Page 36 of My Ex's Best Friend

“I think you’re forgetting that I haven’t actually set foot in the city yet.”

“The world’s a small place now,” he says.

“What about you? Do you have a paramour back in Paris?” I say. “You’ve been there many times.”

Jake smiles.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, I suppose.”

He looks at me, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Nope, no time for that. Been too busy focusing on the company. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I get it.”

“See, this works,” he says. “We haven’t argued in the last two hours and we’re getting along pretty well.”

Crap, it’s been two hours already?

I look out the window and see that the sky has darkened, and I didn’t even notice.

I stand up quickly.

“You good?” Jake asks, looking confused.

“Yep, I’ll be back.”

I make my way to the lavatory, my mind buzzing.

I didn't anticipate finding such ease in Jake's company, and the unexpected comfort unsettles me. I look at myself in the mirror and all those years being his friend play like a movie in my head.

I miss my best friend. I never even knew how much.

When my mind is more settled, I take a deep breath and open the lavatory door.

As I return to my seat, I find Jake peacefully asleep, his book lying beside him. The sight is unexpectedly endearing, his features softened in slumber.

In the dim light, I notice his chest's subtle rise and fall, the lines of tension smoothed away. He barely looks like a teenager.

I approach the air hostess and request a blanket, which she promptly brings. Gently draping it over Jake, I get the urge to ruffle his hair. I reach tor the strands on his forehead but stop myself a couple of inches before I touch him.

I can’t. But the reasons are getting fuzzier and fuzzier as time goes by.

Returning to my own seat, I settle into the plush comfort of a book, but eventually, my thoughts drift back to Jake.

What would have happened if he hadn’t stopped talking that night? What if he had never lied to me?

Eventually, the gentle hum of the jet and the subdued lighting lure me into the realm of sleep.

10

JAKE

The gentle murmur of the pilot’s voice over the intercom pulls me from my sleep as the private jet begins its descent.

Kiera is still lost in sleep, her blonde hair framing her face in gentle waves.

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