揅ome on.?She pushes my shoulder playfully. 揝trip.?
Laughing, I get out of bed and unbutton my jeans. 揑 like it when you抮e bossy, sweet Daisy.?
揑 am not sweet!?
I drop my jeans to the floor and step out of them. She isn抰 bashful about looking, and since I抦 already on display, I draw her attention to my thighs. 揑 got these two last year.?
She gets on her knees and inches to the edge of the mattress, then sits back on her heels. 揂ny others??
I nod, swallow, and turn so she can see my back. The cross I got for Mark is the most personal of my tattoos and sharing it with Daisy makes the moment feel heavier. Her cool fingertips meet my skin, and my spine tingles. I know she抯 reading the name and dates and figuring out that it抯 a memorial. I continue to face away from her until her hand falls away.
揑抦 sorry.?Her voice comes in a whisper. 揑抦 assuming this is your friend from the picture??
I get back into bed and roll to face her. 揧eah. Mark was my best friend all the way back to middle school.?
揥hat happened to him??
I take a breath, and she adds, 揑f you don抰 want to talk about it厰
I usually don抰， but something in Daisy抯 meek expression compels me to tell her.
揌e was killed in a hit and run. We were at a party, and he decided to walk home. The driver never saw him.?
揙h my gosh.?Her bottom lip trembles, and I reach out and smooth the pad of my thumb along it without thinking.
揇o you have any tattoos??
She shakes her head slowly. 揘o. I like them, though.?
She sits back, and I lift my right hand to show her the tiny tattoo on my pinkie finger. 揂lmost forgot about this one.?
She takes my hand and brings it closer to her face. 揂 stick man??
揑 thought it was funny. Might have been drunk.?
Silence falls between us as we continue to stare at each other. She releases my hand and lies down. Her eyes flutter closed and then pop open, and a smile tugs at her lips. When they close again, she mutters, 揑 can抰 believe Jordan Thatcher is in my bed.?
揑 can抰 believe I抦 in bed with Daisy Johnson,?I mimic her tone.
揓ust an average Friday night in bed with a random girl,?she says in a teasing tone.
She places both hands under her head and hits me with that innocent, blue gaze. 揥hy did you ask me to come out tonight??
揃ecause I thought you抎 like to go, but wouldn抰 unless someone came and dragged you there.?
She hums her agreement.
揚lus, I was hoping I抎 get to see you in that sexy red dress again.?
She laughs and buries her head in the pillow. 揥hy do I do the most embarrassing things around you??
揌ow is that embarrassing??
揂re you kidding? I sent a guy I barely knew a picture of me in a dress with my boobs pushed up.?As she says the last part, she reaches down and pushes up her tits as if I don抰 have the image of her in that dress burned into my brain. Add this moment to the ever-growing album of images of Daisy I抣l never forget. Her hands are where I wish mine were.
揟rust me. You have no reason to be embarrassed. I should be the one embarrassed by how many times I抳e looked at it.?
She抯 drunk and half passed out, so I don抰 really expect the comment to hit, but an uncomfortable beat of silence hangs between us. Then she giggles, this soft, happy sound I want to capture with my mouth.
Fuck it, I do. Erasing the space between us, I press my lips to hers, far gentler than I want. She inhales a cute yelp, and then her mouth softens and pushes back.
I force myself to pull back and prepare for the possibility she抯 going to tell me to get the hell out, but instead, she smiles, melts into the pillow with her eyes closed, and says, 揟hank you for tonight. I had a really good time with you.?
18
DAISY
A dull ache throbs at my temples and my cheek is plastered against something hard. Slowly, I open my eyes, and awareness slams into me. Jordan slept in my bed last night. And I抦 on top of him. I try to untangle myself, but we抮e in some weird pretzel position that might have been comfortable, but now has my face flooding with heat because he hasn抰 moved from his side of the bed. Which means I attacked him.
揗orning,?his deep voice rumbles beneath me.
揗orning.?My response is squeaky, and I basically jolt myself back to my half of the bed.
揅ouldn抰 help yourself, huh??
I fling an arm over my eyes to block the sun and my mortification. Then I remember. He kissed me last night. My stomach flips at the memory. Does he remember?
揑 can almost hear you freaking out over there.?He gets up from bed and pulls on his jeans. I sneak a glance and then look away when I find him grinning at me. 揑t抯 fine. Your bed is so small. I抎 be more shocked if we didn抰 end up snuggled together.?
揑t isn抰 that.?Or not just that. 揇id you see me basically naked last night??I squeeze my eyes closed while I wait for his answer.
揧ep. Sure did.?
揟hought so.?I groan, and of course he laughs at me like it was all no big deal.
The mattress dips with his weight, and he pries my arm away from my face. 揑 have to go to practice. Drink lots of water and take some more Advil.?
揟hank you for staying and making sure I was okay.?
He drops his head, and his nose grazes along the curve of my neck. In a lower voice, almost like he抯 talking to himself, he says, 揥ho knew white cotton panties were so fucking hot??
He抯 on his feet before I can process it. 揙h, believe me. It was my pleasure.?He hits me with a playful wink. 揥hat are you doing later??
揑抦 not sure.?I sit up. Did we make plans for today that I buried with last night抯 humiliation? That dull ache gets a little more insistent. 揙h, your statistics test is Tuesday. I completely forgot. I抦 probably not going to be a lot of help today. How about we study tomorrow??
A flash of something like insecurity crosses his face. 揧eah. That抣l work.?
He pulls on his T-shirt. His cocky smirk returns as he backs out of my room. 揕ater, sweet Daisy.?
Going back to sleep is not in the cards. Every time I close my eyes, memories of last night replay, making me too antsy to lie still.
I抦 downstairs eating cereal when Violet and Jane get home. Violet goes straight for the fridge and pulls out the orange juice. 揜emind me never to stay at Eric抯 house again.?
揟hat bad??I ask.
Jane抯 laughter follows. 揈ric got a new harmonica.?
揗y ears were bleeding,?Vi says with a groan.
揌ow was The White House??Jane asks, her voice lifting several octaves.
揑t was?kind of amazing.?I sneak a glance at Violet. 揑 wish you guys had been there.?
Except then Jordan wouldn抰 have stayed over, and that was my very favorite part of the night.
揇id you get to hang out with Liam??Violet asks.
揂 little.?
Jane claps her hands. 揑 want to hear all about it, but I need a shower and a nap.?
Vi nods her agreement. 揝ame. And we need to go by the ballroom to take measurements and pictures for the artist.?
揑抦 out,?Jane says. 揑 didn抰 sleep at all last night. I have to crash, but I promise I will be at your beck and call the rest of the weekend.?
揑抦 going to hold you to that,?Vi says as Jane starts out of the kitchen to go crash. She looks at me. 揧ou抣l come??
揙f course.?
After a shower and breakfast, Violet and I go to campus. The ballroom on the first floor of Moreno Hall is way bigger than I pictured.
揌ow many people are we expecting??I ask.
揝o far only fifty have RSVP抎。？
揊ifty?! That抯 way more than last year.?