Page 98 of Jaked

Chapter 36

I stared into the darkness. "Me?" My thirst forgotten, I moved toward him. "Why?"

"You want the truth?" he asked.

Wordlessly, I walked through the shadows. Soon, I was standing barefoot beside the sofa where he sat. I was so close, I could have reached out to stroke the side of his face. But I didn't. Jake and I were just friends, and I needed to remember that.

"I always want the truth," I said. "Don't you?"

"No."

"Who not?" I asked.

"Because it's ugly."

I felt myself stiffen. "So you're about to tell me an ugly truth? Is that what you're saying?"

"Pretty much."

I stood, stupidly, beside the sofa, waiting for him to say more, and dreading what it might be.

Unlike me, Jake wasn't dressed for bed. From what I could tell, he was wearing the same clothes as earlier. But now, his shoes were off, and his shirt was open, leaving his chest and stomach nearly bare. Determined not to stare, I lifted my gaze to his face, hoping for a hint of what he might say.

Into the darkness, he finally spoke. "I knew you were there."

"Where?" I asked.

"In that shitty apartment. Last night."

"Oh." I sank down onto the sofa beside him. "When you were with Maddie, you mean?"

Through the darkness, I saw him nod. I stared at his profile, still cast in shadows. "Is there a reason you're telling me this?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "But not a good one."

"What do you mean?"

He turned toward me. "You're important to me. You know that. Right?"

Funny, I never knew I was important to him. Still, I felt myself nod. "You're important to me too," I said. And I meant it. Okay, so I hadn't seen him much lately, but he was such a fixture in my memories, it was almost like he had never left.

"Are you ready for that truth?" he asked.

Oh yeah. The ugly one. No. I wasn't ready. But I squared my shoulders anyway and made myself say, "Sure. Go ahead."

"Alright, here it is," he said. "I didn'twantyou interested in me."

Heat flooded my face. I couldn’t say it was a surprise. For as long as I could remember, I'd had that stupid crush on him. In my fantasies, Jake someday felt the same about me. But life wasn't a fantasy, and the idea of him crushing onmewas too far-fetched to consider. Somehow, I'd always known that. But it still hurt to hear those awful said out loud.

"Wow," I said, getting to my feet. "Thanks for sharing that. I guess." I turned to go.

"Luna," he said.

"What?"

"Wait."

I heard myself sigh. "For what?"