[VICTORIA]
"So what did you two love birds do yesterday?" Alex wiggled his eyebrows.
I choked on my cereal. "I'm sorry?"
Ian joined in. "Please tell me you used protection."
Jake looked around at them, amusement written all over his face. "You don't have to worry."
I stared at him open mouthed. "What are you—"
Ivy sighed. "Jake, are you serious? You're obviously not ready for children."
"What are you guys talking about?" I snapped.
They all burst out laughing at my expression.
Everyone but Amy.
She was on her phone, giggling her life away. Ian glared at her.
"Are you texting your boyfriend?" He snapped.
Amy looked up. "Boyfriend? Sure, you could call it that."
I frowned. "Is it the guy you met at the club?"
She bit her lip. "Yeah."
Ian made a noise in the back of his throat. He stabbed his fork into his waffles and violently chewed it.
Alex looked at him sympathetically. "It's okay, Ian. You don't need her," he said softly so Amy didn't hear him.
Jake cast me a look from the corner of his eye. I raised my eyebrows in question. He smiled tentatively and turned back to his food.
I had woken up this morning in my bed, my shoes, my jacket and my makeup removed. I was shocked when I thought that Jake might've done that.
"Are you going to work today?" I asked him softly.
Jake looked disappointed. "Yeah. Sometimes I really do hate it. I don't want to leave you alone." He frowned. I hesitantly put my hand on his arm.
"I'll do fine here." I reassured him.
"What do you even do here?" He asked.
"Well, I'm probably going to go for a swim today. I'll read a book maybe play an instrument." I looked up at the ceiling. "I could catch up with Reece. Damn, I haven't talked to him since I was 16."
Jake's eyes hardened. "Reece?"
"Yeah. We were really good friends in high school. Wait until he finds out about this!"
Jake glared at me. "I'm not going to let one of your ex-boyfriends in my house."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why not? Are you jealous?"
Jake looked taken aback. "No!"
I grinned and poked his cheek. "Aww. You're jealous! Don't worry, babe. I don't like Reece anymore."
He swatted my hand away. "I'm not jealous. I just don't want a stranger in my house."
I winked at him. "Of course."
He groaned and stood up, putting his plate in the sink. "You're going to drive me crazy."
I moved to stand next to him. "But that's what gets you going."
Jake rolled his eyes and threw an arm around my shoulders. "I'll see you at 5." He pressed his lips to the top of my head and pulled away from me. "Amy, you want a ride or not?"
Amy put her phone into her purse and pushed her chair back. She smoothed down her skirt and put her hair into a bun. "Hurry up, Jake."
As they walked away, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Please don't start making out with that idiot on your desk again. I paid for that desk."
I felt a tightening in my chest as I glared holes into Jake's arm. He looked back at me for a second before pulling his phone out.
Alex whistled. "You and Ian are really jealous, aren't you?"
Ian glared at him. "Why would I be jealous?"
Ignoring Alex, I plopped down in the seat across from Ian. "How long were Amy and Jake together?"
Ian grimaced. "Three years. Three years of pure torture." He muttered the last part to himself.
"Oh," I glanced down at my hands. "Well I didn't know that."
Ivy shrugged. "Well, they broke up two years ago. And they're extremely good friends, so I don't think you have a reason to be jealous."
I frowned at her. "Who said I was jeal—"
My phone vibrated and I quickly took it out.
Jake Santiago, 9:48
Now who's jealous, sweetheart? ❤️
I put my face in my hands. "Oh God."
Alex snatched the phone from my hand. He snickered. "Way to be subtle, Victoria."
I looked up and gave him an angry look. "Because you're the master of subtlety?"
Alex puffed his chest. "Of course I am."
Ivy snorted. "No you're not. The first time you wanted to have sex, you left a whole box of condoms in my bag. And one in my bedroom. And one in Jake's bathroom. He was ready to beat the shit out of you."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Small problems."
"What about the time you tried cheating off that test in 11th grade?"
Alex put his hand over her mouth. "That's enough."
Ian smoothly stood up. "I'm going, you coming with me or not?" Alex and Ivy nodded and followed him out.
I sighed and leaned back in my chair.
It was time to call Reece.
***
As soon as I heard the bell ring, I ran to the door. I smoothed my hair down and opened the door.
A young man stood there, hands in his pockets. He took one out and ran it through his spiky hair. Blue eyes studied me curiously. He bit his lip, his eyes lowered to look at me.
"Victoria?" He asked.
I grinned. "Reece!" I took a step forward and flung my arms around him. His arms wrapped around my waist as he pressed us against each other.
"Oh my God," he breathed, stroking my hair. "It's been way too long."
I pulled away from him, the grin not leaving my face. "I've missed you so much." I pressed my face against his chest.
"Me too, baby, me too."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house. He laughed at my enthusiasm before coming to an abrupt halt. "Woah," he breathed.
I turned to look at him. "What do you think?"
"Well shit. This is cool." He grinned.
"I know!" I took his hand and dragged him up the stairs.
As I led the way down the hall, Reece pulled me to a sudden stop. "What is that on your finger?"
I looked down at my engagement ring. "It's a ring."
"Yeah, no shit. But you don't really wear rings. So why are you wearing one?"
I frowned. "Haven't you seen the news?"
"The news? What does the news have to do with this?"
"Jake Santiago's fiancée?"
Reece stared at me. "Yeah, but—" His eyes widened. "Damn. So it's true?"
I nodded. "I'm engaged."
"That can't be true. I know you. You wouldn't get engaged at the age of 20."
I opened the door to my bedroom and ushered him in. "Well, I am."
Reece entered the room and took a seat at my desk.
"So you started dating him last year and then got engaged?" He asked curiously.
I shook my head. "I've actually known him since I was three years old."
He looked at me accusingly. "So you were cheating on me?"
I stared at him, shocked, before leaning forward and slapping him upside the head. He yelped and rubbed the area.
"What was that for?" He demanded.
"How can you even think for a minute that I would cheat on you? Jake," I took a deep breath. "Jake was my best friend. When you and I broke up, he took the opportunity to ask me out and now we're engaged."
That sounded believable, right?
Reece nodded thoughtfully. "So now I'm hanging out in your fiancé's house?"
I nodded.
"And he's okay with that?"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." I shrugged.
Reece smirked and leaned back in the chair. "When is he coming home?"
"At five."
He grinned. "Perfect."
***
"She kicked me out of her apartment because her dog didn't like me," Reece said, lying back on the couch in the living room.
I gasped. "She actually did that?"
Reece nodded. "Eve takes her dog's feelings very seriously."
I giggled as I took another swig of the tequila I had stolen from Amy's stash of alcohol. Everything seemed funny to me at the moment.
Reece reached for the bottle and poured himself a shot. "How's your brother?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. He's become a moody and brooding teenager. It's like he's constantly on his period."
Reece laughed. "Logan always was really serious." He tipped the alcohol into his mouth. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before giving me a wicked look. "Are you still ticklish?"
I scrambled back in my seat. "No!"
He grinned and lunged forward. I squealed and rolled away, only to fall on the ground. I groaned as Reece landed on top of me. He gave me a cheeky grin as his fingers found their way to my stomach. I screamed in laughter.
"S-stop!" I cried out. "You win!"
Reece kept tickling me. "Say you love me."
"I love me!"
Reece gave me a look. "You know what I mean!"
I gasped through the tears of laughter. "I love you, Reece Watson!"
He grinned. "Good." He leaned down, his lips brushing slightly against mine.
"What is going on?" A cold voice said from the doorway.
I grinned up at Jake. "Hi!"
Jake glared at Reece before focusing on me. "Who the hell is this?"
I pushed Reece off me and stood up. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!"
Why did I care what he thought? A part of me asked.
Shut up! The other half screamed back.
Jake arched an eyebrow. "It's not? So I'm not looking at my wife-to-be with a stranger who she just declared her love for?"
I violently shook my head and stumbled over to him. He quickly caught me in his arms. "Are you drunk?" He asked furiously.
"Just a little bit," I reassured him.
Reece cleared his throat loudly, causing Jake to look up and glare at him.
"Oh right!" I tried slapping my forehead but ended up slapping my nose. I giggled. "Jake, this is Reece Watson. Reece, this is my fiancé, Jake Santiago."
Jake stiffly shook Reece's hand. They looked like they were trying to crush each other's bones.
Reece gave what looked like a forced grin. "I hope you guys have a great life together." He turned to look at me. "If he hurts you, call me. I'll always be here for you."
Jake took a step forward. "She won't be needing to. I'm never going to hurt her. So why don't you get out of my house before I hurt you?"
Reece huffed. "Just remember that. Okay? You deserve so much better than him." He nodded toward Jake who was staring at him with a tense jaw. "I'll show myself out."
I waved at him. "Bye, Reece!"
He smirked and shot me a peace sign before leaving the room. Jake waited until the front door shut before he started to speak.
"I thought I said you couldn't have him over?" He said steely.
I straightened my back but almost fell over. "So Ian is allowed to have a different girl home every night, but I couldn't have one of my best friends over for a few hours?"
Jake looked away, loosening his tie. "That's different."
"How is that different?"
Jake looked back at me. "Why the hell did you drink? You're only 20!"
I frowned. "Because it's fun. You should try it sometimes."
Jake gritted his teeth. "I almost died because of a drunk driver. My mom did die. So I'd rather not." He snatched the bottle from the coffee table. "Where did you get this?"
"Amy's stash." I looked down at my feet. "I'm sorry for saying that. It was insensitive."
Jake rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Why don't you get ready for bed? I'll bring up a glass of my hangover juice. I'll get mad at you when you're sober." He looked pained. Acting on impulse, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his cheek. I stayed there for a few seconds before pulling away. Jake's breathing had quickened quite rapidly.
"I'm sorry for bringing Reece here. I'm sorry for making the comment about you not being fun. I'm sorry for—"
Jake cut me off. "Stop saying sorry."
"Yeah, um, sorry. Shit. I mean sorry—"
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Just go upstairs."
I nodded and made my way to the stairs, feeling my own smile tug at my lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go to sleep 😴😴💤💤
~Sazeda