Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
He already saw me crying, so what the hell. The words tumble out of me before I even realize. “I saw him with someone.”
His forehead creases. “Where? What were they doing?”
“At a coffee shop. She’s hanging on to his arm, laughing.”
“And him?”
Remembering what Jordan looked like brings fresh tears to my eyes. “He looked at her lovingly, also laughing.”
Toby scratches the back of his neck, doubt and confusion lining his forehead. “And you’re sure this is Jordan?”
“I’m not blind.”
He opens his mouth, then closes it, and opens it again. “I’m not saying you are. It’s just that … he’s been obsessed with you since the semester started. You know, that first day in class when you both responded to his name. He charmed Mrs. Kim from the admin office so he could access the student files, and he printed your photo off it. He’s been keeping it in his wallet. Which I wasn’t on board with.”
“What?”
Toby smiles softly. “Creepy, right? I’ve known him for twelve years, and he’s never done that. Every time you said no to him, he would come home dejected. It was hella weird seeing him like that.”
I want to feel happy at this revelation, but I can’t. I’ve seen Jordan with my own eyes. That doesn’t explain any of this. “So why? Why would he do that?”
Toby pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I don’t know. Listen, tell me what the girl looks like.”
Just like that, my gut clenches. “She’s beautiful, and they look like the perfect match.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I-I have to go. Thank you for whatever this is.”
“Jordyn… Talk to him, at least.”
“I will.”
For the record, I hate confrontations. I hate talking to someone when I’m still marinating in anger. I feel like if I open my mouth when I’m still seething, I will end up saying things I’m going to regret later.
This is going to suck; I just know it. The day will most likely end with me bawling my eyes out in bed and stuffing my face with ice cream and chips.
My palms are sweaty, and my jaw is clenched. The irrational part of my brain tells me to stop while I still have a chance and go home and sleep it off. The rational part screams at me to get this over with.
I have to knock on his door three times before I hear some scuffling inside, and the door opens. I suck in a sharp breath.
It’s her. The girl. Up close, she’s even more beautiful, with her long lashes, high cheekbones, and heart-shaped lips. Someone whose face should be on magazines or billboards. Someone those girls back in class would never snicker about.
I hate her so much. And I hate that I don’t look anywhere like her.
Jordan appears behind her, his hair damp from the shower as he towels it off. Our gazes lock, but instead of guilt, his face breaks into a smile.
Wait, what?
This throws me off and hurts me more than it should, like he lodged a hot knife into my chest and twisted it.
My vision narrows, and all I see are both of them—two perfect humans who look so good together. I stand there, hollow and aching, and try to breathe through it. Every inhale is heavier, and every exhale is shakier.
It’s like watching a glass break in slow motion, knowing it will shatter into pieces, but I’m powerless to stop it.
It was good while it lasted. He was still worth giving my virginity to, for whatever it’s worth.
7
JORDAN
Itake back everything I ever said about being clingy because, right now, I’m acting like a lovesick teenager.
After dropping Jordyn off at her class, I started to miss her. The only reason I resisted the urge to sit beside her and take a class in my free time was the fact that I didn’t want to scare her off. She wasn’t fond of people in general, and I was the sole exception. I wasn’t going to undo all my hard work by sticking to her side 24/7 like Velcro.
But she’s here. Maybe she misses me as much as I miss her? Maybe we can be clingy together?
“Baby!” I call out even as something nags at me.
Something’s wrong. I can’t pinpoint it, but I know by the subtle expressions on her face and the way she shifts from one foot to the other.
She doesn’t look happy. In fact, she looks far from happy. Her eyes are puffy, her nose red, and her freckles are more pronounced than ever. What the hell? A fierce surge of protectiveness thunders through me.
Forgetting Elena, I rush to Jordyn, only to see the exact moment she darts her eyes from Elena to me. In the space of a breath, I realize what it looks like to her, internally groaning at how stupid I’ve been and waving my hands. “Baby, it’s not what you think!”