Painfully Ordinary Special Edition by Stephanie Amox Read Free Book Online Page B

TV. It didn’t matter to me if it was an old game being replayed or a current game—as long as it was hockey, I
was happy. Fortunately, there was a division playoff game on the screen right
above Jace’s head. It definitely gave me an excuse for not being overly talkative.
Leah and I ordered our usual chicken Caesar wraps, while Jace ordered a huge,
triple burger and Talon ordered an extremely rare steak. Even with the
distraction of the game, I was still so nervous I only ate half my meal.
    Jace finally broke the silence, as he usually did. “So what
normally goes on at these bonfire parties?”
    Leah tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Well, we
can’t say for sure, since we’ve avoided it in the past. However, I understand
there’s usually loud music and drinking, and of course, the occasional couple
sneaking off for some alone time.”
    Jace leaned in to Leah and asked in a low voice, but not so
low that I couldn’t hear them, “I’m curious—why haven’t you ever gone before
tonight?”
    Leah grimaced. “Ryan is always at these parties, and as you
know, Caiti tries to avoid him whenever she can.”
    Talon raised one eyebrow at Jace, who nodded at him in return.
    Leah nudged Jace in the shoulder “Skooch over and let me
out for a sec.”
    The disbelief echoed in his voice. “ Skooch ?”
    Leah grimaced. “Yeah, skooch. Like
scoot…move your butt.” She tapped me under the table.
    “Caiti – come with me?”
    I tore my gaze away from the game. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.” I gave Talon a little pat on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry. Do you mind? It won’t take long.”
    “You know, you don’t have to apologize for everything. It’s
perfectly okay to tell people what you want.” He slid over in the booth, holding
out his hand to help me up. I gave it a quick squeeze in thanks.
    Leah grabbed me by the hand, propelling me toward the
bathroom. “Are you okay?”
    I was a little confused. “Yeah. Why?”
    “You have been completely out of it and in your own little
world all night.”
    I sighed. “I know. I’m so nervous. I can’t explain why, but
I feel really on edge. I’m afraid I will fly apart at the seams if I don’t
completely focus on keeping it together. I’m sorry–I hope it’s not ruining
anyone’s evening.” Now I was worried. I seriously hoped Talon hadn’t noticed. I
ran one hand through my hair. Ugh, who was I kidding? He
noticed everything.
    Sympathy shone in Leah’s eyes. “Cay, don’t apologize. I
know exactly how you feel. I told you earlier, I have been uneasy all day. Just
watch, the evening will be amazing. Considering who we are with tonight, how
could it be anything else? When we get back to your house, we can chalk it up
to the full moon, PMS or anything else we want.”
    I gave her a quick hug. “What would I do without you?”
    As we approached the table, Talon and Jace had their heads
together and Talon appeared upset. His eyes were flashing a bright blue. Jace leaned
across the table and smacked him on the shoulder. Talon quickly tore his gaze
away from us and nodded at Jace. When he met my eyes again, his eyes were a
soft brown. I knew I hadn’t imagined it this time and the shock must have shown
on my face.
    Jace jumped up. “The pixies have returned. Let’s go do some
off-roading!”
    Leah and I exchanged nervous glances. What exactly did he
mean by off-roading?
    Talon squeezed my hand and chuckled. “Don’t worry. I
promise we will take good care of you.”
    I gave his hand a weak squeeze in return. We all piled back
into the car, with some help from the boys. The ride to the bridge was filled with the sounds of Leah giggling at Jace’s antics
in the backseat. Laughter was her way of dealing with her nervousness. I tend
to get really quiet when I’m on edge, and that night was
no different. Talon reached over and took my hand, caressing my thumb. The heat
started where our hands touched and radiated all the way down to the soles of
my feet. Funny, I