“Busy ditching us for Byrne, maybe.” He flops down into one of the chairs in front of my office.
“That’s not fair.” The argument is weak, but I still use it.
“No, what’s not fair is ditching your friends for your old best friend who fucked you over.” He throws his feet up on the front of my desk.
I can’t help the anger that surges throughout my veins. I knock his feet off and push to mine.
“Talk about him like that again, and I swear to whatever god you believe in Jasp, I’ll cut your fucking tongue out and ship it to your goddamn mother in a box.” My voice is eerily calm, but that just makes my threat that much more lethal.
He sits there in stunned silence for a few moments while he composes himself. Then he also stands and leans over the other side so we’re only inches apart. The tension and anger in the small room is thick enough to choke you.
“Then talk to us, asshole. You freeze us out and expect us not to have an issue with it? You’re even more dense than I thought.”
“Fine.” I pick up my phone and shoot off a text to our group chat.
Jakob: Hi. Just so there isn’t any confusion. Declan and I are together. Like the real deal. He is my boyfriend. We do sex stuff and everything. Got a problem with it? Find a new friend. Also all of you besides Dieter and Ethan can go fuck yourselves for talking about me and not asking for yourselves.
*Jakob removed himself from the group chat*
I wait until his phone pings and watch as he reads it. He brings his shocked gaze to mine.
“Now get the fuck out of my business, Jasper. Both figuratively and literally.”
He storms out of my office, slamming the door so hard that it rattles against the frame. I don’t have time to worry about his shitty homophobic rhetoric right now. They can get wrecked for all I care. What kind of fucking friends act like that because I’m dating a man? But he wants to call me dense? Yeah, okay.
My phone lights up in my hand and excitement shoots through me like a bolt of electricity, but as quickly as it came, it’s gone when I see Elias’ name on my phone. I ignore him and no sooner than I do, it starts again with Tucker. I ignore all the calls coming through until I see Ethan’s name pop up.
“Hello?” I answer as I put my reports away for a later time.
“Hello?? You drop that bomb in the group chat before removing yourself and ignoring everyone, but it’s cool because I get an answer and a casual hello?” His laugh is loud and carefree. “Damn, it sucks to be the others.”
“Is there a point to this, E?”
“Yes. One, are you also answering Dieter’s calls? And two, I’ve been told to tell you they weren’t talking behind your back and that they didn’t know about you and Dec. Theythought you were missing because you guys have become best friends again.”
“I mean, I guess in the most basic sense we are?” After making sure everything’s put up, I lock up my file cabinets and pack up my laptop.
“Yeah, but not like us. We’re your top best friends still…” He lets his sentence trail in uncertainty.
“I mean, I regularly let him put my dick in his mouth, so– I think it’s safe to say you guys are behind him.”
Ethan laughs again, and the sound makes me smile at his easy going nature. Not much rattles him. “Okay. Fair. So when are you going to bring him to hang around us?”
“Did you not see the text? I think I was pretty clear. I’m not going to deal with any of that stupid bullshit when it comes to my relationship.”
I lock the front door to the bar and when I turn, I seeherwith Mikhail and Yuri posted up against my truck.
“Uh, E. I’ve gotta go pick Hannah up from ballet. Tell Dieter we can talk about Declan later.”
With that, I hang up knowing damn well that he’ll get what I’m trying to say. Hannah isn’t even in ballet. He needs to get Dieter to call Dec. Hopefully this doesn’t turn to shit. Sliding my mask of indifference firmly into place, I walk around them to the driver’s side of my truck.
“Can I help you, Tasha?”
“Yeah, you can back off of Declan.” The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end at the possessive tone in her voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I pause by my driver side door as I watch them round the front of my truck.
“He’s marrying me, Jakob. I don’t need my husband to have a lover. Especially not one likeyou.” She practically spits thelast word in disgust.
