The Art of Still Pretending

Thirteen

"Blair," he scratches the back of his neck and looks back. "What are you doing here?" Interesting, he's acting weird.

"I'm here to talk to Jacob." His eyes widen, either at me using Jake's full name or me being here to talk to him in the first place.

"Does he, ugh, know you're here?" His eyes look everywhere but at mine. He definitely knows something.

"You know." I say more as a statement then a question.

"Know what? I don't know anything."

"Careful bud, your pants might catch in fire." I try not to laugh when he looks down at his pants. "So do you know why your friend is avoiding me?"

"I love you Blair." Luke's words catch me off guard. "But I can't tell you anything, it's bro code."

"You know? Tell me." I'm surprised he knows and Blake didn't. Maybe they are a lot closer and I never noticed.

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Luke..."

"You won't break me Blair." I groan, there's no point of arguing when he's clearly not going to tell me.

"Fine." Traitor. We stand there for a couple seconds of complete awkward silence.

"So, is he a good kisser?"

"Oh my god, why does everyone keep asking me that?" A car honks behind me, and I turn to see a group of guys I don't know.

"Come on Luke!" One yells.

"Whose the girl?" Another one asks.

I turn and look at Luke. "Who are they?"

"Just some of the football guys." I turn back and wave at them. I get some nods and waves back.

"Well, I'm going to go and talk to Jake." Luke bites his lip nervously but doesn't say anything. He starts to walk to the car, and I hear another one ask.

"Oh, is she there for Heart?"

"Something like that." Luke answers.

"Damn, lucky him."

"I don't think he's lucky, if anything we should be wishing him luck." Luke gets into the car and I walk into the house, closing the door.

Without knocking, I barge into Jake's room. He's just walked out of the bathroom in only a pair of boxers. I try my best not to check him out and focus on the mission. Which is really hard, because his body literally screams look at me.

"Are you seriously avoiding me, Jacob Heart? Like seriously? What are we, in middle school? So we made out, big deal. But that doesn't me you avoid a person. Or not go to a bar with everyone, because that person's going..."

He doesn't react to anything I say. "Did you just call me Jacob?"

I look at him with a dumbfounded expression. "That's all you heard? Out of everything I said?"

"I have selective hearing." He shrugs, he goes to his drawer and pulls out a shirt to put on.

"Why we're you avoiding me?"

"I wasn't..."

"Liar."

He sighs and pushes his hand through his hair. "Because we made out Blair."

"No shit...but why?"

"Because we made out, and I didn't not like it."

"And that's a bad thing? I didn't not like it either, Jake." I say this in an annoyed tone. Because that's what I am, very annoyed.

He groans again, "But I can't stop thinking about you Blair." Shock fills my face. "Yea you didn't date my brother, but you guys still had whatever you did. And he liked you, at least I think, a lot. And he told me to tell you he missed you, and I didn't. Instead, I made out with you."

"I..." I have no idea what to say.

"God, Blair. I barley even know you, actually no, I know you a lot more than you think."

I am still just standing here speechless. What am I supposed to say to that?

He keeps going, "But you kinda make me feel some kind of way."

"Do you..." I want to ask the question but I don't know if I should. Does he like me?

"Don't."

"Don't what?" I ask.

He sighs, "I see the look on your face, don't ask me the question."

"Why? Because I won't like the answer?" Does he think I would upset with him saying no? Would I be?

"No, because I won't."

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