10.
Darcy walked over, looking sad.
“Jake,” she cooed.
Jake looked annoyed, his voice tight as he
fought his temper.
“Wait outside,” he said.
Darcy shot me a dirty look, and then left.
I hadn’t been alone with Jake in years.
My palms were sweaty.
I couldn’t shake him off, so I looked up at him.
< doing my best to stay calm. “I was just trying to tell you what I thought. Believe me or not.” Jake’s face darkened. He yanked my arm, dragging me inside. Then, he kicked the door shut so hard it slammed shut, and I heard the lock click. My heart skipped a beat. A jolt of panic ran through me. Jake put his hands on my shoulders. I was pinned against the door, and I felt his gaze on me hot and intense < “She’s not right for me? Then who is? You? Tori, what are you doing? Am I a joke to you?!” His grip tightened on my shoulders, and they started to hurt. I saw the anger and bitterness swirl in his eyes, and he made no attempt to hide it. I took a shallow breath. “Jake, it’s over. Just stay calm.” “If what I said upset you, I apologize. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.” His face twisted. く His voice was full of hate. “What’s done is done. If you say to pretend something didn’t happen, why should I do that?” I’d never seen Jake like this, so insistent, so aggressive. Five years ago, when he finally gave up on me and broke up with me, he just said a few words. I agreed, then I left. We never spoke again. This obsessive behavior wasn’t like him. < A headache started to build behind my eyes. “What do you want?”