PART 6 CHAPTER 198
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LUKE
I raised my fist to knock, letting it fall on the door a little harder than necessary. I could hear movement inside, muffled voices and what sounded like laughter. My gut twisted.
Just as I raised my hand to knock again, the door swung open, and there she was–Jess. Her hair was a little wild like she’d run her hands through it too many times, and she was balancing herself against the doorframe, looking slightly off–balance. Her cheeks were flushed, and the smile that was there a second ago was fading by the second.
And then my gaze trailed down to the dress–if it could even be called that. It was the tiniest black dress I’d ever seen on her, hugging every curve in a way that made it hard to think straight or focus on anything other than the smooth curve of her hip.
She blinked up at me, her mouth forming a small “oh” of surprise. And then she hiccuped, the tiniest sound and her cheeks flushed even more.
Jess was drunk.
I tried to bite back a smile, but her startled, glassy eyes and that tiny hiccup undid me. Fuck, I missed her.
“Luke…” she murmured, her voice soft, like she wasn’t sure if I was really
here.
“Hi,” Was the only thing I could get out, keeping my voice steady. My hands itched to pull her to me, to press my lips to hers in a way that would erase every trace of the mess that has been in our lives the last few years, but I forced myself to wait. She was tipsy–more than tipsy–and
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this moment needed to be clear. Needed to be real.
Just then, I caught a glimpse of movement over her shoulder. A tall guy, maybe a couple of years older than me, strolled over, pausing too close behind her. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down.
“Who’s this, Jess?” he asked, his voice smooth but fractured somewhere. between English and French. His hand went to her shoulder as if he had any right.
I held back, just barely. My eyes fixed on Jess. “I’m her…” I paused, realizing I didn’t exactly have a title, at least not one that made sense. “I’m here to see Jess.”
The guy scoffed, his hand still lingering on her. “We were just calling it a night,” he said, his tone possessive. He looked down at her with a smile. that was more smirking than anything else. “Right, Jess? Ready to go to bed?” The guy purred in her ear, and Jess pulled away immediately, her face stone–cold sober now.
She blinked, her gaze flickering between us, confusion and something else clouding her eyes. “Luke, I… what are you doing here?”
The guy shifted, moving to step in front of her. “I think she wants you to leave.”
That was it. I straightened, jaw clenched, and stepped forward, pushing the door open wider. “Jess,” I said firmly, ignoring the guy, “I’m here because I need to talk to you. Alone.”
The guy looked ready to start something, his hand balling into a fist as he stepped closer. “I don’t think so,” he said, his voice low. “Why don’t you take a hint?”
I was done playing nice. “Why don’t you get lost?” I said, my voice cold. I stepped forward, filling the doorframe I leaned against a second ago. The
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more I straightened my spine, the more the guy started cowering.
“You should fucking leave.” I gritted out, and he looked over at Jess, who shrugged apologetically.
The guy hesitated, his eyes flickering to Jess, waiting for her to stop me. But she didn’t. Her eyes were locked on mine, and in them, I could see that she wanted to say something–anything–but maybe didn’t know how.
After a long, tense moment, the guy finally shrugged, plastering on a cocky grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Whatever,” he muttered, his voice. dripping with indifference. “This chick is not worth it.” He cast one last glare in my direction before shoving his hands in his pockets and slinking out into the night.
“I should put his head through a wall,” I mumbled more to myself than anyone else.
Silence filled the space he left behind. Jess watched him go, then turned
back to me, and I saw the uncertainty written all over her face.
her gaze
Finally, it was just us.
“Luke, I don’t… How did you? What are…” Jess backed away into the studio apartment, and I followed her inside, watching her back away from me step by step.
I shut the door behind me and approached her like a wild animal, palms up in surrender.
“Jess, I just want to talk…” I said as softly as possible, but she shook her head in disbelief.
