OBSESSED

12

JARROD: Want to grab a bite this weekend? I'll cook! 😁

To my surprise, there was a more recent text that I somehow hadn't seen while at work.

JARROD: Found out that my sister isn't doing well so I'll be in FL this weekend. We should still make plans for this week. Dying to see your pretty self again 😍

I sighed.

Why is he so nice to me?

I wished he would be mean so I could have a reasonable excuse to ignore him. A panicky feeling tickled my stomach.

What if Jarrod truly was a nice guy and I ended up losing him simply because I allowed past hurt to influence my decisions?

If he just wanted to fuck, he was putting in a lot of effort. He would have no problem finding a fuck buddy, either. He was mouthwatering to look at and fun to talk to. Not to mention that he knew what he was doing in bed.

Thinking about the way he'd taken control of me, pinning my hands over my head, had been hot as fuck.

Who was I kidding? I wanted him to have his way with me again.

I pushed my heart on the back burner for a moment and decided that, even though he would probably break me in a few days or weeks or months, he deserved a chance. I wanted to see him again, too; I'd just been in denial over my heartache.

He might turn out to not be a douche like Danny. One could hope, anyway.

LEAH: I hope your sister gets better! Travel safely. Xx

The oven timer chimed at me and I gladly jumped up from the couch to fetch my dinner.

Within two hours, I had stuffed myself with delicious pasta and then squeezed myself into the only little black dress I owned. I fixed it around my breasts to show off what cleavage I had and then ruffled it over my stomach to look more flattering. After digging around in my closet, I found a pair of black platform heels that would make my calves look nice.

Foxy sat on my vanity while I curled my hair into ringlets, flicking her tail as if annoyed.

"Yeah, I'm leaving you again," I said. "I think you'll manage. And listen." I set the curling iron aside to peer down at her. "If I come home wasted and Ryan tells me to shower, do not let me do it. Okay?"

Meowing, she hopped off my vanity and trotted off. I rolled my eyes. She would probably happily witness me busting my ass again.

Since I didn't call an Uber ahead of time, I drove down to The Lip in my Mercedes. If I got drunk like I hoped to, then I'd just come back in the morning to get it. That had happened an unfortunate number of times.

I pulled out my phone as I walked into the club to call Isabelle but I was distracted by a new text from Jarrod.

JARROD: We made it safely thnx. What are you up to tonight?

"There's my bestie!"

My head snapped up.

Isabelle waved excitedly at me from the bar where she was perched next to Ryan. He smiled at me in his usual cool way.

Tucking my phone away, I scuttled over to them. Isabelle already smelled like dry martinis as I hugged her.

"God, it's so good to see you," she said. "It feels like it's been forever!"

I chuckled and hugged Ryan.

"Hola, Loca," he greeted me. "How are your injuries?"

"All fine, no thanks to you."