Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 90410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
At eleven the next morning, I was still in bed when I heard the front door open. I could hear the muffled sounds of Jade and Justin’s voices as she joined him in their bedroom. She must have left the city really early in the morning to come back here.
As much as I really liked Jade, something was unsettling about her return. There was always an underlying jealousy that I couldn’t help feeling. When the bed started creaking, nausea set in.
Damn.
She was home all of three minutes before pouncing on him. I couldn’t say I blamed her one bit, but I really didn’t want to hear it. I covered my head with my pillow, shut my eyes and reminded myself that they would both be gone in a few weeks.
Three weeks.
Around noon, I threw on a terry cloth sundress before joining Justin and Jade downstairs. The sun pouring into the kitchen was blinding.
Justin smirked and lifted the carafe. “Coffee?”
I flashed an exaggerated smile. “You know what? Yes. I would love some.”
Determined to continue my façade about loving Justin’s coffee, I refused to back down. Sadly, my body was becoming accustomed to the unusually high level of caffeine. The one morning I’d skipped it, the regular coffee hadn’t done the trick. I was becoming addicted to Justin’s coffee fusion, and that really sucked.
“So, how was Sandy’s last night? Did my baby rock the house?”
“He was amazing. Everyone loved him.”
Justin’s eyes met mine for a brief moment. I wanted him to know that I sincerely meant that.
He brushed it off. “It was fine. It’ll give me something to do to pass the time here.”
“What did you play?”
“I tried out a new song.”
I swallowed.
“The one you played for me the other night?” she asked.
“No. A different one.”
It dawned on me that Justin probably chose to perform She Likes To Watch last night in particular only because Jade wasn’t there. It still baffled me that he was keeping the whole incident to himself when he could have just told her and embarrassed the shit out of me.
He smiled at me. “Want a refill, Amelia?”
I smiled bigger. “Don’t mind if I do. This stuff is really growing on me. Quite a surprise.”
“Well, I know you love surprises.”
I rolled my eyes at him. Thankfully, Jade had no way of knowing what he was referring to.
His serving me coffee continued to be a running joke. He thought I was drinking the mud to spite him. The joke was on him. He didn’t realize I was becoming addicted to it and actually truly wanted it. The morning coffee exchange was the only real opportunity for normal communication with him anyway, so I took what I could get.
Jade raked her fingers through Justin’s messy morning hair. “I noticed Olivia commented on your Instagram post last night.”
Looking upset, he moved Jade’s hand off of him. “Jade…don’t.”
I had to ask. “Who’s Olivia?”
“Justin’s ex. She works in the music industry and is really annoying. She comments on all his stuff, even though she knows he has a girlfriend. So disrespectful.”
“I can’t help that she comments on my shit,” he growled.
I was sure there were many former girlfriends.
Olivia.
Huh.
Was I seriously jealous of someone else now, too, when I had no right to be jealous at all? That was pretty pathetic. My jealousy when it came to him was certainly nothing new.
My inability to handle these feelings was a big factor in my moving away and ultimately changed the course of our lives.
***
Ten Years Earlier
“I don’t like it when they start playing these games.”
Justin whispered in my ear, “We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to, Patch.” His hot breath caused a shiver to run down my spine.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
A group of kids from school were hanging out in Brian Bosley’s basement. From time to time, Brian would suggest that we all start playing Truth or Spin. It was a combination of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle. Brian would select the “victims” as he called them. He would ask a question, and if the person pleaded the fifth, refusing to answer, Brian would spin the green Heineken bottle. The victim would then have to kiss whomever the bottle pointed toward. The kiss needed to last a full minute; that was the rule.
It was fun to watch as long as neither of us got called upon. Part of the deal in getting invited back to Brian’s was to play along with his games. Somehow, neither Justin nor I had ever gotten picked upon to participate the last couple of times we came here.
“Banks.”
My heart dropped when I heard Justin’s name.
“Yeah?”
“You’re up.”
“Shit,” Justin muttered under his breath.
He flashed me a worried look before Brian posed the question.
“Question. Do you, or do you not secretly want to bone Amelia?”
My best friend’s face turned red. I don’t think I had ever seen it that color before. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe Brian asked him that, and I was truly scared of the answer, whichever way it went.
He shook his head. “Pass.”
Brian sounded surprised at Justin’s refusal. “Pass? Are you sure?”
“Pass.”
“Alright, then.” Brian wasted no time bending down to spin the bottle. The glass spun around, scraping across the laminate basement floor before coming to a stop.
“Oh! You’re not-so-lucky victim is…Sophie!”
Justin looked at me. The worry in his eyes was tangible, but he knew he had to go through with it.
“One minute,” Brian reminded.
Sophie, who’d been sitting on the ground, slithered toward him. I watched, devastated, as Justin pressed his lips into hers. She opened her mouth wide and wrapped her hands around the back of his head, pulling him harder into her and practically eating his face. I always knew she liked him.
It felt like my heart was slowly breaking with every second that passed. That was the longest minute of my life. It was the first time the jealousy monster had reared its ugly head to that extent. It was also the first realization of how strong my feelings for him really were.