Chapter 12
Sadie's POV
My stomach twisted.
Of course it's serious. What did you expect?
"Never mind," I said quickly. "I shouldn't have—"
"Want to get some ice cream?"
I blinked. "What?"
He glanced at me. Just for a second.
"You picked up my lighter. Let me buy you ice cream. Call it even."
I stared at him.
Ice cream. Now?
We just had hot chocolate like twenty minutes ago. My stomach's still warm from it. And now he wants ice cream? In the rain?
But looking at the tight set of his jaw, the way his fingers drummed against the steering wheel—this wasn't about ice cream at all.
This was about not answering my question.
He was already pulling over. Across the street, a 24-hour ice cream shop glowed through the rain.
"Jake, you don't have to—"
"Wait here."
He was out of the car before I could finish.
---
I watched him jog across the street, hood up against the rain.
He didn't answer.
The question about the girl. He just... changed the subject.
Which meant what? That there was someone? That it was complicated?
I pressed my forehead against the cool window.
God, Sadie. What are you even thinking? Tomorrow you move into his house. You'll see him every day. You can't—
A knock on the window made me jump.
Jake was back. Holding a strawberry ice cream cone.
I rolled down the window.
"Here." He handed it to me through the opening.
"You didn't get one?"
"Not hungry."
He walked around to the driver's side. Got in.
I stared at the ice cream. Pink and perfect and melting slightly at the edges.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
He started the engine. "You're welcome."
We pulled back onto the road.
I licked the ice cream. Sweet and cold and exactly what I needed to stop myself from asking more questions I had no right to ask.
---
The silence stretched between us—comfortable, surprisingly. No awkwardness. No pressure to fill the space.
Jake drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thigh. His fingers tapped against his jeans in some rhythm only he could hear.
I snuck a glance at him.
The streetlights caught his profile every few seconds. Sharp jaw. Rain-damp hair pushed back. That permanent look of exhaustion that somehow made him more attractive.
Stop staring.
"So," Jake said suddenly. "About earlier."
My heart jumped. "Earlier?"
"The motel thing." He didn't look at me, but I caught the corner of his mouth twitching. "You really thought I'd never—"
"I didn't think anything," I said too quickly.
"Right." The smirk was fully formed now. "You just assumed I was some virgin quarterback who didn't know what he was doing."
My face went hot. "I never said—"
"You didn't have to." He glanced at me. Those blue eyes glinted with something dangerous. "Your face said it all."
I focused very hard on my ice cream. "Can we not—"
"For the record," he continued, clearly enjoying himself, "my skills are pretty solid. Just so you know."
I choked on my ice cream.
Jake's smirk widened into something almost wolfish. "You okay there?"
"Fine," I managed, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "Totally fine."
"Good to know." He turned back to the road, but I could still see that infuriating smile. "Wouldn't want you worrying about my performance or anything."
"I wasn't—" I stopped. Took a breath. "You're an asshole."
"So I've been told."
I bit into the cone, refusing to look at him. But I could feel the heat radiating off my cheeks.
Tomorrow I have to live with him.
I'm going to die.
---
We were two blocks from the dorm when Jake pulled over again.
Not at the curb. Just... stopped in the middle of an empty side street.
"What—"
"You've got something." He gestured vaguely at my face.
I froze. "What?"
"Ice cream. Right there."
I grabbed a napkin, swiping at my mouth. "Did I get it?"
"Other side."
I tried again. Missed.
"Here." Jake shifted toward me.
And then his hand was reaching out.
Slow. Deliberate.
His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth.
My breath caught.
We were so close. Close enough that I could see the rain still clinging to his lashes. Close enough to see the way his pupils dilated.
Close enough to feel the heat radiating off him.
His thumb lingered. Just for a second.
My eyes fluttered closed.
Oh my God. Is he—
Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes.
Jake was leaning back in his seat, holding up his thumb. A tiny smear of pink ice cream on it.
"Got it," he said casually.
My brain short-circuited.
He... he wasn't...
Oh my God.
Jake's expression shifted. Something flickered in those blue eyes—realization, maybe. Or amusement.
"Did you just..." He trailed off. Then that slow, devastating smirk spread across his face. "Sadie. Did you think I was going to kiss you?"
"No." The word came out too fast. Too high.
"You closed your eyes."
"I had something in my eye."
"Your mouth was—"
"Can we please just go?" I turned to face the window, burning with mortification.
Jake laughed. Actually laughed.
It was low and rough and I'd never heard it before and I hated how much I liked it.
"Relax, dummy," he said, starting the car. "If I was going to kiss you, you'd know."
---
Jake pulled up to the curb. The dorm loomed ahead, lights glowing through the rain.
Neither of us moved.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "For tonight. For the clothes. For—everything."
He didn't look at me. Just stared straight ahead, hands still on the wheel.
"Jake?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay?"
That made him turn.
Those blue eyes locked onto mine. And for a second—just a second—I saw something flicker there.
Something raw. Something that looked almost like recognition.
Then it was gone.
"Get some sleep, Sadie. I'll see you tomorrow."
I grabbed my bag and the crumpled napkins, reaching for the door handle—
"Sadie."
I turned back.
Jake was staring at me. Really staring.
"What?" I whispered.
He looked away. Jaw tight. "Nothing. Forget it."
"Jake—"
"Goodnight, Sadie."
His voice was final.
I grabbed the door handle and bolted.
---
I turned and walked into the dorm, dripping water and mortification in equal measure.
Inside, the hallway was quiet. Most girls were asleep or at weekend parties.
I made it to my room and shut the door behind me.
Leaned against it.
My phone buzzed.
Liam: Jake said he dropped you off. You good?
Me: Yeah. Thanks for sending him.
Liam: No problem. See you tomorrow! Diane and Charles are excited.
I stared at the message.
Tomorrow.
I looked down at the oversized gray hoodie I was still wearing. The one Jake had picked out.
I pulled it tighter around myself.
Outside, thunder rumbled.
And somewhere in the storm, Jake Montgomery was driving home.
Not answering questions about mystery girls.
Smoking in the rain like some kind of tragic hero.
Looking at me like—
Stop.
I climbed into bed. Pulled the covers up.
But I couldn't stop replaying it.
The way his thumb had brushed my mouth.
The way I'd closed my eyes like an idiot.
The way he'd looked at me afterward.
Like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Like maybe—just maybe—he was thinking it too.