The One Read online

  “I see,” I said as I looked at her once more.

  “I’m not back in school for another couple of weeks,” Savannah said as she turned and walked to the table and sat down across from me. “So, I don’t mind helping out.”

  “Well, I’m grateful,” I replied then sighed at the prospect of having to have dinner with everyone while Jolie was still mad at me. “Though I’m not sure I deserve a welcome home dinner after last night. I know Jolie can’t be happy about the prospect.”

  “She’s sixteen,” Savannah replied. “Teenage girls can be overly dramatic, but they get over things quickly too. Though given how stupid you were last night, I don’t know. I mean how you could ever be with someone like that skank…”

  She stopped mid-sentence as if she realised what she was saying, and her face flushed with embarrassment. She suddenly pushed up from her seat and walked back to the stove to check the chili.

  “So, you think I’m an idiot for hooking up with Meggie too,” I said as I watched her closely. I was curious what her reaction would be, but I had no idea why.

  “Who you hook up with is none of my business,” she shrugged without looking at me. Instead, she continued to stir the pot of chili.

  “But you think I let everyone down,” I said as I stood up, following her across the kitchen. Stopping right next to her, I looked down at her face. “Or is it that I hooked up with that girl?”

  She looked at me for a moment, as her cheeks grew a deeper shade of red.

  “Like I said, it’s none of my business who you hook up with,” she insisted, as she returned her focus to the pot in front of her. “I just don’t like to see Jolie hurt.”

  “And that’s all it is?” I asked, unsure of what I wanted the answer to be. Did I want her to be jealous? What would I say if she were?

  WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, REYNOLDS? I screamed in my head.

  Savannah turned to look at me but didn’t respond. Instead, she just stared up into my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile. We were barely inches away from each other, so I could smell her delicate perfume. Instantly it made my cock twitch in my pants.

  Neither of us spoke for a moment; instead, I just stared into her eyes as I held my breath.

  Her eyes were beautiful. They were the palest grey, with tiny flecks of ice blue through them, and they were completely captivating.

  My heart hammered as I continued to hold her gaze, the longing inside me was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Slowly my eyes dropped to her beautiful mouth, as they did, her breathing hitched in her throat. Right at that moment, I knew she was feeling exactly what I was feeling. I was sure of it.

  For a moment, I considered kissing her. I mean, I really wanted to, but something stopped me. So instead, I just met her eyes once more and held her gaze.

  “I… I think maybe you should go,” she said, but her voice was barely more than a whisper. She took a step back from me and coughed to clear her throat before she spoke again. “Go clear the air with Jolie I mean. You should go see her. She’s at the shop with Sylvie. I think if you make an effort, she just might forgive you.”

  I didn’t respond for a moment. I just stared at her as sanity kicked in, and I realised what the hell I was doing.

  “You’re right,” I sighed as I too stepped back realising I had just almost made the biggest mistake of my life. “In fact, I think I will head over there now. Sooner I clear the air with her; sooner we can put all of this behind us.”

  Part of me was saying she was right, I needed to sort things with Jolie, but part of me was telling her that whatever that moment was between us, needed to be put behind us too.

  “Okay,” she replied, as once more her face flushed with embarrassment.

  “I should be going,” I said as I took another step back, and put more distance between us. I hesitated for a moment before I turned and headed for the door. By the time I reached the front door, I could hardly breathe.

  WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED? I screamed in my head, as I reached the front door of Sylvie’s house. SHE IS JARED’S GIRL!

  Right now, I needed to focus on fixing things with Jolie and try like hell to push Savannah out of my head.

  Chapter 4

  Savannah

  I stood there, staring at the door long after Seth had left.

  What the hell just happened? I thought to myself, blowing out a long, calming breath. He’s Jared’s best friend. You’re with Jared. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  If I was honest, since I met Seth the day before, I felt like the world had somehow shifted, and everything changed.

  Since I met Jared two months earlier, all he ever talked about was his friend Seth. I don’t think he had one single story that didn’t have Seth Reynolds in it. In fact, everyone seemed to love Seth. Even when we would go out on a date, the first question people would ask when we met them was, where Seth was, and when he was coming home?

  I was so nervous about meeting him. I knew his opinion meant everything to Jared. I was so afraid Seth wouldn’t like me; that it would change how Jared felt about me.

  Okay, so I wasn’t head over heels in love with Jared, it was still early days for us. But I liked him a lot. I believed that maybe one day I might have real feelings for him.

  Still, when I walked into Sylvie’s kitchen the day before, I knew that there was just something about this guy. I felt it almost instantly. He was probably the most gorgeous man I had ever seen, but it was more than that. There was a charm about him, an air of confidence that was captivating.

  When he looked at me, something clicked inside me; something that almost took my breath away.

  For a moment, as he stared at me, I was sure that whatever it was I was feeling, he was feeling it too, but then he pulled it back. Suddenly he couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.

  I tried to not react to what had happened in any way, but there was a tiny part of me that thought, maybe he doesn’t like me. Maybe he doesn’t think I’m good enough for his best buddy. I felt so confused.

  “He’s just tired,” Jared offered, clearly sensing the uncertainty within me. “He normally isn’t so flaky.”

  “I know,” I replied with a smile, but for some strange reason, I felt like I wanted to cry.

  I told myself it was because I wanted to make a good impression on Jared’s best friend, but deep in my heart, it was more than that.

  “I should be going,” I said, suddenly feeling the need to escape. “I just stopped by to get my backpack. I left it in your car.”

  “Do you really have to go?” Jolie asked, giving me a pleading look.

  “I’ve got paperwork to do,” I replied, giving her a warm smile. I had no idea why, but I really did love this kid, so I hated letting her down.

  “You could do it here,” she offered, smiling at me hopefully. “She could use your office, couldn’t she Sylvie.”

  “Sure,” Sylvie replied, with a smile, and that was that.

  I had considered leaving when Jared said he needed to head to the bakery with his mom and Jolie a couple of hours later, but Jared promised he wouldn’t be long, so I agreed to wait for him.

  When I finished what I was doing, I decided to go sit on the back porch to wait for Jared to get back. I had almost forgotten that Seth was still in the house as I made my way across the kitchen, but when I reached the door and saw him sitting there on the back porch, I froze. I watched him for a moment, lost in thought. He really was gorgeous.

  His blonde hair was still damp from the shower and his skin was tanned, probably from spending all his time in the sun while he was working. He had a strong jawline and the most amazingly long eyelashes I had ever seen on a boy. I couldn’t see his eyes from where I was standing, but I remembered them clearly. They were the palest blue I had ever seen, and when he looked at me, I felt like he was looking into my very soul.

  I turned to walk back to the office but stopped.

  This is stupid; I scolded myself in my mind. He is Jared’s
best friend. You need to get over whatever the hell this is and try to get along with him. I slowly turned back, walking back towards the door.

  “Hi there,” I said as I stopped in the doorway. He turned, looking almost surprised to see me standing there.

  “Hi yourself,” he replied as he stood, giving me a nervous smile. “I’m sorry, I thought everyone was out.”

  “Jared and Jolie went with Sylvie to the bakery,” I explained as I stepped further out of the house. “I had some paperwork to finish, so Sylvie let me use her office.”

  I don’t know why, but I knew he was a little thrown because I was there. Of course, he tried to be nice, but I knew he wanted to be anywhere but there on that back porch.

  We both made some small talk, but an uncomfortable silence fell between us. I finally glanced up at him, just as he stole a look at me, but he quickly looked back out over the garden.

  I knew that I needed to clear the air between us. He was Seth; Jared’s best friend, so somehow, I needed to make this right.

  “You know,” I finally spoke, as my heart pounded in my chest. “I was really nervous about meeting you.”

  “Meeting me! Why? “He asked, giving me a surprised look.

  “Because Jared loves you more than anything,” I said, turning to face him completely. I looked him directly in the eye. He gave me a look that made my heart race faster, but he quickly looked away once more.

  He stood up and walked down the steps into the grass. He then bent down, pretending he was checking on one of Sylvie’s potted plants, and I smiled to myself, knowing he hadn’t a clue what he was supposed to be looking at

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t like me,” I admitted honestly. “Jared cares about what you think, and I thought…”

  “Why wouldn’t I like you?” He cut me off as his eyes quickly snapped back up, finding mine.

  “I don’t know,” I replied nervously, dropping my eyes to the ground. “It’s just earlier, you seemed… I don’t know…like maybe you didn’t…like me I mean.”

  “I was just tired, honestly,” Seth assured me as he walked back to the chair and sat back down next me once more, then smiled at me. “I think you seem, perfect…for Jared I mean. I think he is a lucky man.”

  “You’re very sweet,” I whispered, knowing that I was now blushing. Still, I held his gaze as something changed between us. I don’t know why, but right at that moment, I wanted him to kiss me, and for the briefest moment, I believed that he was going to.

  “I need to go…check something,” He announced as he suddenly stood up and quickly hurried towards the door.

  “Oh, okay,” I said, trying to seem cool, but inside my heart was racing.

  What just happened? I asked myself as I watched him disappear into the house. Hot tears suddenly stung my eyes, but I blinked them back. Get a grip, Sav.

  I tried to calm my breathing down, but it was no use. I couldn’t leave things as they were. I needed to clear the air. I took a few calming breaths, before I followed him into the house. As I walked across the kitchen, I could hear voices. I stopped dead at the door when I saw Jared, Sylvie, and Jolie standing there.

  I forced a smile on my face, just as Seth came running down the stairs.

  He explained that he needed to go out to a very unhappy Jolie. Seth’s shoulders slumped, and I thought perhaps he would give into his little sister and stay. That was until he glanced in my direction.

  It was like something had lit a fire inside him. He was out the door before he had time to draw a breath.

  Going to the bar with him was an epic mistake. I knew it the moment Jared suggested it. The look on Seth’s face told me he thought so too.

  I just didn’t know how big a mistake that would be.

  As we took our seats, I knew I needed to try make this right. For Jared’s sake if nothing else.

  But then we found ourselves alone once more.

  “Congratulations on the job,” I said smiling at him, trying desperately to make things feel less awkward. He glanced at me but quickly turned away, as he shifted in his seat. I tried not to react, but it was hard.

  “Thanks,” he replied without making eye contact with me. Again, I knew I should just bite my tongue, but I couldn’t. I needed to know what I had done to upset him.

  “Seth, did I do something to offend you?” I asked looking at him expectantly, my heart hammering in my chest.

  “No,” Seth replied quickly, letting his eyes meet mine. “Not at all.”

  “Then what is the problem?” I asked, but before he could answer, the waitress appeared next to our booth.

  “OH, MY GOD!” She squealed excitedly. “Seth Reynolds, when did you get home?”

  I looked up and glared at her. I hated Meggie Wilks with a passion, just like I knew she didn’t like me. She hated that I was with Jared, and she didn’t try to hide the fact either.

  Jared insisted that nothing ever happened between him and Meggie, but something in my heart knew that was a lie. Still, I trusted Jared. I knew he would never do anything to hurt me, so Meggie could flirt all she wanted. I knew nothing was ever going to happen, so I was in no way jealous of her.

  Correction I wasn’t, but the moment she rubbed Seth’s arm, I just wanted to punch her right out, there and then.

  Snap out of it, Savannah! I cried in my head. You’re here with Jared, not Seth, why do you even care?

  But the truth was, I did care. Just like I cared when he insisted, he wasn’t on a date with me. I don’t know why I was so bothered, but I was, and from the look on Seth’s face, he could see I was bothered too.

  When Jared returned, I wanted to ask him if we could leave, but I knew he would want to know why, and I had no idea what to tell him.

  My heart almost stopped when Meggie asked Seth if he wanted to hook up after her shift. He glanced at me, and I wanted to beg him not to do it, but then he agreed to meet her after work. Right at that moment, I knew I was in trouble. I knew it because my heart felt like it was breaking.

  Seth looked at me once more, as I forced a smile on my face. I was not going to let him see I cared, even though I did, deeply.

  The rest of the night, the two boys caught up with each other, while I just sat there, staring into my glass of wine, wishing I was anywhere but there.

  By the time we were ready to leave, my mood had completely darkened.

  Seth had said goodnight to Jared and me, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I knew if I said a word, I would cry, and that was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

  I allowed myself to look at him one last time and as I did, our eyes met. I had no idea what he was thinking right at that moment, but the look on his face just confused me more. So, I just turned and climbed into the car.

  “You were very quiet tonight,” Jared said as we drove back to my place.

  “I thought I would let you catch up with your friend,” I replied, knowing that wasn’t why I was quiet. “I didn’t want to get in the way.”

  “You could never be in the way, baby,” Jared chuckled as he reached over and squeezed my hand. I turned and smiled at him, but I didn’t respond. I knew if I did, I would have burst into tears, right at that moment.

  When we reached my apartment, I almost wanted to tell Jared that I wanted to be alone, because I really did. I knew though, it would make him ask questions I really didn’t have the answer to. So, I said nothing.

  “Do you want a coffee?” I asked as I walked into my apartment, making my way towards the kitchen. He didn’t reply. I had just reached for the kettle on the counter, when Jared came up behind me, pulling me into his arms.

  “Forget the coffee,” he growled against my neck. “I want you.”

  Turning me in his arms, he slammed his mouth against mine, kissing me in a way he had never kissed me before. I could feel his hard cock digging into me, and my breath caught in my throat.

  This was new for Jared. Yes, he was passionate, and clearly had plenty of experience in the bedroom, b
ut since we had met, he had taken things slowly. He had been tender and caring, always taking his time with me.

  But now something had changed in him.

  Seth, I thought to myself. He knows I like Seth.

  “Jared,” I begin to say.

  “Don’t talk,” He breathed against my mouth. “Just kiss me.”

  Suddenly nothing else mattered except this moment. Jared and me. That was all I needed to think about. Reaching up, I ran my fingers through his hair, gripping it, I pulled him closer to me.

  This is what I need, I thought to myself. I need to get lost in Jared.

  “Oh, Sav!” He groans against my mouth. “I fucking love you.”

  WHHHATTTTT! I scream in my head. Did he just say…?

  “What’s wrong?” Jared asked, suddenly sensing a change in me.

  “You just said…” I whispered looking up into his eyes.

  “That I love you,” Jared finished the question. “Sav, you have to know I love you, right?”

  “I…I hadn’t though…” I stammer, having no clue how I should even respond to him.

  “I love you, Sav,” Jared said, taking my face in his hands. “You love me too, right?”

  I stared into his eyes, as my heart hammered in my chest. I had no clue what to say.

  “I…” I said, still struggling for words. “It’s just so fast.”

  “But…” he replied, and I could see the disappointment on his face, as his hands drop from my face.

  As I looked into his eyes, I considered his question. Did I love him? He was sweet and caring, and funny… but did I love him?

  Suddenly Seth crashed into my head, and my heart began to pound rapidly in my chest. I closed my eyes, trying to push all thoughts of him from my mind, but it was no use. I could still see his face as our eyes met, just before I climbed into Jared’s car.

  He’s probably fucking her right now; I thought miserably as suddenly hot tears stung my eyes. FUCK!

  “Sav, baby,” Jared said, taking my face in his hands once more. “Why are you upset?”