Groaning under my breath, I pulled open the door as silently as I could, tiptoed out, and turned to click the door shut gently. Feeling a little hungover and a lot tired, I turned to head toward the kitchen for a glass of water and instead of meeting an empty hall, I met Jake.
Frozen, I stared at him numbly as his eyes glanced from Lowe’s door to me, back to the door, and then back to me. His already pale face turned white and the glass of water in his hand trembled. His assumption settled as an unpleasant ache in my chest and before I could explain, he jerked like I’d shot him and quickly disappeared into the room he was sharing with Beck.
Panic suffused me and I stood there, stuck in the awful moment. My breathing was harsh as I leaned against the wall, cursing fate that I’d have to have crossed paths with Jake of all people as I snuck out of Lowe’s room. Sliding down the wall, I buried my head in my hands, trying to talk myself off the ledge.
I hadn’t cheated on Jake, for Christ’s sake! I was barely even talking to him.
Why did it feel like a betrayal?
Why was I terrified Jake would hate me?
This was what I wanted. I wanted closure; I wanted Jake to let me go so I could move on. But I never wanted to move on like this, and I definitely didn’t want to put a strain between him and Lowe.
If the horrified look on his face was any indication, I’d say Jake was not going to speak to me ever again.
And why did that thought burn in my throat so badly, when that’s what I’d said I wanted all along?
Winter sun shone on us as we stood outside the lodge ready to trek down the hill to the center of the small town. There we’d decide where we were going to eat before we got taxis out to the Ben Nevis Whisky Distillery.
I was staring down at the beautiful sight of the sun glinting across Loch Linnhe, waiting on Claudia to declare us fit to go and worrying about Jake who’d told Beck he wasn’t feeling up to leaving his bed. Ten minutes earlier I’d pulled Lowe aside and warned him about my encounter with Jake. His mouth had gotten tight but he’d given me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I guessed that meant he would deal with it.
I didn’t want him to have to deal with it.
This was so messed up.
“Jake?” Claudia suddenly asked and I whirled around to see Jake coming down the concrete porch steps toward us. “I thought you weren’t coming with us.”
His dark eyes were hard and brittle as he stuck his hands into his coat pockets and came to a standstill beside her and Beck. “Decided fresh air might do me good.”
No one else seemed to notice that anything was wrong with him, perhaps putting his obvious bad mood down to being hungover, and Claudia continued on trying to explain to Matt why a bunch of novices couldn’t, and definitely shouldn’t, try to take on Ben Nevis.
“I’m just saying it’s the kind of experience you want to tell your grandkids about,” Matt said, his eyes wide with hope.
Lowe snorted. “And what grandkids will that be, Matt, considering you’re probably going to die at the bottom of the highest mountain in Britain?”
He grimaced. “The highest?”
“I just told you that,” Claudia frowned at him. “Don’t you listen to me?”
“Honestly, when you talk I’m pretty much just staring at your mouth. Or your boobs.”
Beck slapped him across the head.
“Dude,” Matt rubbed the back of his skull. “I’m going to have brain damage before I have kids with the way you keep f**king smacking me around. Just have sex with her already and be done with it.”
Claudia blushed while Beck took a menacing step toward Matt.
Lowe stepped in front of Matt protectively. “He’s just messing with you,” he grinned. “Give him a break. The guy is seriously hungover. He was wasted last night when we put him to bed.”
“We?” Jake suddenly asked, his tone demanding.
Lowe stiffened, his hands curling into fists as he nodded. “Denver, Rowena, Char, and me.”
Jake took a step toward him. “And then what happened?”
Oh f**king oh! My feet started walking toward them both with a mind of their own.
Lowe’s eyes sharpened and he murmured silkily, tauntingly, “And then we went to bed.”
Without another word Jake launched himself at Lowe with fierce aggression and punched him so hard in the face, Lowe stumbled back and lost his footing.
As a group we shouted a multitude of curses and cries of shock, and I propelled forward, putting myself between Jake and Lowe.
Shaking, I flinched when Lowe glanced up at me, his lips bloody and swelling, and gave me a sardonic shrug.
“Don’t f**king look at her,” Jake growled, trying to push past Beck. “Get up.”
Lowe eyed him with arrogant insouciance but slowly stood.
“Whit is goin’ on?” Rowena asked softly, worry dripping from the words as Denver now helped hold Jake back.
Lowe wiped his lip. “He thinks I f**ked Charley.”
Everyone hushed at that announcement. Even Jake grew still.
All eyes but Lowe’s and Jake’s turned to me.
I blanched. “He didn’t!” I denied vehemently.
Jake jerked at the denial and whipped his head around to me. “He didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t,” Lowe answered for me, his eyes fixed on Jake. “I kissed her. One kiss. We stopped. Decided it was a bad idea. But since you dumped Charley years ago and flaunted a new relationship in front of her for months, I’d like to know what business it is of yours who Charley f**ks and why just the thought of some lucky guy going there stirs you into a blind rage?” His eyes narrowed now and suddenly it occurred to me that Lowe wasn’t as unaffected or nonchalant as he let on. He was pissed at Jake. Big time. His voice was rough as he continued, “Sort your f**king head out, man, before you lose friends and worse … hurt someone who definitely does not deserve to be hurt by you again.”
After a few seconds of hard-faced death stares, Jake’s shoulders slumped wearily and he scrubbed his hands over his face.
I felt sick.
Never did I want to be the girl who caused a fight between anyone, let alone friends, and I definitely didn’t want to be the girl to put blood on Lowe’s face and that look in Jake’s eyes.
“Talk to him,” Claudia whispered, coming to a stop beside me, her fingers squeezing mine. “We’ll get Lowe cleaned up and head into town. You take Jake for a walk. You need to work this out before it implodes. No more avoiding.”