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Chapter Twenty-Seven
As was the case with playingNever Have I Ever, everyone got pretty drunk. Jackson was amused by how often Milo and Frankie asked the most sexual questions they could think of. Most of them sat there and watched as they rattled off statement after statement, knocking back shots of whisky and vodka. After a point, everyone got the hint that they weren’t required for the game. Which prompted Frankie to get a little more creative.
It was close to 2AM by the time everything wrapped up. Oleander, Lachlan and Jackson booked cabs for everyone and bundled people off. The three of them cleaned up the mess, and filled up the dishwasher. While Lachlan finished cleaning up, Oleander suggested they go to the roof. And Jackson wasn’t going to argue. With a blanket in her hands, he let her lead the way upstairs.
He was annoyed with Everleigh for running her mouth, but at the same time, Jackson understood why she did it. All of them had been worried when Ursula dumped him and seeing him happy with Oleander could be concerning—he wished they’d trust him, because she was nothing like Ursula.
Oleander looked so hurt by the fact that she’d had to learn about Ursula from someone else, but Jackson didn’t know how else to explain that he wanted nothing to do with his ex anymore. And that included talking about her. But they were going to talk about it.
Oleander deserved that much.
Stepping out onto the roof, Jackson saw a couch and low table. He followed Oleander and sat down, draping the blanket over their legs. She’d changed out of her heels into fluffy unicorn slippers. Jackson smiled when she lifted her feet onto the table and snuggled into his side.
“When Frankie used to live here, we’d come up almost every night and finish a bottle of wine while we stared up at the stars.”
“And since she moved out?”
Oleander shrugged. “I started working late shifts and Lachlan is rarely here. It’s no fun to do it alone.”
“Next time you want to drink and stare at the stars, call me.”
Oleander smirked. “Why do you think I brought you up here?”
“To talk?”
“Well, since we don’t have wine and the stars are a little low on voltage tonight, I guess I’ll make do.” Oleander laughed and Jackson kissed the top of her head, his fingers threading through hers under the blanket.
They sat like that for a while, staring up at the stars and Jackson wondered if he could identify any of them, but gave up when it became clear he didn’t know any of the stars except for Orion.
“So, you dated a Disney villain.” Oleander’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Jackson snorted. “When I first met her, she was the opposite of the Disney villain. She was beautiful and funny. She took what she wanted and it was a huge turn on.”
“But then she turned evil?”
“Not the word I’d use, but the guys would agree for sure.” Jackson twisted his lips to the side. “Apparently she gotbored. She wanted more and I wasn’t giving her that. But instead of talking about it, she…found someone else.”
“What?”
Jackson sighed, “I was gone for the weekend on a work trip, she wasn’t replying to my texts or answering my calls. And when I got back, I caught her fucking someone else.”
“Did you…wait?”
“Because I was an idiot and I thought I was in love, yeah.” Jackson sighed. “And she came out, disheveled and half-naked, and said she got bored and wanted more and it was fun while it lasted.”
Oleander stayed silent and Jackson turned to look at her to see her frowning hard. Her mouth moved, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.
“What are you muttering about?”
She frowned. “I’m trying to find the words.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Jackson chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about everything that came after. “I was a mess after that—I couldn’t work, I could barely function. The guys did everything to help me, but I wasn’t handling it well. I was so fucking miserable. And one day, I got out of bed and decided it wasn’t worth it. And four months later, I met you.”
“That is terrible,” Oleander said, sitting up and brushing her hair out of her face. “Not the meeting me part, but having to accept that was how it ended.”
“Maybe I should have seen it coming. Ursula was always a flirt and a little flighty, but I believed she loved me.”
“Sometimes people are not what we make them out to be.”
