The Rude Awakening of Love

9 - Anyone But You

ONE WEEK LATER - SATURDAY

Emerson's POV

I laughed as I sat at the bar with my new friends. It had been awhile since we all were able to get together and catch up.

"Em look" Sav hit my arm getting my attention.

My eyes shifted to the door as I watched my toxic ex-boyfriend, Jackson, walk into the bar. I hadn't seen him in months, and I was hoping to keep it that way.

"Who is that?" Sophia questioned. "My ex" I mumbled, not wanting to talk about him.

"What happened between you two?" Ellie questioned curiously. I sighed as Dakota's attention shifted to our conversation.

"He cheated on me, then manipulated me into getting back together with him" I said regretfully. "Then he lied and cheated on her again" Savannah chimed in.

"What an asshole!" Ellie exclaimed, everyone agreeing with her.

"Yeah... I'm so done with him" I retorted.

I felt my heart race and my palms start to sweat as I noticed Jackson walking closer to our table.

"Do you want me to get him out of here?" Bentley asked reassuringly.

"No, it's okay" I managed to spit out before he walked straight up to our group.

"Hey, Emerson" he said, his voice low and smooth.

Savannah glared at him as he spoke.

"Hi," I replied, trying to remain composed.

My friends noticed the tension and quickly went back to their conversation. I could feel Dakota's eyes locked on Jackson.

"Can we talk?" asked Jackson.

I was confused as to why he wanted to talk to me, especially after how our relationship had ended. But I didn't want to cause a scene, so I followed him to a more secluded corner of the bar.

As soon as we were out of sight of my friends, he leaned in closer and said, "I miss you, Em. I regret everything that happened between us. Can we start over?" He tucked my hair behind my ear.

I could feel my heart soften at his words. I had been hoping for some closure, and I thought maybe this was my chance.

But then I remembered all the pain and heartache he had caused me. He broke my heart and lied to me, not once, but twice. I mustered up the courage to say, "No, I can't do this again. It's over, and it's best if we both move on."

I turned around and began to walk back to my friends. "Em, wait" Jackson grabbed my hand.

"Give me another chance" he pleaded. "No. I already gave you another chance and we saw how that ended" I pulled my hand away from his and walked back over to my friends.

As I got to the table, I found Dakota watching the whole interaction from afar. I could see the sneer on his face, and I knew he enjoyed seeing my discomfort. I couldn't understand why he had such a dislike for me, I thought things were different after last weekend.

I quickly rejoined the conversation with the girls, trying to brush off the encounter with my ex.

"Savannah, what are you looking at?" I asked catching her off guard. "Nothing" she said, focusing her attention back on our group.

I looked over to where she was focused on. I looked through the crowed bar and found Jackson. He was laughing and flirting with a group of girls, his arm draped around one of them.

My heart sank as I realized he already moved on without a second thought, yet again.

"Hey Emerson, let's do shots!" Bentley exclaimed, holding up a tray of colorful shots.

I grinned at the boy in front of me, feeling the energy of the night starting to lift my spirts.

I grabbed a shot glass and joined in as we all toasted to a great night ahead.

As the night went on, I could feel Dakota's gaze on me, making me feel even more uncomfortable. I didn't want to ruin the evening for my friends, so I tried my best to ignore him as I danced and sang along with my friends to our favorite songs.

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As the night came to an end, I said goodbye to my friends and made my way to the Uber with Sophia, Ellie, and Dakota.

"You made Dakota jealous tonight" Ellie whispered into my ear.

I was sitting in the back with her and Sophia, while Dakota was up front.

"What are you talking about?"

Ellie giggled, not responding to my question.

I shot her a confused look before looking at the boy in front of me.

I spent the rest of the ride wondering what Ellie could have possibly meant.

I said goodbye to Ellie and Sophia, then followed behind Dakota up to our apartment.

I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

"What was that all about? Your ex? I thought you were done with him," Dakota said with a hint of disgust in his tone as he leaned against the door frame of the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and tried to walk away, but Dakota grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Why do you care, Dakota? It's none of your business," I snapped.

Dakota's expression turned into a dangerous glare as he sneered, "I care because I don't want to see you hurt again. You deserve better than that lying, cheating ex."

I was taken aback by Dakota's sudden change in attitude. I had never seen him show any concern for her before besides when I told him about my mom. Maybe there was more to him than just his rude behavior.

"I appreciate your concern, Dakota," I said sincerely, "But I can handle it. I have my friends" I hesitated before adding, "and I have you" with a small smile.

Dakota's grip on my arm loosened as he returned my smile. This was the first time I had seen him genuinely smile at me.

He may have been rude, but I realized that he did care for me in his own way.