Read Choices (New Beginnings #1) for Free Online

teased, finally cracking a smile.
    "Yeah ... well ..." Jason said. "No." He laughed even though Michaela could tell it hurt.
    Chris and Maggie showed up a few minutes later with food, and Michaela was glad for the distraction. Jason could say it wasn't her fault as much as he wanted to, but she knew the truth. She’d been drunk and sent that guy all the wrong signals, no wonder he went too far. During her first breakup with Ethan, in college, she took a lot of guys home that were just like him. She hated that Jason had to get involved. She could barely meet his eyes as she bit into her sandwich.
    "Elijah is taking care of things at the bar right now," Maggie informed them. "Then Aaron can handle it for the rest of the week."
    "No way," Jason said. "Aaron can just help me."
    "Doctor's orders." Maggie stared at Jason stubbornly. "You are supposed to take it easy for the week."
    "Bullshit." Jason stared right back.
    "Jason Marks, if you leave this apartment, you'll have me to answer to. Aaron is your assistant manager. He knows what will happen if he lets you go back to work."
    "He works for ME!"
    "Oh, dear, dear Jason." She leaned forward and patted the unbruised side of his face. "But I am so much scarier than you." She got up and threw her sandwich wrapper in the trash. "Aaron will do as I say. Now, I have papers to grade. I'll see you later."
    They all stared after her in shock.
    "She's a teacher?" Michaela asked incredulously.
    "First grade, if you can believe it," Jason said, his voice much more sullen than before.
    "Is she your girlfriend or something?" she asked. Chris snorted beside her.
    "Cousin," Jason answered. "But more like a sister."
    "Oh," she responded.
    "Hey man, Mic and I have to go," Chris said. "I have an early meeting tomorrow."
    "I guess I should sleep or Warden Maggie might come back and make me." Jason sighed and struggled to stand.
    "Well, hey," Michaela began, "my job doesn't start for a few days so I'll come back tomorrow and keep you company." The thought of that made her excited and she didn't know why.
    "Sounds like a plan." Jason was smiling again, a fact that was not lost on Michaela as they walked out the door and headed home. 
     
    ###
     
    "Come in!" Jason yelled from inside. Michaela pushed open the door and found Jason lounging on the couch, laptop perched on his legs and his forehead strained.
    "Whatever you are doing does not look like fun," she said.
    "It's not," he sighed, shutting his laptop. "I figured if I'm going to be banned from setting foot in the bar, I might as well get some of the stuff done that I've been putting off. I was going over the books."
    "Well, I brought bagels." She held up the small white paper bag and sat down across from him. "I've got blueberry, plain, and cinnamon crunch."
    "I'll take the plain, thanks."
    "Seriously?" She stared at him. "I bring a cinnamon crunch bagel into your apartment and you choose plain?"
    "Fine, then I'll have cinnamon crunch."
    "Not a chance, that one's mine!"
    "What?" he laughed. "You just told me I should have that one."
    "No," she smirked. "I said you should want to have it, not that you should have it. You should always want the best, even if someone else has already claimed it."
    "What if I think that plain is the best?"
    "Then you're just weird." She grinned as she took a bite and looked at Jason. He didn't look any better than the day before, but she hadn't really expected him to.
    "I never really thanked you," Michaela said when she was done eating.
    "For what?" he asked.
    "For getting me home the other night."
    "Hey," he said, forcing her to look at him. "We all have nights like that."
    "I haven't in a long time. I just ... haven't been myself lately." She stopped and looked at the ground in silence for a few moments.
    "You don't have to tell me," Jason finally said. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "But you can if you want to," he finished quickly.
    She nodded and wiped the back of her hand across her face. I will