Page 76 of Withered

I walk towards the door, but Jake doesn’t follow. “You coming?” I ask, looking over my shoulder.

He mutters something I don’t catch. Can’t he just say everything out loud?

I allow Jake in, leave him, and walk straight into the kitchen. I grab my juice from the fridge and drink it straight from the carton.

Jake walks in and chuckles at me. “What are you, five?”

I roll my eyes at him and pour him a glass of water.

“Are you hungry?”

He shakes his head. “Not really.”

“I’ll make something really quick.”

When I open the fridge, I see eggs.Why do we always have eggs?I decided on egg tacos.

Jake’s gaze is fixed on me the entire time. His head moves right and left as I walk back and forth from the fridge to the counter.

“Stop watching me,” I say after some time.

He chuckles but doesn’t deny anything.

I make tacos and arrange them on a plate. One for me and another one for Jake.

“I told you I wasn’t hungry,” he says.

“Just shut up and eat.” I take a bite of my food.Yummy.Not that bad for not doing anything.

“I want to tell you something,” He speaks. I nod because of the goodness stuffed in my mouth.

He locks his eyes with mine and says, “Nothing happened between me and Olive.” She has to come around anytime we are having a good time.

I swallow the bite quickly, keeping my gaze on him. There is no hint of lying in him.

“I owed you an explanation. She tried to kiss me, but I didn’t do anything. I pushed her away.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” I ask him.Food long forgotten.

“I did not get the chance earlier.” I avert my eyes from him, and he adds, “Sorry. I made you cry.”

My gaze meets his in a flash, and he does look regretful.

As tears pool in my eyes, Jake rises from his seat and steps in front of me. Hot tears fall down my cheeks, and I have to crane my neck to look at him. “You hurt me.”

“I am sorry.” His thumb caresses my cheek and wipes away my tears.

“Your nose turns red when you cry.” He flicks my nose.

A giggle escapes my mouth, and I lightly shove him away. He returns to his chair and eats. I love this side of him. Simply amusing and carefree. He’s just a completely different person, and I like it a lot. It’s exhausting how quickly his mood shifts. His mood swings are giving me whiplash. In hours, I’ve watched him go from angry to sad, maybe shattered, and then playful. It’s hard to keep up.

We finish our food, and I quickly wash the dishes to join Jake in the living room.

He’s sitting on the couch with his head back, eyes closed, and mouth slightly parted.Is he asleep?

I tiptoe my way toward him and wave my hand in front of his face. He looks so calm like this, with his hair pushed back and his black strands standing.

I run my finger between his brows and down his straight nose. When he scrunches his nose adorably, I stop instantly, not wanting to wake him up.

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