The door opened and my grandmother flung her arms around me. “Good morning, Liddy Bug. I’m so happy to see you. We were just catching up.”
Catching up?She saw John every day. Why would they need to catch up?
When she fully opened the door, it all made sense. Sitting at her round kitchen table was John . . . and Jake.
What was he doing there? Today was supposed to be just Max and me. How was I supposed to concentrate on my relationship with Max if Jake was always around? It was as if theuniverse was tossing him into the mix to make things difficult for me. Then again, I should’ve known nothing about my time-travel experience would be easy. I’d changed the dynamic of things, and obviously, Jake was affected by it.
“Jake,” I said, my voice a little harsh. I didn’t want to be mad at him for interfering with my time with Max, but I couldn’t help it. He was making things way more difficult for me. “What are you doing here?”
My grandmother walked over to Jake and patted him on the shoulder. “Jake, sweetheart, I’m going to let Lydia take you down to see Regina. Her son has been asking for an autograph.”
I stood there and clenched my teeth. By the look on Max’s face, he wasn’t too thrilled with the situation either. This was not how I wanted today to go.
“Seriously? Can’t he go by himself?” I said. “Max and I came here to spend time withyouand John.”
She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh, Liddy Bug, you see me all the time. A few minutes won’t hurt you.”
And that was it . . . I had to go. Max smiled at me, but it was tense. His patience with Jake was running thin. Hell, mine was, too. Everywhere I turned, he was there. It was easier when he was gone all the time. Even though I missed him, I didn’t have to feel what I felt now. It was confusing, and confusion was the last thing I needed. My mind was already a jumbled mess.
Jake stood and said hello to Max as he passed him to the door. I mouthed the words,I’m sorry,to Max before following Jake out and shutting the door. Without saying a word, I led Jake down to Regina’s desk and her squeals of delight when he gave her an autograph echoed throughout the whole building. Once he was done, I pulled him to a vacant corner where we could be alone.
“What are you doing here, Jake?” I snapped.
His smile faded and his eyes bore into mine. I felt vulnerable under his stare, like he could see right through me. I was afraid he’d see what I’d been hiding that I might have feelings for him. In all honesty, I knew I was hiding it from myself. If it stayed buried, it would be forgotten. That was my hope.
“I came to see your grandmother,” he stated.
I flung my arms in the air. “Why today? You knew Max and I were going to be here.” Huffing, I folded my arms over my chest. “You could’ve come at another time. It’s not good for me and Max if you’re always around. It’s going to cause problems. I could feel Max’s tension; he’s going to think something’s going on between us.”
Jake averted his attention to the floor, his jaw clenching. He seemed at a loss for words, but then he lifted his eyes to mine and said, “I felt like I needed to be here.”
His words struck a chord in my heart.
“Why?” I asked, the words just a faint whisper on my lips.
Jake shook his head. “Don’t you know?”
My heart stopped, and a part of me had a feeling I knew, but I still couldn’t admit it to myself. Did I even want to know what he meant? Knowing could change everything.
Before I could stop myself, the words left my lips. “Know what?”
Jake blew out a sigh and turned his face to the side. “Something tells me you’re not ready to hear it.”
When he met my eyes again, something in him resonated with me; it matched the feeling gnawing away at my gut—longing. However, as long as I didn’t act on it, the feeling would disappear, I was sure of it. Jake was my friend, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that. We had a lifetime of memories together.
Jake’s lips pulled back slightly. “I’m going to go, Lydia. I’ll see you at the house.”
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away while I stood there frozen. In that moment, something had changed between us. It couldn’t be taken back. A door had been cracked open, and the force behind it wanted it to open wide. I was afraid of what was behind it.
After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I made my way back to my grandmother’s apartment. Everyone was at the table watching Max shuffle the cards. “Want to play Kings in the Corner?” he asked me.
My heart was conflicted, and I tried to ignore it by smiling like everything was okay.
“Of course,” I replied. “Deal them out.”
I was about to sit down when my grandmother clutched my wrist. “Excuse us,” she said to Max and John. “We’ll be back in a minute. I want to show Lydia the present I got her mother for Christmas.”
She held onto my arm and pulled me into her bedroom, shutting the door behind us. “What’s so secretive about the present you got Mom?” I wondered curiously. My grandmother faced me and glared as if she was mad. I stared back and waved a hand at her face. “Why do you look angry?”
