He holds his hand out to Mila and says, “How about we stop pretending we hate each other for a couple of minutes, and you dance with me?”
Mila glares at Jase, but still, she places her hand in his, grumbling, “You have one song.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Jase smiles as he leads her away from the table.
“Damn, is it just me, or is there love in the air?” Noah asks as he gets up to come to sit next to me.
“I’m hoping love is in the air,” I reply, grinning because I’m happy to see my friends dancing, and I think the song fits them perfectly.
Hana slumps down in a chair and reaches for a bottle of water. “My shoes are killing me.”
I wiggle my toes in the snug confinement of the heels I’m wearing. “I feel your pain.” I grin at Hana. “Aren’t you going to pick someone to dance with?”
Hana shakes her head, and her eyes turn to Fallon. “No, Fallon and Jase dancing is enough. Besides, there’s no one here I want to dance with.”
“Ouch.” Noah slaps his hand over his heart, feigning hurt.
Hana lets out a chuckle. “My feet are in pain. I’d dance with you in a heartbeat, but I’d rather just sit here until this night is over.”
“Just pulling your leg,” Noah says with a grin.
I glance around at the colorful decorations and beautiful flowers. “The hall looks so pretty. You guys did a wonderful job.”
“Thanks, but it’s the first and last time I’m helping the decorating committee.”
My eyes search for Hunter, and I find him at a table with Nate Sparks and his friends, which is surprising. Hunter laughs at something Nate says. I got the feeling Hunter didn’t care for them much, but I must’ve been wrong.
Not surprising, Jade. You’ve been wrong about a ton of things.
On the spur of the moment, I get up and walk toward Hunter, hoping that if I asked him to dance, he wouldn’t reject me in front of all the students. I know it’s an underhanded way of trying to talk to him, but I’m scared if I let too much time pass, he won’t give me a chance to apologize at all.
Nate sees me first, and his smile broadens. “Damn, you look good, Jade.”
“Thanks.” My eyes rest on Hunter’s face, and it takes a couple of seconds before his gaze flicks up to meet mine. “Hunter, I was hoping you’d dance with me?”
His blue eyes turn to solid ice, and my hope quickly fizzles away. His features set into hard lines as he rises from the chair and buttoning his jacket, he leans a little closer to me, whispering, “Not in a million years.”
The sharp edge to his tone sends goosebumps rushing over my skin, almost as if a chill just swept through the room.
He starts to walk away from me, but I dart after him, grabbing hold of his arm. Hunter stops, and his eyes are filled with disdain as they drop to where I’m touching him.
I quickly pull my hand back and say, “Please, can we talk?”
“You really want to do this here?” he snaps as he turns to face me. Before I learned the truth, my anger made me brave and reckless, but now I struggle not to cower back from the fury radiating from his body.
Before I can plead for his forgiveness, Hunter steps closer to me in one hell of an aggressive move, but I keep my ground.
“I’ve given you two years, Jade. I refuse to waste another second of my time on you.” His words are harsh, but I know I deserve every one of them.
“I know, and I’m so sorry, Hunter. Can we go outside so you can tell me how you feel? I want to fix things between us.”
He lets out a burst of air, the corner of his mouth pulling into a vicious grin I haven’t seen before. “You want to know how I feel?”
I nod quickly, praying he’ll open up to me.
Hunter pulls back, and his eyes lock on mine. They look cold and expressionless as he says, “At first I was angry and fucking upset, but then I realized it meant I cared. Now?” He shrugs carelessly. “Now, I feel nothing. You insulted me and went as far as repeatedly accusing me of murder. I guess I could retaliate, but I won’t because I’m not that kind of person. We’re done. There’s nothing left of our friendship to salvage. You made sure to destroy what we had.”
“Hunter,” I plead as tears begin to sting my eyes, realizing I’m not going to get a chance to try to fix things between us. I grab onto the only splinter of hope I have left. “What about the kiss?”
Hunter lets out a dark sounding chuckle. “Like you said, Jade, it was just a kiss. A stupid game and probably the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. It meant nothing.” He begins to turn away but then stops, and his tone is biting as he says, “One last thing, don’t ever touch me again or pretend we’re friends.”
Chapter 13
HUNTER
Thanks to Jade picking such a shitty time to talk to me, everyone on campus now knows we’re fighting after the scene that played out between us.
Back at the suite and finally done with the night, I shrug out of my jacket and rip the tie loose from around my neck. I toss the fabric on my bed and then freeze when a song begins to play loudly outside my room.
Fuck, I forgot to shut the damn door behind me.
For a moment, I listen to the words as Fighting Gravity by Caleb Johnson fills the air. When he sings, ‘The memories are all I’ll save tonight…,’ I swing around and stride to the door, slamming the thing shut in Jade’s face.
The woman knows no end. I’ll give her that. She doesn’t know the meaning of giving up on anything.
‘…never thought you would ever quit on me… Without you, I’m gasping, it’s hard to breathe…’
The words are hard to hear because I lied to Jade in an attempt to hurt her as much as she hurt me. I don’t think I have it in me to ever quit on her, no matter how many times I’ve said that I’m done with her.
‘I hate you, and I wish it was you instead of Brady.’
Heartache splinters through me, and I close my eyes as they begin to burn from the tormenting memory. It hurts so fucking much it’s becoming difficult to breathe. I take a gasp of air and sink to my knees from the overwhelming feelings weighing down on me.
‘I hate you.’
“Fuck,” I groan, grabbing at my shirt and fisting the fabric over my aching heart.
She fucking broke my heart over and over.
I don’t even hear my door open and only realize Hana is in the room with me when she kneels in front of me.
“I’m here,” she whispers, and when I lift my painfilled eyes to hers, a tear trails over her cheek. “It’s okay to cry.”
I shake my head and try to fight my emotions back, but they’re too out of control. The heartache is too intense.
Hana lifts her hand to my cheek and gives me a sad smile. “I wish I could help you carry the hurt.”
My body begins to shake from all the effort it’s taking to not cry.
I hear the door behind me, and when Fallon asks, “Are you okay?” I can only shake my head.
She drops down next to me and wraps her arms around me, and it breaks the last of my resistance. I lower my head until it rests against Hana’s shoulder and let the first tear fall.
It doesn’t ease any of the pain. It doesn’t wash away the anger. I don’t find any release, but instead, it makes a pressure build up inside of me until it feels like I might explode.
Fallon tightens her arms around me, murmuring, “We’re here. We’ve got you.”
Every scathing word. Every punch. Every hateful look.
When I finally manage to reign in the tears, I pull back and ask, “How am I suppose to just forget what she did to me?”
Fallon brushes her hand over my cheek and shakes her head. “No one expects you to, Hunter. You need time to heal, and we all understand that.”
“Can I even heal? It took all my strength to fight her. I don’t think I have any left to forgive her.”
With a world of wisdom way beyond her years, Hana smiles tenderly at me. “It takes time, Hunter. It’s not something you can g
ive overnight; otherwise, people would be handing it out left, right, and center. Forgiveness is the final stage of healing.”
I nod, knowing she’s right. I let out an exhausted breath. “I keep saying I’m done with her. Damn, I just said I don’t think I can forgive her, but…” I move to get up, and when I start to pace the width of my room, the girls go to sit on my bed.
Fuck, all these emotions are giving me whiplash.
My voice is strained, when I say, “Jade’s a part of our group, and even though our friendship took one hell of a knock, I can’t bring myself to stop caring about her.” I let out a bitter chuckle. “Fucked up, isn’t it? I’m a sucker for fucking punishment.”
“Not at all,” Fallon says. “You can’t just stop loving someone, Hunter. You’ve fought so hard for so long. You finally don’t have to be the one to keep the peace. Jade took her grief out on you, and now that she’s finally healing, you no longer have to be her rock. But now, you need time to deal with the heartache it caused you.”
The corner of my mouth lifts slightly. “Jase said something similar the other day.”
Fallon lets out a chuckle. “Yeah, he can be insightful when his mind’s not in the gutter.”
There’s a moment of silence, then Hana asks, “Do you feel a little better?”
“Yeah.” I give the girls a grateful smile. “I think I just had to admit the truth to someone.”
“Do you want me to talk to Jade so she’ll keep her distance until you’re ready to talk to her?” Fallon asks.
“I got the impression you already did that, but Jade just chose not to listen?” I smirk because it’s precisely something Jade would do.
“Yeah, I mentioned it to her, but this time I’ll sit her down and explain that she needs to back off.”
“I’d appreciate it. I just need to work through my emotions.”
The girls get up and come to give me a hug. Pulling back, Hana’s dark eyes search my face, and pleased with what she sees, she presses a kiss to my cheek.
When the girls leave to go talk to Jade, I go to take a shower. With the warm water easing the tension from my muscles, I feel much better when I’m done. I dry off and step into a pair of sweats.
Walking back into my room, I come to a stop when I see Jase stretched out on my bed.
“You’re not sleeping here,” I warn as I walk closer.
Jase turns on his side and grins at me. “Come on, I know you love snuggling with me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Fucker,” I chuckle as I poke at him to move up. “We’re getting too old for this.”
“Yeah, so enjoy it while it lasts. Once Mila gives in to me, you won’t be seeing my ass at night.”
“Can’t fucking wait,” I mutter as I climb under the covers. “And I swear if you fart, I’ll kill you.”
“Eau De Jase. People will pay millions to get a whiff,” he jokes.
“In your dreams,” I laugh. “You’re nuclear. I’m sure NASA picks up whenever you detonate.”
We chuckle, and it’s just what I needed.
I reach for the bedside lamp and switch it off, then whisper, “Thanks, Jase.”
“Always.”
There’s a moment's silence, then I say, “Love you.”
“Love you most,” he murmurs, already sleepy.
I lay awake, listening to Jase’s light snoring, thinking about Jade.
I’m worried we won’t be able to go back to how things were between us, but maybe once we’ve worked through our problems, we can start a new friendship. I just have no idea how we’ll get there.
JADE
Last night Fallon had a serious talk with me, and it opened my eyes. I need to be as patient with Hunter as he was with me.
At this point in time, it’s the least I can do.
I’m glad I have classes to keep me busy, but I constantly find my mind drifting to Hunter and everything I’ve put him through.
I let out another regretful sigh as my ethics lecture comes to an end. I’ve just closed my laptop when someone behind me pours liquid over my back. Some splashes onto my computer, and I rush to free tissues from my bag so I can quickly wipe it up before there’s any damage.
“I’m so sorry,” I hear Jessica apologize, and glancing over my shoulder at her, I watch as she takes one of her own tissues and pats my back. “I lost my balance, and my coke just spilled everywhere.”
“It’s okay,” I mutter and proceed to pack my stuff away.
As I get up and begin to walk down the aisle, Jessica says, “Please send me the dry-cleaning bill.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I call back to her.
I decide to go change my shirt before I go for lunch and walking into the suite, Hana’s head pops up from where she was lying on the couch, watching a movie with Hunter. “You’re back early?”
“Just changing my shirt. Jessica spilled her drink on me,” I explain, using all my will power to not look at Hunter.
“On purpose?” Hana asks, sitting up with a frown.
“No, it was an accident.” I rush into my room and quickly grab a fresh shirt. After shrugging it on, I take my laptop from my bag and open it to make sure it didn’t get damaged by the fluid. I let out a sigh of relief when everything seems fine and closing the computer again, I tuck it back in my bag. “Time for food.”
I keep my eyes trained in front of me, and as I pass by the living room, I call out, “Enjoy the rest of the movie.”
“Thanks,” Hana replies as I slip out of the door.
I hurry so I don’t keep Mila waiting too long, but walking into the restaurant, someone bumps into me, and it sends me stumbling backward. I slam into something solid and glancing over my shoulder, I see that it’s Jase.
“You okay?” he asks, but his eyes are boring into whoever bumped me.
“Yeah,” I reply quickly and add, “It was an accident. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
My explanation sets Jase at ease, and he steers me past Justin, who says, “Yeah, it was an accident.”
“No worries.” The last thing I want is Jase starting a fight because of me.
When we get to the table, I sink down on a chair and let out a breath while complaining, “I’m accident prone today.”
“What happened?” Mila asks with a concerned look tightening her features.
“First, Jessica spills her drink on me, and then I walked into Justin.”
“Oh.” The single word doesn’t make it sound like Mila’s convinced they were accidents.
“Come on, lets order. I’m starving,” I say to change the subject. “I think I deserve some pizza today, but I don’t want a whole one.”
“You can grab a couple of slices from mine,” Jase offers, already signaling for a waiter. Once everyone has placed their orders, Jase turns his gaze to me. “How are you holding up?”
I scrunch my nose. “I’m okay, just wish I could make things right.”
“Give him time.”
When Jase just stares at me, I say, “You must be angry with me as well.”
He shakes his head lightly. “I’m not happy about what happened, but this thing is between you and Hunter, and it’s a mess you’ll have to clean up.”
“And I will,” I promise. “But for what it’s worth, I am really sorry.”
The corner of Jase’s mouth curves up, but there’s no warmth on his face. “I’m not the one you wronged, Jade.”
I nod, hating that things are awkward between Jase and myself, but I don’t blame him. I guess I can thank my lucky stars Fallon and Hana aren’t upset with me.
I glance at Mila, and she gives me an encouraging smile. “We should do facials tonight. Just relax.”
“Sounds good to me.” Under the table, I reach for her hand and give it a grateful squeeze.
“Yeah, I’d pay good money to have you do a facial for me,” Jase teases her.
Mila rolls her eyes at him in response. “In your wildest dreams.”
“Oh, baby.” Jas
e draws his bottom lip in between his teeth as he stares at Mila. Letting go of it, he murmurs, “You don’t want to know what I do to you in my wildest dreams.”
I let out a snort and quickly cover my mouth, so I don’t burst out laughing. Even I have to admit Jase was hot as fuck, but the stunned look on Mila’s face is absolutely priceless.
Chapter 14
HUNTER
As the days go by, I begin to feel a little better. Jade’s kept her distance, doing her best to avoid me, and it’s given me time to get my emotions under control.
Crossing the lawn between the lecture halls and the restaurant, Jase says, “I’m itching for a night out. We should go to Studio 9 and get wasted.”
“Why?” I let my eyes scan over his face, searching for any sign that he might be stressed. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He gives me a playful grin. “Do I need an excuse to get drunk?”
“I guess not,” I chuckle. My eyes drift over my surroundings until I spot Jade. She’s just come out of the dorm and heading towards the road. Staring at her phone, she seems oblivious to the world around her. From the tightfitting outfit she has on, I guess she’s either on her way to the gym or going for a run down one of the trails.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her at the gym during my morning workouts. She must’ve changed her time so she won’t bump into me.
Jase lets out a low whistle, and hollers, “Looking hot, Jade.”
She doesn’t respond, her eyes still glued to her phone and it’s then I notice the earphones. “She can’t hear you.”
Without looking up, she begins to cross the road, and the blaring noise from an oncoming car doesn’t even get her attention. My heart explodes in my chest, and I rush toward her. My eyes dart between the vehicle that’s hitting breaks, and Jade, who just stepped in front of it. Grabbing hold of her arm, I yank her against me and wrapping my arms tightly around her, I swing us to the side of the curb, while my heart races into overdrive.
With Jade’s back pinned to my chest, I can’t make my arms loosen their grip on her trembling body.
Coldhearted Heir (The Heirs Book 1) Page 11
