Confession 2

A smile curved on my lips as relief washed over me. I took a step forward to where Jake stood, with Owen lagging behind.

"I thought you weren't coming for the concert. I was about to call or text you," I stated excitedly, moving closer to him. But he seemed unfazed, his gaze still fixed in the direction of where Owen stood.

"Doesn't look like you had any intention of doing so," he spoke calmly.

"Well, I got distracted."

"Is there a reason you both are out here this late?" His voice tingled with a hint of annoyance, which caused me to halt and glance back at Owen before returning my attention to the guy standing in front of me, dressed in black loose pants and a black button-up shirt.

I felt the tension in the air thickening which led me to ask. "Why are you acting like you are on your you period or something. Sheeh the mood swing." I rolled my eyes.

Jake's eyebrows shot up in surprise at my comment, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. But he quickly masked it with his usual stoic expression. "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now, especially not when I find you out here in the middle of the night with..."

He didn't finish his sentence but It was clear that Jake was not pleased with the situation.

"Why do you care?" I replied nonchalantly, trying to take a step towards him in an attempt to work past him. However, I felt a grip tighten around my hand, preventing me from making another move.

"What do you want?" I groaned, growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.

Jake's gaze bore into mine, his eyes narrowing slightly as if searching for answers. "I want to make sure you're safe," he finally said, his voice softer than before, the frustration in his tone giving way to genuine concern.

I blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his words. This was a side of Jake that I rarely saw, and it left me momentarily speechless.

Before I could respond, Owen spoke up from behind us, breaking the tension that had hung between Jake and me. "I'll leave you two to sort this out," he said quietly, his gaze shifting between us before he turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

As Owen's figure faded from view, I burst out laughing. "Now you are the one taking this fake relationship seriously," I teased, a mischievous glint in my eyes. I couldn't help but find the situation ironic after all the times we had pretended to be a couple.

I heard a low sigh escape Jake's lips before I continued. "By the way, isn't the contract going to be over soon? Samantha still hasn't shown interest."

Jake's stoic expression remained unchanged, but I could see a flicker of amusement in his eyes this time. "You're right, it is almost over," he admitted. "But…"

"No way," I interrupted, shaking my head in disapproval as I already knew what was coming. There was no way I was going to prolong this fake relationship. I wanted my old life back.

"You don't want me to end things with Samantha?" He stated, raising a brow. "Because that's what I was thinking."

"What?" I asked curiously, the breeze blowing my dress, which I held in place. He took a step forward followed by the other, his hands tucked in his pocket as he proceeded to move ahead while I followed from behind.

My curiosity was piqued as I tried to match his pace. "Why would you want to end it? You were literally begging her to take you back. You had tears and all that." He paused, causing me to abruptly come to a stop.

A sigh escaped his lips before he said, "Even if I explain it to you, you wouldn't understand. Some things are better left unsaid, but all I can say is I never had feelings for Samantha."

His words left me stunned, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of confusion and curiosity. What was the point of our fake relationship in the first place? Why waste my time if he never intended on getting back with her? Not that I cared about their relationship; it was just too strange, I thought to myself. So many questions ran through my head, bursting to come out, but like he said, some things are better left unsaid, and the best I could do was let it go. After all, I had nothing to lose and more to gain.

"You should have some rest. The concert is tomorrow,it's going to be a long wait in line," Jake suggested, his lips curling up in a smile. But as if realizing something, he raised his finger at me and asked, "What were you and Owen discussing about earlier?"

"None of your business," I replied bluntly, not wanting to divulge the details of my conversation with Owen.

Jake's curiosity seemed to grow as he probed further. "Now I am extremely curious. You guys seemed worryingly close, too close from what I observed."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"That's not important." He responded.

I chuckled, finding his response slightly amusing. "Then you have to ask him yourself." I grinned and waved him off as I continued walking in the direction of my room.

As I left Jake on the beach, I couldn't help but wonder why he would suddenly not want Samantha. What was the reason for all this all of a sudden?

I remembered clearly how he cried and begged her not to leave him. 'You can't do this to me, Samantha, you know how much you mean to me.' Those were his words. I clearly recalled him banging heavily on the bathroom door. It had been barely a month since the incident, and I wondered if it was really that easy to get over someone you truly cared about.

Was that how love worked? If so, then I wasn't sure if I was ready to fall in love just yet.

I turned the doorknob to my room. "Matilda, you won't believe…" My words trailed off when I spotted her sitting on a couch, grinning as she stared at her phone screen.

"Piper, you're back!" She acknowledged my presence with a quick glance before returning her gaze to her cellphone, her fingers tapping on the screen.

She had been like this for a while, talking to that Mark guy whom she had suddenly taken an interest in. I didn't like him; I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but he just seemed off to me. Yet, I couldn't tell Matilda that, as she had become obsessed with him.

I guess when love hits, it hits hard, and that's exactly what I was afraid of.