How Did We Get Here? • (FKA So Annoyed) | Redrafting in Progress

10

"So... how have you been?" Jace takes sips his wine, never taking his gaze off my face. I maintain the eye contact with those amber eyes and long eyelashes. The eyes that I remember the most.

"Same shit, different day." I shake my head also taking a sip from my glass. I honestly don't know what else to say. I work, go home and sleep.

"I feel that. And how have you been with Yu–" I reach out for his hand to stop him from opening a can of worms. "All I can say is that it's been a lot."

"When is it not?" He chuckles shaking his head.

"How do you know him?" I ask.

"We we're all best friends once upon a time." His continuous laugh grows bittersweet with a sigh.

"Mmm." Was all I could muster. There's no relevance to that statement. Given his attitude when he found out Yuko was in the picture, I'm betting there's more than best friends. Best friends don't dread each other's name.

"What made you hate him?" I shift my vision to the globe like industrial bulbs above us, resting my chin on my proped hands.

"Um let's see... left you at your most vulnerable moments. And now he's just back like nothing ever happened. Like it wasn't his fault. I– I was here for you since before him. And yet- nevermind." Jace finished his wine lifting up his finger cuing for the bill.

"Follow me to my hotel."

<<>>

I hold Jace's hand trailing behind him with tipsy step as we enter his king suite. We proceed to leave our shoes at the door before sitting in the common area.

The room was dimly lit with the led lights under the bed. I twirl to capture the surrounding details of the suttle grays used in the accents. I gravitated towards the window in awe of the stillness of the city lights and the space needle in the mist of it.

I turned my body against the window watching Jace's flexed back as he pulled up his shorts. His ginger hair was escaping from his pomade revealing his out grown shag.

"What are you staring at?"

I snap out of yet another trance connecting my eyes with his cognac eyes. I'm met with my body's yearn for his affection that never was displayed outside of the four walls we once shared. I hugged my arms trailing his body once more before answering.

"Who else in the room?" I gave a tight lipped smile with a sigh refocusing my attention. "But that's beside the matter. Why do you hate him?"

"I don't hate him. But if it wasn't for him, we would have been better off. You would've been done with college and became a nurse. You wouldn't have had to move here to "find" yourself again." Jace shrugs peeling back the sheets.

"Hmph. Okay, but take the "would've" out the equation. Because your obviously mad about him over me." I crawl into the bed next to him pulling my dress down. I flick my eyes between his eyes and lips making him roll his eyes.

"If I had kept my mouth shut, and pursued you privately we would've been highschool sweethearts. Married, with a ginger headed kid running around."

Funny enough, I didn't think he took what we had rather seriously. We we're always best friends and never addressed any sort of feelings. Jace never express his emotions in front of me but now I'm realizing he was hiding from me for the sake of not being rejected.

"Why didn't you say anything? It's not like we don't go on dates, been intimate, hell we even stayed together. Jace why didn't you tell me you were serious? You let me start over with Yuko because I didn't think you fell in love with me." I grimaced touching his warm chest.