Page 23 of Wrapped Up

I blink, realizing I've been lost in my own head. “Sorry, just... thinking.”

“About what?” Jack asks, his voice soft and curious.

Our eyes meet again, and for a moment, I consider telling him. Laying out all my doubts, my fears, my confusion. But the vulnerability terrifies me, so I deflect.

“Just wondering how you managed to survive that baking disaster,” I say, forcing a light tone. “Sounds like you're a menace in the kitchen”

He grins, accepting my deflection with grace. “Oh, you have no idea. I'm a disaster with anything more complicated than a microwave.”

As the conversation flows on, I can't shake the feeling that I'm standing on a precipice. On one side is the safety of my cynicism, my carefully constructed walls. On the other... well, that's the terrifying part. I don't know what's on the other side. But as I watch Jack laugh with Anna and Peter, I think back to the day I met Felix, his charming smile and smooth words. “You’re different from other girls, Jenn. Special.” The same words he’d probably used on his secretary.

I grip my glass tighter, trying to quell the rising panic. But Jack isn't Felix. Is he?

I force a smile as Jack finishes his story about Tommy, trying to push away the warm feeling in my chest. His passion is... intoxicating. No, stop it, Jenn. You're not falling for this again.

“The kids adore you, Jack,” Peter exclaims, his eyes shining with admiration.

Jack chuckles. “Look who's talking. I swear, from the moment you walked in the kids liked you. And now everytime you talk about Anna, and the fun things you do, the kids hang on your lips.”

Anna smiles, her hand finding Peter's on the table. “Oh, stop it,” she giggles, but the rosy flush on her cheeks gives away her happiness.

“It's truly heartwarming,” Jack says, his gaze sweeping over the couple. “To see such genuine love between two people. How did you two meet?”

As Anna begins to share their romantic story, her eyes light up with joy. But as I listen to her words, a familiar ache fills my chest. It's the longing for something I'm not sure I'll ever have.

“I just wish my best friend could experience that kind of love.” Anna sighs, shooting a pointed look in my direction. “Jennifer hasn't had much luck in the romance department.”

Heat rushes to my face as I shoot Anna a glare.

“Anna!” I hiss, feeling mortified and vulnerable under their pitying gazes. “That's not appropriate dinner conversation.”

But Jack leans forward, his eyes focused on me. “Really? And what was Jennifer's worst relationship, according to you?”

“Oh, Felix was the absolute worst,” Anna laments with a sympathetic tone, and I shrink into my chair.

“He swept Jenn off her feet, you know? All grand gestures and promises of forever.”

I bite my lip until I taste copper. Images of Felix’s charming smile flash through my mind, quickly followed by the horror that still churns my stomach.

“They were together for two years,” Anna continues on, oblivious to my discomfort. “Jenn truly believed he was The One. They even talked about getting married.”

Jack's eyes lock onto mine from across the table, his expression intense and impossible to read.

“But then,” Anna lowers her voice to a whisper, “Jenn decided to surprise him one day by coming home early. And well...”

Not wanting to hear more, I push away from the table with a screech of my chair against the floor. “I need some fresh air,” I mutter, quickly escaping the dining room and ignoring the concerned calls behind me.

The cool night air hits my face as I step onto the concrete of the backyard, and I greedily gulp it down, trying to calm my racing heart. Footsteps approach, and I tense, expecting Anna's apologetic babble. But the presence behind me is too strong, too intense to be my well-meaning friend.

Keeping my gaze fixed on the cold concrete walls, I speak without turning. “If you've come to offer sympathy, don't bother. I've had enough of that for a lifetime.”

Jack's body radiates heat like a furnace as he moves closer, and I have to stop myself from leaning into his warmth.

“I didn't come here to pity you,” he murmurs. “I came to tell you that Felix was an idiot.”

“Well, thanks, but you have no idea,” I retort, my voice shaky.

“I know what you're feeling. I've been there,” he says softly, his tone tinged with pain. “My wife of five years… she cheated on me. On our anniversary, of all days.”

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