34. Get It Off Your Chest
JAKE
34
The sun is streaming through the window when my phone dings. I slowly lift my arm from Bri’s stomach and roll onto my back, grabbing my phone from the bedside table.
Chris
We need to talk before you head home.
I look over at Bri, but she’s still fast asleep. It had taken hours for her to drift off last night, and there’s no way I’m waking her now. I lift the blanket and tip-toe out of the room as silently as possible, swiping my shorts off the floor and yanking them on. Maddie is waiting at the door, and I scoop her up before she can launch herself onto Bri, carrying her out onto the terrace with me.
It’s already midmorning, and the sun is fierce when I sit on one of the sun loungers. Settling Maddie beside me, I call Chris while I scratch her behind the ears.
“Hey,” he says quietly, and I suspect he’s trying to avoid waking Morgan.
Or just doesn’t want her to know he’s talking to me.
“Hey.” I am tired as hell and not even slightly in the mood for this conversation.
“What time are you heading back?”
“I’m heading home tomorrow.”
There’s silence on the other end of the phone for a while.
“I’ll meet you for a drink later then. The pub down the road from your place?”
“Fine.”
We hang up, and I look down at Maddie. “That’s going to be a tonne of fun, hey Fluff Ball.”
She looks up at me with a little doggy smile. Somehow, this little dog has wormed her way into my heart along with her mother, and I sit there for a while, petting her while I stare out at the view and try not to think about the conversation I’ll be forced to have this afternoon.
I hear a door open inside, and Bri appears at the terrace door a moment later. Her long hair is a tangled mess, and her mascara is smudged under her eyes. She’s wearing my shirt, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful woman in my life.
“Hey. What are you doing out here?” she asks, her voice croaky.
I get up to stand in front of her, wrapping my arms around her. “I'm just looking at the view. You should still be sleeping.” I kiss her forehead, and she leans into me.
“I woke up, and you weren’t there. I was worried I’d slept too late and you’d left.”
I tighten my arms around her, realising she’s forgotten I’d taken tomorrow off work. “I’d never leave without saying goodbye, Little B. How are you feeling?”
“Crappy. Morgan sent me a load of messages. I’m going to have to talk to her at some point today. She’s pretty angry.” Her words are muffled against my chest, and I grit my teeth when I hear the sadness in her voice.
I love my friends, but right now, I’m pretty fucking angry with the pair of them. Why the hell didn’t they just knock last night?
I make a mental note to get the keys back from everyone.
“What time are you leaving?” Bri asks, and I step back a little to look at her face.
She looks so vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen before, and I’d pay good money never to see that look on her face again.
“I’m here til tomorrow, remember? Besides, I couldn’t leave you to deal with this alone.”
She attempts a smile. “It’s me they’re mad at.”
I shake my head. “Believe me, it’s not just you. And like I said, the only people whose opinions matter in all this is us, right?”
She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t really agree. I’m not sure I do either, but I need her to feel confident about our relationship. I can’t ignore the fear that they will get in her head and she’ll end what has been growing between us.
“Come on, let’s try and get a bit more sleep.” I guide her back into her bedroom, and Maddie follows close behind, settling herself at our feet while I pull Bri into my arms, spooning my body around hers.
We manage a few more hours of sleep, and it’s mid-afternoon by the time I’ve showered and am ready to meet Chris. Bri is in the kitchen, and it's the hardest it’s ever been to leave her, even if it’s just for an hour. All I can do is kiss her and hope that her sister will back off after my conversation with Chris.
“I’ll just be a few hours, okay?” I haven’t told her I’m seeing Chris, not wanting to worry her.
She nods, lifting onto her tip toes to kiss me softly, and I push my concerns aside and deepen the kiss. It feels too much like we’re teetering on a ledge, and I’m scared that if I walk away now, she will topple off at the slightest breeze.
I turn to look at her, the words I’m so desperate to say on the tip of my tongue, but now isn’t the time for confessions. Instead, I smile and let myself out, praying I’m doing the right thing.
I meet Chris at the pub down the road, sliding onto the stool across from him at the high table where he is already sitting with a beer in front of him. I’ve ordered a coffee, hoping the caffeine will help with how shit I’m feeling.
“So…” He looks at me across the table, and I hold his gaze while I bring the takeaway coffee cup to my lips.
“Go on, then. Get it off your chest.” I say, putting the cup down and crossing my arms.
A nerve in his jaw ticks. In all of our years of friendship, almost twenty years, I have never seen him look at me like this. But I’m just as angry and refuse to feel like I’ve done anything wrong.
“What the hell was that last night?” he asks finally.
“I’m sure you’re familiar with foreplay. Otherwise, poor Morgan.”
It looks like it takes all his self-control not to leap across the table and hit me right now. “Fuck you, Jake. How long has this been going on?”
“About two months.” I take another mouthful of coffee.
His eyebrows raise. “You guys have been sneaking around behind everyone’s backs, keeping this secret from everyone, for two months?”
“We made the decision, together, as two consenting adults, to enter into a sexual relationship that was no one else’s business.”
There goes that ticking in his jaw again. “And the fact that I asked you, flat out, if something was going on between you, and you said no, doesn’t even factor into this?”
“Nothing was going on then. We didn’t start sleeping together until a few weeks later.” I fight the urge to shrug, knowing that would just escalate the situation even further.
“So, what, you guys are just fucking?” he spits out.
“I’m in love with her, actually.”
Chris visibly deflates when I confess the words out loud that I’ve been thinking for weeks.
“So, this is serious, then?” he asks eventually, all of the anger gone from his voice while he eyes me closely.
“It is to me. She’s not there yet. But I’m in it for the long haul.”
“Mate… So this was just hooking up, but now you’ve gone and fallen in love with her, but she’s still holding back?” I hold his gaze when he shakes his head and sips his beer.
“I know she feels more for me, but she’s not ready to deal with that yet. I’m not pushing her for more. She’ll let me know when she’s ready.” I sound far more confident than I feel.
“Does she know how you feel?”
I shake my head. “I’ve not said anything out loud. But how we are when we are together… It just feels more right than it has with anyone else. That ex of hers really fucked up, and she’s got a lot to deal with. She knows I will support her through anything, and that’s all she needs to know for now.”
He cocks his head to the side. “That’s not really fair to you though. Or her. If you’re in love with her, you will likely get hurt while you wait for her to be on the same page. This is exactly what Morgan was worried would happen.”
“Yeah, about that. Tell Morgan to back the fuck off, mate. I’m fine. I don’t need her protecting me. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started this with Bri, and I won’t stand for Morgan making Bri feel guilty about this. I love you guys. Morgan has been like a sister to me for most of my life, but I will never forgive her if she gets in Bri’s head and makes her feel guilty about being with me.”
His eyes drop to where my hand is gripping my bicep before he meets my gaze again and nods. “I’ll talk to her. She was pretty angry when I left, especially because Bri was ignoring her messages.”
“I’ll call her then. If she won’t listen to you, she damn well better listen to me.” I stand up, over this conversation and eager to get back Bri.
“Leave Morgan to me. Just… Are we cool? You’re still my best man, right?” he asks, and I clap my hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah, we’re fine. Just get Morgan to leave Bri alone, alright? I’ll be back on Thursday. I took Friday off to be here for the rehearsal dinner.”
Chris stands and pulls me into a quick hug. “Okay. See you then.”
I step back and nod before turning and walking away.