Against All Odds?

15. That's Not How It Works

-♡♥︎♤♥︎♡⁃
                                       𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗘𝗦𝗛𝗔

Hearing a male voice call Jayden from behind, my whole body stills as I remain nestled in his arms, with my head buried in his chest. After letting out a frustrated sigh, he tells the man, whom I later learn is Dustin, to go away. Even though we're standing in a dimly lit space, I just hope he doesn't see me.

After what feels like an eternity of teasing Jayden, Dustin finally agrees to leave us alone, tossing one last taunt before disappearing.

Thankfully he didn't recognize me.

Once Jayden is certain we're alone, he releases his arms from around my waist, looks down at me, and asks if I'm alright.

I manage to let out a soft 'yes,' my head barely nodding along. My insides are still shaken from the incident, and I'm struggling to recover from the shock of almost being caught.

Upon recalling what we were doing before Dustin interrupted, I look away, avoiding Jayden's eyes.

At this moment, I'm overwhelmed by a rush of conflicting emotions. Although the kiss was thrilling and enjoyable, a wave of awkwardness and self-consciousness crashes over me — their forces amplifying the uncertainty of how to deal with what we just did.

Perhaps it's the effect of the alcohol fading and leaving my head clear, or maybe it's the voice that pulled me back to reality, making me feel this way.

Regardless, I know without a doubt that I enjoyed the kiss. Yet, I can't help but wonder if he meant it—or if he kissed me out of pity because I kissed him first.

But what if he actually meant to kiss me? Then what? Our situation is complicated, and there's no way Corey would approve of what just happened.

Besides, what if Jayden's intention behind the kiss was no different from his intentions with any other girl he's been with? He's known to be charming, and I can see why it would be easy to misinterpret his actions.

As these conflicting thoughts swirl in my mind, I start to feel nauseous—not from the kiss, but from the stress of it all, compounded by the alcohol, even though I'm not that drunk.

Despite my best efforts to hold it back, I end up throwing up the pizza I had earlier with Jake right onto Jayden's sneakers. Instinctively, he pulls back, but not quickly enough.

Expecting him to be angry, I'm surprised when he simply pulls out a small cloth from his pocket and hands it to me to wipe my mouth.

"Stay here. I'll go get you some water," he says softly, though I can hear the concern in his gentle voice.

I'm hunched over, unable to look up at him because of how embarrassed I feel. Just as he's about to go and get me water, I manage to start an apology, saying, "I'm sorry.." but before I can finish, I hear Ingrid calling my name from behind with a pinch of doubt woven into her voice.

As she steps closer, panic fills her voice. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?! Are you alright?" she asks, her concern evident as she wraps her arms around me. Her touch makes me finally straighten up, but I still can't bring myself to look at Jayden who's now standing a few feet away.