Page 78 of My Ex's Best Friend

"Are you hungry?" he asks.

"No, I'm good," I say. "I had dinner with Bea. We had a late-night presentation. What about you?"

He makes a face. "Chris took us to a strip club and pretended that it wasn't one."

I laugh. "That does sound like him. So, did you enjoy hanging out there?"

"No, not really," he says, falling into the bed beside me. "You weren't there."

Oh wow. My heart races. He wraps an arm around my waist and rolls me toward him so I'm kind of lying beside him.

I rub my forehead as the space between my temples throbs. I wince.

"You okay?" Jake asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, rubbing my temples with the back of my hand. "Just a little bit of a headache."

"Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Thank you. Can we just go to bed?"

"Sure," Jake says. He lies down next to me and stretches his arms out for me to climb into his embrace. I happily do that and soon after, I’m out.

***

I wake up to the smell of cooking bacon. My stomach groans, and not exactly in a pleasant way. Uh-oh.

This is surprising because I'm usually such a sucker for bacon.

The bed next to me is empty so it's probably Jake out there, cooking breakfast. The last time we did something like that was in France. Ever since we came back, both of us have been super busy with work.

I throw on my bra and panties and find an old ratty shirt of Jake's which is huge on me before heading out.

"Good morning, sunshine," Jake sings, motioning me to sit on the kitchen island.

"Good morning."

My stomach rumbles quite loudly just as I start to sit down.

Jake flashes a grin at me. "Looks like someone is really hungry."

"Yeah," I say and grimace a little.

Jake is busy putting garlic butter on the bread he just toasted, so he doesn't notice. He puts the bread, some scrambled eggs, and fried bacon strips on a plate before pushing it toward me.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I ask, taking a small bite of the bread. My tongue feels bitter and metallic, and I don't understand why.

Jake props an elbow on the table, watching my expression. "No, I just want to watch you eating. You know, it's one of my favorite hobbies."

I laugh. "What?"

"Yes," he says, "You look adorable when you eat. Now come on, tell me how it is. I think I've outdone myself this time."

I paste on a smile as I continue to eat.

My stomach starts to cramp, and after a while, I can't hold it in anymore. The fork drops to the plate with a clang as I clutch my stomach, doubling over.

Jake looks at me panicked. "Are you okay?"

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