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“Have you and Hannah talked?” he asks, straight to the point. Jackson has never been one to beat around the bush, something I’m thankful for right now.
“Yeah.”
“Dude, what happened?” Concern lines his face as he leans forward in his chair, his fingers intertwined and his chin resting atop them.
“Got into a fight,” Imumble.
“No shit. Elaborate, please.”
I nervously tap my foot and run my hands through my hair while avoiding eye contact. I struggle to find the words, knowing that this conversation is long overdue but dreading it at the same time. My tongue feels heavy in my mouth as a lump forms in my throat. If I don’t say something soon, the awkwardness will overwhelm us.
I wave my arms around the office as if that could help explain things. “You want to have this conversation here?” I ask, expecting an eye roll in response.
Sure enough, Jackson rolls his eyes at me before responding. “Well, seeing as our office is empty and locked, I see no reason why not.”
Taking his answer as permission to proceed, I lean back into my chair and let my eyes wander to the ceiling tiles, still searching for the right words to say. Should I downplay what happened between me and Hannah? No, that’s a terrible idea—Hannah already thinks I am too dishonest. Maybe it is time for some unabashed honesty so that maybe, just maybe, I have a chance of getting her back someday.
Taking an uneven breath, I meet Jackson’s gaze and speak the truth. “Jackson, I’m in love with your sister.”
He chokes on a sip of coffee and a coughing fit ensues before he can speak. “I’m sorry, what?”
My brows raise in amusement as his breathing levels. I speak with slow and exaggerated clarity. “I said that I’m in love with your sister.”
Jackson’s jaw tightens and his eyes glow like molten lava. He spits out the words, “I’m shocked, not hard of hearing, you asshole.”
I act nonchalant and return to typing on my computer, but Jackson isn’t done. Almost too quickly for me to register whatis happening, one of my colorful stress balls flies across the room and collides with my forehead.
Jeez, I didn’t know he even had that.
As I toss the ball back in his direction, I feel the weight in the room lift as he chuckles.
“You and Hannah, huh?”
“We were, yeah.”
“Whywere?”
Unpacking all of that sounds like my actual worst nightmare, but something in Jackson’s expression tells me he’s not going to let it go. His fingers tap against the hard surface of his desk, his eyes pinned on me.
“We broke up.”
“Would you like me to throw something harder next time?”
“Fine,” I sigh, exasperbated. “Hannah dumped me, okay? I fucked up and she dumped me.”
Jackson nods in recognition, my words not seeming to even surprise him. He was initially shocked when I confessed my feelings, but now he seems to think this is normal.
“Why are you acting like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you aren’t surprised at all by this.”
“Because I’m not,” he says with an amused smirk. The pink tinge from the tropical sun is only made more prominent as he chuckles to himself. “It was only a matter of time before something happened. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you guys to fall in love, but I definitely knew eventually you would at the very least hook up.”
“And you’re just cool with that?”
“Cool with it? Nah, but it would be a bit hypocritical of me to police who Hannah dates.” Jackson leans back in his seat,his fingers locked behind his head. “Besides, I don’t really have a say in that. It’s not like you’re my friend who she hooked up with. We’ve both known you forever.”
