“You didn’t tell us about this!” Iz says, pouting. And then: “Wait, those Instagram photos of you two—were they takenhere? You have some explaining to do, missy.”
Sighing, I tell them about how we met up at Coffee Conglomerate, went to each other’s apartments, the showdowns between us and Sam, Sterling, and Weston, and heading to Bill’s right after. Then bringing Bill’s burgers to Jake at work and finding Sam there, probably crying. “So yeah…all of this is moot because he’s totally not over Sam.”
“Do youwanthim to be over Sam?” Amelia asks, her eyes seeing too much.
I look down at my hands. “Initially? I really did just want to help him. I felt terrible that he was just doing the whole fake dating bit because of me. But now? Now I wish I could go kick some sense into Past Me.”
Isabelle interjects, “What does Jake say about Sam? Has he told you explicitly that he wants to get back with her?”
That’s a good question. I scour my mind for anything specific Jake’s said about how he feels about Sam, but I’m unable to come up with anything. And in fact, when the whole fake dating discussion happened, wasn’t it me that pushed the issue? Was Jake ever that enthusiastic about it? But why would he just go along with it if he didn’t even want to be with Sam? None of this is making any sense.
“In my opinion, there’s nothing made-up about this.” Isabelle waves her phone at us. “We’ve all seen these adorable Instagram posts. You can’t fake that!”
Zoe nods. “I don’t always agree with Iz, but those photos don’t lie.”
“Are you sure Jake’s still into Sam?” Amelia asks gently. “He honestly sounds more interested in you than her at this point.”
I bury my head in my hands. “I don’t know! I’m so confused.”
“Well, it’s time to leave. Maybe you’ll get more clarity when you see Jake in person again,” Iz winks at me.
I can only hope she’s right.
“Thanks, guys, you’re the best,” I say, as we gather in a group hug.
“Hey, you are worth it and more,” Amelia says seriously. Zoe and Iz nod their agreement.
My insides clench as I realize how close I was to losing their friendship because of Weston. I’m so lucky to still have these amazing women in my corner.
Amelia pulls out her phone and requests an Uber to TNT so that all of us can drink tonight. This way we can all let loose—we deserve it.
When we approach the front of the line at TNT, a tall Black man guarding the door whistles as he sees us. Somehow, he makes the sound friendly, not leering—a tricky balance. This must be Eddie. I can see why he’s the bouncer. “You ladies look ready for a night out!” he says as he checks our IDs.
“I think we have some tickets? We’re friends of Jake’s?” I say, uncertainty threading my voice. It’s okay if Jake forgot to comp us; maybe he didn’t remember we were coming.
Eddie grins and peers more closely at me. “Oh yes, I do believe Jake mentioned you.” He hands us four neon orange paper wristbands. “These are your tickets, so if you need to run out for any reason, these are your way back in.”
I nod my thanks as my heart races. Jake remembered. Heremembered. That has to mean something, right? But then I tell myself to calm down—he would do that for anyone. He’s just that kind of guy.
The night is sweltering, so the cool air blasting from the vents is a relief.
But maybe I’m heating on the inside for a completely different reason.
My eyes are already scanning the stage for Jake. I’m disappointed when I realize the guy singing and playing on the right-hand piano isn’t him.Where is he?
But then my eyes drift to the left side of the stage, where they rake over familiar broad shoulders in a plain white T-shirt. Slowly I scrutinize every detail of Jake’s profile—the clean line of his nose, the part of his full lips, the long lashes tilted towards the requests in his hands. His dark hair is in disarray, partially covering a pencil behind his ear. I track the contraction of his biceps as he flips through the small pieces of paper.
Exhilaration rushes through me at the sight of him, and I immediately try to shove the sensation away. He’s not mine right? No matter how much he feels like my safe space, no matter how much I feel at home with him—that doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t feel the same.
But no matter what I do, I’m having a difficult time suppressing my growing feelings for Jake.
I’m startled out of my reverie when Zoe yells over the din, “I’m gonna head to the bar. I’ll grab us all drinks!”
Iz, Amelia, and I shuffle forwards, attempting to get closer to the stage. TNT is already packed; we may not be able to find seats at this point.
Suddenly, as if he can sense my presence, Jake pivots towards me, a sideways grin curving across his lips, his dimples making an appearance. When our eyes meet, I gasp involuntarily—our connection has only deepened since we met…at least on my end.
Suddenly self-conscious, I quickly break eye contact, positive that Jake must have noticed the pink creeping up my cheeks even though that's likely impossible in this darkened space.
