AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But that wouldn’t—couldn’t—be where their friendship led.
The knot in her stomach, which had been present since she’d first heard that Will was going on a date, tightened even more. She hoped she’d be able to do justice to the soup, but she doubted it would heal the ache inside of her, no matter how good it was.
As Will talked with Gareth, his face and eyes alight with joy, Janessa tried to figure out how she was going to watch him fall in love with someone again. Someone who wasn’t her.
Last time, when he’d started dating Daphne, she hadn’t had the experience of hanging out with him like she had over the past few weeks. Until recently, she’d never spent time one on one with him as an adult. He’d tutored her in high school, but even then, they hadn’t been truly alone when they’d sat at the kitchen table in the family home.
Lately, however, the moments when he’d walked her to her car or when he’d texted or called her had carried more significance. At least to her.
Her feelings had grown during those moments, and now she was wondering what she’d been thinking. She’d known that even if Will was interested in her, she’d turn him down. So why was she even entertaining any of these thoughts and feelings?
But it hurt a little—okay, maybe a lot—that he hadn’t even considered her. However, she wasn’t surprised.
She was all sharp angles, with jokes and sarcastic comments, while Will had soft edges and gentle smiles. They would never fit well together. He could obviously see that, and if she wouldn’t use her previous reasoning for avoiding relationships, she needed to use their incompatibility.
Janessa blew out a breath, trying to loosen the sick feeling the knot had created in her stomach.
When she’d first come to Serenity, she hadn’t had someone like Will looking out for her, like Jay had. The teacher had asked a little girl to help Janessa settle in, but even though she’d helped her a little, every chance she got, the other girl would run off to play with her friends. When Janessa had tried to join them, they’d run away from her.
Back then, she hadn’t known why they’d acted like that. However, there had been plenty of times when she’d been the last kid chosen for a team or a class project, leaving her to feel like she was just too different for them to accept. None of them seemed to realize that even though her skin was darker than theirs, inside, she was just like them. A little girl longing for friends to play with.
Over time, she’d begun to exhibit a snarkier personality. It often kept people at bay, but she’d decided that she’d rather be rejected for something she could change—if she wanted to—than for something she couldn’t.
There were precious few non-family members who she let past the guard she’d developed. Aria was one of those people. Will had been another.
During the years following college, she’d let the snark ease away a bit because she’d settled into her life and was happy with how things were working out. However, over the past few months—since Jay’s withdrawal—it had come back. No doubt, Will had seen that, and though she was good enough to be his friend, he wouldn’t want someone with a personality like hers as a girlfriend. He needed someone like Aria. Gentle and sweet.
Needing a distraction from her depressing thoughts, Janessa went to the cupboard and counted out a stack of plates. As she walked past Will, he got to his feet.
“Let me help you with that.”
When he took the plates from her, Janessa didn’t protest. “Thanks. I’ll grab the glasses.”
When she joined him in the dining room, she quickly set the glasses in place, then they went back to the kitchen to get the cutlery. Will picked up the forks she took from the drawer and laid on the counter, then followed her around the table to put them into place.
“Thanks for the help,” Janessa said when they were finished.
Will’s smile came easily, and it seemed to be loaded with joy. Janessa didn’t know what to do with that. Falling in love looked good on Will, and Janessa really wanted to be happy for him.
“You’re very welcome.”
When they returned to the kitchen, Charli said, “I’ve heated the soup up for you, Nessa. Do you want to get a bowl for yourself?”
“You’re having soup?” Gareth asked, his brow furrowed.
“Yep,” Charli answered before Janessa could say anything. “Will heard that Janessa wasn’t feeling well, so he brought her some of his mom’s wonderful chicken noodle soup.”
Gareth turned to Janessa, his frown deepening. “You aren’t feeling well? Why didn’t you say something today?”
“It’s not a big deal. I just haven’t been sleeping well, and my stomach is a bit upset.”
“If you need time off work, you know we’d make it work.”
“I know.” Janessa grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and went to the pot on the stove where Charli had defrosted and heated up the soup. “I’m okay.”
Charli pulled the casserole out of the oven and issued instructions for people to carry the rest of the food she’d set out on the counter into the dining room. Janessa picked up her bowl and followed everyone.
She wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow, she ended up sitting next to Will. It felt like the world was conspiring against her.
