Page 10 of Before You (Reckless Love #2)

CHAPTER FIVE

JJ

I CALLED IT quits early today, despite everything in my head screaming at me to continue running. I’ve been pushing myself harder than I should, yet somehow, I still have endless amounts of energy to burn.

It’s a little after six, and with the way Trent was drinking at the party last night, I’m not expecting him to be awake for a while.

Asher takes full advantage of our days off by sleeping in, and Luka didn’t come home last night, so I should have the house to myself for a couple of hours before everyone’s up.

With all of us being upperclassmen, none of us have particularly early classes in our schedules.

Coach gave us the day off, which is probably why Trent went so hard last night, but we have a camp this weekend with high schoolers.

That alone is enough to make me wish for practice instead.

On the bright side, I should hear from Mirabelle any minute since Henry texted me yesterday to tell me he was proposing today.

The front door shuts softly behind me as I slip out of my running shoes and move toward the kitchen to mix a protein shake together while I make my breakfast.

We’re technically on a meal plan, but my cooking abilities don’t go past scrambled eggs and sandwiches.

I set my phone on the counter, whisking eggs in a bowl as the pan heats up on the stovetop.

I take a drink of my shake when I hear someone coming down the stairs.

I’m taken aback when Marley’s head pops around the corner.

Her mouth falls open when she sees me, immediately tugging down what I’m assuming is Trent’s shirt.

“Shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be awake.

I came down for a glass of water,” she explains, a red flush climbing up her neck to her face.

I didn’t know she stayed here last night. I can’t decide if that’s better or worse than Trent bringing another girl home, but after what he pulled at the party, I think I’d prefer if it weren’t Marley.

“Glasses are in the upper cabinet next to the fridge,” I say, tilting my head before turning away to give Marley privacy to get her water without leering at her like a creep. As much as I’d love to take a longer look, it’d be wrong.

Just like it was wrong of Trent to hook up with a freshman on the cheer squad in the bathroom as Marley looked for him.

I knew exactly where he was when she found us, and I didn’t agree with Ash choosing to say he hadn’t seen Trent around when we both saw him go into the bathroom with a cheerleader.

By staying silent, it’s technically a lie of omission, but I think a part of me hoped she’d catch him cheating on her.

It’d selfishly save me the agony of deciding what to do.

She almost did when she saw him coming out of the bathroom, but he steered Marley in the opposite direction before she could see the girl come out after him.

Fucking asshole.

“Do you want breakfast?” I offer, pouring the eggs in the pan after Marley turns off the faucet.

“Sure, um . . . let me go put pants on. I’ll be back down in a minute,” she squeaks out, hurried footsteps telling me she’s left the room.

Maybe Asher is right. Maybe it’s time I move on.

However, the argument could also be made that it seems like Marley’s attracted to me, despite her status with Trent.

I saw the way her face changed when I offered her a water, and I’m more than a little curious who Marley saw me talking to last night and why she thought I’d be missed.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was jealous, and if that’s the case, then Marley has no idea I spent the entire night keeping tabs on her to make sure she was okay.

Marley was playing the part of the perfect girlfriend, but she looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. It’s why I followed her outside to check on her before she ran away to go find Trent.

Fuck moving on. I’ll wait forever for her to fall for me a second time.

“Earth to JJ?” Marley waves her hand in front of my face, and I snap out of my thoughts, causing her to giggle. “You’re going to burn the eggs if you don’t turn them.”

I look down at the pan to find she’s right. “I’m not going to burn them,” I say, flashing her a quick smile as I grab the spatula to move them around in the pan.

“Do you always get up this early to make breakfast?” Marley asks, sitting on a barstool.

“Kind of. I’m from a family of insomniacs,” I say, pulling two plates out of the cupboard. I leave out how I haven’t slept for more than three hours consecutively since Bailey called me sixteen months ago. “Are you a morning person?” I ask, turning the heat on the stove down.

“I usually sleep in if I don’t have somewhere to be, but I couldn’t fall back asleep this morning. I didn’t want to wake Trent up with all my tossing and turning so I thought a glass of water would help,” she explains.

I steal a glance at Marley to find her already staring at me, and I feel my breath catch as our eyes meet.

It still feels unreal she’s in front of me after all this time.

Marley’s spinning the ring on her thumb, and her long brown hair is falling in tangled waves over her shoulders and down the length of her back with mascara smudged under her eyes, but she looks beautiful.

“If you want to go back to bed, it won’t hurt my feelings,” I say, despite every word feeling like I’m walking barefoot across glass.

“I’m where I want to be,” she says, the corners of her mouth pulling up.

I turn away to hide how wide my smile is.

Take that, Trent.

“You’re welcome to take however many eggs you want. I’ll eat whatever you don’t,” I say, changing the topic because I’m certainly not going to convince Marley to go back upstairs if she doesn’t want to.

Marley walks around the island to serve herself, and when she’s done, I dump the rest on my plate before sitting next to her.

“JJ, that’s so much food,” she says, gaping at my plate.

I shove a forkful in my mouth, shrugging. “I’m a growing boy.”

She covers her mouth, smothering her quiet laugh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

“I’m a growing boy. We need a lot of food,” I repeat after swallowing the food in my mouth.

“Oh, believe me, I know. My brother eats so much food it’s insane, but your plate makes his look small.” Marley shakes her head at me, spearing scrambled eggs with her fork.

“What can I say? It takes a lot of protein to keep these muscles,” I joke, flexing with the hope Marley will laugh again. Everything about her is musical, but especially her laughter.

She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks flush as she takes a drink of her water. “You know, speaking of siblings, I think your sister followed me on social media.”

I’m going to kill Mirabelle.

“I’m sorry, she can be . . . weird .” There’s no way around Marley knowing I’ve talked to my sister about her.

“She’s really pretty. I think I recognize her from somewhere, but I can’t think of where,” Marley says, and I’m hoping it’s not from the naked pictures taken of her and Henry a couple years ago.

They’ve worked really hard to put the violation of their privacy behind them and move forward from it.

I’ll never forget my friends in class turning to look at me after the article dropped my freshman year.

“She was in the Summer Olympics in Paris six years ago, and Mira and Henry have been in the media quite a bit with their careers,” I answer, trying to keep it vague. They’re so much more than one moment in their history.

“That must be it. They’re a really cute couple.”

My phone starts ringing as if we summoned the devil herself. I smile widely, but Marley looks confused. “Why is your sister calling you this early in the morning?”

“Because it’s the afternoon in France, and she just got engaged.”

I answer the phone, putting it on speaker because I want Marley to experience this moment with me.

“JJ, holy fucking shit! You won’t believe what just fucking happened!”

I stifle my laughter. “What happened?”

“Henry fucking Price just proposed to me! Like down on one knee, with a ring and everything!”

It’s the pure happiness in her voice that makes my smile somehow wider. She deserves this more than anyone I know. “And?”

“Well, of course I said yes! I’m not an idiot,” Mirabelle exclaims, and I hear Henry laughing in the background. “Je suis si heureuse que je crois que je pourrais en mourir.” 8

“Non, mon c?ur. Nous ne mourons pas. On va se marier,” 9 Henry says and Mirabelle squeals with excitement.

“Je t’aime,” 10 she says, and I know it’s not directed to me.

“Congratulations, but you’re so sickeningly sweet, I think I’m going to go throw up now,” I say, and Marley hits my arm, gaping at me.

“Gross, JJ, be happy for me. You’re the first one I called to tell my childhood dreams of becoming Mrs. Price are finally coming true.”

“Mirabelle, we can’t cross it off the list unless I take your last name,” Henry says, and I have no doubt he would. I’ve never seen someone as in love as Henry is with my sister.

“You actually want to?” Mirabelle asks, and this is starting to sound like a conversation they should have without us listening.

I clear my throat, interrupting them. “Thanks for calling me first. I hope you know how happy I am for you guys. I love you both, but if you don’t call Mom and Dad next, it’s going to be the end of the fucking world.”

“I will, I promise. We love you too, JJ.”

Marley sniffles next to me as I hang up. “Are you crying?” I ask, surprised.

She sniffles, wiping at her face quickly. “ No .”

Right, because Marley has the ability to produce fake tears. She’s totally not crying.

“It looks like you’re crying,” I continue, trying not to laugh.

“Shut up, JJ.” Marley sniffles again, casting a feigned look of annoyance in my direction. “They just sound so in love. I mean, he literally calls her my heart . How freaking romantic, and he wants to take her last name?”

All I can think is one day, that will be us too. I’m willing to wait.

“They deserve to be happy,” I say, simply because I don’t trust myself to not cross the friend boundary she set by blurting something else out.

“Thank you for letting me listen. It really was something special,” she says, her eyes growing misty again. A stray tear escapes, and my thumb is wiping it away before I realize what I’m doing.

Marley inhales sharply, and I brush my thumb tenderly over her cheek, doing my best to commit the feeling to memory before pulling away. I focus on my plate like nothing happened, but my heart is thundering in my chest from an innocent touch. She’s not mine to touch.

“Where does your brother go to school?” I ask, stabbing the eggs with my fork, trying to keep the conversation moving forward.

Marley takes a moment to reply. “University of Milan. He’s studying Italian and art history.”

“Nice, sounds cool.”

“Don’t tell Bria. Her mom is an art collector, and my brother caught the bug when he was little,” she says, laughing quietly.

“You’re studying music therapy, right? I mean, if I remember correctly, that’s what you said you wanted to study,” I say, tripping over my words as I glance at her.

Her posture stiffens, and she sets her fork down on her plate. Oh shit, Marley thinks it’s weird I remember everything she told me.

“I-I’m majoring in chemistry with a minor in business. I’m taking over my family’s company in a couple of years so my dad can retire,” she says, each word sounding like she has to force it out. If anything, it sounds like the last thing she wants to be doing.

“What? Marley, is that really what you want to do? What about your brother?”

She picks at her nails absently, forcing a smile feeling similar to a punch to the gut.

“Yep. My dad has worked his entire life, and he deserves to live a little. I want him to be happy, so if taking over the company does that, then yes, it’s what I want.

Kaden’s never had an interest in it. Art is his true calling. ”

“That’s really admirable,” I say, and she gives me a puzzled look.

“I thought you were going to say it’s dumb, and I should be studying music therapy.”

If I thought it’d help, yeah, I would say she should switch instead. On the flip side, I know better than anyone what it’s like to sacrifice your own happiness for others, so who am I to judge her?

I shrug as if it’s not a big deal. “You should do whatever makes you happy. What I think doesn’t matter, as long as you can live with the choices you make.”

“Do you regret any choices you’ve made?” Marley asks, and my mind jumps immediately to Bailey.

“Yeah, I do. Do you?” I turn the question around on her as I inhale the last of my eggs.

“I think so, but I also want to believe second chances exist for a reason.”

I slide off the stool to take the dishes to the sink, unable to let myself look at her. It’s probably unreasonable for me to hope there’s an underlying meaning to Marley’s theory on second chances.

“ JJ ,” Marley says softly, pulling at my heartstrings like she owns them. My name sounds like a prayer and a sin coming from her lips, but I regret nothing as I turn around to face her. Marley hesitates, and I hold my breath instinctively. “Do you still think people are meant to be together?”

There’s a vulnerability in her face as she waits for my answer to one of the last things I said to her in France before we parted. I wonder what she would say if she knew about the box of letters addressed to her just upstairs in my room?

“Yes, I do,” I say, as my brain screams at me to go for another run.

Marley smiles at me, and I commit every single one of her features to memory. “I hope you’re right,” she whispers, reading my mind.

My entire body is trembling, fighting the urge to close the distance between us that feels more like the Grand Canyon than a small kitchen, to feel her soft lips on mine.

I won’t make her a cheater, knowing it’ll break her heart more than it’s probably already going to when she finds out Trent’s cheating on her—even if it means further breaking my heart in the process to stand in the background watching.

“Me too.”