Page 31 of The Winning Ticket

“The love interest. She can definitely do better than the asshole ex.”

A small smile appears, but there is still a little sadness there. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Not sure anyone deserves an asshole ex,” she mumbles.

“No, they really don’t. Some guys are just trash, Bri.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, and I tilt my head back to rest it on the back of the couch. I listen to her music, playing quietly on the stereo while she continues reading. It’s a mix of artists, and I love the chill vibe it gives off. I’d forgotten that one of our shared interests at school was our similar musical taste.

As I drift off to sleep, I can’t help but notice how comfortable this feels.

How right it feels.

14

HOW THE HELL ARE YOU STILL SINGLE?

BRIANNA

I look at Jake over the top of my book and see that he’s fallen asleep. He’d mentioned he’d had to get up early this morning, and then the three-hour drive after he finished work had left him exhausted, so I’m surprised he’d made it this long before he passed out.

His brown hair is a little longer now than how he wore it in school, and I admire the loose curls forming at the nape of his neck.

How had I forgotten how beautiful this man is?

I grin when I realise that Maddie is curled up against his other side, her head resting on his thigh while she looks at me across his lap. I pick up my phone and snap a photo before turning my music down so that it doesn’t wake him, but I feel him squeeze my foot, bringing it closer to his thigh.

“Don’t… Leave it… I like it,” he says quietly, his eyes still closed.

I smile and turn it back up.

I can’t help but notice that he has kept my foot in his hand, running his thumb back and forth even as he’s fallen asleep once again.

I feel a sense of peace fall over me, unlike anything I’ve felt in years. It makes it harder to concentrate on my book, but I don’t move away. I lie to myself, telling myself it’s because I don’t want to wake him. When I know it’s really because this just feels right.

The following evening, the buzzer sounds while Jake is in the shower, so I let the others up. When Jake had said he’d invited the others, I’d extended the invitation to Kylie and Tara as well, and now that we were all here together again, I felt a lightness in my chest. The sounds of our friends’ voices soon fill the apartment.

“I can’t believe you get to live here. I’m jealous,” Kylie says, curling up beside me on the couch.

“Well, if you guys hadn’t just renewed your lease, I’m sure Jake would have offered it to you guys instead of me.”

She scoffs, and Tara looks curiously at her. She hands me my drink before taking a seat on my other side.

“What was that noise for?” she asks Kylie.

“Oh, Bri just made a funny joke. She said Jake would have offered us this place over her if we hadn’t just signed our new lease.”

Tara laughs.

“I don’t get what’s so funny about that?” I look from one to the other, and they both shake their heads.

“You were the most obvious choice. Although once our lease ends, we may be hitting you up to let us move in here as well.”

I hear the others laughing, and I look towards the kitchen, where Jake is once again busying himself with food while the two couples sit or stand on the other side of the bench and chat with him. His smile while talking to Will makes me slightly envious of his easy-going nature. Nothing ever seems like a chore for Jake, and even though he’s in the process of cooking a meal for eight people, he’s not rushed or stressed.

The girls follow my gaze, and Tara squeezes my arm lightly.

“So, how is it living here with him?” she asks quietly.

“Well, technically, I live alone. He only arrived last night, and he’s been at his Mum’s all day, so it’s not really been any different than the rest of the week I’ve lived here on my own.” I say, and Kylie shivers.

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