Comfort Zone (Awkward Love 4)

“Because he’s my friend? Because he cares about me and Liam. He doesn’t want to see either of us get hurt.” I lean against the doorframe and think about her question some more. “Jake does love me. But as a friend, someone who’s been there for him when he had nobody else. He loves me, but he’s in love with you. Those letters prove it.” I smile at her, and then quietly let myself out.I take the elevator back to my room, relieved that that’s over. As I approach my room, I remember Jake. God, please don’t be in there. The thought of facing him after doing that…I shiver. He will hate me for what I just did, and the sooner I accept that, the better.

I swipe my key and push open the door, breathing a sigh of relief when the room is empty. Liam walks out of the bathroom. He smiles at me, his eyes heavy, like he’s tired.

“We wondered where you’d gotten to,” he says, placing my arms around his waist.

“Where is Jake?” I ask. “And what time is it?”

“Jake left a while ago and the time is eleven oh one.”

I laugh as he scoops me into his arms and carries me over to the bed, throwing me down. Still giggling, I wait until he’s on the bed, so I can crawl into his lap.

“So, are you okay?”

“Not really.” I shrug. “I did something that Jake is going to hate me for.”

“What do you mean?” He strokes my arm. I smile and lean back, almost falling asleep against his touch.

I explain the email account and how I gave a couple of emails to Brooke, to show her that she’s the one he’s in love with. Not me. Liam lets out a low whistle after I finish.

“Did I do the right thing?” I ask, hoping he can reassure me.

“I don’t think there really is a right or wrong answer, because one person might react differently to another.” He shakes his head. “But it was definitely brave of you.”

“Would you have done it?”

Liam makes a face. “I’m not sure I would’ve had the balls.”

“Hey guys?”

I spin around when I hear Jakes’s voice. My heart drops. He’s alone. Then it soars when Brooke pokes her head past Jake’s. He steps back, letting her in first. I glance at Liam, because they’re holding hands.

“Sorry, the door wasn’t shut,” Jake apologizes.

“Are you trying to get us murdered in our sleep?” Liam asks me, raising his eyebrows.

“Ignore him,” I say. “I often do.”

Liam chuckles and lies back in the bed, nudging me with his foot as I do my best to ignore him. Jake glances at Brooke, who smiles and then nods.

“We had a good talk and we have cleared a lot of things up. We wanted to let you know…” He pauses for a moment. “That there won’t be a wedding tomorrow.”

My face falls.

“But,” Jake says. “There will be a wedding this year.”

“Congratulations, guys,” I say, feeling genuinely happy for them. “What made you decide on something different to this?”

“This was very much Brooke’s baby,” Jake explains. “We want this new start to be about both of us. The best way to start that is at the beginning.” He looks over at Brooke again, who nods. Jake smiles at me. “We’re actually going to get married in New York.”

My eyes light up. “Where your dad proposed to your mom.”

He nods. “We thought it was a nice way of having him there.”

Brooke smiles and kisses Jake, then turns to Liam and me.

“I have to go and let my family know what’s going on,” she apologizes. Then she glances at me. “I just wanted to thank you, Becca. Without you…” She shakes her head, overcome with emotion. “Just know that I really appreciate it.” She looks at Jake. “You’re staying here?”

He looks at me. “Want to go for a walk?”

“Sure, I’ll just get my jacket.”“So…” I clench my arms across my waist as we walk around the pool. I’m not really cold, it just seems like a better option than having them dangling there, because we still haven’t spoken about the emails. “You read the emails.”

He nods. “I read them. Though I wrote them, remember? It wasn’t really necessary for me to read them.”

“Jake, I’m so sorry,” I blurt out. “I understand if you can’t be friends with me anymore. I never should’ve betrayed your privacy and your trust—Well, actually, I’m glad I did, and I’d probably do it again,” I admit.

“Becs,” Jake says, his eyes sparkling. “Shut up.”

He puts his hand out, taking mine in his. I frown and study his face, but I don’t trust myself to guess what he’s thinking, because I’m shit at reading people.

“I’m glad you did it. So thank you.” He smiles at me.

I must be hearing things.

“What?”

“That email account never even crossed my mind,” he admits. “If it had, I’d have done the same thing in a heartbeat.”