31.

-HER-

“I am leaving,” I tell him and wait for him to stop me by saying something. He hums, without looking up from his laptop. A tinge of disappointment courses through me but I don’t say anything and leave.

Today was a very uneventful and boring day. I go home and the same things happen. Lisa calls me at night to tell me about her date. I lay in darkness and hear her obsess over the guy. I don’t realize when I fall asleep.

I wake up tired the next morning. Most part of the day passes in a blur. I go to college, meet Lisa and others and attend my classes.

Today, I am impatient. I don’t know why.

I just want the classes to end so that I could go to his office. A part of me had been looking forward to this ever since I left his office yesterday. I feel bad about what happened yesterday. I think I shouldn’t have talked to him like that but again, I shouldn’t be really talking to him.

I want to see him today. I want to know how he is doing after yesterday.

Disappointment hits me like a tone of bricks when I don’t find him in the office. Instead of him, Brooke is there. From what I have learned, she is the vice-president of the council.

She greets me happy when I enter the office. She right away tells me what I need to work on for today. I start my work but I couldn’t help but wonder why he is missing. Is he upset?

Brooke keeps me distracted for the most part by indulging me in conversation. She asks me normal questions. I don’t mind talking to her. She seems to be nice but today, I don’t feel like talking at all.

“Where’s Jake?” I ask between our conversations. She stops working and looks at me momentarily. I am instantly aware of the tension in the air before she answers, “He had some assignments due. He is at home completing them,”

I nod and continue to do my work. I find myself glancing at his chair multiple times, expecting him to be there even though I know that he is home. I am only met with disappointment sitting on his chair instead of him.

I freeze when I see him enter the office out of nowhere. A part of me instantly lights up when I see him. I stop working for a moment just to see him.

Brooke is the first person his eyes find. There’s something odd about him. As he approaches Brooke, I watch him warily. Brooke’s eyes instantly light up when she sees him. Before she could say anything, he pecks her lips and mutters something in her ear.

Meanwhile, I am watching them in bewilderment. Brooke blushes instantly before she finally remembers that I am in the office as well.

I clear my throat dismissingly before I try to act oblivious to the couple.

“I am working,” She reminds him and he notices me for the first time. He cocks an eyebrow at me before turning his attention to her again, “Finish your work soon. I want to take you out,” I hear him mutter lowly.

I didn’t look at them as the sound of kisses follows. Instead of feeling jealous, which I usually do when I see him talking to any other girl, I feel annoyed and rather disgusted. This confuses me even more.

To top it off, I didn’t feel the pull or the change in the air when he entered the office. I didn’t know if something was wrong with me or them.

I sigh deeply in relief when I finally hear him leave.

“Sorry for that,” Brooke apologizes when I step near the table to get some books. “It’s okay,” I muttered, feeling something odd about the situation.

Didn’t she tell me previously that Jake was home?

“Brooke…” I call out for her and she instantly turns her attention to me, “Yes?”

“Er… didn’t you tell me that Jake was at home today?” I ask her. She looks at me blankly before throwing her head back and laughing out loudly.

Meanwhile, I am left staring at her like an idiot. Is there something that I am missing? What’s so funny about the situation?

“Oh, Cybele… now I understand,” she mutters more to herself before she breaks it to me, “That wasn’t Jake. That’s Davis, Jake’s twin brother,”

My eyes widen as soon as the realization dawns upon me.

“Oh… I never knew that” I mutter, sinking deeper into my new found guilt. Though it was already there, but I was convinced that whatever I was doing was right. Turns out I had just assumed a lot of things about him and now, I was aware of the chances of them being wrong - just like this one.

“Davis is my ma-, I mean boyfriend and Jake is single,” There’s this knowing look on her face as she tells me this. As if to make it more obvious, the tips of her lips curl up and she winks at me. My cheeks instantly heat up.

“He is interested in Tiffany,” I tell her, pretending to sort some papers. Meanwhile, a frown climbs on her face.

“No. Who told you that?” She asks instead. I shrug, “I just saw them together in the office yesterday,” My answer makes her narrow her eyes at me.

“What were they doing?” She presses.

“I don’t know. I was busy sorting papers,” I say but the look on her face screams that she doesn’t believe a word I say. This conversation points more to the fact that they know something that I don’t.

She nods anyway before speaking, “Tiffany basically flirts with everyone… even with Davis. It gets on my nerves,” She clenches her jaw as she says this. I didn’t miss the possessive tone with which she said that.

“I am sure Tiffany wasn’t just flirting with him,” I tell her and hear her sigh.

“Cybele, I can assure you that he isn’t interested in Tiffany, not even a bit. He has plans with someone else,” The knowing smirk climbs on her face again and she winks at me again. I watch her with bewilderment before I shake my head at her.

“It doesn’t make any sense why I am having this conversation with you,” I tell her.

“It does. You know why… you’re just too scared to admit it,” She tells me. It suddenly dawns upon me that I am close to getting my answers. Brooke may be the one to offer me the answers that I have been starving for.

Since I cannot possibly think of any way or situation that would help me get answers from Jake after what happened between us yesterday. I broke the bridge that could allow such a conversation. I don’t think it could be easily mendable.

Though, I think I can communicate with Brooke more easily about this. She seems friendly enough and open to talk about this. There’s this look on his face as if she trying to hint me something.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her. She giggles before speaking, “Yes. You do,”

“Seriously, I am very clueless,” I try to convince her. She sighs before taking out her phone, “Here, type your number,”

I cock an eyebrow at her but take her phone anyway. After I return her the phone, she speaks, “I know that you’re confused about a lot of things…” She mutters as she types away something on her phone. My phone instantly rings up. It was a message from her.

“I’ll tell you everything slowly. Hangout with me someday. We could be great friends!” She says with a wide smile.

Didn’t I vandalize the office that partially belonged to her too?
...

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