He suddenly grabbed my wrist.
Jake's eyes were always clear and bright.
How to describe him? Like a fox - well-behaved yet mischievous, always plotting something in that clever head of his. He could be sneaky.
Right now, he was a drunk fox.
His eyes locked onto mine, grip tight around my wrist, his voice carrying a slight nasal tone from the alcohol.
"Amy, what am I going to do with you?"
"What?"
I leaned in closer, genuinely confused by what he meant. There was still some space between us, but suddenly he closed the gap.
His hot breath hit my ear, and I felt like if we got any closer...
My heart skipped a beat.
He was the one who challenged me, acting all confident, yet here he was - drunk before I was.
I tried to steady him.
Instead, he just collapsed his full weight onto me.
Eyes downcast, his breath now on my neck, still letting out that soft laugh.
"Jake Harrison!!”
I gritted my teeth, slowly, slowly dragging him toward the front door.
"I'm calling your driver."
Managed to find his phone in his pocket. The unlock code was my birthday.
Back then, he'd explained why he used my birthday as his password.
Said it was just so his mom couldn't guess it.
Never thought he'd keep using it for four, five years straight.
His phone layout was simple, contacts easy to find. I wasn't trying to snoop.
But a message popped up, catching me off guard.
Sweetie: "Same room tomorrow night, 806. Waiting for you~ "
—
I've been obsessing over this for two days.
Who was Sweetie? What's room 806? "Waiting for you"???
No way Jake actually had a girlfriend now, right?!
I crouched outside his office, until I finally cracked and grabbed a secretary who was just leaving.
"How's Mr. Harrison doing?" The secretary looked completely bewildered.
So I leaned in closer and whispered.
"Do you know anything about... Mr. Harrison's love life?"
The secretary jumped back, shaking her head and practically running away from me.
...
I felt deflated, and embarrassed about my impulsive behavior.
But I just couldn't connect the dots between Jake and having a girlfriend.
So I called everyone we knew in common.
They all said the same thing - no clue he was dating anyone.
My best friend laughed, asking why I didn't just ask Jake himself.
I sighed into the phone.
If he really had a girlfriend...
Wouldn't I look like a total idiot for declaring so confidently at the supermarket that he'd never dated anyone?
...
But within a few days, I'd find out whether he had a girlfriend or not.
Because "Sweetie” herself came to find me.
—
It was a bright afternoon.
The office perks had gotten way better since Jake took over. I found some fancy Earl Grey in the break room and watched the tea swirl into rosy swirls as I stirred.
Suddenly, someone popped up right in front of me.
Sunglasses, face mask, baseball cap - covered head to toe.
Nearly gave me a heart attack.
"Are you Amy Landers?”
The voice was feminine and oddly familiar. She had this subtle perfume that made you instantly like her.
I nodded without thinking.
She laughed softly and took off her sunglasses.
How did I feel in that moment?
It was like that time my best friend and I were at the mall and stumbled into a celebrity meet-and-greet. The star had glanced our way for just a second, but we were completely starstruck.
But this woman? Her eyes alone were a thousand times more stunning.
Just looking at her made my mind go blank.
And in that instant, I finally realized why she seemed so familiar.
But before I could say her name, she pressed her hand against my mouth.
"Shh, I snuck in here."
My hands were shaking.
"..."
"You know where Jake is, right? He's my boyfriend."
