Page 35 of One Drink
Chapter 14
Stephanie
“Tell me again whatyou heard him say.” Kate crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.
“How many times are you going to make me say it?” I wiped the tears from my face. I’d spent all night and most of my morning crying. I was done crying. I’d asked my friends over to cheer me up, not make me feel worse.
“I’m sorry Steph, but what you’ve described doesn’t sound like Jake.” Kate said.
“He told my father that he’d talk to me about quitting my job.” I lifted the neckline of my t-shirt over my eyes and wiped away my tears. It was bad enough I had to endure the memory of Jake’s words, I didn’t need my friends asking me to repeat it again and again.
Kate crossed her arms and stared down her nose at me. “He actually said ‘quit your job,’ because I’m having a hard time believing that.”
“Dad asked him to talk to me about quitting my job, and Jake said he would.”
“Did you hear anything else?” Zoe asked. “If you ask me, that doesn’t sound like enough to get mad about.”
Kate nodded. “And what did he say when he ran after you?”
“I don’t know. I was so mad I wasn’t really listening.” My voice squeaked. “Can we stop talking about this now? Please.”
“We can stop talking, but it doesn’t change the fact that you fucked up,” Zoe said.
“You’re not helping, Zoe,” I yelled at her. “I don’t want to talk about Jake anymore. I just want to eat junk food, watch sappy movies, and get drunk with my friends.”
“We can do that tonight. But tomorrow, you’re dealing with Jake,” Kate demanded.
“Fine, tomorrow.” I slumped down on the sofa and buried my face in a pillow. I heard Jake’s words correctly. Of that, I was certain. Even if I didn’t hear the entire conversation, he still said he’d talk to me about quitting. That alone was a betrayal, and I wasn’t sure if I could forgive him.
A knock on the door caused me to shoot up.
“Food.” Zoe jumped up, too. “I’ll get it.”
I rubbed the palm of my hands into my eyes, attempting to wipe away the headache that was threatening to settle behind my eyes. Did I really fuck up? Or was Zoe just being Zoe? Maybe I did overreact, but I was so tired of my father interfering with my life.
No, I’m not thinking about this tonight. I didn’t want to think about anymore. I just wanted to eat my General Tso’s chicken and watch chick flicks with my friends. I headed to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine and get some plates.
Zoe grabbed her wallet and opened the door. “Jake.”
I spun around at the sound of Jake’s name. I wanted to call out for Zoe to shut the door, but she’d already let him in.
I wasn’t ready to face him or deal with the hurt and anger.
I shouldn’t have asked Kate and Zoe over. I should’ve known they wouldn’t immediately side with me. They were friends with Jake too. Even though they’d do anything for me, their loyalty didn’t just belong to me.
I gasped at the pain in his eyes. His shoulders sagged, and he avoided looking directly at anyone. The dark circles under his eyes told me he’d had just as bad of a night as I’d had. The air around me thickened with tension and I couldn’t breathe. I was responsible for his miserable state, and I ached knowing I caused that pain.
Kate hopped up from the couch and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go, Zoe. We can go hang out at my place tonight.”
“This won’t take long.” Jake’s voice was flat, and his eyes were hard. “You two don’t have to leave.”
“Nonsense.” Kate patted his cheek and gave him an encouraging smile. She paused, said something to him I couldn’t hear, and he nodded. She glanced back at me and waved. Seeing Jake looking so miserable, so cold, made me sick to my stomach.
He didn’t look like someone guilty of lying to me. He looked completely broken.
They turned to leave just as the Chinese food we ordered arrived. Zoe paid for it and sat the bags on the table. “I’m just gonna take the lo mien and get out of your hair.”
“Grab the egg rolls, too.” Kate called after her. Zoe collected the food and winked as she shut the door behind her, leaving me alone with Jake.