I was way out of line anyway.
Then neither of us talked about it again. We resumed our constant stream of texts and voice memos, slowly getting to know each other, but neither of us brought up Jace again.
Did it bother me? A little.
Okay, more than a little. I hate the idea of her dating someone who treats her like shit. But I hate the thought of never hearing her voice again even more.
I don’t want to lose this friendship—this connection to my past—and I know that if I don’t control this jealousy I’m feeling, it will push Pres away.
So that’s exactly what I do.
All week, I push those feelings to the back of my mind.
I treat Presley like the friend she’s always been and remind myself she is not mine to protect.
But then, my phone rings, and it all goes to shit.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, hearing the pain in her voice almost instantly. I set down the plate I was about to shove in the dishwasher and dry off my hands.
“It’s been a rough night,” she says in a defeated tone.
“Aren’t you at your parents tonight?”
“Yeah,” she answers. “How do you know that?”
My brow scrunches. “You told me the other day, Pres. It’s not that hard to remember.”
My answer seems to give her pause because it takes a moment before she responds. “Jace came with me tonight, and I thought he wanted to spend time with my family, but…” She pauses, taking a deep ragged breath that I can hear through the speaker of my phone. “He was just hoping the band would be here so he could meet Asher and hang out with celebrities.”
What the actual fuck…
I force myself to take a second and think before I answer because I have a feeling that if I fly off the handle again when it comes to her boyfriend, this will be the last time she confides in me.
Plus, I need that second to calm the storm brewing in my mind—the one that dreams of ripping this fucking guy apart.
“Where is he now?” I ask, leaving the kitchen to take a seat on the living room sofa. I was supposed to go out to dinner with Jonas tonight to finally have that talk about expanding the club, but I’m going to have to cancel.
This takes priority.
“Gone. He took a bottle of my parents’ Grey Goose and headed for the beach.”
My fist clenches at my side, but I manage to keep my opinions to myself.
Because it doesn’t matter what I think right now.
I’m sure she knows exactly what everyone thinks about Jace. I’m sure deep down she even knows they’re right. But bringingthat up right now will only make her feel worse, and I won’t be that guy.
I want to be the person who makes her smile.
“Okay, do me a favor,” I say. “Can you go to the pantry?”
“The pantry?” There’s a hint of amusement in her tone, and it’s the first time since I answered her call that I sense anything in her voice besides sadness, so I run with it.
“Yup.” I smile. “You heard me.”
“Is there a secret passage in there I’m unaware of?”
“Maybe,” I tease. “But you won’t know if you don’t get your ass in there.”
