“Blake, are you crazy?” She yelled. “Do you have a death wish? What is wrong with you?”
“So I take it that’s a no?”
“Can you imagine how she would feel if we both showed up together?”
She had a point. Taking Jaz along wasn’t the right move.
“Send me her address,” I said.
“You’re absolutely crazy,” she replied.
A weird kind of energy helped to uplift me after I heard Jasmine’s voice. That’s the kind of power that she had over me.
She was proof that most men in the world were jackasses. It was unbelievable to me that no man had swept her off her feet before. If given a chance, I would put her on the kind of pedestal that she would find hard to come down from.
That girl deserved the world and she definitely deserved a man who was in love with her as much as I was.
I knew I could overcome every obstacle if it meant we could be together. She said our relationship was forbidden.
Well, forbidden or not, she was mine.
I would give her as much time as she needed, but ultimately I was going to have her. I knew it. There was only so much she could do to fight her heart.
Her biggest concern was hurting her sister’s feelings, and in a way, I was relieved that things were out in the open now.
This was going to happen sooner or later.
Freya lived right in the heart of the city.
Of course, she did. Being away from “civilization,” as she would always complain about when she lived in Hinsdale, had been really hard on her.
I tried to call her while I was still sitting in the car, but gave up the hope that she would answer after the first time around. I paid for parking and made my way in. The building security wanted to know who I had come to see.
I glanced at the text that Jaz had sent me.
“Apartment 4533,” I said. “I’m here to meet Freya Ashman.”
“One moment, sir.” He held up the phone to his ear and mumbled my name into it, then set it back down.
“I’m sorry, sir. You’re not allowed to go up there.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I slammed my hands over his desk. “I just drove three full hours to get here.”
I knew it wasn’t the man’s fault. He was only telling me what Freya had said.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered immediately, after my anger subsided.
The man stiffened, holding his hands together in front of him and I turned in the direction that he was looking in.
Freya had come downstairs and she was standing by the elevators with crossed arms.
Her face was judgmental but I had a smile on mine.
She shook her head and approached me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I… wanted to come see you. You left without telling anyone anything.”
“So what’s it to you?”
I sucked my bottom lip and smirked.
“Did Jasmine send you here? Your new girlfriend?”
I have to admit that I found it hard to look her in the eye when she said that, but I had to.
This was probably the only real chance I had to convince her that Jaz and I belonged together, because we did.
Freya was shivering. I’d never seen her this angry before.
“Hey,” I said holding her arm. “Look at me.”
She clenched her jaw, appearing as though she was contemplating how to stab me in the heart without the doorman seeing anything.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Really?” She smirked. “So you haven’t hooked up with her? My sister? Jesus, Blake!”
“I like her, Freya. I really like her. It’s not some stupid hook-up.”
A tear rolled down her cheek and she stepped back.
“I think we’re done here. You have to leave now or I will ask the building security to kick you out.”
Freya turned her back towards me and I watched her walk away.
“She doesn’t want to have anything to do with me,” I said, getting her attention. “Jasmine. She said it’s over. She doesn’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” she hissed, walking right back. “Because she’s already done that. She’s hurt me and so have you. And now I’m single in this huge fucking city and I don’t even have a sister anymore.”
“Don’t say that, Freya. Jasmine loves you… so much. She’s willing to give up her happiness for you.”
“You? You’re her happiness?”
“Well, why don’t you ask her that yourself? She wouldn’t let me get close. Her heart is completely shut off and if this is what you want for her, then that is what you’ll get.”
“Oh, no, no, no…Don’t you dare turn this around on me. This is not my fault.”
Her voice had gotten louder and her tone harsher. We even garnered a few stares from those seated in the lobby.
“I have to make this about you, because honestly Freya, you’re being a little selfish here.”
She filled her chest with as much air as she could and then held it there. She looked like a hot balloon that could blow up at any second.
I might have gone too far with what I said, and truth be told, I didn’t really believe that Freya was being selfish. She was entitled to her anger.
But I knew her all too well. These were the kinds of things that she responded to.
“I’m being selfish and you two... what? You two are fucking saints?”
“We’re not. Or at least, I’m not. But Jasmine… She looks up to you and she’s beating herself up every second of every day. I’m not asking you to forgive me, or her. I’m only asking you to talk to her once.”
Her face softened and she looked away with a grimace.
“Just once!” I repeated.
17
Jasmine
I might have been hyperventilating while typing search terms into Google. Trying to do something important while your mind is wandering in a bothersome place is the most difficult task ever.
I was looking for schools to apply to.
I’d been lost in life for way too long. My passions wouldn’t make me any real money and I couldn’t waste my life away in Hinsdale.
Eva, too, was planning on moving to a bigger city soon. Everyone was leaving. Freya had already left.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she would do to Blake when they met in Chicago. My sister was lovely overall, but her fury could sometimes get the best of her. She could barely control her words and actions when she got angry.
Though, Blake obviously knew that way better than I did, and I trusted that he knew what he was getting into. I was trying to not acknowledge this to myself, but he was doing this only for me.
He didn’t need to drive all the way to Chicago to see Freya, to make things right with her. As far as he was concerned, Freya was his past, but he still wanted to make sure that I would continue to have her in my life.
That was a huge deal. The man was proving himself to me at every step of the way.
The words that he’d said to me just outside this house the other day still sent a chill down my spine. I felt a tingle when I thought of it, and I wanted to replay them in my mind over and over, even if I knew that we didn’t have a future.
He loved me, that was for sure. And I believed him.
But love wasn’t enough, even if it was two-sided.
He’d been in countless relationships before, but I’d only been in one. It wasn’t so easy for me to say those three words, at least not yet. But I sure as hell was feeling them.
I checked my watch. A few hours had passed since Blake told me he was about to leave for Chicago. He must have gotten there already, and unless there was heavy traffic, he must have also spoken to her by now. I just hoped that he wouldn’t return with broken limbs.
Freya had been mad at me before and we’d had a lot of ugly fights. But this was the first time that she’d just… left.
Her silence was scarier than
her screaming insults.
When my phone rang, I slid the laptop to the side and began hunting for it in my bedroom.
“Come on, come on,” I mumbled, cursing my luck because the damn thing would always be around when I didn’t really need it.
I was sure that it was Blake calling to inform me that my sister kicked him out of her place and that she never wants to speak to either of us again.
But it wasn’t him.
It was her.
I let out a loud sigh, my mouth stuck in the awkward ‘O’ shape. I continued to stare at the screen until the last second.
“Freya,” I said, my foot tapping on the floor.
She took a few seconds to respond, but when she finally said something, she didn’t sound as furious as I had imagined. I knew I was one hell of a lucky person.
Especially since I didn’t think she’d even bother to call me.
“I’m guessing you know that Blake came to see me?”
“Um-hmm.”
I couldn’t say anything more than that. Just acknowledging the fact that I would know about Blake’s whereabouts was awkward for me. For both of us.
“He uh…,” she sighed. “He told me that you asked him to take a hike.”
“I did. I swear I did, Frey. I will never speak to him if you don’t want me to. Please just say the word.”
I didn’t mean that. Whenever I’d promised myself that I would stay away from him, to not think about him, I’d broken the damn promise every single time.
“You didn’t think to ask me before you jumped into bed with him?” She hissed.
“I’m….”
“Let me, guess. You’re sorry. You’re fucking sorry, Jaz?”
“I know that doesn’t cut it, but I can try and somehow…”
“Just cut the crap, okay? You and I both know that you’re in love with him. He’s the guy who you met at the hotel and he’s obviously the guy you write about in that stupid diary of yours. I know you. You love him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Did you not hear me?” She said, her tone becoming snappier. I could feel her wound in my heart as she spoke. “I know you. You’re a goddamn virgin, for fuck’s sake. You don’t sleep around just for the fuck of it. So, of course you’re in love with him. But I just hope…”
“Hope? Hope for what?”
“I just hope it’s not infatuation masquerading as love.”
“It’s not,” I said quickly, and heard her chuckle.
“So, you’re admitting it. It is love.”
“Doesn’t matter, Freya,” I sighed. “I’m applying for a master’s program in journalism. So far, Northwestern seems to be my best bet.”
“You’re getting a master’s in journalism?” She laughed. “What? Where is this coming from? Are you running away?”
“What choice do I have?”
“Wow, Jaz. Sometimes I wonder if we’re even related. You would really let him go for my sake, wouldn’t you?”
“Well,” I sat up straight. “You’d do the same for me.”
She didn’t say anything.
“I’m not as nice as you are. And I have to admit, I am a little jealous of you.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’m serious. Blake would have never done for me what he did for you today. He genuinely cares for you and this is all that I’ve ever really wanted for you. I just wish you’d picked another fucking guy!”
I groaned and laughed at the same time.
“So where do we go from here?”
“Don’t ask me,” she sang. “Ask yourself. Do you really want to leave town for a degree that’s not going to serve you in any way? I mean, you don’t really want to be journalist, do you?”
I shrugged and fell on my back.
“I like to write.”
“Exactly,” she said. “You like to write. You’re creative. That’s different than being a reporter.”
“You know…” I began. “I think I’m jealous of you, too. You’d always known what you wanted to do in life. I kind of envied that.”
“Well, good,” she teased. “Good to know that I have something that you don’t.”
“Oh, stop it!”
Even though Freya had indirectly given me her blessing to go ahead with my relationship with Blake, I was still feeling for her. I wished I could make it better somehow. I couldn’t imagine how she would feel if we all got together and she had to witness Blake kissing me, or even holding my hand. Now that I was aware of what real love felt like, I knew that I would never be able to handle such a thing.
But Freya was not me. She was much stronger, much more admirable, and she’d proven herself worthy of being Mom’s favorite child.
“What about our parents?” I asked. “I think they’re going to have a heart attack.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” she said. “Though, I’m surprised they haven’t found out yet. Mom, especially. I feel like she has spies all around town. She always knows about everything.”
“I’m not convinced,” I let out a mousy sound. “I’m scared.”
“I’ll handle them,” she said. “Don’t worry. Oh, and Jaz… I really think you should give creative writing a shot.”
“As in, like novels?”
“Yes, as in novels or even poems. After I read the part in your diary there… you know, I also glanced at a few other things.”
“You did not!” I squealed, embarrassed.
But she had a fair point, and it made sense for me to consider her suggestion.
“Do you think it’ll be profitable though? Writing feels like a side gig to me.”
“So do it as a side gig. It’s not like you have a life after you get back from the store.”
She paused for a few seconds.
“Except… you do, now.”
She was referring to my life with Blake.
18
Blake
Having dated Freya for so long gave me an advantage. I knew how much she loved Jaz, which was way more than she could have ever loved me.
She always tried to come across as fierce and strong, but deep inside she was this softie who cared for her sister more than words could explain. For years, I’d watched her defend Jaz against Ruby’s criticism. I’d calmed her down whenever she worried about her little sister being in the wrong company, or not being happy in her job. I would often tease her, calling her Jasmine’s personal bodyguard. The love wasn’t one-sided, either.
Jaz, too, did everything she could to enhance her sister’s life. She’d even planned a surprise party for our second anniversary, just so Freya wouldn't be disappointed when I failed to come through.
Truthfully, the closeness in their relationship had me wishing that Brian was alive.
I missed him more than ever, especially during the time when I thought I’d lose Jaz. But now I was certain that she would return to me, because Freya was going to talk to her, and tell her to do whatever she wanted.
I knew that look in her eyes all too well. She was sorry that she’d pushed her sister away, and left without saying goodbye. Most of all, she hated the fact that Jasmine was willing to make such a big sacrifice for her.
I’d already received a few missed calls from Jasmine while driving back to Hinsdale. I didn’t answer — she deserved to be teased a little bit after literally stomping on my heart the way she did.
I didn’t plan on teasing her to the point where she would hate me, but just enough so she could realize that she was in love with me, too.
Though, I should have known I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.
I was dying to hear her voice, and for her to tell me that she wanted me.
Besides, being her neighbor killed all my chances of being able to tease her for very long.
I saw her pretty face the second I pulled my car into the driveway. She was standing right outside my house with pursed lips.
I was looking at her through the rear view mirror. She pulled her phone out and ca
lled me.
“So you do have your phone on you, after all.”
“I was driving,” I smiled.
“Stop being cute. You’ve got bluetooth in your car.”
I laughed and hung up.
She ran towards me the second I opened the door.
“I think we should talk,” she said.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to talk to me… ever.”
She punched my chest with a frown. A happy frown.
“How about you just show me what you wanted to say?”
I pulled her in by her waist.
“I’d like that,” she whispered, slowly moving her face towards mine.
It was the sweetest, most hungry kiss that I’d ever received. Her lips tasted so good and I couldn’t wait to taste her all over.
Her skin felt soft under my touch and she looked away with a shy smile. Her hand was slightly covering her lips as she stared out the window.
Jaz seemed more at ease than she’d been since we first got together. Her heart was lighter and I knew she was ready to give herself to me in every sense of the word.
I wanted to ask her if she was nervous but decided against it. It was a stupid question. Of course, she would be. Hell, I was. I’d never had sex with a virgin before. I didn’t know how she was going to feel, but I did know that I was going to show her the best time of her life.
I wanted her under me that same instant. Too bad, the drive to the hotel was delaying it.
We were headed to a different hotel than last time. That place was kind of tainted for her now.
The other hotels were closer to the heart of the town, but she didn’t seem to care if anyone caught us.
I loved this side of Jaz. She was so wild and free, and I was happy to bring it out of her.
We held hands while we walked inside. The hand-holding was electrifying. There was just something about touching a part of her skin.
She was the woman that I’d been waiting for, and now that I had her, I was going to treat her like a queen.
Forbidden Neighbor: A Contemporary Romance Boxset (Forbidden Saga Book 2) Page 11
