Wicked Things We Crave

Chapter Three

Astrid had just finished zipping her yellow sundress when the doorbell rang and she glanced at her phone that sat on her bed. He was right on time, as usual. After she collected all her belongings and grabbed her red cardigan in case it got cold later on that night, she trotted over to the door and opened it with a smile on her face. 

Jonah gave her a quick once over, which didn't surprise her in the least. After her mother split when she was a kid, she grew up with guys. She was fairly certain he hadn't seen her in a dress since her prom five years prior. Instead, he saw her in her work uniform, generally stained in grease even through she didn't do repairs, or in jeans and a t-shirt. 

But after an insanely long nap, Astrid was feeling spunky. She'd even put on a little makeup and curled her hair, though she knew the curl wouldn't hold for more than an hour or two. 

"Holy shit," Jonah spoke bluntly. He took a step back and wiped at his face as if he were attempting to wake himself. "You look..."

Only, he didn't finish. 

Astrid wasn't certain whether to take it as a compliment, or an insult that he'd only now just noticed she did, in fact, have a body. She supposed it wasn't his fault. Her father had ordered her uniforms in a size larger than what she wore, just so customers and techs wouldn't flirt with her. When they went out, it was always at a dive bar without much reason for getting gussied up, and always went right after work. 

The few times he did take her out to a nice restaurant to celebrate her birthday, Astrid was too out of her element to know what in the hell to wear, and generally just stuck with black slacks and whatever shirt didn't have a stain on it. 

With her other group of friends, she got dressed up all the time, but Jonah hadn't been there to witness it. 

"Were you planning on complimenting me, or were you just going to stand there and make me feel self-conscious?"

 Jonah's eyes shot open and quickly found hers. "Sorry. I guess I'm just not used to this. You look gorgeous, Astrid."

Her smile returned, albeit became a somewhat bashful one, and Astrid tucked one of her curls behind her ear. "Thank you. I figured it we were going to the bar afterward, I should probably wear something nicer."

"Do I look good enough?" Jonah asked in a serious tone, looking down at his clothing choice. 

Despite it being eighty degrees outside, he was wearing a gray tee shirt and black flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with plain blue jeans. "You look very handsome," she told him earnestly. Warm, but handsome. "Promise."

Jonah's eyes returned to hers and playful grin played at his lips. "I'm going to have to deal with guys hitting on you all night, aren't I?"

"Like I don't have to deal with that all the time," Astrid fired back. 

It was a bit annoying how women flocked to him. Despite rarely putting much effort into his appearance, he seemed to have something going for him that demanded attention. Hell if Astrid knew what it was since she'd never experienced that pull for herself, but she'd witnessed it time and time again. 

Maybe it was his quiet demeanor. Maybe it was the soulful look in his eyes. She supposed if she looked at it from a completely impartial view, it could just be his looks. Yes, he was her godfather, and no, no crush was there. But he was a good looking man, especially for his age. 

He never went home with any of them while she was around, since that would be damn awkward, but she did see him occasionally flirt back. It was rare, but it happened. 

"Besides," Astrid continued, "what's wrong with me being hit on?"

That playful grin disappeared from Jonah's face. "What's wrong is I don't wanna get stuck in a jail cell all weekend, which is exactly what will happen if I see some guy trying to hook up with you tonight."

That did happen once when a tourist somehow made his way into the bar they went to after work. He hadn't gotten arrested, but he and her father did have to be held back when the guy put his hand on her thigh. 

"You have self-restraint," Astrid reminded him. "Use it and don't ruin my birthday."

Jonah crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No promises."

***********

"Win a prize! Step right up and win a prize!"

Astrid picked off a chunk of cotton candy and popped it into her mouth. She hadn't had cotton candy since she was in her early teens, and minus probably feeling like shit about herself later, it was just as good as Astrid remembered.

"Have a bite."

"No."

"Come on," Astrid taunted, picking off another chunk and zooming it around like an airplane going toward him. "You know you want some. All the cool kids are eating it."

Jonah finally broke into a smile and opened up his mouth, leaning his head back and allowing the plane to drop the cotton candy into his mouth. He waited until after it disintegrated before he spoke. "With the amount you're making me eat, I'm going to have to go on a fast for two damn days."

Astrid almost rolled her eyes, but caught herself. It was one of his biggest pet peeves. She was aware that it was fairly easy to gain weight as you got older, but Jonah did everything to ensure that wouldn't happen, missing out on all the glorious, delicious things in life. If he indulged, he'd either work it off in the gym or go on a fast. 

It would be a bummer once her metabolism turned on her. 

When Jonah made very brief eye contact with one of the booths, the man behind it yelled. "Sir, come on over and win a prize for your girlfriend!"

A laugh escaped her, and Astrid quickly covered her mouth, but not before earning a glare. This wasn't the first time someone mistaken him for her boyfriend. Given how comfortable they were with one another and how young he appeared, it'd happened a couple of times in the past. Each and every time, she found it hysterical and he always looked as if his head was going to blow up out of sheer anger or embarrassment. Astrid enjoyed watching him clam up. 

"Goddaughter!" Jonah corrected. 

When the man tensed up, Astrid just gave him a smack on the chest. "Come on. Win me something for my birthday."

"They're rigged."

"I know. I also know that you and my dad figured out how to beat them. I'd always come home with a bag full of prizes." 

A devilish smile appeared on on Jonah's face. "Which prize do you want?"

Astrid looked over toward the booth and scanned the options. Before she could even say it aloud, Jonah guessed. "The monkey."

That used to always be her prize of choice. The loot adorned the top shelf of her spare bedroom to this day. "Maybe."

Jonah grabbed another chunk of cotton candy and dropped into his mouth, then headed over to the booth to win her monkey.

He didn't stop playing until half of his trunk was filled with stuffed animals.