Page 35 of Breaking the Rules of Love

But not only is Jake’s little plan not going to work, it’s going to backfire and blow up right in his face. Because today marks the end ofanythinggoing on between us.

Today marks the end of Jake and me.

23

Jake

Two days.It’s been two days since I’ve seen or heard from Sadie.

She hasn’t picked up any of my calls, and she hasn’t returned any of my texts. She hasn’t answered her door the one time I went over and knocked, and the blinds are down on every one of the windows on her house.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say she doesn’t want to see or hear from me anymore,” I say to Ryan, who’s throwing his last dart. He has to hit a bullseye to beat me, and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to put it anywhere near there.

The boys and I have gone out for a couple drinks and some relaxation tonight, seeing as how we don’t have a protection gig and I could use something to keep Sadie off my mind.

“I guess that move with her mom didn’t work out the way you thought it would,” Logan chuckles.

“Would you guys shut up?” Ryan barks. “I’m about to beat Jake’s ass with this throw.”

Logan and I exchange looks and grin to each other. Ryan takes a stance that he learned from someone on TV or the Internet, holds the dart delicately, and throws.

And just like I thought, he hits it nowhere near the bullseye.

“Well, I’m so glad I shut up for that,” Logan laughs.

“Right?” I bellow. “Wouldn’t want to have screwed up that incredible throw.”

Ryan scoffs and kicks at a crumpled-up can by his feet. This bar we’re at tonight isn’t exactly a high-end spot where you’ll find lawyers and doctors ordering martinis. But the drinks are cheap, and that’s all that matters.

“So you really thought you could weasel your way in through the mom?” Logan asks.

“You make it sound so sketchy when you phrase it like that, bro.” I grimace. “She was already out front, and I just ran into her. I figured it couldn’t hurt if I made a good impression.”

Logan shrugs and swigs his beer.

“How hot’s the mom?” Ryan asks. “She a milf? If this chick is ghosting you, I’d go for the mom.”

I stare at Ryan. “Her mom’s like in her 60s, I’d say, man.”

Ryan just shrugs. “Hey, I’ve seen some hot gilfs on the Internet.”

Logan and I both just groan as Ryan cracks up and retrieves his darts. It feels good to be out with the guys. They are taking my mind off what’s going on with Sadie right now, but I really don’t understand why she’s reacting the way she is.

So I invited her mom in for a cup of tea. What’s the big deal? It’s not like I was taking Ryan’s advice and hitting on her or something. And the night before was nothing short of magic. The way we connected on the couch was unbelievable. Never in my life have I experienced something like that. And from the look in her eyes when I had her on her back, neither had she.

So maybe Sadie ghosting me has nothing to do with her mom. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she felt herself getting too close to me. Maybe she felt herself slipping on her little no-relationship rule, so she’s decided to cut me off and stop herself from seeing me so she doesn’t catch any more feelings than she already has.

“See this is why you should have gone for that Violet Keith chick,” Ryan says, chiming in with all his wisdom.

“Here we go,” I groan.

“You could have had that baddie on your resume,” he continues. “But instead, you turned her down so you could get rejected by your neighbor, who you now have to live next to for the foreseeable future.”

“Well, he could sell the house,” Logan suggests.

Ryan grins. “That’s true. He could do that.”

“The house I just bought?” I reply.

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