Page 6 of Unofficial

Shrugging, her lip quivers as more tears fall. "I mean, we never did talk about what we were. I just didn't think we needed to. We spent so much time together. Evenings, mornings, weekends. We talked all day, every day. I have things at his place, and he has stuff here. God, he took me to family functions, and I've gone shopping with his cousin’s wife. It was only five months, and I know you think I’m crazy, but it really felt like we were going somewhere. That there was a solid future."

"This isn't your fault," Noelle says, knowing exactly what Jess needs to hear.

It makes her feel a little better because she'd really felt like she would get some form of an I told you so from her. Noelle had doubts from the beginning because he seemed too perfect, but Jess brushed them off. "I never had the conversation with him, Noelle."

"Because any rational person would believe you two were on the same page with how much time you spent together and talked. If I'm letting a guy leave shit at my place, there's an implied commitment. And vice versa. I mean, how else is a dude gonna explain tampons in his bathroom when he's a single man with no roommates?"

She has a point. "I don't know what to think right now."

"What'd you say when he begged for your forgiveness?"

A fresh wave of tears falls. "He hasn't."

"You're kidding!"

"No," she says and can't hold her sob in. "I wish I was. I wish this whole thing was just one big joke. A nightmare I'll wake up from tomorrow and laugh at. But at least he did me the courtesy of cheating with someone better looking than me."

Noelle scoffs. "How is that a courtesy?"

"If someone's going to cheat, they should always make sure to upgrade. She's about three levels above me, so it feels a little less terrible. Not a lot, but a little."

"Jess-"

"She's gorgeous, Noelle. A damn model who should be an actress. She's even pretty when she cries. Who the hell is pretty when they cry except for actresses? She's got great boobs, curves to die for, gorgeous blonde hair, and high cheekbones. She also looks just as good naked as she does clothed."

Silence.

"Noelle?"

"I'm just waiting for you to come back to reality. This Lena girl isn't better than you, Jess. You're deflecting to avoid feeling the pain, but it's not going to stop it when it hits you. It's best if you just let it hurt."

"I don't want to let it hurt. I want it to not be true. I want to wake up and find out it was all a terrible dream my mind made up, and I can be happy again. That he didn't disappoint me."

"I know, babe. I know."

Chapter Three

Kade sits at the bar and hardly touches his beer. Last night hadn't gone as planned, and he can't believe he forgot Jess knew where the key to his place was. He also can't believe he didn't think she'd be the type to use it to bring him soup because he said he was sick. Her sweet gesture makes it worse, not better.

Never in a million years did he expect her to walk into his place and find him with Lena. Especially not in the manner she had. No matter how he felt about someone, he would never want to inflict that kind of pain on another. He may be an asshole, but he's not generally a total douchebag.

The conversation needed to happen long before last night, and that was not the way he wanted to have it. He knows it, but he was selfish. The last thing he wanted to do was lose Jess because he knows she will have an issue not being exclusive. And he has an issue committing himself to just one person. After the last experience, he'll never do that again. No matter how much he likes the person.

He also knows he should have reached out last night, but he couldn't. What the hell does he say after everything that happened? Oops? But guilt kept him from sleeping all night, and he texted her during his lunch break asking to meet up tonight. To his surprise, she agreed. Even though he knows it's about to end, he still has a little bit of hope she'll surprise him and say she's cool being together while seeing other people.

"Meeting someone tonight?" Tim asks from behind the bar.

Tim and Kade have become fairly good friends, but he knows the man doesn't approve of his lifestyle choices. He’s never said anything, though, because Kade tips ridiculously well. He also doesn't know Tim's last name, and unless Tim’s checked out his credit card, he doubts he knows much more about him, either.

"Jess is meeting me."

The front door opens, and she walks in wearing her work clothes. Normally, she goes home to change first before meeting him, which tells him this isn't a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

"Light beer for her, man."

Knowing the drill, Tim nods and grabs the bottle. This isn’t the first confrontation he’s had here, and Tim learned a while ago that it's best to give them a bottle of beer rather than a mug when Kade's about to end things with a woman. It's harder to toss a drink in someone's face from a bottle, and there's less to clean up for Tim. He just has to hope the person doesn't decide to use it to knock him upside the head with it. It hasn't happened yet, so fingers crossed it stays that way.

Jess walks up to the bar rail, and his stomach drops. She didn't cry at the house when she saw him with Lena. Lena had, which surprised him almost as much as getting caught had, but Jess didn't shed a tear in front of him. Seeing her swollen eyes, he knows she held it together to cry in solitude. Part of him feels grateful because he doesn't think he could handle seeing her cry, but the other part hates himself for doing this to her. He can also tell there's zero hope of keeping her in his bed, and he doubts he can keep her in his life now, too. It’s the reason he put this off for so long.

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