Page 128 of Withered

I sneak a glance at Jake, who is smirking at me.

Tyler walks away with Kristy, and Jake approaches me slowly. He’s staring at me from head to toe, his gaze leaving a heated trail on me, his forest green eyes lingering on that indecent cleavage and then locking with mine.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

His gaze is fixed on mine as he takes a step toward me, standing a few feet away. He shakes his head, so I ask, “What’s wrong?”

I look down at my dress to check if everything’s okay.

“Nothing. You are an absolute vision,” He comments, giving it that overall look.

Before I can speak, he adds, “Fuck, Look at you. You’ll be the center of attention, and there’s no way I’m letting other motherfuckers breathe in your direction.”

“Why are you worrying about other guys? You already have me, don’t you?”

Jake smiles at me. “If a fight breaks out, it’s on you.”

He takes my hands and leads me to his car. We get in, then head to the other side of this property. I’m still in awe and surprised at Tyler’s house. We arrive at the mansion, which is filled with music. The maximum number of people are already on the dance floor, dancing to the upbeat music playing.

I curse myself for agreeing to be here. As we enter the house, Jake wraps his arm around my waist. I feel a change in the air; it was a little cool outdoors, but it is getting hot in here.

When other people notice us, they stop dancing and make room for us. At this point, everyone stops and starts staring at us. I think it’s mostly Jake. I see girls burning holes in my head from the scowl on their faces.

“Want a drink?” Jake whispers in my ear, his grip tight yet firm on my waist.

I only nod my head over this loud music. We enter the kitchen, and Jake pours me a cherry sour while he gets himself some water. I take a sip of my drink and scoff at its tangy flavor. We return to the living room and find a place for ourselves.

Jake settles on the couch, and I sit next to him, but his arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled onto his lap.

“All eyes are on you, Evans,” Jake murmurs in my ear.

I look around and notice girls throwing that deadly glare my way. I turn to him and say, “I just want your eyes on me.”

His hand moves up and down my arm, causing goosebumps to appear on my skin. Everyone in this room is looking at him, but he is just looking at me.

“I’d rather be at home with you,” Jake says, and I chuckle.

“Was this why Tyler had to convince you to come here?” I ask, and he simply nods.

“Want to get out?” Jake asks, and I quickly nod.

I finish my remaining drink and toss my cup in the bin on my way out.

Jake takes my hand and leads me out to the garden. He walks me to the same huge rock where we talked during my second party here. Everything has changed since then.

We sit down with our backs against the cold rock. The faint sound of the music from the party could be heard in this peaceful darkness. We sit in comfortable silence, with no one speaking and just the sound of our breathing.

“How come you never had a boyfriend? Did you see those fucking guys leering at you? I want to go back in and smash their fucking faces against the wall,” Jake growls in frustration.

I grin at his behavior.Is he jealous?

He turns his body so he’s facing me, his left arm propped up on the rock. “You’ve never had any interest in anyone?”

I turn my body and face him. “I mean, I had, but it was never anything. Just a friendly passing glance, more than anything else.”

“Who was that?” Jake is intrigued.

So I tell him. “His name was Patrick. He got transferred to our school in the sixth grade. I remember him being like a shiny new toy on his first day of school. He was funny, a complete idiot, and friendly to everyone, including me, but for some reason, it didn’t settle well with me. I was quite a loner back then. At first, I didn’t like him. He used to sit right behind me and pinch my cheeks.” I smile, reminiscing about the good old days.

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