Drawn To You (GirlxGirl)

Part 41

Jessie's P.O.V

I woke up with a pounding headache, the kind that makes you instantly regret every drink from the night before. The room was too bright, the air too heavy, and my mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

I groaned, rolling over in bed, my face buried in the pillow as I tried to will the headache away.

It didn't work, of course. It never did.

With a reluctant sigh, I forced myself to sit up, rubbing my temples. I could feel the dull throb of regret settle in. I'd needed those drinks last night—needed them to numb the thoughts swirling in my head—but now, less than an hour away from my shift at the garage, I was regretting every drop of alcohol I'd poured into my body.

I stood up slowly, the cold floor sending a shock through my bare feet. My legs felt stiff, my muscles heavy, like my body was punishing me for last night's choices. I dragged myself to the bathroom, turning the shower on and standing under the hot spray longer than I probably should have. The water helped ease the tension in my body, but it couldn't wash away the knot forming in my chest.

I tried not to think about it as I got dressed, pulling on my usual work clothes—cargo trousers and an old, worn-out black t-shirt. My old black Vans were lying in the corner, scuffed and faded from years of wear. I grabbed them without thinking, slipping them on as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked tired, worn out, but more than that, I looked... angry. And I was. I couldn't deny that. The anger had been simmering beneath the surface ever since I saw Allie with Mark at the café.

It's not that I didn't understand her situation. I did. Hell, I'd even told myself that I would be patient, that I would give her space to figure things out with the divorce, with uni, with everything. But seeing her with him—laughing, holding his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world—had felt like a slap in the face.

And then yesterday... that conversation. She hadn't even mentioned him. Didn't even try to explain what the hell was going on between them. She just smiled like everything was fine, and I was left standing there, wondering if I'd been imagining all of it. The connection. The feelings.

But I hadn't. I knew I hadn't. There was something between us—something real. I saw it in the way she looked at me, felt it every time we kissed. So why was she acting like it didn't exist? Why was she still letting Mark hang around? Why wasn't she being honest with me? Or with herself?

I grabbed my helmet and made my way to the garage behind my apartment building, trying to shake the thoughts from my head. The motorbike was a welcome distraction. As I kick-started the engine and felt the familiar hum beneath me, I hoped the ride would help clear my mind. It always did. The city was quiet this early, the streets of Glasgow still waking up as I tore through them, the wind sharp against my skin.

But even the roar of the engine couldn't drown out the thoughts racing through my head. Allie was a constant presence in my mind now, whether I wanted her to be or not. I kept thinking about the way things had started between us—slow, cautious, but with that underlying intensity. I hadn't planned on getting feelings for her. Not really. I'd been trying to stay out of it, to let her figure out her life without complicating things, but then it just happened. One moment I was just someone she knew, and the next, I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Now it all felt like it was slipping away. Like the more I tried to hold on, the more distant she became. I hated that. I hated that I was here, feeling angry and hurt while she was... what? Reconnecting with Mark? Pretending like we didn't mean anything to each other?