I grin, not bothering to answer. After all, they knew exactly what was going on last night. When they left, I was already inseparable from Brylee. Kaylah’s just looking for the dirty details and a confirmation that it actually went down, but I’m not one to kiss and tell…not when it comes to Brylee at least.
Her comments have Jesse looking back over his shoulder and nodding as I make my way through the pool gate. “Dick move making your girl clean the pool,” I say, making my way over to the sunbed beside his and dropping down.
Jess shrugs. “She offered and it’s not like I was going to say no.”
“Bullshit,” I say, looking over at Kaylah with a raised brow, wondering if maybe Jesse has this all wrong. In his state, it’s possible that he heard her wrong.
Kaylah laughs. “I find it relaxing,” she explains as her eyes briefly flash toward her boyfriend with love. “Though don’t get me wrong, you won’t find me doing this shit for anyone else.”
Jesse’s eyes light up with pride and adoration and my gut twists. I fucking love these two, but sometimes seeing their relationship up close and personal like this just reminds me of what I don’t have. I fucking envy them and sometimes, it downright kills me.
“For some reason, I don’t doubt that.”
Kaylah smiles to herself before getting lost in what she’s doing and ignoring us just as she had always intended. “So, what’s going on?” Jesse grumbles, looking up at the sky as thunder rumbles in the distance.
“Nothing, man, just…I don’t know.”
“Brylee?” he questions, looking over at me.
I let out a heavy sigh as I relax back into the sunbed. “Yeah, she’s got my head a fucking mess.”
Jesse nods, glancing across the pool at his girlfriend. “Trust me, I know the feeling.”
“At least your girl can admit that something’s going on between you. All I get is shut down after shut down. I don’t know what fucking else I can do.”
“Didn’t you at least talk to her last night? Try and figure out where her head is at.”
“This is Brylee, Jess. She doesn’t fucking talk about shit like that. She denies anything is going on and reminds herself that she should be focusing on schoolwork while forgetting that she’s human and needs it.”
“She’ll come around,” he promises. “You’ll see, she just needs a little time.”
I scoff at his positivity. Jesse Ryder has never had to fight for a woman’s attention before, it comes as naturally as waking up in the morning. Hell, Kaylah gave him a hard fucking time in the beginning, but at least she was honest about her feelings.
“Right,” I tell him, pressing my lips into a tight line. “How much time is she going to need? Because it’s already been a year of this shit and it seems like every fucking time I see her, she pulls away just a little bit more.”
The sound of the back sliding door opening draws my attention. “Jess. Food’s ready,” Trish yells out.
Jesse lets out a huff as he gets himself to his feet. He steps in closer to my side and squeezes my shoulder. “I don’t know what to tell you, Ty. I think you should hang in there, but at some point, you’re going to have to ask yourself if she’s still worth the chase. Who knows? The girl of your dreams could be waiting around the corner but you’ll never fucking know because you’re hung up on something that might never happen.”
Jesse strides past me and I’m left feeling heavier than when I walked in here. “For the record,” Kaylah says from across the pool, making me realize that she wasn’t zoned out at all. “I think you should keep trying. She likes you, it’s as clear as day.”
“Then what’s stopping her?”
Kaylah shrugs while gently shaking her head. “Knowing Brylee, it could be a number of things, but I have a feeling you’ve already worked that out.” I let out a sigh. She’s not fucking wrong. “My guess,” Kaylah continues as her brows dip in thought. “She’s scared. You have the potential to change the game for her and for someone like Brylee who likes her life planned out right down to the minute, that’s a hell of a lot to take in.”
I nod, while I’ve considered a lot of things, that’s not actually one I’ve thought of, but before I have a chance to comment on it, Kaylah continues and I store the thought away for later. “It could also have something to do with the fact that you have a bit of a reputation while she’s your polar opposite. She is beyond the normal realms of a good girl and you probably challenge the kind of guy she always thought she’d end up with.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”