Page 23 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

Once he’s cleaned up, he pulls his boxers and trousers up, before handing me a paper towel, so I can do the same.

I’m almost a little sad when I slide my dick back into my trousers, as it seems nothing more is going to happen right now.

Given we’re in a school classroom, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but now I’ve had a taste of him, I want so much more.

Jake stands in front of me, his gaze shooting all around, like he’s incredibly nervous all of a sudden. I take a step towards him, hoping a kiss will calm him, and my heart sinks when he takes a step back.

I decide to try soothing him with my words instead. “That was fucking amazing. I’m aware I sound like a horny teenager when I say this, but I already can’t wait to do that again,” I say with a laugh.

Jake’s eyes widen and his face pales, an expression flitting across his face that I can’t read. I lean forward to capture his lips, to soothe him, but he slams his hands against my shoulders and pushes me back.

“What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, hating how fucking desperate I sound, but my stomach sinks the longer I look at his vacant stare.

“This was a mistake,” he says impassively, and my heart breaks.

“Jake—” His name comes out like a plea, but he cuts me off, his face turning as hard as stone.

“I thought we could have one night, but I was wrong. This is all wrong,” he says, dragging his hands through his hair.

I shake my head in despair. “Wrong? How could something that was so amazing be wrong? I know you felt it too.”

For a moment, I think I see a flash of the boy I love in his eyes, but they quickly turn vacant again, his expression hard. His lips twist into a sneer as he plunges a dagger into my heart.

“It’s wrong, because I’m not a fucking fag.”

I stumble back from the venom in his voice, and I have to remind myself to keep breathing, as his hatred seems to have stolen the air from my lungs. I can feel tears pooling in my eyes, and I bite the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain will keep them at bay.

I look up at Jake, but the boy I see glaring back isn’t one I know. Anger flashes in his eyes as his voice turns hard. “I’m not gay. We shouldn’t have done this. It’s fucking disgusting.”

Logically, I know he’s panicking, and the words he’s spewing are just a terrible reaction to feeling cornered and scared, but that doesn’t make them hurt any less.

“You don’t mean that,” I tell him, though my voice seems to have lost all its fight.

“I fucking do,” Jake snarls, his face twisting in a way that no longer makes him the pretty boy I call him as a term of endearment.

I can tell this isn’t an argument I’m going to win. The longer we draw this out, the more hurt I’m going to end up. So I pull my shoulders back and stand tall, trying to find as much confidence as I can fake.

I make sure my voice is hard and emotionless when I speak.

“If that’s how you feel, consider this the end of our friendship.

” His eyes flicker for a moment, but it vanishes all too quickly, so I continue.

“We can be professional for Marcus’ sake, but that’s the extent of it.

If I walk out of that door now, there’s no going back. ”

Silence hangs heavily in the air, as I slowly make my way towards the door. With each step I take, the little voice in my head begs him to stop me, but he doesn’t. Each time my foot makes contact with the floor, taking me further away from him, a crack appears in my heart.

When I’m within arm’s length of the door, I turn around one last time, hoping and praying to whoever will fucking listen that he will stop me. He’ll tell me he didn’t mean what he said, that we can have a future together.

Taking a deep breath, I look into the eyes of the boy I love, waiting to see if he’s going to ruin me. Hard Jake is gone, and the boy standing in front of me looks as distraught and broken as I feel.

A tear strolls down his pale cheek as his chocolate-brown eyes fix on mine. He closes them quickly as he pulls in a ragged breath, and when he opens them again, they’re empty.

“You should go. It’s probably for the best.” With each word, his voice sounds like it’s trembling and uncertain, until it finally breaks at the end. But I can’t focus on that. I have to listen to what he’s actually saying.

No matter how much I might want to, I can’t stop the tears from falling, as I look at the guy who is ruining us both. My chest hurts, like someone has stuck a knife in it, and I can’t quite catch my breath.

I know I have to turn and leave, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

I pull in as much air as I can, before giving Jake one final look.

“I always knew loving you would hurt me. I just never expected it to be this painful,” I cry, holding my hand against my heart, as though that might help soothe it.

“You love me?” His words are barely above a whisper, but they ring loudly in my head.

I don’t bother giving him an answer, as we both know it doesn’t matter. He’s made his choice, and we’re going to have to live with it.

With my hand on my heart, and tears streaming down my face, I turn my back on Jacob and open the door. I walk out, trying to hold my head up high, when all I want to do is curl up into a ball and die.

Just before the door closes behind me, I hear Jacob’s pain-filled sobs echo around the classroom, and my heart breaks all over again. I had everything I’ve ever wanted, and now it’s been ripped from me, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be whole again.