My jaw drops before I can stop it. I’m not shocked he’s been celibate for four months. But that also means he had someone in his life in King’s Rock. I’m mildly and completely inappropriately jealous. Who cares? He’s not with her now… right? Plus, I had Tom.
“You had a girlfriend in King’s Rock?” Nova asks, what I’m thinking. “How come no one mentioned this?”
“There was no girlfriend in King’s Rock,” Jake replied and shifts on his stool. He is not comfortable with the questions and that makesmeuncomfortable.
“Well then how did you have sex with someone?”
Jake and Finn hit Nova with flat, blank-faced stares and you can tell by the blush that hits her cheeks that she regrets the question immediately. Nova has never confirmed it, but I’m almost a hundred percent positive she has only ever been with Declan. The concept of one night stands or bed buddies is foreign to her. She knows they exist but they’re an abstract concept, one she forgot to think about before she spoke a second ago.
Finn smacks a hand down on the countertop and leans forward and says, with the seriousness of a mortician. “You’ve been dry for months and now you’re not going to have sex for another four weeks, at least. That’s pure torture.”
Something flickers in Jake’s eyes, a moment of sheer panic followed by a few seconds of despair, maybe? But he seems to suppress it quickly and he shrugs again. “I won’t die.”
“I fucking would,” Finn retorts as he lifts a hand to his blue work shirt like he’s checking to make sure his heart is still beating at just the thought of celibacy. My brother glances at me like he just remembered I was in the room. “That goes for you too Ter, maybe warn Tom.”
“First of all you need a hobby other than boning,” I tell him, and his face scrunches in disgust that his baby sister is talking sex with him even though he brought it up. “And second, Tom and I broke up.”
“What?” he looks distraught. It’s amusing.
“Oh please, like you care,” I say and push the swinging gate open and head into the main part of the restaurant to start lifting the chairs on the part of the dining area Nova hasn’t mopped yet.
“He was an okay guy,” Finn says, and I can’t help but laugh. Nova joins me.
“Is that what you want for your sister, Finn?” Nova questions him. “An okay guy? Don’t you think Terra deserves more than okay?”
“Well yeah, she deserves fabulous and charming and traffic-stopping handsome,” Finn says in a serious tone but then he grins and lift his arms in the air. “But she can’t date her brother so … you know Tom was an acceptable alternative. Seriously, he was nice and chill. He vibed with the family well, which we all know isn’t always easy.”
“I vibe with you all just fine,” Nova retorts and leans on her mop, her curvy hip cocked as she places a hand on it. “And Jake vibes perfectly too.”
I’m lifting a chair directly behind Nova and as I place it on the table, I give her a subtle little mule kick to the back of her shin. She doesn’t act like she notices, but I know she does. Finn laughs. “Well, yeah you both are honorary Hawkins so technically she can’t date either of you either.”
I turn around and look at Jake but he’s looking down at his now empty plate. I know he clearly heard what Finn said but he isn’t reacting. I’m getting angry. It’s irrational and I hate being irrational, but yet here I am.
“Well obviously I’m not going to date Nova,” I say and roll my eyes as I place the last chair on the table and walk back toward the counter. “She’s married to Deck and last time I checked, neither of us were into girls. But I could date Jake if I wanted to. Unless he is still involved with Miss June.”
Now Jake turns and looks at me. His angular features are hard, like he’sreallyannoyed. “Of course I’m not.”
Finn is oblivious to the sub-texts floating all around him. “Aspen? Hell no. That was just a Britney Spears moment, right Jake?”
Did he just say…
“What’s a Britney Spears moment?” Nova asks.
“When you hook up with an ex out of boredom or desperation,” Finn explains as I stare at Jake and he refuses to stare back. His eyes are back to being glued to his empty plate, his head tipped down. “You know, “Oops I Did It Again” sex. Like her song title.”
Nova rolls her eyes. “I’ll have to remember that. So Jake was with Aspen in June?”
“Yeah but whatever, ex sex is harmless. Doesn’t count as real sex,” Finn answers for him.
He hooked up with Aspen. Just a few months ago. Logically I know I have no right to care, but emotionally … it’sAspen. She’s still an open wound and Jake is the perpetual salt.
“I’m not feeling well,” I announce and it’s like sucking the lighthearted energy out of the room with a vacuum. Every set of eyes turns to me with a serious glint. “Nothing major. Just tired from treatment today. I’m just going to head home, if you guys don’t mind finishing close duties by yourselves.”
“Of course not, go,” Nova says and Finn nods his agreement.
Jake gets off the stool. “Can I drive you home?”
I shake my head. “Nope. I’d prefer if you just help them. I’m better off alone.”
