I laughed. He wasn’t upset. I relaxed into my seat and shrugged. “He’s not an ex, but yeah, there’s someone else.”
“I wondered about that.”
“You did?”
We paused at an intersection.
Then, he pulled forward. “I’m going to sound like an ass here, but I’ve kinda wondered about it since the beginning, especially when we raced away from those old people. You seemed extra charged that night, and then when we got to your place, you got that text, and there was nothing for me. You called me Wanker.”
“I did?” My mouth fell open.
He laughed, turning onto the interstate now. “It was sort of a blow to the ego, but, hey, I’m the one who fucked up. I had a shot with you, and I went back to Tara. It was a mistake. The two of us…” He shook his head. “We’re bad. I thought she knew that, too, and accepted it. I don’t know why she came today, but she’s friends with some of my buddies. They invited her. She’s got friends who are friends with my friends.”
“She wants you back, but I don’t have to inform you of that.” I leveled him with a knowing look. “You already knew that.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. His jaw firmed, and his hands clenched tighter on the steering wheel. “Doesn’t matter. No matter how much we loved each other, it’s over.” He glanced through the side of his eye to me. “For good. I have to move on.”
Now, I smiled. Before, I would’ve squirmed, wondered if he’d meant me, but I shook my head this time. “Are you serious? We just told each other that we were trying to forget other people, and you’re flirting with me again?”
He laughed, his hands relaxing on the wheel. “You’re right, but I can’t resist. You’re gorgeous, Jo. Seriously. All those guys back there were checking you out.”
And cue the squirming. “No one noticed me, except for you.” I paused and then relented, “Well, they noticed us when we walked out, holding hands.”
He barked out another laugh. “You’re right. Tara’s going to be fuming about that for months. I’m sure she’s on the phone, bitching to Susan already.”
Susan.
The interview.
Erica.
I cursed.
“What?”
“I’m in trouble.”
“Why?”
“I was supposed to be at that interview, and then I ditched it.” I cringed. “I told Erica I went home because I was sick.”
“Well…shit.” He turned on the blinker and turned right onto my street.
“She’s the kind to hear that I went to your party instead of being there for her, so she will jump to the conclusion that I ditched her to hang out with you instead.” I groaned. “I’m in such trouble. Fuck Ki—” My hand clamped over my mouth. I’d almost said Kian.
Oh my God. My heart started pounding.
I felt the blood draining from my face as I stuttered, “Uh—fuck-ing hell.”
Jake was quiet, swiveling into a parking spot a block down from my building. I waited, my heart pounding, to see how he’d react to that slip.
After he turned the car off, he took the keys out and regarded me for a moment. “Ki, huh? Tell me the truth.”
Oh my God.
He cocked his head up and smirked, a flirty gleam in his eyes. “Did you go and fall in love with Keetan Birches behind my back?”
Keetan Birches?
It clicked. Keetan was in our class, and he’d given me a rose one day. That was when Jake and I’d first begun to see each other. Jake hadn’t thought it was funny, but Keetan was a clown. He’d pretended to propose marriage at the end of class, too, all for a show and all to get to Jake.
I burst out laughing and grabbed on to Jake’s arm. “No, no. Fucking hell. I meant to say, ‘Fucking hell.’ Not Keetan. But you know that was all to piss you off back then, right?”
He started chuckling with me. “I know. He had a thing for Tara during our freshman year.”
He got out of the car and resumed as we approached my front door, “To be honest, I think he’s the one who screwed us up.”
I unlocked the door, and we headed for the elevator. “What do you mean?”
Jake leaned against the wall as I hit the button.
He folded his arms and shrugged. “I think Keetan asked Tara out. When she told him about us, he told her about you and me. That was why she suddenly wanted to get back together. That’s my guess anyway.”
The elevator arrived, and we waited until we got to my floor. As we walked to my apartment, I couldn’t shake the feeling of comfort. We seemed like actual friends. When I unlocked my door and we went in, I started grinning. I couldn’t stop.
“What’s that look for?” Jake helped himself to the refrigerator and grabbed a water. “That’s when I should’ve listened to my instincts, you know.”
I tossed my bag and keys onto the table. “How so?”
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go. I was dumb back then.”
My eyebrows arched up. “That was seven months ago.”
He slid into a chair across from me. “Yeah, I was a whole other person back then. I thought I was God’s gift to women.” He tipped his water to me. “Thought I could let you go and get you back with the snap of my fingers.”
I frowned. “That’s…mildly insulting.”
He waved that off and winked. “Don’t be. I’m the one with a good kick to my ego. I don’t know who the other guy is, but he’s an idiot. He shouldn’t let you go. You’re going to get snapped up by some guy.” He patted himself on the chest. “I’m not that lucky.”
“Shut up.” But I was grinning. It felt nice, hearing all of this, even though I knew it was smoke going up my ass. “You’re the one who’s going to be back with Tara by the end of the month.”
“No.” He scowled and shook his head. “No way.”
“That’s my prediction. I’m just smart, knowing to get out of the way of your epic love story with her.”
“No, no, no.” He kept shaking his head. “That will never happen. Never again.”
“Never again, Jordan.” Kian’s voice sounded in my head.
He was standing beside Edmund, and he paused, saying those words to me, before he gripped the knife tighter. I knew he was going to do it. I saw it. I felt it. I had a moment to stop him. I could. I knew it. I couldn’t explain how I knew it, but he would stop if I’d utter just one word. I didn’t, and he didn’t. I closed my eyes now, jerking in my chair, as Kian’s arm moved in one smooth motion, slicing Edmund’s throat. It’d happened so quickly, not even in the blink of an eye. It had been faster. Then, it was done. Edmund stood there with a confused look in his eyes. It was like he didn’t realize what had happened. He hadn’t felt it then. One more second, and then he did. I saw the pain fill his eyes. His hands lifted to his throat. He made one gurgling sound, and then he fell to his knees.
“I wondered about that.”
“You did?”
We paused at an intersection.
Then, he pulled forward. “I’m going to sound like an ass here, but I’ve kinda wondered about it since the beginning, especially when we raced away from those old people. You seemed extra charged that night, and then when we got to your place, you got that text, and there was nothing for me. You called me Wanker.”
“I did?” My mouth fell open.
He laughed, turning onto the interstate now. “It was sort of a blow to the ego, but, hey, I’m the one who fucked up. I had a shot with you, and I went back to Tara. It was a mistake. The two of us…” He shook his head. “We’re bad. I thought she knew that, too, and accepted it. I don’t know why she came today, but she’s friends with some of my buddies. They invited her. She’s got friends who are friends with my friends.”
“She wants you back, but I don’t have to inform you of that.” I leveled him with a knowing look. “You already knew that.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. His jaw firmed, and his hands clenched tighter on the steering wheel. “Doesn’t matter. No matter how much we loved each other, it’s over.” He glanced through the side of his eye to me. “For good. I have to move on.”
Now, I smiled. Before, I would’ve squirmed, wondered if he’d meant me, but I shook my head this time. “Are you serious? We just told each other that we were trying to forget other people, and you’re flirting with me again?”
He laughed, his hands relaxing on the wheel. “You’re right, but I can’t resist. You’re gorgeous, Jo. Seriously. All those guys back there were checking you out.”
And cue the squirming. “No one noticed me, except for you.” I paused and then relented, “Well, they noticed us when we walked out, holding hands.”
He barked out another laugh. “You’re right. Tara’s going to be fuming about that for months. I’m sure she’s on the phone, bitching to Susan already.”
Susan.
The interview.
Erica.
I cursed.
“What?”
“I’m in trouble.”
“Why?”
“I was supposed to be at that interview, and then I ditched it.” I cringed. “I told Erica I went home because I was sick.”
“Well…shit.” He turned on the blinker and turned right onto my street.
“She’s the kind to hear that I went to your party instead of being there for her, so she will jump to the conclusion that I ditched her to hang out with you instead.” I groaned. “I’m in such trouble. Fuck Ki—” My hand clamped over my mouth. I’d almost said Kian.
Oh my God. My heart started pounding.
I felt the blood draining from my face as I stuttered, “Uh—fuck-ing hell.”
Jake was quiet, swiveling into a parking spot a block down from my building. I waited, my heart pounding, to see how he’d react to that slip.
After he turned the car off, he took the keys out and regarded me for a moment. “Ki, huh? Tell me the truth.”
Oh my God.
He cocked his head up and smirked, a flirty gleam in his eyes. “Did you go and fall in love with Keetan Birches behind my back?”
Keetan Birches?
It clicked. Keetan was in our class, and he’d given me a rose one day. That was when Jake and I’d first begun to see each other. Jake hadn’t thought it was funny, but Keetan was a clown. He’d pretended to propose marriage at the end of class, too, all for a show and all to get to Jake.
I burst out laughing and grabbed on to Jake’s arm. “No, no. Fucking hell. I meant to say, ‘Fucking hell.’ Not Keetan. But you know that was all to piss you off back then, right?”
He started chuckling with me. “I know. He had a thing for Tara during our freshman year.”
He got out of the car and resumed as we approached my front door, “To be honest, I think he’s the one who screwed us up.”
I unlocked the door, and we headed for the elevator. “What do you mean?”
Jake leaned against the wall as I hit the button.
He folded his arms and shrugged. “I think Keetan asked Tara out. When she told him about us, he told her about you and me. That was why she suddenly wanted to get back together. That’s my guess anyway.”
The elevator arrived, and we waited until we got to my floor. As we walked to my apartment, I couldn’t shake the feeling of comfort. We seemed like actual friends. When I unlocked my door and we went in, I started grinning. I couldn’t stop.
“What’s that look for?” Jake helped himself to the refrigerator and grabbed a water. “That’s when I should’ve listened to my instincts, you know.”
I tossed my bag and keys onto the table. “How so?”
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go. I was dumb back then.”
My eyebrows arched up. “That was seven months ago.”
He slid into a chair across from me. “Yeah, I was a whole other person back then. I thought I was God’s gift to women.” He tipped his water to me. “Thought I could let you go and get you back with the snap of my fingers.”
I frowned. “That’s…mildly insulting.”
He waved that off and winked. “Don’t be. I’m the one with a good kick to my ego. I don’t know who the other guy is, but he’s an idiot. He shouldn’t let you go. You’re going to get snapped up by some guy.” He patted himself on the chest. “I’m not that lucky.”
“Shut up.” But I was grinning. It felt nice, hearing all of this, even though I knew it was smoke going up my ass. “You’re the one who’s going to be back with Tara by the end of the month.”
“No.” He scowled and shook his head. “No way.”
“That’s my prediction. I’m just smart, knowing to get out of the way of your epic love story with her.”
“No, no, no.” He kept shaking his head. “That will never happen. Never again.”
“Never again, Jordan.” Kian’s voice sounded in my head.
He was standing beside Edmund, and he paused, saying those words to me, before he gripped the knife tighter. I knew he was going to do it. I saw it. I felt it. I had a moment to stop him. I could. I knew it. I couldn’t explain how I knew it, but he would stop if I’d utter just one word. I didn’t, and he didn’t. I closed my eyes now, jerking in my chair, as Kian’s arm moved in one smooth motion, slicing Edmund’s throat. It’d happened so quickly, not even in the blink of an eye. It had been faster. Then, it was done. Edmund stood there with a confused look in his eyes. It was like he didn’t realize what had happened. He hadn’t felt it then. One more second, and then he did. I saw the pain fill his eyes. His hands lifted to his throat. He made one gurgling sound, and then he fell to his knees.
