14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN - REKINDLED DEVOTION
Lily’s POV
I couldn’t believe it. The sinking feeling in my stomach twisted with each word I read from Jake’s computer screen— Just Between Us.
Another woman”s name, hearts, and kisses. Just before my birthday. How could he?
I didn’t have many friends, and Jake was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be the one who cared. The one I could count on. But now, as I stood at my room door, hearing his door creak open, curiosity burned inside me.
I couldn”t help but think back to last night when I stumbled upon Jake in the kitchen, attempting to make a sandwich with one hand. The mess he had created was funny, to say the least, and I had laughed inside as I helped him put together a simple sandwich. In that moment, I had allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he would try to make things right.
But now, as I watched him leave the house without a word, any hope I had harbored vanished like smoke in the wind. I pressed myself against the wall, hidden behind the curtain, as Jake climbed into his car. Our eyes met for a fleeting moment, and I quickly averted my gaze. My heart squeezed in my chest as he glanced in my direction. I ducked out of sight.
As the sound of his car faded into the distance, I let out a shaky breath, my racing heart gradually slowing to a steady rhythm. With nothing but silence echoing through the house, my thoughts turned to Jake”s laptop, sitting innocently on his desk. It called to me like a forbidden treasure, and despite the trembling of my fingers, I couldn”t resist its call.
I walked into his room, every step filled with unease. As I opened his laptop, the fear and anticipation of what I might see gripped me like a vice.
I lifted the lid, revealing an unlocked desktop screen. My heart pounded in my ears as I scrolled through the messages, but then I realized Jake had deleted the messages from Ali. But just when I was about to close the laptop again, I noticed a recent message from Jake.
“I have to see you today, meet me at your house at the break of dawn.” — Jake.
My heart sank as I read it over and over again. Anger boiled within me, but beneath it all lay a deep sense of hurt and betrayal. Tears stung my eyes as anger boiled in my chest. How could he do this to me? I wanted to scream, to lash out, but I was frozen in disbelief.
In a fit of rage, I slammed down the laptop screen, and as I was about to walk out of the room, my phone rang. I quickly fished it out of my pocket to see that it was Alissa calling. Suddenly, I had an idea to ask Alissa to let me stay with her and her roommate. I didn’t care if I had to live in her fucking toilet. I was definitely not going to spend another minute in the same house with Jake anymore.
I picked up the phone on the second ring, and Alissa”s cheerful voice sliced through the silence, her excitement obvious even through the phone.
“Hey, Lily! Happy birthday!” she exclaimed, her enthusiasm contagious.
“Thanks, Alissa,” I managed to choke out, my voice betraying the upset raging within me.
Alissa may have sensed the pain in my voice because her tone softened. “Hey, what”s wrong? You don’t sound okay.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I spilt my heart out to her. “It”s Jake... he”s been texting some girl named Ali on his laptop, even after everything we”ve been through.”
I could hear the hurt in my own voice as I told her about last night”s confrontation. “I tried to talk to him about it, but he just dodged the question and said he was tired. It”s like he doesn”t even care. I get that I should have expected it from the literal Lakeridge playboy, but what hurt the most was that he would do this to me just one damn day before my birthday.”“I don’t know Lily. I don’t think Jake would do that to you.”
“Oh please, Alissa, don’t give me that bullshit,” I said, between choked sobs. I poured out my heart to Alissa, the words tumbling out in a jumble of hurt and frustration. “I just... I thought he cared about me, you know? I gave him everything, Alissa. I opened up to him in ways I never have with anyone else, and this is how he repays me?”
“Oh, Lily, I”m here for you,” Alissa said, her voice filled with empathy. “Are you sure about all this? I mean, you”ve never complained about Jake before.”
I sniffled, wiping away the tears that stained my cheeks. “I”m sure, Alissa. I”m just so tired of all this drama. I just want to leave.”
I took a shaky breath before asking the question that had been burning in my mind. “Alissa, could I come to stay with you for a while? I just need to get away from here.”
There was a pause on the other end, and my heart sank with uncertainty. But then Alissa spoke up, “It might not be easy, but I”ll see what I can do. In the meantime, why don”t you come over later? We can talk more then.”
Relief flooded through me at her words. “Okay,” I agreed, grateful for her support. “Thank you, Alissa. I don”t know what I”d do without you.”
After hanging up the phone with Alissa, I knew I had to act fast. Hastily, I made my way back to my room and rummaged through my closet, pulling out clothes and stuffing them into my suitcase. I was unsure of what the future held, but I knew I needed to be prepared for anything.
As I packed, my fingers brushed against a familiar fabric, and my heart skipped a beat. It was the same outfit I had on the day my apartment caught fire. A shiver ran down my spine as the memories flooded back—the smoke, the flames, and the paralyzing fear. But then Jake had burst in like a guardian angel, fearless and determined, rushing in to save me without a second thought for his own safety.
His selflessness had touched me deeply, and for a moment, I allowed myself to bask in the warmth of that beautiful memory. I knew he was a firefighter, and it was his job to save lives, but the way he cared for me afterwards felt beyond all that. It hurt just to think about it.
My thoughts then drifted to Jake”s injured shoulder. He had fought to protect me, even taking a bullet intended for me and pushing me out of harm”s way. How could someone who seemed so selfless, so devoted, betray me in such a manner? The question haunted me. It felt like a puzzle with pieces that refused to fit.
With a heavy sigh, I set the clothes aside, unable to bear the weight of their memories any longer. The decision weighed heavily on my heart, but I knew deep down that I couldn”t stay here, trapped in a web of lies and deceit. I needed space—to breathe, to think, to heal.
Determined to escape the suffocating grasp of my thoughts, I stepped into the shower, the soothing rush of water washing away the remnants of doubt and pain. The hot water rushed over me, melting away the tension in my muscles and easing the ache in my heart.
After what felt like an eternity, I turned off the water, wrapped myself in a towel, and walked out of the bathroom. Grabbing a change of clothes, I quickly got dressed and ordered an Uber to take me to Alissa’s apartment.
“So much for my twenty seventh birthday,”I scoffed, walking out of the house and into the car waiting for me.
A few minutes later, the car dropped me off at Alissa’s house, and I slowly climbed up the stairs and rang the doorbell. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door and readied myself to spend my birthday with my best friend.
The locks clicked, but the door remained closed. I furrowed my brow in confusion, then took matters into my own hands, grasping the handle and pushing the door open. ”Alissa?” I called out, stepping into the house.
And then it happened — “SURPRISE!”
I let out a startled squeal as the room erupted in cheers and applause. A wave of shock washed over me, quickly followed by a surge of warmth as I took in the scene before me. Alissa had planned an actual surprise party for my birthday, and I couldn”t believe it.
I spotted familiar faces in the crowd. Friends who had gathered to celebrate with me. My heart swelled with gratitude as I hugged each of them tightly, feeling their warmth and love enveloping me.
Then I got to Alissa, who wouldn’t stop grinning. “I can”t believe you planned this whole thing for me, Alissa,” I exclaimed, my voice filled with appreciation.
Alissa smiled, but her eyes twinkled mischievously as she replied, “Actually, I can”t take the credit for this one. You might want to thank someone else.”
Confused, I followed her gaze and found myself locking eyes with Jake, emerging from the crowd with a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a sly grin on his face.
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him, rooted to the spot. What was he doing here? And why did he have flowers?
Before I could process the rollercoaster of emotions swirling within me, Alissa leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper as she revealed, “Oh, and you should know. I”m Ali.”
Ali? The name echoed in my mind, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The girl Jake had been texting—the one I had accused him of betraying me with—was Alissa all along. The realization washed over me in a dizzying whirlwind, leaving me stunned and speechless.
But as Jake approached, a sheepish smile playing on his lips, I felt a warmth spreading through me. He stopped inches in front of me with his sheepish grin and those damn flowers, looking more handsome than ever.
“Happy birthday, babe,” he said, handing me the flowers, and I couldn’t stop the tears from slowly streaming down my face. I took the flowers from his hand, feeling happier than I had ever felt in my life.
“Thanks babe.”
As Jake and I stood there, surrounded by the warmth of our friends and amidst the swirl of laughter and music, a sense of peace settled over me. Despite the ups and downs we had faced, here we were, together, and hopefully stronger than ever before.
“I”m sorry, Lily,” Jake murmured, his voice barely audible over the chatter of the party.
I turned to face him, my heart swelling with emotion. “No Jake, I”m sorry. I should have known that you wouldn”t do such a thing to me.”
He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “The hardest part was watching you think I wasn”t being faithful to you. I want you to know that I would never do such a thing to you, Lily.”
I nodded knowingly, mentally kicking myself for letting my emotions get the best of me.
“I love you,” he whispered, his eyes searching mine for reassurance.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I took his hand in mine. “I love you too, Jake,” I confessed, the words flowing freely from my heart.
In that moment, it was as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and my heart eased up, leaving behind only the purest form of love and devotion.
Jake pulled me close to him, leaning down ever so slowly until our lips touched in a soft and emotional kiss.
The room faded into the background as we lost ourselves in each other. Our kiss, though soft and tender, was filled with a passion that burned brighter than any flame.
After a moment, we broke the kiss off, staring into each other”s eyes with the unmistakable gaze of affection.
“What do you say we cut your cake, birthday girl,” Jake said, with a smug grin.
I giggled. “Oh! I got a cake?!”
“Of course you do. Only the best for you, my love,” Jake said, holding my hand and leading me to the living room where Alissa had already gathered everyone.
I spotted a cake on the coffee table and smiled knowingly. Chocolate cake, my absolute favorite. That was definitely Alissa’s touch right there.
I couldn”t help but blush as Alissa orchestrated everyone into singing the happy birthday song for me.
“Happy birthday, Lily!” they chorused, their voices filling the room with warmth and joy.
After the song ended, Alissa gestured for me to make a wish and blow out the candles. I closed my eyes, saying a silent prayer, before taking a deep breath and blowing out the flickering flames.
The room erupted in cheers and applause, and I couldn”t help but feel overwhelmed by the love surrounding me. I hugged Alissa tightly, my heart overflowing with gratitude. “Thank you, Alissa, for everything,” I said, my voice choked with emotion.
As I released her, my gaze fell upon Jake, who was holding a beautifully wrapped present in his hand. With a smile, he handed it over to me, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “I hope you like it.”
I eagerly tore into the wrapping paper, revealing a delicate case that held a stunning silver necklace. My breath caught in my throat as I lifted it from its velvet lining, admiring the intricate design.
“Jake, it”s beautiful,” I whispered, my fingers tracing the smooth metal.
“Let me help you put it on,” Jake said softly, stepping closer and carefully fastening the necklace around my neck. I felt his warm breath against my skin as he leaned in, his touch sending a shiver down my spine.
I looked down at the necklace resting against my collarbone, feeling a sense of completeness wash over me. “It”s perfect,” I murmured, meeting Jake”s gaze with a smile. “Thank you.”
“You”re welcome, Lily. And I promise to always be here for you, Lily,” Jake murmured against my ear, his words sending shivers down my spine. “No matter what happens, you can count on me.”
I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingertips. “And I promise to always stand by your side, Jake,” I whispered, my voice filled with conviction.
And then, without another word, we leaned in and kissed again, our lips meeting in a tender embrace that filled me with more joy than I ever thought possible.