“I did hear Reese in her room last night.”
“What?” I whisper, my mind desperate to find a solution as to why he would’ve heard someone in my room when I clearly wasn’t home. But I come up empty.
“How long has this been going on?” Gibbs demands.
River ignores him. “You sure you heard someone in her room?”
“Positive. It was at like three in the morning or something like that. Now, answer the question. How long has this been going on, Reese?”
“I…” I shake my head. “Who was in my room?”
Goosebumps break out along my skin as I look at River. Softly, he shakes his head. He’s just as lost as I am.
“What’s going on?” Gibbs demands.
Ignoring him, I race to my room and fling open the door. But there isn’t a single thing out of place. The bed is still a mess of sheets and pillows. My dirty clothes are still in the hamper near the corner. A couple of pairs of shoes are scattered along the floor, but the familiar scene does nothing to erase my fear as I drop to the ground and look under my bed. Only dust bunnies greet me.
Who the hell was in my room? And why do I feel like I’m going to puke?
Pushing myself to my feet, I stride to the closet on shaky legs before ripping it open.
It’s empty too.
“What’s going on?” Gibbs murmurs from the doorway, the guitar hanging limply from his arm near his side.
“You sure you heard someone in here?” River demands beside him, but his eyes don’t leave mine.
“I know I heard someone in here. But if it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
Lips quivering, I look around my room and stutter, “I-I don’t know.”
But I do.
It was Ian. It had to be. But why? Why would he care? Why would he break into my room? Why can’t he leave me alone? Why can’t he let me go?
Striding over to me, River pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly as my fear overwhelms me.
“Sh…,” he croons. “It’s okay.”
My entire body is trembling like a leaf, but I don’t know how to make it stop. I feel violated. Dirty. Like I need to scrub at my skin and disinfect every single inch of my room to erase the intruder who tainted it.
“It was Ian,” I whisper. “It had to be.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Who else would break into my room, River?” I cry. “What if I’d been home? What if I wasn’t with you last night?”
“You were with River?” a deep voice interrupts from the entrance to my room. But it doesn’t belong to Gibbs.
It’s Jake’s.
My head snaps toward the doorway of my room. Standing next to Gibbs is Jake. His usual calm and collected expression is absent, replaced with a rage so palpable I can almost taste it.
My lower lip quivers. “Jake––”
“Were you with River last night?” he accuses.
“I can explain––”
“Then you better start talking, Reese. Because it looks to me like you just stabbed your brother in the back.”
Squirming out of River’s grasp, I take a step toward Jake but stop when his eyes darken with disgust.
My nails bite into my palms as I squeeze my hands into fists. “I didn’t––”
“Didn’t what? Screw one of his best friends?”
“Back off, Jake,” River growls, flanking my side. The tension rolls off him in waves, reminding me of a coiled snake that could strike at any second.
And he will strike if I can’t get a handle on the situation.
“Don’t get me started on you, asshole. Milo gave you one rule. One. And you broke it without batting an eye. I knew this would happen. I knew it,” Jake seethes. “You can have any girl you want, you selfish bastard. Any fucking girl. Why her?”
Nostrils flaring, River steps forward, but I reach for his arm to hold him back. I feel like I’m going to be sick. Like I can’t breathe. Like everything is spiraling out of control, and I don’t know how to stop it.
With his feet planted between Jake and me, River throws a verbal punch instead of a physical one. And it almost breaks me.
“You know why I want her, Jake. I was just the only one who had the balls to take her. Don’t be pissed at me because you didn’t.”
“You think this is about balls?” Jake laughs, though there isn’t any humor in it. “This is about respect for a friend, you selfish bastard. Do you even know what that is? Or has your mother tainted you more than you’d like to admit?”
Ignoring the comment about his mom, even though I know it cuts River deeper than he’ll ever admit, River spits, “You’re not pissed that I slept with Milo’s sister. You’re pissed because you didn’t.”
My chest heaves as I look between River and Jake, but neither of them denies it.
Deny it, Jake, I silently beg. Tell Riv he’s wrong. Tell him we’re just friends. That you look at me like a little sister. That you’re just trying to protect Milo. Say something! Anything!
My skin feels too tight. Like I’m seconds from being torn into a thousand irreparable pieces. But I don’t know how to take it back. This moment. All of my mistakes. Someone needs to backpedal and tell me they were kidding. Someone needs to break the silence I’m suffocating in because I can’t do this. I can’t be the reason their friendship falls apart. And I can’t be the reason Jake looks like he’s seconds from breaking. I can’t.
“W-what are you talking about?” I whisper. Sure, River’s joked about it before. But this is different. It can’t be true.
Jake’s jaw looks like it was chiseled from granite, but he doesn’t say a word.
“Tell me,” I demand.
He stays quiet, so River answers for him. “Jake’s in love with you, Reese. I already told you this.”
“You were just jealous,” I argue, though I know it falls flat.
“Of course, I was jealous. I’ve wanted you since the moment I met you. And so has Jake. He’s just pissed that he was too much of a coward to make a move. And now he’s too late.”
My heart breaks when I finally recognize the pain in my brother’s best friend’s eyes. The regret. The truth.
“Jake?” I whisper.
Talk to me, I silently plead.
He shakes his head. “If you don’t tell Milo, I will. He deserves to know.”
Then he storms back to his room. As he slams the door in fury, the house shakes, making me flinch.
“Jake!” I yell, storming after him.
Grabbing my wrist, River stops me. “Give him space.”
“Let me go, Riv.”
“Reese––”
I wrench my hand away from him. “I need to talk to him.”
“You need to give him space.”
Ignoring him, I race to Jake’s room, then fling open the door and wrap my arms around his neck without waiting for permission.
I’ve ruined everything.
37
Reese
“I’m sorry,” I cry. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I’m so freaking sorry. Please forgive me. Please don’t hate me. Please don’t push me away.”