Chapter Two
1287 Words
Andrew's POV
I froze.
There he was. Jake.
His hands wrapped tightly around some girl’s waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, his mouth on hers, like he hadn’t just asked me to come out with him tonight.
My feet wouldn’t move. I stood there — chest tight, mouth dry, and heat rising behind my eyes.
Of course, he was kissing her. Of course.
Jake wasn’t mine. He never was.
But damn, it felt like betrayal anyway.
This was not the first time I have seen jake with a woman, but it doesn’t hurt less every time. Ever since the season started, we’ve partied less and my head must have gotten confused again.
I turned away before I could throw up or cry — not sure which would’ve come first. The music felt like it was thudding through my skull.
I needed a drink. Or ten.
…………….
Three shots later, the burn of tequila barely registered. Was it three? I have no idea. I could barely count my fingers.
The club lights blurred into each other like watercolors. I sank onto the bar stool, elbows on the counter, trying not to think about what I just saw — but it was there every time I blinked. His mouth. Her hands. His smile.
I hated her. I hated him.
No. I hated myself for hoping. Not that he ever gave me a reason to hope in the first place.
“Andrew?”
The voice cut through the fog in my head.
I looked up.
Jake.
Of course.
“What,” I muttered, not turning fully toward him. I can’t afford him reading the emotion on my face.
He looked disheveled — probably from kissing her like his life depended on it. His hair was a little mussed, lips a little swollen.
God help me. What I would give to know what those lips taste like.
“I was looking for you,” he said cautiously. "You left the table. Thought maybe you were in the bathroom.”
I stared at him.
“Yeah? You looked busy.”
He blinked. “What?”
“I came back a while ago, but I saw you with your tongue in that chick’s mouth, Jake,” I said flatly, finally meeting his eyes.
“Yeah, she’s cool man. I might leave with her.” He looked mesmerized. I guess he likes this one.
“Right,” I deadpanned, looking down at my drink.
“Seriously, Andrew, what’s going on with you?” He moved closer, lowering his voice. “You’ve been acting weird all night.”
“Weird?” I echoed, spinning toward him. “You think I’m being weird?”
He blinked again, clearly thrown off.
I fixed my expression. “I’m fine, man. Go have fun with your girl.” I pushed him gently in her direction.
He looked like he had more to say; pressing his lips into thin lines, he stalked off. I stared long and hard at his back as he walked over to her, feeling like a discarded tissue.
It got blurry after that.
There were lights. Music. Bodies grinding to the beat. I might’ve danced — might’ve just swayed like a drunken i***t in a corner.
Some woman started talking to me. Blonde. Sharp chin. Flirty smile. I don’t remember her name. Maybe she never gave it.
She laughed at something I said — or maybe she just wanted a drink. Either way, I let her get closer.
I let her pull me into the crowd.
I let her kiss me.
I let everything slide away, just for a moment — including Jake.
---
The world tilted sideways when I stumbled through the front door of our house.
Jake disappeared a long time ago. I knew because I saw him leave with the brunette. I wonder what they are doing right now?
The woman giggled behind me, kicking her heels off in the hallway like she owned the place.
“You sure this is, okay?” she whispered, pressing up against me.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
It wasn’t fine.
We made it to the spare room — the guest room, not mine. I still had enough of a conscience left not to take her to my actual bed. She kissed me again, hands tugging at my shirt, breath hot on my neck.
I closed my eyes and let it happen.
Her nails. Her mouth. Her perfume — sickly sweet. Things that would drive a man crazy, if he wasn’t in love with a straight man.
But no matter what I did, my mind kept going back to one thing.
Jake’s smile.
Jake’s voice.
And I hated myself for thinking about him while someone else was touching me. No one deserves this, but I’m going to be selfish tonight.
---
I woke up to a dry mouth and a pounding skull. My stomach felt like it had flipped inside out.
She was still asleep next to me, curled up in the sheets. I sat up slowly, careful not to wake her.
I needed air.
I slipped out into the hallway. The house was quiet. My door was shut. Jake’s too. Thank God.
I padded into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, chugging half of it before the sound of a door opening froze me.
Footsteps padded into the hall.
Jake.
He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, eyes locking on mine. His hair was messy. He was shirtless and barefoot.
He looked like he hadn’t slept either.
“You’re up,” he said, his voice low.
My body tingled with different sensations. “Barely.”
He looked past me, toward the hallway. “She still here?”
I nodded once.
He nodded back, lips pressed together. “I didn’t think you were going to bring someone home.”
“Didn’t plan on it,” I muttered, twisting the bottle cap.
“Was it… good?”
I shot him a look. “Really?”
Jake shrugged. “Just making conversation.”
I turned away, staring into the sink like it might open and swallow me. “It was a mistake.”
He leaned on the counter, arms crossed. “You got pretty wasted.”
“Yeah, well… I had a good reason.”
He hesitated. “About last night—”
“Don’t.”
He exhaled sharply, like he was about to argue — but didn’t.
Instead, he just stood there. Quiet. Watching me.
I hated it. The awkwardness. The weight in the air. We weren’t like that. We didn’t do silence.
“Is this going to be a thing now?” he asked after a long pause.
“What thing?”
“This… weird tension. Like I stepped on something and broke it, but I don’t know what.”
I forced a bitter smile. “We’re fine, Jake.”
“You sure?”
No.
“Yeah.”
He snatched the bottle of water I was holding, taking huge gulps, a stray drop dripped down his chin. I looked away, I’m sure no guy stares at their friend’s throat like it’s a plate of lobsters. “So… practice later?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah.”
“You going to be alive for it?”
I smirked, despite myself. “Barely.”
Jake laughed, turning and walked out of the kitchen. A moment later, I heard the front door open. He was probably going for a run. That’s what he did when things got weird — ran until he could barely breathe.
We were still bros.
Still best friends.
Still pretending everything was fine.
- Writer
