenny let go of my hand and twirled around, smiling. “This is gorgeous!”

I couldn’t help grinning at her enthusiasm. Or thinking just how gorgeous she was as well.

She stopped suddenly, her smile fading. “Although, if it starts raining, the fairy lights won’t electrocute us, right?”

I snorted. “Oh my god, Jenny. They would not cover an outdoor pavilion in wires that could electrocute us.”

Jenny giggled. “Good point. I’m blaming that comment on George’s punch.”

Jenny walked toward me, and my heart started thumping.

I cleared my throat. We needed to finish the conversation we’d started before we got carried away again. “So, before the alleged raindrop, I got the impression you were about to say something, perhaps about us?”

Jenny stopped a foot in front of me, looking at me directly. “Alleged?” Jenny asked, mock outrage in her voice. “But yes, I was going to suggest that…” She swallowed. “Look, I don’t know if this is a good idea, since I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do it anymore but…”

My heart beat faster. Where the hell was she going with this?

“I was thinking, since we’re clearly attracted to each other, perhaps we could just, um, have fun until I go back to LA. You know, we could be un-platonic, but keep things casual.”

My mind started racing. I’d only ever had serious relationships before. I’d never even considered having a friends-with-benefits arrangement, which is what Jenny seemed to be suggesting. I could never see the point. Either I liked someone enough to want to date them seriously, or I didn’t. Period. But this time, it didn’t feel so clear-cut.

A buzz of excitement grew in my chest. Perhaps this was the solution. I’d be able to do all the things with Jenny that I’d been fantasizing about for years, get it all out of my system, and then return to my normal, comfortable life as a spinster in January. I’d banned relationships so I didn’t have to go through the agony of getting my heart broken again. But if I went into a relationship with Jenny knowing it was just a short-term thing, then surely I’d be able to protect myself from heartbreak. The clear expiration date would give me certainty.

“Blake? What do you think?”