CHAPTER 16
“I made you guys some cookies,” I said, arranging a plate topped with chocolate chip cookies on the table.
“Thank you, beautiful.” A wide, cheeky grin plastered across Raphael’s face.
“The next time you call her that, you can take your skinny ass out of my house,” Jay warned, shooting him a glare.
“Fuck, man.” Raphael’s eyes widened as he held out a hand. “Calm the fuck down, and who the hell do you think you’re calling skinny? I get 158 grams of protein per day.”
“Yet you still don’t have a brain,” Jay commented dryly.
While they both argued, Mikey stole the cookies from right under their noses and demolished them.
“Fuck, these are too good, E,” he moaned, leaning back on the couch as he popped another one in his mouth.
I eased down by his side, squeezing his shoulder. “Thanks, Mikey. Do you think he will stop?” I gestured to the overgrown adult who was my man, bickering with a teenager like a silly kid.
Raphael had come to spend the day with us so he could learn guitar skills from Jay, literally one of the best guitarists in the world .
Lucky kid.
But even though he acted like he had zero brain cells, the kid was talented, his drive and passion reminded me of Jay from back in the day. Only this time, Raphy was in good hands unlike the boys. I trusted Matty in his vision to make him a big star one day. Even though the kid had a big mouth, he deserved it more than anyone.
“Nope, not when it comes to you,” Mikey answered.
“Raphy just has a silly little crush. You know how hormonal teenagers are.”
Mikey gave me a side-eye. “Like how you were with Emmie?”
I blushed. “We weren’t that bad.”
“Tell that to the people who tolerated you both.” He grinned. “Jay, I love you.” Mikey’s voice turned nasally high. “Jay, who is your favorite person in the whole wide world? Jay! Jay! Jay!”
“Stop,” I groaned, smacking him with a throw pillow while he kept going.
He laughed hard, trying to defend himself.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Jay’s steely voice halted us.
“I didn’t do a thing; it was all your girl.” Mikey sported an innocent face.
Jay sighed, his eyes meeting mine. “Why the fuck is everyone obsessed with my girl? Evelyn, can you please go to your room? I don’t want you anywhere around these losers.”
He did not just say that.
Mikey noted the expression on my face. “Uh-oh, you’re in big trouble, Emmie. ”
“Yes, big trouble,” Raphy added, his eyes dashing to me. “Which is why I think Evy should be mine.”
“That’s it.” Jay set Firebird aside and was ready to tackle Raphy.
Mikey and I burst out laughing when Raphy instead went for Firebird—which Jay didn’t allow anyone to ever touch, like ever.
“You little fucker.” Jay narrowed his eyes and snatched Raphy by the collar before he could even touch the guitar.
“Ah, fuck. Sorry, man, sorry.” Raphy withered under Jay’s hold, pouting. “I swear I’ll be a good kid.” He folded his hands into a prayer pose. “Please, let me go. Please ,” he whined.
Mikey and I were rolling on the couch, fighting for air as we giggled, watching those two.
“Say you’re sorry,” Jay commanded, his stance like a strict teacher looking down on a boy.
“Sorry,” Raphy mumbled, faking a sorry face.
The minute Jay let him go, instead of going for his guitar, Raphy came at me and flicked my nose with his finger, winking before he glanced over his shoulders at the murderous man ready to send him to his grave.
“You’re dead.” Jay took a thundering step forward, but before he could commit some serious sin, I stepped in front of him and held him in a stare.
All the fight left his body as his eyes softened. “Come here,” he muttered, pulling me to his chest.
A collective “aw” sounded behind us, and I rolled my eyes. “I still am not over what you said.”
Jay’s brows furrowed adorably. “What did I say? ”
I pretended to be offended. “You told me to go to my room, Jay.”
“Is that bad?”
“You don’t tell a girl that.”
“Really? Why?” His nose scrunched.
He was clueless, wasn’t he? “You just don’t.” I decided to let him go. I leaped onto the balls of my feet and kissed his cheek. “You boys have fun. I’m going to make some lunch. What do you want?” I tilted my head, smiling like an idiot.
“I’ll eat whatever you make me, woman.” He planted a heated kiss on my lips.
Shaking my head, I walked off to the kitchen.
Popping on an upbeat playlist, I inventoried the fridge, nodding my head to the music as I gathered all the ingredients to make a chicken potpie—those adorable individual ones.
Cubing the carrots, my mind drifted over all that had happened last week. White was officially arrested, but since she wasn’t fit for prison or court at the moment, they admitted her to a hospital. The police were able to compile a solid case against her. During the investigation, they found my old phone which was stolen from my apartment in her possession. Nathan admitted to keeping tabs on us for her, so I assumed she must have arranged for someone to sweep my apartment for evidence that could be held against her, and my old phone had it all.
When the phone was returned, Jay shut off for a couple of days after hearing my voicemail from the day I was attacked and reading all the messages she sent to me. He took it pretty badly, swearing that he or the girls received any of it. Silas had all their old phones checked and found out they were all tampered with—my number was blocked and replaced with a dummy number. Well, everyone except Mikey, probably because he hated her guts and wouldn’t let her anywhere near him.
Even thinking about it felt like diving into a deep black hole that just kept getting weirder and weirder the farther we got. On the outside, I knew all of it was over and behind us, but on the inside, there was this nagging feeling that it just wasn’t, and there was more to the picture. Call it my feminine intuition, but I just couldn’t let it go.
An hour later, lunch was ready. I arranged the ramekins on a tray and a side of buttery green beans with almonds to carry to the dining room.
“Mmm, smells incredible.” Jay’s hand wrapped around me from behind as he propped his chin on my shoulders.
I smiled, gesturing to the one with a tiny heart carved on top. “Made this one for you.”
“You’re just making this harder being this gorgeous, sweetheart,” he groaned, trailing soft kisses on the side of my neck.
“Enough.” I swatted him away just as Mikey and Raphy sauntered in. “Time for lunch, boys.”
A solid grip tugged my hand when I reached to raise the tray.
“Go and sit your pretty ass at the table. I’ll bring everything,” Jay ordered, and Mikey agreed, already lifting the plate of green beans.
I nodded, letting the boys do the hard labor while I settled myself in the dining room. My eyes focused on the expansive floor-length window to the right, taking up the entire wall. It was a calm day with fluffy white clouds and just the right amount of sunshine.
The sound of footsteps jerked my attention to the boys.
Jay and Mikey carried the food and drinks while Raphy sulked behind—his arms full of glassware and dishes.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at my man.
“Don’t mention it.” Jay smiled back, squeezing my thigh as he slid in next to me.
“Oh fuck. This is good,” Raphy moaned, digging into his pie like a starved animal. “Is there any way I can get her, man?” he directed his question to Mikey.
Jay grew still, shooting daggers at him.
Mikey chuckled. “Just stick around; he is bound to fuck up.” His playful eyes volleyed between Jay and me. “But it’s impossible,” he added softly.
“Why?” Raphy’s eyes rounded with confusion.
“You’ll know one day,” Mikey replied with a far-off look on his face. Almost as if he knew what it was like to love—love that one person, soul-deep in an unbearably heartbreaking way, and how impossible it was to love any other. The way I loved Jay.
“I have zero clue what you’re talking about. Or maybe you guys are just too old.” Raphy shrugged, going back to his meal while we all exchanged glances, shaking our heads.
Later that day, I was staring at a blinking cursor on my laptop, searching for inspiration to write something, when my phone rang.
Puzzled, I saw the caller ID flashed Jo’s name.
Work wasn’t supposed to start for another week, so why was she calling me? My immediate thought was, am I being fired? But I scraped it off my mind when Sarah’s voice played through my head about not letting negative thoughts get to me.
“Hey, Jo,” I chirped in a cheery voice—shifting my nervousness.
“Hello, Evy. I hope this is a good time.”
“Of course.”
“Umm, I don’t know how to say this.” She laughed nervously, and my heart thumped louder. “But I hope this isn’t a breach of trust. I forwarded your draft to a friend of mine. I know you sent it to me for input and advice, but I just saw so much potential in it and knew it would be something Angela likes. That’s my friend—Angela Lanson, I don’t know if you know her, but she is an amazing human being and a reputable agent in the industry. She emailed me earlier today saying she would like to meet you to discuss things but only if you’re interested. I know this is out of the norm, but I would hope you would consider it, Evy. And I am truly sorry for sending it without your permission.”
My heart thundered so loudly in my chest that I felt my ears buzzing. I knew who Angela was, if Nora was top tier, then Angela was elite category. She was one of the most reputable and sought-after agents in the industry, and she just doesn’t represent anyone. And now she wants to meet me ?
“Evelyn, are you still there?” Jo’s concerned voice reached me.
I shook out of it. “Yes, Jo, right here. Sorry,” I managed to say, surprisingly in a steady tone. “And please don’t apologize. It’s completely fine. I trust you to do the right thing, and yes, I would love to meet with Angela. ”
“That’s wonderful, Evy. I’ll have her email you and remember you deserve this.”
“Thank you so much for the opportunity. It means a lot.”
It took me a moment of baffled silence to understand what just transpired.
I was actually going to be meeting an agent, but instead of feeling overly excited about it, a tinge of fear and doubt hit me, thinking about my last meeting with an agent. I decided to keep an open mind and be rational about it this time. I forced myself to focus on how I could do my best instead of worrying about the outcome.
“You look…” Jay paused, eyeing me while he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Shell-shocked.”
“Maybe I am.”
“Why?” His throat worked as he drank the water.
“I just got a call from Jo.”
“And?” He raised a brow.
“She said a literary agent wants to meet with me.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
I gave him a look. “A good thing, of course.”
He nodded. “Are you thinking about your last stint with an agent?”
“Not really. I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“You’ll be amazing, no matter what.” He sauntered to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t overthink and just do it, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded, smiling. “I’ll do my best. ”
“Figured I’d find you here,” Jay’s deep voice echoed through the empty room, almost making me jump out of my skin.
I held my pounding heart as I turned to him. “Gosh, you scared…” The words stuck in my throat as my eyes scanned over his shirtless form, leaning over the doorframe, dripping with sweat.
The workout tank that he usually wore was long gone, and he used it to wipe his wet hair.
“Tongue-tied?” He smirked, folding his arms across his chest, which only made the muscles in his arms pop.
“What do you want?” I asked, a flare of annoyance shot through my bones.
Fucking asshole was too hot and gorgeous, and the worst thing was that he knew it.
So did a million other people and some reputable magazines in the world.
“I was coming in tocheck on you before I got ready.”
I nodded, dragging the cloth over the beautiful foiled spine of the book I held.
I had some time to kill and couldn’t sit still thinking about my meeting with Angela tomorrow, so I decided to clean up the library. Which was a place I constantly used now.
It was no longer desolate and lifeless. I had filled up the table with my laptop, pink notebooks, and glitter pens. I stuffed the window nook with a few pink dolls and pillows I stole from the pink room.
Even going inside the room that Jay made for me made me emotional.
My nerves always thrummed with a wild feeling just at the sight of it. Looking at the pictures, the presents, the memories we collected, and all the love he poured for me inside a square room, I was usually a crying mess when I stepped out.
“Why are you doing this? Don’t we have a cleaner?”
I shrugged, giving him a nonchalant look. “I’m used to it. Plus, you know how I don’t like others touching my things. Did you know that some of these are first editions?” I gestured to themassive collection of books lined up on the dark walnut shelves left by the previous owners. “They could sell for a few thousand.”
“I had no clue; you can sell them if you want.”
My eyes widened. “What, no! Just let them be. They are pretty, and I was thinking of reading a few.”
“Okay.” He chuckled, watching my every move as I placed the books back on the shelves. “Those ones are empty.” He pointed at the shelf at the far end.
“Yeah, I took them out. They were other language books and some study textbooks. I thought you could donate them.”
“Good idea. And you could fill it up with your collection.”
“That’s what I was planning to do.” I gestured to the two boxes full of books that I brought from my old apartment.
“Good.” He smiled before a sigh left his lips. “I miss you already.”
I sighed. “Yeah, me too.”
Jay was leaving for LA for some event that he couldn’t miss. I was supposed to tag along with him and face my fear of returning to that ominous city, but since I had a meeting I couldn’t miss, I was staying back home.
My soft eyes met his. It’s only for two days, but I felt like crying. After being inseparable for the past couple of months, this was the first time we were going to be apart .
In two quick strides, he was right at my face, barely an inch away from me. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” I smiled, clutching him tight, not caring about his sweat seeping into my skin. “It’s only for two days, right? You’ll be back before no time,” I said, pulling away, my arms still loosely hanging over his hips.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, his eyes going straight to the front of my dress. Which was now drenched in his sweat and transparent.
“Jay,” I chided, “eyes up here.”
“Can’t help it,” he said in a deep voice that jolted electricity through my spine, and he still hadn’t looked up.
At this point, I was pretty sure that my diamond-hard nipples were cutting through the dress, and my cheeks were flaming pink.
“Jay,” I repeated, mustering a firm tone.
He finally looked up with sheepish eyes. “What?” he mumbled. “I’m not going to see them for two days.”
My throat dried up. “You can’t say things like that,” I said, rising on my tiptoes as I pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Hmm,” he muttered, pulling me in for a long kiss on the lips instead. “I’m glad you’re wearing a lot of pink now.” He smiled as we parted.
“Yeah, you brought my favorite color back to me.” I looked up shyly. It was true, though; pink was my favorite color ever since Grandma gave me a strawberry pudding when I was a kid.
Since then, anything I owned had a tinge of pink .
But I avoided it at all costs when we separated because the color reminded me of him, and it hurt to even see it in passing every day.
I shouldn’t have associated it with him.
But what choice did I have?
After learning that I loved pink, every present that he got for me was pink. And now I felt safe enough to bring it back into my life.
His featherlight touch traced over my hips. “Have I told you how much I love you in these dresses? Although they are a high level of temptation.”
I rolled my eyes.
Since changing my wardrobe, I’ve switched to wearing dresses for hoodies around the house. They made me feel pretty, but I was partial to my man’s T-shirts. I planted my fists on his chest, pushing him toward the door.
“You need to shower, mister. You’re going to be late.”
“Fine, ma’am.” He smirked, giving me a salute as he walked out.
My fingers swept on their own accord to dig out the chain from the depths of my chest. The shining “J” pendant and the peony ring.
My fingers molded over them, my heart filling to the brim with adoration. Jay got these when he had nothing to his name. They probably didn’t cost a lot, but to me, they meant more than anything Jay owned today.
Nothing would overshadow the value of what these meant to me.
I would always wear them .
Thirty minutes later, I heard his footsteps approaching. “Sweetheart, I’m ready to go.” Jay’s soft voice reached my ears.
I looked up to see he was fully dressed, dragging a small suitcase and a heavy trunk behind him. He wouldn’t go anywhere without Firebird.
“I can help you carry these,” I mumbled, trying to take the suitcase away from him as we descended the stairs.
He gave me a sharp side-eye. “I think I’m man enough to do that. You might end up breaking a bone or two on the way.”
I scoffed, watching as he easily carried them down the stairs. “You made me haul them all by myself when I was your assistant. Remember those days when you acted like an ass—hating me.”
He exhaled. “I didn’t hate you. I never did. I guess I was confused to have youback in my life. And I regret making you carry these and ordering you around like a maniac.”
“At least you admit it.” My eyes landed on Tyler as soon as we entered the foyer.
“Hi, Tyler.” I waved an enthusiastic hand but was only met with a grim hello as he retrieved the bags from Jay and darted out the door.
Wow, he was never going to lose that stiff act with me even though I had told him numerous times that we were friends. I guess he could never be friends with his employer’s girlfriend.
“Tyler will stay with you while I’m gone.”
“Why?” I frowned. “I don’t need protection anymore. Take him with you.”
“The press knows who you are, and I’ll have peace of mind knowing he’s with you. ”
“I can take care of myself, Jay. I’m not going to put myself into such situations again. I know better now.”
He gave me a sharp look. “Just please don’t argue, Evelyn,” he asserted firmly.
And I sighed, nodding.
“Good.” He crushed me to his chest, holding me tight. “I’m going to miss you a lot.” Just then Strawberry decided to pay us a little visit, running circles around us.
I laughed but didn’t move an inch as I grazed my cheek along his chest. The steady beat of his heart dripped into my soul.
“I love you.” He planted a kiss on my forehead.
“I love you,” I mumbled, reluctantly pulling back.
“I gotta go now,” he whispered, softly kissing my lips.
I nodded, squeezing his hand and suddenly feeling emotional. “I still better be your favorite person in the whole wide world when you get back, Jay.” My voice cracked at the end.
He gave me a smile that turned my heart into mush. “You will always be, sweetheart.”
With a heavy heart, Strawberry and I bid him goodbye.
She whined softly, nuzzling my feet as if she understood her dad was going away for a while.
I clambered upstairs to finish up in the library and prepped a bit for tomorrow.
Two hours later, my phone went off with a familiar ring. I almost couldn’t keep the smile off my face when I picked it up.
“You haven’t even been gone for a few hours. ”
“Doesn’t matter. I miss you,” Jay mumbled, sounding like a teenager who hadjust beenrejected by his crush.
I laughed, ambling over to the kitchen while I decided on dinner. “Strawberry and I miss you too. Don’t you, baby?” I cooed to which she gave me a cute bark.
“Fuck, don’t make sounds like that,” Jay cursed.
“E, I don’t know how you handle this depressing fucker, but he hasn’t stopped whining about you since we got on board.” I could hear Mikey laugh in the background.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole.” Jay’s cold voice was aimed at Mikey, which only made him laugh harder.
“Are you on the flight? Can you be talking on the phone?” I slid the phone from my ear, putting it on speaker as I assembled my ingredients for seafood pasta.
We asked Helen, Jay’s cook, to come around only when requested. Since we both liked to cook and she had just welcomed her granddaughter, she was happy with this schedule.
“Yeah, we have Wi-Fi.”
“Of course you do.”
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm, making dinner. Thought I would invite Lily over.”
“Wish I were there,” he mumbled solemnly.
“Jay, you’re acting like a kid.”
“Yeah, Jay, give that girl a breather for once,” Mikey called out.
“Fucker,” Jay gritted out. “I love you, sweetheart. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Love you,” I said as my phone cut off with a beep .
That night, Lily was over, and we dug into our pasta in front of the TV. We were watching anime, and she swore it was the best thing I would ever watch. And I must admit it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was pretty good.
“You’re right. I love this,” I said, shedding a tear over a flashback scene where the main character recalls his family being killed by a demon lord. “But it’s so sad.”
“I know.” Lily’s excited eyes met mine.
Lily’s phone went off with a couple of notifications. “Looks like the boys are on stage.” She opened an app on the phone, and soon, we were streaming the show live. Lily did some magic and connected it to the TV.
“Lan looks sad. I hope everything is okay with him and Katy.” Lan looked like a tortured hero as he broke into his rhythmic guitar while switching it up with his keyboard.
“I hope so too. Matty texted me that he showed up at the last minute and that Katy was a no-show.” Lily gave me a look.
“He looks like he’s not fine at all.” I wondered how Katy was feeling, but she was pretty tight-lipped about whatever was happening with them.
“I know, right,” she mumbled, her eyes glued on the bassist as he rocked the stage. Showing off his glorious tattoos in an open shirt, Mikey was sweating and grinning like he was in his element.
I smiled, shaking my head, hoping secretly they both get together while my eyes trained on my man.
His voice purred through our speakers, so rich and smooth like golden honey piercing straight into my heart.
On a whim, I took out my phone and sent a cheeky text to him .
Evy- I’m watching you right now and it’s doing things to me.
Evy- I wish you were here to fuck me hard.
Evy- Fuck, I think I just made a mess of my panties.
I giggled to myself as I hit send.
That night, I faced the repercussions of my actions when he wouldn’t end the call till we both came at least three times.
I was sweating and moaning, my bones like clouds when I went to sleep.
I must say, phone sex was quite interesting.