Page 45 of The Stand-In Boyfriend

I’m so sick of it all…

My leg slides on the pavement, making me almost lose my balance. Thankfully I only stumble, but quickly regain my stance. My breathing is heavy, my heart thumping rapidly in my chest from exertion.

Bracing my hands against my knees, I take a few big gulps of air.

Tears prickle my eyes, but I push them back.

I’m not going to cry. Not over them. I won’t give them that power.

“Jessica?” A hand touches my back, making me jolt in surprise. “It is you. Are you okay?”

“Noah.” I turn to him, recognizing him instantly. “I’m fine.”

He doesn’t say anything as he takes me in, assessing whatever he sees on my face. “You were crying.”

It’s not a question, but I still have a need to defend myself. “Was not. It’s just dust and sweat. I was running.”

He looks at my clothes with clear doubt. “In that?”

“It was impromptu running.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“What’s with that today? Mm-hmm…” I lift my arms in the air and then let them fall back down, slapping against my sides. “What does that even mean?”

Noah takes a step back and lifts his arms in surrender. “Whoa, what’s that all about?”

Sighing, I rub at my temples, feeling a headache looming. “It’s nothing, sorry, it’s not your fault somebody pissed me off.”

Instead of being angry at my attitude, Noah relaxes, letting his hands fall by his side. “What happened?” he asks softly.

“It’s nothing.” I try to look away, but Noah’s fingers tip my chin back to look at him.

“It’s clearly something.”

Seeing on his face that he won’t let it go until I confess, I sigh. “Some girls were talking shit, that’s all.”

Noah’s eyes narrow, that silent intensity of his coming out in full force. “What girls?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The last thing I want is for him to go storming back and do God only knows what, drawing attention back to me.

“You’re upset so it clearly matters.” He lets his hand fall down and grabs mine. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”

In silence we walk through the streets of our little town, my fingers safely clasped in Noah’s hand. I should probably pull them out of his grasp, but I don’t want to. Having him hold my hand feels… nice. It’s so easy to lean into him, letting him offer security and comfort.

We don’t stop until we reach the park and sit on the first available bench.

“Wanna tell me now what happened?” Noah asks once again.

I lean against the bench, tilting my head back to look at the clear sky. Although September just started, you can already feel the slight drop in temperature. Very soon the sun will be hidden behind rainy clouds and the green leaves will be colored in yellows and reds.

“It was just a bunch of girls talking shit behind my back, nothing new about that.”

“You know they’re jealous, right?”

“I don’t care if they’re jealous or not. Hell, they have nothing to be jealous of nor do I want them to be. I just want them to leave me alone. Is that too much to ask?”

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