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"Okay," Fiona replied, trying to ignore the tightening knot of worry in her chest. "What is it?"
"Lauren came back," he blurted out, his voice hitching slightly as he spoke.
"Lauren?" Fiona felt a pang of hurt, though she couldn't quite place why. It wasn't as if she and Jake were together, not really; they were partners but nothing more. He'd made it clear that he didn't want to be with her. So why did the thought of Lauren returning bother her so much?
"Yeah," Jake confirmed, his voice barely above a whisper. "She showed up out of the blue, and said she needed to see me."
Fiona swallowed hard, forcing herself to maintain a neutral demeanor as she processed this new piece of information. Her mind raced with questions – why had Lauren come back? What did she want with Jake?
"Did she say why?" she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.
Jake shrugged. "She wanted to talk about us. About getting back together."
Fiona's heart clenched, the pain sharper than she had anticipated.
"Is that what you want?" she asked, her voice barely audible over the dull hum of the air conditioner.
"Doesn't matter," Jake replied, finally looking up to meet her eyes. "I told her no."
Fiona blinked in surprise, her confusion momentarily overriding her own emotions. Why would he reject Lauren? She had thought he had wanted her back. When Lauren first transferred, Jake was destroyed...
Fiona's chest tightened as she processed Jake's confession, the taste of her uneaten burger suddenly turning sour. She attempted to maintain a neutral expression, but her heart sank like an anchor in her chest, and she knew her eyes betrayed her disappointment.
"Really?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "You told her no?"
Jake nodded. "I did," he replied, not meeting her gaze. "It wasn't an easy decision, but I couldn't go back. Lauren and I were in a vicious cycle, and I've put it in my past."
As Fiona watched him, her face softened slightly, though confusion still swirled within her like a storm. Yet, she couldn't deny the small flicker of relief that danced in her chest.
"Jake..." she began, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "Why? Why did you say no?"
Jake's brown eyes met hers, serious and unwavering. The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with tension. He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, before responding in a low voice, "Because I still have feelings for you, Fiona."
Her heart stuttered in her chest, shock and confusion mingling with the adrenaline that rushed through her veins. Her hands found each other beneath the table, fingers fidgeting nervously as she tried to process his unexpected confession. She attempted to speak but only managed a barely audible whisper, "What?"
"Look, Fiona," Jake said, running a hand through his hair, clearly struggling with the weight of his words. "I know what I said before, and I meant it. I don't want to hurt you. But getting back with Lauren wasn't the answer either. The truth is, Lauren came over on the night I went to your apartment before I told you I couldn’t be with you. That was the night she’d asked me this, but I decided then that I couldn’t be with either of you. You both deserve better. And honestly, I’m over Lauren. But… I haven’t been able to shake you from my head.”
The dim light from the bedside lamp cast shadows across his face, highlighting the lines of worry etched into his brow. Fiona could see the sincerity in his eyes, but it only served to confuse her more.
"Jake... I don't know what to say." Fiona's voice trembled slightly, betraying her uncertainty. "I never expected this. Not now, not like this."
"Neither did I," he admitted, his gaze dropping to his own fidgeting hands. "But sometimes life doesn't give us the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment. It just... happens."
Fiona couldn't help but feel a strange sense of guilt. She looked away from Jake, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotion that refused to settle. "I don't understand why you're telling me this now."
"Listen, Fiona..." Jake began hesitantly, his voice softer than before. "I'm not trying to confuse you; I just... wanted you to know the truth. You were never some sort of rebound to me.”
Fiona nodded slowly, her eyes still averted, but the confusion remained etched on her mind. She felt as if a thousand questions were circling inside her head like vultures closing in on their prey. The world around her seemed to have gone silent, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
"Thank you for telling me," she managed. What else could she say?
Unable to look at him any longer, Fiona rose from the table, feeling the weight of exhaustion bearing down upon her. She threw away her garbage and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once she was alone in the bathroom, her thoughts swirled, and her eyes burned. On the one hand, she was grateful Jake told her the truth, but on the other, she was just more confused.
But she couldn't let it distract her. She brushed her teeth, then took a breath, calming herself. She could handle this.
Fiona left the bathroom to see Jake setting up to sleep on the couch. He offered her an apologetic smile, to which she simply nodded. As she climbed into bed, her thoughts were a swirling torrent of emotion – fear for her sister, concern for Jake, and frustration at her own inability to make sense of everything that had happened.
Sleep came grudgingly, dragging her down into its depths as the shadows of the room seemed to close in around her.
