The Imperfect Plan | Wattys2023

Chapter Twenty Eight

"I still can't believe you had sex with Jackson, let alone that you let him take your virginity. I can't work out whether to kill you or high-five you," Shay harshly whispered under her breath as we made the short walk from her house to the beach.

"Trust me I know the feeling," I whispered back. "Now would you shut up before my sister hears your loud mouth, it's bad enough that you know."

"You know Elena is coming to the beach party today, right?" Shay asked as we turned the corner and the beach came into view.

"So, what's your point?"

"My point--" Shay said, before softly grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop on the pavement. "-- is that Jackson isn't known for settling down with anybody and just because you're in his bed this week, doesn't mean you're going to be in it next week," she added and looked at me as if she was concerned I was going to have my entire situation blown up in my face.

"It's not like that. We're not together or anything," I replied and carried on walking before she made me talk too much about what I was doing with Jax or feeling towards him.

"Just be careful Ronnie, not all broken people can be fixed."

She looked at me once more, before flinging her arm around my shoulders and walked us in the direction of the others already gathered on the beach.

My eyes scanned the beach instinctively as I looked for a familiar tanned chest and dark locks only to realise that Jax wasn't here yet. I ignored the disappointment that filled my chest and followed Shay to where Sabrina and Sadie had set up a sizeable picnic blanket, cooler and pillows on the sand as if they intended to stay here for the remainder of the day.

"Made yourself at home girls?" I teased as I threw my bag onto the sand and all but flung myself onto the picnic blanket space beside Shay.

"You're teasing us and yet really you're secretly impressed that we came this organised. You'll be thanking us later when we have cold drinks and a sand free zone to lie on," Sabrina replied as she opened the cooler to reveal a variety of soft drinks her and Sadie had brought with them.

I rolled my eyes at my sister, but said nothing as we both knew she was right.

Just then a piercing scream hit the air and I turned to see Elena and a group of her friends take up a spot not far from us.

"Great," I moaned under my breath with irritation.

"Jackson, it's amazing to see you!" Elena squealed again nearby and I would have ignored her childlike outburst had I not heard her say Jackson's name.

I knew that Shay was watching me for a reaction and every instinct told me not to turn around further to see exactly where he was, but I could practically still smell his cologne on me where he'd touched my skin only hours before. It would be hopeless to convince myself not to look, as everyone wanted something more when they knew they couldn't have it.

I mentally braced myself and felt, rather than knew, my mouth had gone dry at the sight of both Lucas and Jax leaving the sea. Jax flicked his hair to rid it of sea water as he laughed at whatever Lucas had said and the way the droplets even from this distance glistened across his body like a real life Greek god, made me sick in a breath.

The sun might be shining, but the sight of Jax made it seem as if I had been transported straight to hell. Maybe I had, especially with all the dirty thoughts that had entered my mind. Why did his chest look so lickable? It was almost as if Lucas wasn't walking right next to him, that was how much tunnel vision I was currently experiencing.

Suddenly like a knife through the air, Elena had reappeared in my peripheral and had thrown her arms around Jax, pulling him into her or rather against her.