Jack
Three weeks.It took me three weeks. Roughly twenty-one days. Five hundred and something hours before I realized I had made the biggest mistake of my life. That’s how long it took to fully register that I choked, shut her out, and probably lost the woman I’d fallen in love with. It hit me with a jolt, like the universe had enough of watching me drown in my choices. The moment I left her at the tree lighting, the moment I stepped out of that pool house. The moments I left her, repeatedly, I knew it was a mistake. It’s all I feel like I’ve been doing lately.
But, that was yesterday.
Today, I’m sitting across the street, completely enchanted all over again by the woman that I walked away from and let believe she hadn’t been something worth fighting for. I always thought I was a brave man, but I’m too terrified that being here isn’t enough. That jumping on a plane to get to her and tell her I’m sorry was a rookie call. I knew I had to see her, and that was as far as I thought this through. What kind of man does she really think I am if I won’t fight for her, and now I’m just going to stroll in that front door and say what? “I messed up. Can we have a mulligan?” All I did was react and never thought about what I was doing with her.
It was so easy to fall into bed with her, fall at her feet, fall for her. I never pretended with her, it was always honest, but now I feel like I’m nine years old again. I chose to dive under a bed and hide instead of staying in the light with her.
I watch her move around the room, talking to staff, organizing styles, doing fittings for models and athletes. Some of them are even my friends. Marcus, currently the youngest starting quarterback in football history to bring home a Super Bowl, is front and center, taking selfies while Everly laughs and types on her phone.
I’m almost paralyzed watching her. She’s beautiful, probably even more than I realized, if I’m being honest, the whole package. That was obvious from the first week I spent in Strutt’s. Sexy, funny, kinder than most people I’ve ever met, not to mention her ambition and talent. She’s one of those people you can’t help but want to be around. I get it now, probably feeling it more than it was ever intended, but she is the moon. Her brothers were right.
Maybe we would have met no matter what. No matter the circumstance or the place that life chewed and spit us out into. There are too many coincidences and connections between us to think we would have never been in each other's orbit. Of course, one of those mutual acquaintances had to be my brother.Asshole.
I watch Jin lean over and kiss her on each cheek. The dimple on her left cheek peeks through and it pisses me off. The kiss is not intimate, more like a hello between colleagues or a goodbye between friends. They’ve been in meetings all morning. I’ve seen numerous brand ambassadors come and go in the past few hours, ranging from athletes to a few models. She’s been busy building her new life.
Jin walks out the door and pulls his phone out of his pocket. I don’t know what compels me to do it, but I dial his number. He’s only listed on my phone as Unknown. I stopped knowing who he was a long time ago. A brother, a friend turned disappointment, then to an enemy. I watch him look at his phone, deciding whether or not to answer. To my surprise, he picks up. “Jack. Is Kat okay?” I see the nervous look on his face. He cares about her, but his actions in the past have told another story, and I’ll never forgive him for it.
“She’s fine.”
“Benny?” he asks.
“Also fine.”
“Then what?” he huffs out.
I can’t let it slide. “Why are you in New York right now?”
He looks up and around. Then he meets my gaze from across the street where I sit on the same bench I have been for the past few hours. As he starts walking my way, he says, “Immaturity. It’s not a good look for you. What, are you stalking her now?”
I hang up as he hops up to the sidewalk and over the bike path in front of me.
“I wanted to see her. This was as far as I got.”
He nods slowly and sits on the open space of the bench I’m sitting on. “The fuck you doing, Jack?”
I keep silent. I don’t know why I called him.
He stares at the side of my face. “Sitting out here makes you seem desperate.” Taking a pause, it finally registers. “Holy shit, you love her, don’t you?”
I don’t answer. It’s practically a rhetorical question at this point.Of course, I love her. Dumbass.
“If you got out of your head, then you would have done your research and would know that she’s my business partner now.”
“Oh, I’m aware. It’s a smart move. That doesn’t mean I like it.”
The uptight asshole, whom I’ve known for the vast majority of my life, leans forward. Elbows to knees, dropping his head to level with me. “You and I are never going to agree on much, but I can tell you one thing: you don’t deserve her.”
I give him a side-eye glance.This is something we can agree on.
He continues. “Not like this, at least. Let her get her business started; she’s got the world practically falling at her feet right now. Give her a minute to gain her footing before you blow it up again. I know she cares about you, but let me tell you, brother, if you aren’t serious about her, then stay away. She doesn’t need you. That right there is the kind of woman that if she wants you, then you’re the lucky one. Not the other way around. Don’t mistake that for a minute.”
I’ll never admit this to him, but he’s right.
Pulling out my phone again, I send a text. I’m going to need all the help I can get here.
Jack:I need your help.
Lucifer:What did you fuck up now?