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ISABELLA

I wake to the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen. My eyes wearily open and take a minute to adjust to the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the blinds. I notice the other half of the bed is vacant, and Jake is nowhere to be found.

I untangle myself from my sheets and walk into the living room. I find Jake in the kitchen, making breakfast, and Addison sitting on the couch with her eyes fixated on her computer.

Before announcing myself, I take the opportunity to watch him cook. He grabs the spatula, flipping the egg, and every time he moves, the muscles in his arms flex. I stare for too long, as he carefully cracks another egg into the pan. I could get used to waking up to this.

"I need to find myself a man that can cook," Addy says from behind, scaring the daylight out of me. I hold my hand over my heart, which is currently pounding out of control.

"You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry I didn't mean to." She laughs. "Did you finally put those condoms to good use last night?"

"No, we didn't."

"Well, if you're not going to use them, I might take them back for myself."

I narrow my eyes at her, and she shrugs her shoulders, walking back toward the couch. I finally make my way over to Jake and sit at the breakfast bar with a smile. "Morning."

"Good morning." He sets a plate in front of me, scooping eggs onto it. "How did you sleep?"

"Wonderful, how about you?" I say before taking a bite.

"Pretty good considering the fact you were beside me the entire night."

Butterflies erupt inside my stomach. I push the food around on my plate, trying to stifle an enormous smile from appearing. "It was quite nice."

He grins, turning off the burner.

After we finish breakfast, we go for a walk. We don't have plans set in stone for today, we're playing it by ear. Ever since he got a phone call from one of his friends earlier telling him he has to come back tonight, we haven't left each other's side.

A weird feeling looms in the pit of my stomach, like why does he have to leave a day early? Especially when he wanted to stay longer. Although I have questions, I push them aside.

We sit in a little booth, and Jake stares out the window, watching all the people walk by while I look at him. Even though he slept well, the bags under his eyes are evident, and I can tell he is anxious.

That unsettling feeling from earlier causes my stomach to churn. "You alright?" I ask, catching him off guard. His attention redirects to me, his eyebrows raise, and his mouth falls open slightly.

"Yeah, I just have a big exam this Wednesday, I'm nervous."

"Which class?"

"It's my calculus class, I'll be fine though." He squeezes my hand.

The bell above the cafe door jingles and clamorous laughter sounds through the building. I lean out of the booth to get a better view, but the moment I see him, I wish I had never looked. Miles-mother-fucking-Cunningham just walked in with his friend Liam.

"Who's that? You look pissed," Jake questions, peering in the same direction.

I must've made a face, so I look away, sliding as far into the booth as I can so I'm not seen. "Miles Cunningham, he's an asshole." I never told Jake what happened freshman year, I was too embarrassed.

I shift my scrutiny back toward Miles as he gives Liam a quick smirk and mouths, "Watch this." He saunters to a booth that seats two blond girls, and he mumbles something to them. Their faces turn red, and they shrug their shoulders, then make room so the boys can sit.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I recollect myself before I burst.

"You alright?" Jake grabs my hand, ripping me away from my very own live special of the wildlife channel.

I exhale and let out a laugh. "Perfectly fine."

The rest of the day moves incredibly fast. We spend the late afternoon at a lake, sitting in the grass, taking in the beautiful view. By beautiful view, I mean I stared at Jake the entire time. And after the lake, we head back to my apartment to freshen up for dinner.

At dinner, we order too many appetizers and eat way too much bread before our actual meal comes out. I notice Jake looking at his lap for the fifth time tonight. I know he is looking at his phone. I didn't care at first, but when it went off for the sixth time and he tried inconspicuously typing under the table, that's when I couldn't take it.

"Is everything okay?" It comes out angrier than I expect.

"Sorry," he laughs. "It's the guys."

His aloof demeanor agitates me more, but I force a smile on my face. "If you need to text them, I don't mind." Instantly, he sets his phone face down on the table and takes my hand with a reassuring smile.

"No, I barely get to see you. Plus, I'm leaving in—" He looks at the watch I got him for his birthday. "An hour and a half."

All the negative feelings I felt toward Jake melt away. My heart shatters at the thought of another month or two passing before I get to see him again. I knew the long distance would be difficult, but I didn't expect to feel this upset.

Before we know it, we're done eating and back in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Without looking at me, he turns the key in the ignition, and quietness consumes. Neither of us moves, instead, we sulk in silence, knowing this is our parting conversation.

"Jake."

"I know." He smiles softly. His hand slowly rises and cups the side of my face. Gradually, he leans in until his soft lips meet my neck, kissing gently. I close my eyes and let passion take over.

By the time his lips meet mine, my dress straps are falling off my shoulders and the car is hot as hell. I lace my fingers through his hair, pulling him as close as possible while he devours me furiously. I pull back, out of breath. "I'm going to miss you," I whisper, staring into his beautiful eyes.

"I'm going to miss you too, Pumpkin."

And just like that, he's off, back to college. I lock our apartment door behind me, trying not to be too upset.

Slipping my shoes off, I throw myself face-first into our couch. And I don't budge when I hear Addy running down the hallway towards me.

"Oh, thank God you're back!" She throws herself on top of my limp body, causing me to cry out in pain. I try to pry her off, but she stays put.

"You're heavier than you look," I shout, but she still doesn't move.

I peek up at her out of the corner of my eyes. "How was grocery shopping?"

"Pffft, I didn't go," she confesses. "I went shopping instead."

"Of course you did."

She finally rolls off and plops herself onto the adjacent couch. "How was your man?"

"He was good. Thank you so much for planning that."

"That's what friends are for." She winks and I tell her about our short weekend in as much detail as possible. She gasps and oohs over every little thing, which makes me chuckle. However, I leave out the parts that made me feel weird about Jake. I don't want to feed my negative thoughts by talking with Addy. I know she will grow protective and try to make me confront him, but I don't want to.

"I swear there is something I'm forgetting to tell you..." I close my eyes, pressing my palm into my forehead in an attempt to remember.

"Was it about Jake?"

I shake my head no and suddenly memories from the café come flooding into my mind and I shout, "I remember! Guess who I saw out on the prowl today."

Addy sits up, wide-eyed. "Him?" she says in disgust, already knowing I'm speaking of Miles.

"Yes, Miles."

"What did he do? Did he see you?" she questions, tucking her legs underneath her, preparing to hear the story.

"No, he didn't see me. He walked into the cafe with Liam, mouthed 'watch this' Then walked over to two blonds, flirted with them and they let him sit down. They're oblivious. They probably are a part of their stupid little game now, just like I was."

Addy's face falls into a frown. "I thought you got over that," she says, clearly still worried about me.

"I don't dwell on it, but when I see him, it comes to mind."

In my freshman year of college, I met Noel Jackson. School had just started, and everyone was exuberant, trying to make friends. Noel introduced himself to me, and I could tell there was something between us, or so I thought.

We exchanged numbers and talked for days. He was outwardly flirty, and I felt confident. Freshman Isabella Gallagher, talking to an upperclassman. Yet, I had no clue what I was in for until a week passed. He came to the library with his gang of friends to pay me a visit.

"Can you please delete my number from your phone?" he asked. "I don't want you to think I like you, like, I mean, look at you."

"Excuse me?" I tried sounding assertive, but I sounded weak.

He rolled his eyes and breathed in. "I was just being nice, but you're getting a little too attached for me. I showed them your texts, and they agree." He motioned to the guys behind him, who cackled, and some even pulled out their phones to record.

"I mean, it was his idea, not mine." Noel pointed into the crowd of guys toward Miles.

To this day they still play this game with newbies at Greenoak University. Each guy gets a turn, picking a girl for another one to fuck over. Then once that guy fulfills his job, he gets to choose the next girl. It's extremely messed up, and every time, those poor girls fall for it just like I did.

And that is why I hate and always will hate Miles Cunningham.

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