2. Two #3
“Come on. Don’t leave us hanging. No one wants to listen to the charts when there’s actual talent in the house.
” The host all but begs. One of the guys gives Jake a hard push, and the latter glares at his buddy, before he slams his half-empty bottle on the counter with a little more force than necessary and grudgingly makes his way across the room.
The entire bar erupts with wild cheers as he takes a seat on the spot-lit stool and accepts the beat-up acoustic guitar he’s handed.
He takes the time to fine-tune the instrument, strumming it a few times to test the sound before nodding in satisfaction and facing the crowd.
“How are y’all doing tonight?” he asks, earning himself another round of applause and several wolf whistles. “I wasn’t planning on getting up here this evening, but I know these assholes won’t stop pestering me until they get what they want, so let’s just get this over with, shall we?”
A few amused chuckles sound through the room at his obvious lack of enthusiasm.
“This song goes out to someone who was once my whole world,” he announces, and I almost choke on my drink at the mention of what I can only assume is me.
“A very special someone I thought would be my wife by now, but sometimes fate takes you down a different road. And sometimes you realize you never even knew that person to begin with, and that fate ended up doing you a favor. Anyway, this is a song by one of my all-time favorite bands. It’s called ‘Snuff.’ I hope y’all enjoy it. ”
The title doesn’t ring a bell, and I don't recognize the song when he begins strumming the opening chords. But seeing as he’s clearly dedicated it to me to send some kind of message, I pay close attention to the lyrics.
The melody is hauntingly beautiful, and Jake produces it with such practiced ease it’s obvious he’s played it a time or two.
His deep, gravelly voice instantly gives me chills when he starts on the first verse.
By the beginning of the second, however, I’m painfully aware that he hasn’t chosen this particular song to profess his undying love.
I have to give him credit. The lyrics may as well have been written specifically for this purpose, for every cruelly delivered word twists the knife in my chest just a little more.
He sings of betrayal and cowardice. Of heartbreak and deep hurt, and I have to fight back unwanted tears as I force myself to not look away.
He belts out the last line with such raw feeling that I have a hard time keeping my own emotions in check.
Megan looks on teary-eyed and uncomfortable as she sends me a pitying look just before the entire bar breaks out in a round of deafening applause.
Jake gives a mumbled, “Thank you very much,” and calmly strides back to the bar like he hasn’t just gutted me in front of a room full of strangers before wiping the soles of his shoes on my intestines.
He accepts the shot of amber liquid someone holds out to him and drains it in a single swallow, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth like he wants to erase the bitter taste his performance left behind .
“Well, that was intense,” Megan needlessly points out, and I give her a look that says, yo u think?
before I glare at the man who’s equally as frustrating as he is desirable.
It takes him less than two seconds to find my eyes.
The pull between us is still as strong as ever, and that simple knowledge is all the incentive I need.
“If he thinks all it takes to get me off his back is some backhanded serenading, then he’s got another thing coming,” I grit out, lifting my chin with a newfound determination. A predatory smile spreads across my lips.
“Uh oh,” Megan mutters, sucking on her margarita like it’s the only thing keeping her sane.
I meant it when I said I didn’t come home for Jake.
Rekindling an old romance was the last thing on my mind when I got that life-shattering call.
I booked that plane ticket with zero intention to win him back.
I returned to Jenkins Creek for one reason and one reason only.
To be there for the person who’s been there for me my whole life.
But I promised I wouldn’t lie to myself anymore, so here is the God’s honest truth.
When I showed up at his house shortly after my return and realized he was in the company of another woman, it felt like a hot poker to the gut, and I don’t think I ever quite recovered from the scalding stab wound.
Over the days that followed, I told myself time and time again that this awful feeling would fade.
That I have no claim on him anymore and that he deserves all the happiness in the world.
I didn’t expect him to pine over me after all this time, nor did I think he’d been abstinent these past seven years.
I don’t blame him for moving on, and it’s not his fault I never managed to do the same.
I told myself to let it go, despised myself for even entertaining the idea of pursuing him since I know all too well just how much it sucks when another woman sets her eyes on the man you love.
The thing is, deep down, I never quite stopped thinking of Jake as mine, and I don’t think I ever will.
In a way, Alicia’s the one who moved in on my territory.
Or so I tell myself so I can sleep at night.
Finishing my drink and signaling the passing server for another round, I decide to give it one serious shot.
If he shuts me down and can look me in the eye and tell me he’s madly in love with her, then I’ll have to accept his choice.
If he’s truly moved on and happy in his new relationship, I won’t meddle.
But if there’s even the slightest chance he still harbors feelings for me.
That he’s thought about me every day since we went our separate ways.
That he still longs for me even half as much as I long for him, then I have to try.
Am I still angry with him? Hell, yes. I’m so damn furious I want to scratch his freakishly gorgeous eyes out of his head.
And until I get the apology I’m owed, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully let go of it .
We have a lot to talk about before we can even consider the possibility of giving us another shot.
But now that the veil has been lifted, I can no longer deny that there’s no one else I want.
There’s no one else who’s ever affected me quite the way Jake Nelson does.
Trust me, I’ve tried. God, did I try. I’ve suffered through more tedious dates than I can count.
Pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and really put myself out there for a time, but no one could live up to the memory of him.
None of them made my heart race with a single look.
I don’t know how I’ll convince him to put his anger aside long enough to truly listen but judging by the song he chose, another sneak attack would most likely be my best option.
If I want him to hear me out, I’ll have to catch him off guard.
My mom tells me I’m like a dog with a bone when it comes to the people I care about, and dammit, I still care about Jake more than I want to admit.
Time to rediscover that backbone I was once so famous for and reclaim my life.