Page 14 of Second Chance Ex
As if she can hear my thoughts, Jessie flashes me a curious glance, her eyes sparklingbeneath the muted light of the dash, plump lips curling into a knowing smirk. And it’s then I remember she just asked me a question. I clear my throat and look away, staring straight ahead at the road illuminated only by the headlights of my Tesla she’s driving because I’ve had a little too much to drink to be operating a vehicle. Shocker.
“Yeah,” is all I say.
Silence ensues, but then after a long pause, Jessie speaks again. “She’s beautiful.”
I don’t respond. I can’t respond. Instead, I allow my mind to wander back to the look in Prue’s smokey brown eyes when I first saw her tonight. Man, seeing her in that instant was something else. Of course I knew I was going to see her tonight. It was inevitable. But nothing could have prepared me for it. I never knew what people meant when they said something took their breath away. I always thought it was just a bullshit figure of speech. Something people say just to say it. A line in a generic rom com. But tonight, seeing Prue in the flesh for the first time in almost two years? It was as if every last ounce of air had been stolen from me, rendering me winded. I actually couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. I don’t even think my heart was beating. It was like time and everything in the world around me came to this sudden standstill. And for the briefest of moments, it was just me and Prue. Again.
Man, she looked good. Actually, fuck it. She looked better than good. She looked more beautiful than I even remember. Her body slightly curvier than it had been. Thicker hips, and the hint of that ass I caught when I tried to put her dress back together. I forced myself to think about shit I’m not even game to confess I allowedmyself to think about, just so I could stop my dick from reacting. All she had on under that dress was a tiny thong the same color as her skin. No bra. And her tits. Holy shit. It was as if she was trying to make my life a living hell. I’d somehow forgotten just how perfect she was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve stalked her Instagram over the years, more than might be deemed normal. But her page is mainly dedicated to her life as a teacher; showing her few-thousand followers her daily teacher ‘fits, her rainbow classroom aesthetic, the festive holiday arts and crafts she does with her students, occasionally she even shows a glimpse of the house she bought, and the DIY renovations she’s doing to it. I can’t say I’m too jazzed about her living in such a dilapidated shithole so close to the main square, but I’m also fully aware I have no say in the matter. Her public Instagram is the only peep I’ve had into her life since we broke up. She deleted me from her personal social media accounts, so I don’t even know if she’s been dating. I’d be a fool to think she hasn’t. And that thought angers me more than it should, so it’s probably a good thing I can’t see her private day-to-day stuff because I’d never stop torturing myself otherwise, constantly checking what she’s up to and with whom, like it's any of my goddamn business. Surely that shit ain’t healthy.
Tonight, when I saw Prue, I hadn’t been expecting it to hit me so hard. But it did. And the second she tried to run off, something inside of me snapped, and almost of its own accord, my body reacted and went right after her. I followed her inside the house, watched her from afar like a fucking creeper as she grabbed a bottle of wine from the kitchen before slipping into thebathroom. And I waited. I waited for so damn long, and I didn’t even know what I was waiting for. But then I gave up waiting, and like a jackass, I walked right into that damn bathroom just like I did the first night we met all those years ago. I know I should have let it go, lethergo. I should’ve gone back out to the party to hang out with Jessie, and the guys I’ve been friends with most of my life. But I couldn’t. Prue Watson has a hold of me. Even after everything we’ve been through. She always will.
Jessie flicks on the blinker and presses the button above the rearview mirror and I realize we’re driving through the big security gates that cordon off my house from the outside world, just outside of Sacramento. We pull up to stop right beside Jessie’s sporty little Beemer, and I heave myself out of the passenger side, a little more unsteady on my feet than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, I save myself before committing to a fall.
“You good to get inside?” Jessie asks, handing me the fob for my car.
I nod, wrapping an arm around her in a sideways hug.
She stares up at me through her long lashes, and from the look in her eye I already know what she’s thinking and it takes everything I have in me not to roll my eyes because I know what’s coming; Jessie isn’t one to keep her thoughts to herself.
“Don’t be a dick, Tanner,” she finally says, and the use of my surname isn’t lost on me. She means business.
“What?” I shrug, opting to play dumb.
She deadpans.
I plead the fifth.
“I said I’d help you out, and I will,” she continues. “But I will not stand by and let you hurt someone simply because you’re too damn stubborn to admit your true feelings.”
I exhale a hard breath, scratching my bearded chin as I stare down at the neatly trimmed grass that crisscrosses through each driveway paver, studying it like it’s the most interesting display of craftsmanship in the world. Anything to avoid the wrath of Jessie when she’s on one.
“Don’t forget, I’m literally risking my job by doing this.”
At that, I force myself to meet Jessie’s eyes, and I suddenly feel terrible. She’s right. When I asked her to come tonight as my date, she knew immediately what it was about. Jessie’s been one of my closest friends—nothing more—ever since I was drafted to the Grizzlies. She knows almost everything, the good, the bad, the downright disgusting. Which is why she agreed to help me out. I think beneath her ballsy, no bullshit façade she’s a true romantic at heart, although she’d never admit it. But she’s a Sacramento Grizzlies cheerleader, and the number one rule for anyone who works for the Grizzlies whether you’re in operations, finance, cheer, or you’re the goddamn janitor, is that there is no fraternizing with the players. If the powers that be find out Jessie came with me tonight, to my best friend’s engagement party, as mydate, she could lose her place on the squad. And I know that’d kill her.
“I won’t let anything happen to you or your job, sweetheart, you know that.”
Jessie presses her lips together in a trite smile. “I know, Joey. But just… Do me a favor?”
I nod. “Anything.”
“Don’t hurt that woman.” She offers me a long, leveled look. “I saw the way she was looking at you tonight, and despite the time that’s passed, those wounds are painfully fresh.”
I swallow hard.Don’t I know it.
Jessie nudges me in my stomach as if to try and keep the air between us light in spite of the heavy context. “Just, tread carefully, okay.”
I nod again, managing a smile.
She punches my arm before turning and walking around the hood of her car.
“Text me when you get home safe,” I say with a warning arch of my brow.
She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Okay,Dad.”
“Smartass.” I bite back my smirk and shake my head, watching as she gets into her car, starts the engine and zips off down my drive and off the property. And as the gates close, locking me in and everybody else out, I remain there, on my driveway for a while, allowing the cool February night air to sober me up a little. My mind wandering back to Prue as it has done for the best part of the last two years. She got drunk tonight. A little too drunk for my liking. She was supposed to give a speech, and she couldn’t even do it because she was wasted. I don’t like that. I don’t like that she got so drunk that she could barely walk straight, and I hate it even more knowing that I’m the reason she felt the need to get totally shitfaced.
I puff air from my cheeks and glance up at the night sky, contemplating myself for a moment. And then, before I can stop myself, I pull my phone from my pocket and shoot off a quick text to Ryan.
