I’M SORRY.
HE’S ALIVE.
DON’T BE SCARED OF ME.
My heart shatters, feeling so much depth in those words, so much to unpack, and so much to be thankful for. How could I ever be scared of him, and why would he assume that I am? After everything he’s told me, his actions were justified, but what’s important is that Colby Jacobs is alive. At least, for now.
Throwing my blanket back, I trudge out of my room and make my way downstairs as my stomach grumbles. I had dinner after the game last night, but since then, I’ve been riding high on nothing but adrenaline, and now I’m starving.
With breakfast well and truly missed, I put together lunch when I hear someone on the stairs. “Mom?” I call out, my eyes widening as my heart pounds just a little bit faster. I still haven’t had a chance to speak with her after all the bullshit of the past two weeks, and I hate the thought of her taking off to Paris for the weekend without talking it through first.
“Try again,” Jensen calls out, making his way through the foyer and into the kitchen. He glances my way before his brows arch at the sight of food on the table. “You making lunch?”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh and resist telling him to fuck off. “I’m assuming you’re hungry?”
“Starving,” he says, moving around my side of the island counter to help. He grabs a chopping board and gets busy slicing tomatoes. “Your mom isn’t here,” he says, almost as an afterthought. “They took a late flight last night to make the most of the weekend.”
Hurt tears at my chest. “What do you mean a late flight? They’re already gone?”
“Mmhmm,” he murmurs, doing a decent job of the tomatoes and keeping his eyes down. “Dad’s driver swung by at nine to pick them up.”
I shake my head, his timeline not matching up. “No, that couldn’t be right. I was home then. I didn’t go out till after. Mom wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.”
Jensen shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you, Bri. You can check the security footage if you want. All I know is that I was trying to get out of here when they left, and your mom held me up for twenty minutes talking about shit that I had absolutely no interest in.”
I gape at him, unable to believe that she’d really leave without saying goodbye. “Did she know I was home? I texted her that I was coming home after the game to chat.”
“She was playing on her phone all night organizing last minute details for their trip, so I’m assuming she definitely knew you were coming home. That woman doesn’t miss anything,” he says, “and for the record, yes. When we were talking out front, she mentioned that you were home and suggested that I take you out so you weren’t stuck at home alone.”
“She knew I was home,” I repeat, really trying not to let the hurt tear me apart, but how can I not? She left without saying goodbye.
“Look,” he says with a sigh, stopping his chopping. “I’ve seen it all before. My mom was exactly the same. Once the money starts coming in and they climb the social ladder, your wants and needs become less of a priority. It’s when she joins the country club that you really need to worry.”
Well, shit.
I go about getting lunch prepared, my heart heavy, and soon enough, we’re sitting at the breakfast bar in silence, both of us happy to eat as fast as possible and get the fuck away from each other.
I scarf my food down in record time, and as I walk around the kitchen island to place my plate in the dishwasher and clean up, I pause and glance at Jensen. “Why aren’t you being creepy?” I ask, always suspicious. “What happened to all the fucked-up leering, winking, and calling me little sis?”
A smirk plays on his lips. “Why? Do you miss it?”
“No,” I rush out.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I … I don’t know. I don’t trust people who so effortlessly change who they are.”
Jensen holds my stare before finally letting out a heavy sigh. “You aren’t the first step sister I was required to play nice with, Bri. I’ve honestly lost count. It’s easier to push people away with leers and innuendos than to demand my personal space. When I realized you bought into those bullshit rapist rumors at school, I couldn’t do it anymore. It’s one thing to have people whispering behind my back but having someone I live with being afraid to be in the same room with me was a kick in the gut.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
His brow arches as his lips press into a hard line. “Uh-huh.”
I study him, watching as he gets back to eating his lunch. “You really didn’t do it?”
“Hurt that girl?” he clarifies, glancing my way. I nod and he shakes his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Believe what you want to believe, but I’m not a bad guy. She’d been sending me nudes for weeks and asking to fuck, so when she approached me at school and dragged me into the bathroom, I was all too eager. When some guy walked in on us, she got embarrassed and ran off. By the end of the day, the whole school knew we’d been hooking up. I don’t know who got her parents involved, but I guess they were angry. She said I’d forced myself on her, and that split-second decision fucked with my whole future.”
“How so?”
“I had three Ivy league colleges lined up, and her parents saw to it that my acceptance letters were rescinded. Even after the girl came clean and her parents made a statement to the colleges, the damage was done. The world thinks I’m a fucking rapist, and no matter how many courts rule in my favor and clear my name, I’ll always be seen that way. Even the asshole who walked in on us testified that everything seemed consensual from his point of view, and that’s a lot coming from him. Brady and I didn’t exactly get along in high school. I was a bit of an outcast, so it was only too easy for the masses to believe the lie.”
I lean against the counter, that same heaviness from earlier coming back twofold. I can’t imagine how hard an accusation like that must be, and for the slightest moment, I wonder if that’s what I’ve been doing to Colby, but my gut tells me he’s guilty. As for Jensen, looking at him now, I see just how genuine he is. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still definitely weird, but a rapist? Far from it. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, “I judged you too soon, and I feel like shit about that.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Nobody should ever be used to something like that,” I tell him. “Though there’s just one thing I don’t understand.”
“What’s that?”
“What was with all the step-sibling relationship shit? I mean, I know that shit is hot in porn and books, but that’s fucked up.”
Jensen laughs, embarrassment flooding his features. “Fuck,” he mutters under his breath before raising his gaze, his lips pressed into a hard line. “You want the complete truth?”
“Always.”
“I was trying to scare you and your mom off,” he says. “You guys are the third mother-daughter duo my father has moved in here over the past two years, and honestly, I’m fucking bored of the routine. I don’t mean to offend you, I kind of like the way you stand up to my father. It’s entertaining, but I’m sick of having to pretend like each new woman is something special when they’re not. In the sincerest way possible, you and your mom will be out on your ass in three months tops.”