Chapter 18

Man, he was pissed.
My sudden move freaked him out.
I started beating myself up over it.
Sat in the office for a bit, still couldn't wrap my head around why I kissed him outta nowhere, why I felt this crazy need to have him.
But one thing was clear—he shot me down, and he was mad as hell.
I felt like crap.
After about half an hour, I stepped out feeling a bit better, only to find Jason gone.
A bunch of folks were chatting.
"He took off with Lily."
"Boss ain't coming back today."
"Why?" I asked.
"Why? They haven't seen each other in a year. No way he's coming back," they said.
"Looks like they're really patching things up."
Everyone cracked up.
I stood there, feeling my scalp prickle.
"Rachel's here, can you guys chill with the jokes?" Uncle Bear thought I was just embarrassed.
Little did he know, I was burning with jealousy.
"Rachel, you haven't eaten, where you headed?" Uncle Bear called out, but I just walked off.
Got back to the rented place, and Jason was still MIA.
I got even more ticked off.
No phone, no clue where to find him.
I started losing it, tearing through his room, hoping to find something that woman left behind.
Nada.
Finally, on top of his bedside cabinet, I found an unopened box.
Checked the expiration date—it was recent. My heart sank.
So, he knew she'd come back, and he was ready for it?
All that "wait till you grow up" talk was just BS.
He always saw me as a kid.
Taking care of me was just a way to make my dad cough up the money.
Everything was just in my head.
Thinking about it made it hard to breathe.