Page 64 of Love Medley
“I agree with Zoe,” Iz nods.
“Wonders never cease,” Amelia sighs, shaking her head with an indulgent smile.
“You really think Jake likes me?” I ask. I just don’t know how that could be true.
“He seemed pretty dazed after you jumped him,” Zoe laughs. “I think that was a pretty good sign.”
“Maybe,” I say doubtfully. But an ember of hope flares in my chest. My lips still taste of him.
The next morning, I lie in bed for a moment, feeling unbearably weary. I was restless all night, trying to decipher Jake’s feelings. Decode my own feelings. What that kiss meant.
It’s exhausting.
And yet, I still couldn’t sleep.
Finally, I drag myself out of my rumpled blankets to put on a pot of coffee.
For the first time, Jake and I don’t have plans to see each other again. Operation Fake Relationship was technically a success. So why do I feel like it was a complete failure?
I pull my phone out. I wonder if I can be bold enough to call Jake? Point blank ask him about his feelings for Sam? Even the thought of that makes my face burn. Maybe it doesn’t have to be that blatant. Maybe we could just start small? Coffee again? Something friendly? Innocuous? Something that wouldn’t scare him off?
After staring at his name in my phone contacts for way too long, I jump when I realize my phone is ringing with Jake’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hello?” My voice comes out little more than a squeak after clicking the green “answer” button.
“Lucy?” Just hearing that single word in Jake’s rich baritone makes me tremble in the best of ways.
“Hey, Jake.”
There’s a pause, and I wonder if the call dropped.
But then he says, “Um…I don’t know how to segue into this gracefully so I’ll just say it.”
My heart is in my throat. What? What could he possibly have to say?
Then the words rush out as if he’s been holding them in for a long time. “I’m not into Sam. I’ve been over Sam for a while. I just couldn’t bear for you to believe that any more. It felt dishonest.”
I blink. What? “Uh…” My brain is scrambling to understand what he’s saying, to reframe the past two weeks. “But then why?”
Another beat. “Fuck,” he breathes, and I can even imagine him running a hand through his hair. “I just…I wanted you to feel comfortable with the whole fake dating thing. You seemed to need more reassurance for me to help out with Weston. And I really wanted to help you.”
And again like a broken record, all I can say is, “But why?”
“God, Lucy. Isn’t it obvious? Because it’syou.”
The silence stretches out between us. Pieces start locking into place. All those feelings, they weren’t fake. Those moments between us were real…for both of us.
Jake’s now babbling adorably. “You are so different from any woman I’ve ever met. I feel like we’ve known each other for so much longer than a couple of weeks. Maybe it’s just me, but I just feel like you get me, you understand me in a way no one else has before. But you’re probably just thinking I’m crazy for saying any of this stuff, and—”
And now I’m smiling, a radiant warmth spreading through me. “Jake,” I interrupt.
“I know that there’s no reason for us to get together anymore, but maybe we can—”
“Jake,” I say louder, and he falls silent.
I take a deep breath. Be brave, Lucy.
“I want to ask you out.” And just in case, to make it crystal clear. “On arealdate.”
