Part 7 (2/2)

That night, as I was walking to the train station, I impulsively turned around and headed back to the apartment, deciding to take an early Sat.u.r.day morning train instead so that we could hang out. I would ask her if she wanted to go out and eat or rent a movie. Those were harmless things, right?

I loved lying to myself, apparently.

Dropping my travel bag by the apartment door, I made my way down the hall. Nina's bedroom door was open, and she was standing there looking at herself in the full-length mirror attached to her closet.

My jaw dropped, and my heart pounded as I took her in. A tight dress hugged her voluptuous body. Her hair was cascading down her back in beautiful long curls that almost reached the top of her amazing a.s.s.

She was wearing stripper heels. Nina looked like she'd been kidnapped and done up by a tribe of wh.o.r.es.

It was the hottest f.u.c.king thing I'd ever seen in my entire life.

She hadn't noticed me just outside the door, so I moved in closer. Her dress was bright purple, and I decided to make a dumb joke about it since telling her what I was really thinking might have gotten me arrested. ”Nina, Barney the dinosaur called. He wants his skin back.”

She flinched when she saw my reflection in the mirror. ”Jake! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on your way to Boston.”

”Nice to see you, too.”

”Well, it's just that you usually leave from work and-”

I lied to her. ”I missed the 5:15 Amtrak, so I might either catch the last train at 9:30 or just go in the morning.”

”Oh.”

She seemed absolutely shocked to see me and quite uncomfortable. Then, she turned around.

She turned around.

f.u.c.k.

My eyes unapologetically went where they needed to go. The dress had a plunging neckline that showed way too much of her ma.s.sive cleavage. While the back view looked hot, the front view was downright indecent. My throat seemed to freeze. I knew I should have said something but couldn't find the words. No other woman had so much as crossed my mind s.e.xually since Nina entered my life. My earlier conclusion that staying friends was a good idea now seemed ludicrous as I stood there taking her in and praying away my erection. I sure had been lying to myself. My mouth was watering for f.u.c.k's sake. The truth was...I was starving for her. Only her.

The way her chest was heaving as I looked at her, the way she always reacted to me made me feel like she wanted me that way, too.

I forced myself to speak. ”Nina...you look-”

”Interesting?” She smiled in an attempt to lighten mood.

My hungry eyes travelled slowly downward, taking in her t.i.ts and the way the material of her dress clung to her taut stomach. Her bare legs looked longer in heels. ”That's one way of putting it.”

Our eyes met again. She could tell where my mind was. h.e.l.l, it couldn't have been more obvious.

”Jake!”

I turned around to see our roommate, Tarah, enter the room but quickly returned my gaze back to Nina.

”Tarah!” I said, mimicking her shocked tone of voice. Understandably, everyone seemed so surprised to see me here on a Friday night. It dawned on me that maybe they were getting ready to go out on a girls' night.

Would it have been wrong to invite myself?

I plopped down on Nina's bed and joked, ”I didn't know we were going out tonight, Nina.”

”We...are not going anywhere,” Tarah said. ”She is going on a date.”

It was like my world stopped spinning when she said it.

My head and ears began to throb as jealousy hit me like a ton of bricks.

Get your s.h.i.+t together, Jake.

I couldn't.

It was impossible to pretend that this news wasn't wrecking me. As much as I'd tried to distance myself, as much as I knew Nina could never accept my life if she knew the truth...in my heart, I believed she was mine. Mine. It was the first time the realization of that deluded misconception really hit me.

The only words that would come out of my mouth were, ”I see.” My hands formed into fists to ward off the anger building inside me. ”I suppose he's taking you to the Vegas Strip in that outfit?”

Tarah said something, but I didn't even hear it because I was too busy staring at Nina, this time into her eyes. I wanted to carry her in my arms back to my room and cover her with my body. I had no right to feel this way and knew I needed to leave before I made a total fool of myself since I apparently couldn't hide my jealousy. This had honestly never happened to me before. Maybe if I'd had a chance to practice this reaction when I was thirteen, I wouldn't have been acting like a teenager right now.

”Have fun,” I said with about as much enthusiasm as sending someone off to a funeral. ”And don't forget a jacket. You're bound to catch pneumonia dressed like that.” I couldn't help myself. I guess I just had to stick that in to further solidify my role as a jealous idiot.

Slamming the door behind me, I returned to my room and literally punched the wall. Smart. Taking it out on an inanimate object was really going to help.

I sat on my bed and nervously bopped my feet up and down. The silence was deafening as I held my head in my hands while my heart continued to pound. I was angry with no one but myself for letting my feelings for her get to this level. She had every right to be wined and dined by someone. She deserved the best that life had to offer, and I had nothing to offer her.

My body remained in the same position with my head down until I heard knocking in the distance. It must have been Nina's date. The thought made my stomach turn.

I got up and peeked out the door, only able to make out bits and pieces of the guy.

Blondish-brown hair. Clean white s.h.i.+rt. Khaki pants. Boat shoes.

Boat shoes. Really? f.u.c.king dweeb.

With my piercings and tats, I was the polar opposite of this dude. If this was the type she went for, then maybe my vibes from her have been all wrong.

When I heard Nina's bedroom door open, I backed away from my own door so she wouldn't see me creeping. Once she entered the kitchen, I repositioned my ear to eavesdrop.

I could hear him complimenting her and felt bile rising in my throat.

I opened the door a crack to see them. You should've seen the way he was gawking at her. I wanted to choke him because it was exactly the way I was looking at her earlier.

Dirty b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Ryan asked them where they were going, and the guy started talking about some Italian place he was gonna take her to. I was sure he had lots of plans up his sleeve for later, too. I was onto him and needed to let him know it. So, I stepped out into the living room.

”She's always wanted to go to Top of the Rock.”

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