I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

023

It'd been days, those days turning into weeks, then enveloping into an entire month since I'd even spoken to Jesse. He was avoiding me, I knew that but, I also knew he was giving me space to figure out what I wanted to do. It was true that a condom wouldn't have made a difference, I still got my period and made an appointment to make sure.

Jacob's wedding was next month and, I still hadn't gotten the chance to tell Jesse about it. We were at a weird place, my many calls going unanswered. I understood why but, it still hurt nonetheless. It was just yesterday that I realized, I was falling for him and, that was fucking scary. Getting back into the field after getting your heart broken is a horror movie in of itself but, actually loving someone again? That was scarier than any slasher movie I'd ever seen.

I pace against the carpeted floors, invitation in my grasp whilst I stood outside his apartment doors. The bellhop had let me up, considering he already knew who I was to the man in the penthouse. My breakfast was creeping up my throat, shaking out my nerves through my hands, I clutched my fist and knocked—hard.

As soon as the door opened, I was slapped in the face by the smell of food—fuck, he was cooking—that meant stress, frustration among other things. My eyes shift up to his face, observing the tired expression crossing his face, bags under his eyes, and his stubble a bit grown out. I mean, it had been a month. "Hi," I pipe up, holding the invitation behind my back away from his view.

"Hey," He greets, tone hard and unable to decipher. His shoulder leans on the frame of his doors, the Henley he wore expanding, as his muscles bulged from within, giving me a nice view of the ink on his arm. A simple pair of Levi's and sneakers driving me out of sorts. He looked so good, not to say that I didn't love when he wore suits, but casual was my favorite look. "What are you doing here, sweetheart?" Jesse mumbles, running a hand through his messy waves, I just wanted to run my fingers through it again.

I sigh, sweetheart—he wasn't upset, that's a relief.

"Can I come in?" I sigh, a frown etching my forehead, drawing in my bottom lip.

Jesse sighs deeply, pushing off the frame to step aside. "Yeah," He breathes, gesturing inside his condo, leading me inside. I tuck the invite inside my jacket, turning to face him as soon as the door slammed shut. Jesse doesn't move, his back facing me, head against the door. "I already know why you're here," He mumbles, his voice bouncing off the door, making it sound deeper.

"You know...." I trailed off, looking to the floor for a second before lifting my head. "Why am I here, Jesse?" I take a step closer.

"It was nice knowing you, Katherine," Jesse grunts, his hands on either side of his head, flat against the grain. "I wish you the best and-"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I hiss, tugging at his shoulder to make him face me, his sentence falling short. "You think I'm here to tell you that I don't want to see you anymore?"

His tired eyes meet mine, the blue seeming darker than I'm used to, his shoulders shrugging softly. "I don't know, aren't you? I mean..." He stops, staring down at me, he must've seen the way I was looking at him. My eyes softened, lip trembling. I didn't want to stop seeing him, I liked Jesse, so much and I'd be crazy to walk away because of something that he had no control over.

"You've been avoiding me, asshole," I fumed, gently pushing his shoulder. "I don't like being ignored," I take hold of his shirt in my grasp to yank him closer to my level. "I don't want to stop seeing you." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I wanted to give you time to sit on things," Jesse murmured, his eyes flickering to my lips now and then. "I didn't want to force you into something that isn't what you want. I like you way too much to do that to you."

I feel myself smile, my grip loosening on his henley—hands flat on his chest, trying to smooth out the wrinkled fabric. "Oh, and you're just an expert on knowing exactly what I want, huh?" I muse, raising my arms to wrap around his neck. I feel his hands slide down the sides of my waist, settling on the small of my back. "Can you do me a favor?" I tilt my head to the right, staring down at his full lips, his tongue swiping across his bottom one. He nods, as I lean closer. "Please don't ever try and decide for me." And I close the gap between us, pressing my lips against his soft ones.

I melted, missing his touch, his hands—him. His grip tightens, pressing me against his body, deepening the kiss as soon as his tongue joins the party. I hadn't realized how much of an effect Jesse had on me. What a month of disconnect could do to a person. I just wanted him to hold me. He breaks the kiss, pecking the corner of my mouth, dragging his moistened lips down my cheek then my neck, sucking once he got to his favorite part. "I missed you," He groans, dropping his hands from my back, cutting between our proximity to undo the buttons on my coat.

"Jesse...wait," I pant, pressing my hands on his chest to push him back. "I missed you so much but," I inhale deeply, trying to catch my breath. "I came here because...." I reach into my coat pocket, fishing out the four-by-eight cardstock. I fumble with it, debating on whether or not I should ask him. Jesse's hands reach for the paper before I get the chance to hide it again.

"What's this?" He frowns, shifting his focus between the invite and my face.

"I got it last month," I begin, nervously fiddling with my thumbs. "I wanted to...I was going to ask if..." I watch him, his frown deepening once he takes the invite out from the envelope. His eyes scan the lettering, slowing to a stop once he reads the names.

"Your ex-fiance sent you an invite to his wedding to the woman he cheated on you with," He states as a matter of fact. "And...what?" He meets my eyes. "You want to go?"

"Well, when you put it like that," I grumble, crossing my arms in defense. "I haven't decided yet, but yeah," I nod in agreement. "I was thinking about it."

"Why?" He snaps, his mood flipping like a light switch. "Why the hell would you do that yourself?"

I thought about his question for a while before I answered. Why did I want to go? It took me a long time to forgive and forget and maybe I never got the closure I wanted but, what did Amber have that I didn't? Why did he waste my time if he was cheating on the side? There were so many why's that went unanswered, and I needed those answers.

"Because...." I trail, sighing heavily. "It took me months, if not years to get over feeling like I wasn't good enough. Jacob hurt me badly, and I thought if I went, I could get some closure..." I drop my arms, shaking my head at the stupidity of the whole situation. "I don't know, I was going to ask if you'd go with me. Or not, it's dumb anyway-"

"Hey," Jesse chimes, my lips snapping shut. "It's not dumb, sweetheart," His frown softens, sighing as he looks down at the invitation once again. "I get it...and hell, if I wouldn't like to meet the dickwad that broke your heart,"

"So...you'll come with me?" I beam.

Jesse sighs again, taking in the hopeful gleam in my expression. "Fuck," He groans, running his free hand over his face. "When?"

"Four weeks, in a little town called Pearland. "