Pausing when he catches her, Jenna turns to face him, her hands balled into fists.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Wait.” She cuts him off. “I may not have heard it all, but I heard enough. You don’t want me, Jack.” She reaches forwardand squeezes his arm, her expression softening. “We’re friends. There’s never been anything more between us. You’re not going to lose me if I find someone else.”
“You’re forgiving me?” He frowns, confused. “Just like that.”
“Not exactly.” She smiles and the hurt behind the veil splits me in two. “I need some time. I’ll give you the chance to explain, if you want that. But not right now. Right now, I need a moment to myself.”
She’s still talking to Jack, but her shattered expression lifts to mine, pinning me with her stare. I step forward but she subtly shakes her head.
“Please don’t follow me. You owe me that much.”
Without waiting for a response, she turns on her heel and rushes up the stairs, stealing my breath as she disappears out of sight.
Jack turns to face me again, and it takes everything in my power not to tell him to fuck off. Only this is on me. All of it.
And I need a moment myself.
“I’m going for a walk. Let Jenna be. Let her have the time she asked for. We can tell her everything when she comes back down.”
I’m not letting her hate me until she knows how I feel. Until she knows exactly what she means to me. What she’salwaysmeant to me. Since I first read her letters.
Because that’s what she deserves. Not time. I owe her an explanation.
I owe her the truth.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jenna
My head spins as I slam the bedroom door, and my composure collapses. Along with my legs. I land with a thud and freeze, waiting for any signs that one of them followed me.
It’s only when silence fills the air that I relax.
They listened.
Thank God, because...
Mason read my letters?
I had the strongest feeling he understood me on a deeper level, and now it makes sense.
It wasn’t some soulmate bullshit like Blair would have had me believe, if I'd told her. No…hecheated. He snuck notes into the test. Helied.
Plain and simple, he lied. Even if it was by omission.
There I was, having flown halfway around the world like a fucking crazy person because of a stupid letter and— Oh, God. Heknew. He knew exactly why I showed up at his front door. He taunted me with it.
While I laughed it off.
I have to get out of here. Australia. It’s like I’m a different person in this country.
I’d never let anyone fool me back home. I’d never let myself fall...
I’ve got to go.
Haphazardly throwing my belongings into my bags, I listen for movement before rushing down the stairs, desperate to sneak away.
