“Not at all,” Fallon says. “You can’t just stop loving someone, Hunter. You’ve fought so hard for so long. You finally don’t have to be the one to keep the peace. Jade took her grief out on you, and now that she’s finally healing, you no longer have to be her rock. But now, you need time to deal with the heartache it caused you.”
The corner of my mouth lifts slightly. “Jase said something similar the other day.”
Fallon lets out a chuckle. “Yeah, he can be insightful when his mind’s not in the gutter.”
There’s a moment of silence, then Hana asks, “Do you feel a little better?”
“Yeah.” I give the girls a grateful smile. “I think I just had to admit the truth to someone.”
“Do you want me to talk to Jade so she’ll keep her distance until you’re ready to talk to her?” Fallon asks.
“I got the impression you already did that, but Jade just chose not to listen?” I smirk because it’s precisely something Jade would do.
“Yeah, I mentioned it to her, but this time I’ll sit her down and explain that she needs to back off.”
“I’d appreciate it. I just need to work through my emotions.”
The girls get up and come to give me a hug. Pulling back, Hana’s dark eyes search my face, and pleased with what she sees, she presses a kiss to my cheek.
When the girls leave to go talk to Jade, I go to take a shower. With the warm water easing the tension from my muscles, I feel much better when I’m done. I dry off and step into a pair of sweats.
Walking back into my room, I come to a stop when I see Jase stretched out on my bed.
“You’re not sleeping here,” I warn as I walk closer.
Jase turns on his side and grins at me. “Come on, I know you love snuggling with me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Fucker,” I chuckle as I poke at him to move up. “We’re getting too old for this.”
“Yeah, so enjoy it while it lasts. Once Mila gives in to me, you won’t be seeing my ass at night.”
“Can’t fucking wait,” I mutter as I climb under the covers. “And I swear if you fart, I’ll kill you.”
“Eau De Jase. People will pay millions to get a whiff,” he jokes.
“In your dreams,” I laugh. “You’re nuclear. I’m sure NASA picks up whenever you detonate.”
We chuckle, and it’s just what I needed.
I reach for the bedside lamp and switch it off, then whisper, “Thanks, Jase.”
“Always.”
There’s a moment's silence, then I say, “Love you.”
“Love you most,” he murmurs, already sleepy.
I lay awake, listening to Jase’s light snoring, thinking about Jade.
I’m worried we won’t be able to go back to how things were between us, but maybe once we’ve worked through our problems, we can start a new friendship. I just have no idea how we’ll get there.JADELast night Fallon had a serious talk with me, and it opened my eyes. I need to be as patient with Hunter as he was with me.
At this point in time, it’s the least I can do.
I’m glad I have classes to keep me busy, but I constantly find my mind drifting to Hunter and everything I’ve put him through.
I let out another regretful sigh as my ethics lecture comes to an end. I’ve just closed my laptop when someone behind me pours liquid over my back. Some splashes onto my computer, and I rush to free tissues from my bag so I can quickly wipe it up before there’s any damage.
“I’m so sorry,” I hear Jessica apologize, and glancing over my shoulder at her, I watch as she takes one of her own tissues and pats my back. “I lost my balance, and my coke just spilled everywhere.”
“It’s okay,” I mutter and proceed to pack my stuff away.
As I get up and begin to walk down the aisle, Jessica says, “Please send me the dry-cleaning bill.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I call back to her.
I decide to go change my shirt before I go for lunch and walking into the suite, Hana’s head pops up from where she was lying on the couch, watching a movie with Hunter. “You’re back early?”
“Just changing my shirt. Jessica spilled her drink on me,” I explain, using all my will power to not look at Hunter.
“On purpose?” Hana asks, sitting up with a frown.
“No, it was an accident.” I rush into my room and quickly grab a fresh shirt. After shrugging it on, I take my laptop from my bag and open it to make sure it didn’t get damaged by the fluid. I let out a sigh of relief when everything seems fine and closing the computer again, I tuck it back in my bag. “Time for food.”
I keep my eyes trained in front of me, and as I pass by the living room, I call out, “Enjoy the rest of the movie.”