33. Chapter 33
thirty-three
Boston
I’m off tonight. Restless. Tense in a way I haven’t been since… well, since Skye.
It’s especially bad because I keep replaying the moment from earlier—when I looked her dead in the eye and said, Glad you’re not alone tonight.
It wasn’t meant for her. It was supposed to be a jab at Archer. But the second it left my mouth, I saw it land on her.
She looked like I had slapped her. Cheap shot. I’m such a dick.
And I walked away before she could answer.
God, I don’t have time for this. I don’t have the luxury of obsessing over how a sentence might have bruised her. I have bigger problems. My siblings. Mrs. Davis. Survival.
And yet, here I am. Spiraling.
Archer’s back. And she’s with him. Right now. Probably in his bed.
There’s this buzzing under my skin—part nausea, part jealousy, part shame. I wish I could turn it off.
Instead I step into the shower and crank the water from scalding hot to freezing. My lungs seize and, for a blissful moment, the shock burns everything else away.
I don’t think about Skye. Or Archer.
I think about nothing. Blessed, empty nothing.
Eventually I shut off the water, dry off, and get dressed. I meander into the kitchen and find Jake rummaging through the fridge. “Are you hungry again already?” I ask, chuckling.
“Nah, just grazing.” He shuts the fridge door, grinning. “Are you working at the gym in the morning?”
“Yep, bright and early. Why? You planning to visit me?”
“Why else would I drag my lazy ass to the gym.” He chuckles. “Yeah, we’re planning on working out, maybe around nine or so.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Me, Pace, Jon—”
“Archer?” His name is like sandpaper against my palate.
“Nope,” Jake says. “He has plans to take Skye to brunch at the country club. Sorry, I know you were really hoping to lay your eyes on his boyish good looks.”
“Oh, yeah, I get hard just thinking about him,” I deadpan.
Jake laughs. “Oof. Keep it in your pants, Boss.” Then his tone shifts into something inquisitive. “So, what’s going on between you and Skye?”
There goes my heart, stuttering in my chest. “Nothing is going on between Skye and me.” I force myself to meet his eyes.
He raises an eyebrow. “That why you spent Saturday night with her? You know, while her boyfriend was out of town without cell reception?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
Jake folds his arms over his chest, smirking. “My mom told me,” he says, saving me from stammering. “Just kind of mentioned it in passing.”
Shit. My stomach tightens. What if she told Archer?
“Skye’s parents were out of town,” I offer weakly. “She asked me to stay.”
“Because she doesn’t like being alone,” Jake finishes, nodding. “Yeah. Ever since the break-in.”
“You know about that?”
“Of course. Happened just days after graduation. She was messed up for a while. Wouldn’t even sleep in her own room.”
I nod slowly. “Seems like she still is.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” he says quietly.
There’s a long pause. Then he smirks again. “So, what, you played knight in shining armor?”
I shrug. “She asked me to stay with her. Archer obviously left her hanging…”
“Right.” Jake chuckles. “And so, what, you slept on the couch in the living room?”
I hold his gaze. “Yep.”
He doesn’t need to know that she was on the couch with me.
Jake grins. “Boss…”
“Jake…” I echo.
He exhales, serious now. “Fuck, man, just… watch your back. Don’t mess with Archer.”
“Does he know?”
“That you stayed with Skye?”
I nod.
“No,” he assures me. “I told my mom to keep it to herself. She’s good at keeping secrets.”
I'm not surprised. She has to be good. Considering… me.
Jake leans back against the counter. “But can you be honest with me? Is there something going on between you and Skye?”
I hesitate, then open my mouth. “I—”
“Actually, maybe don’t answer,” he says quickly. “I don’t want to know. Not officially. I don’t want to say something by accident and get you hurt. I care too much about you.”
I nod slowly.
He claps me on the shoulder. “Just be careful, yeah?”
He starts to turn, but I stop him. “Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“What would you say if I told you there was something going on between Skye and me?” I keep my voice quiet, neutral. “Just… hypothetically?”
He studies me. No smile this time. “I’d say I’m not sure Archer’s right for her.”
My heart skips a beat.
“I’d say she deserves… better. And you’re a good guy, Boss. You really are. You… see her. Archer… he doesn’t know how to be soft. Not with her. But you do.”
His words hit me like an arrow. Straight through my chest.
“Hypothetically,” he continues, gaze fixed to mine, “what do you feel for her? Do you… like her?”
I don’t respond, but whatever Jake sees in my face makes his eyes go wide. “Or… love her?” he adds. “Hypothetically?”
I swallow. Do I? It’s not a question I’ve permitted myself to explore.
But the truth is that Skye’s always been important to me.
I’ve always been drawn to her, since before I was old enough to understand what it even means.
Not that I understand it now. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused than I am right now.
I only manage a pathetic shrug. “Yeah. Maybe,” I say quietly. Then, “Hypothetically.”