Page 53 of We're Just Friends
That should have been a big enough clue. If Jake had really become a changed man, then he would have avoided those calls from Hillard!
Perhaps the worst part was that I’d have to hold it together for Caley. Poor, innocent, and sweet Caley. She didn’t deserve to be abandoned yet again. It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if I hadn’t invited him to sleep over. That was the hardest part for me to swallow. If I’d just kept it as it was, then Caley never would have woken up to see her “Jakey.”
It wasn’t long before my sobs wore me out, and I slowly felt myself succumbing to exhaustion.
As I started to fall asleep, the doorbell rang and jolted me awake. I wiped my eyes, sat up, and looked in the mirror. I was a complete mess. Mascara was running down my face, red lipstick was smeared all over my cheeks, and my hair was completely disheveled. I went into the bathroom, pulled myself together, and went downstairs to the door. I looked through the peephole.
It was Jake, standing on my porch, pacing back and forth. I wondered if he was there to tell me that he’d changed his mind and would be staying, but I refused to get my hopes up.
After letting out a big sigh and composing myself, I opened the door and tried to remain calm.
“Hey,” he said in a quiet voice.
He looked so good in his dark denim jeans and tight white shirt. The wind blew, and I got a whiff of his cologne. I prayed he wouldn’t smell any of it on me since I had just been on his side of the bed.
“Hey,” I replied.
We just stood there for a few moments, neither one of us really knowing what to say. Jake was clenching his hands together. “How are you? Don’t you have to leave for work soon?”
“No. I called off. And um, I’m okay, I guess.” I kept waiting for him to say something, to tell me that he was on his way back to San Diego and was just saying goodbye.
I didn’t want him to come inside, but I also didn’t want to come off as a bitch. “You wanna come in?”
I moved back a few inches, just enough to let him in.
“Is that okay?”
I nodded and gave a little smile.
Jake walked inside, and we just stood in the foyer, looking at each other. The tension between us was intense, and I was doing my best to be distant, but not too cold. I didn’t want us to end things on a bad note, but I also didn’t want to show how much I was dying inside.
He immediately picked up on my body language, slid his hands into his pockets, and let out a long breath. “We need to talk.”
22
Jake
Icould tell Julianna was keeping me at a distance. As soon as she opened the door, her entire body stiffened, and it was like there was an invisible wall between us. One that I wanted to so desperately knock down, but couldn’t.
“Go ahead.” She folded her arms and kept a significant distance between us, making it clear that I wasn’t allowed to go any further than her foyer.
“I just want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed these past few months with you, and Caley too. Believe me, you have no idea how bad I wish things had turned out differently.”
“It’s fine,” she said while faking a smile. “Really, Jake. I knew this would eventually happen. You made it clear from the beginning that your visit to River Valley was just that… a visit.”
As I stared into her eyes, I could tell that she’d been crying. Her hair also looked messy, which was unusual for her. She was usually so put together. More knots formed in my stomach.
“I hope you know that it’s not an official goodbye,” I said. “I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
She quickly wiped a tear from her eyes and looked away, pretending to search for something. I stared at her for a few minutes longer, thinking of what else I could say to make it right. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”
I gave her a look that said returning wasn’t in my near future, that it was just a business trip that included a fling. “I, um-“
“Look, I have to go pick up, Caley. But I really appreciate you stopping by. Really, I do.” I wanted to grab her and kiss her one last time, but I knew that if I did that, I wouldn’t stop.
“Can we talk later on tonight?”
There was a long pause before she nodded. “I’ll call you after Caley goes to bed.”
