Chapter 107: 107 | Past Tense, Future Tense, and Present Tense

Jordan turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the campus parking structure. Chloe sat in the passenger seat scrolling through her phone, her blue streak catching the afternoon light through the windshield.

Traffic was light heading toward Fashion Island. Jordan merged onto PCH and glanced at Chloe.

"You sure you’re cool with them coming along?"

Chloe looked up from her phone. "Of course. Alexis is good at formal stuff. Dinner attire. We both need outfits for meeting your parents tomorrow."

Right. Tomorrow. Saturday dinner with his mom and dad at Giuliano’s.

His stomach did something uncomfortable.

"Plus Kumiko is where I get most of my fashion tips from." Chloe locked her phone and set it in her lap. "I’m surprised you didn’t invite Kyle or Leo."

Jordan snorted. "Kyle wears Nike tech everywhere. That’s his version of formal. And Leo dropped a grand on a Supreme hoodie last month. I’m not consulting either of them on anything."

Chloe laughed. The sound bounced around the car interior and made something in Jordan’s chest feel lighter.

She reached over the center console and took his hand. Her fingers threaded through his and settled there. Her palm pressed warm against his skin.

Chloe started to speak. Stopped. Her mouth opened again like she was searching for the right words.

"What?" Jordan gave her hand a squeeze.

"Nothing. Just." Chloe stared down at where their hands met. "I dated people before. A couple guys. But none of them were ever really able to take me places like this. Or buy me things."

Jordan’s eyebrow went up. "Seriously? You strike me as the girl whose dad bought her a Mercedes at sixteen."

Chloe’s hand flew out and swatted his shoulder.

"Shut up. I’m not spoiled." She pulled her arm back across her chest in mock offense. "My parents just made sure I never went without. That’s different."

Her voice shifted lower on that last sentence. Quieter.

"Made sure. Past tense."

Shit.

Jordan tightened his grip on her hand but his brain short-circuited trying to find words. Bringing up her dad directly felt too raw. Pretending she hadn’t said anything felt cruel. Trying to joke his way through it would make things exponentially worse.

His throat wouldn’t work.

The quiet filled the space between them.

A red light caught them at Jamboree Road. Other cars boxed them in on all sides. The air conditioning cycled on with a soft mechanical hum.

Jordan’s thumb moved in slow circles across the back of Chloe’s hand.

"I can handle that part now." His voice came out lower than he meant. Rougher. "Making sure you don’t go without. I’ve got you."

Chloe’s eyes went glossy. Her lower lip started to shake.

Then she shifted her weight across the center console. One hand planted on his thigh to hold herself steady. Her mouth pressed against his.

The kiss carried the taste of vanilla lip balm and something faintly sweet underneath. Chloe’s lips moved soft and warm and desperate against his. Jordan’s free hand came up to cradle her jaw. His fingers tilted her face up so he could kiss her properly.

A car horn blared from somewhere behind them.

The light had turned green.

Chloe pulled back with a breathless laugh and sat properly in her seat. Her face was flushed pink and her eyes were still wet but she was smiling.

"You’re so corny." Chloe’s voice carried that teasing edge again, but softer now.

"You love it."

"I really do."

Jordan drove the rest of the way to Fashion Island with Chloe’s hand warm in his and her head resting against the window glass. Her thumb traced small patterns across his knuckles every few seconds. She didn’t let go once.

The drive took twenty minutes through Newport Beach’s cleanest streets. Palm trees lined both sides of Pacific Coast Highway. Other cars around them probably cost more than his tuition.

Jordan pulled into Fashion Island’s massive parking structure. The outdoor mall stretched out in clean architectural lines and expensive glass storefronts. Palm trees dotted the walkways between buildings. This was the kind of place where a basic t-shirt ran two hundred dollars and nobody blinked.

He found a spot on the second level near the elevator. The Civic’s engine ticked as it cooled.

Chloe was already unbuckling her seatbelt when Jordan turned off the ignition.

Jordan climbed out and walked around to her side. He pulled her door open before she could reach for the handle.

"Such a gentleman." Chloe stepped out and stretched her arms overhead. The white crop top rode up to expose a strip of toned stomach and the silver navel piercing that caught the parking structure’s fluorescent lights.

Jordan’s eyes followed the movement for a second longer than they should have before his brain kicked back in.

Chloe smirked. She’d noticed.

While Chloe grabbed her purse from the floor, Jordan pulled out his phone and checked his account balance.

$2,847.21

The number sat there like a promise.

The Cashback System had been depositing money steadily all week. Breakfast purchases. Dinner orders. The computer setup had netted him over five hundred in profit alone.

This mall was a cheat code.

Jordan could drop a few thousand here and walk away with more money than he started with. Every dollar spent on Chloe was an investment that paid dividends.

His girlfriend was literally profitable.

The thought made him grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Chloe locked her arm through his.

"Nothing. Just thinking about spending money on you."

"Weirdo."

They walked toward the elevator that led down to the main shopping level. The structure was clean and modern with directional signs pointing toward various stores. Nordstrom anchored one end. Neiman Marcus the other.

Jordan’s phone buzzed.

Kumiko: we’re here!! by the fountain near bloomingdales

Jordan: heading down now

The elevator dinged and opened. They stepped inside with two older women carrying shopping bags from Tiffany’s. The doors closed and the car descended smoothly.

When they reached the ground level, Jordan and Chloe stepped out into open air. Fashion Island was technically outdoors. Stores lined wide pedestrian walkways with potted trees and benches scattered throughout. The ocean breeze carried salt and expensive perfume.

They walked past a Tesla store and an Apple Store. Past Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The people shopping here wore clothes that cost more than most monthly rents.

Jordan spotted the fountain up ahead.

Two figures stood beside it.

"Hey guys! Over here!"