Roommates... with my Ex Boyfriend (Roommates Series: Book #1)

Chapter 23

Wait for me by Baron's car is what Jess' text message says. I put my book away, and gently tuck it in between the other books in our personal library. I leave, smiling at the people I pass in acknowledgement, before finally reaching his car, and waiting for the beautiful couple. Fortunately, they don't take very long to get there, but they're not alone. Cooper, and Jace are talking with them.

Jace is the first to see me, and doesn't look away. He has already pulled out of the conversation, so the others don't seem to notice that I've captured his attention. I don't look away either; I stare deeply into the eyes of hatred, jealousy, sorrow, and lūst. We weren't supposed to see each other until tomorrow evening. I was glad that I could spend that whole day with Jess, and then go straight to bed when I got home, but now, I'm slightly thrilled that I see him a day early. Even just for a few seconds.

I pull my gaze away from him when I see, in the corner of my eye, Jess smile at me. Baron says something to Jace, and Cooper quickly before the couple join me. Jace sends me one last glance, but looks away when Cooper says something to him.

"Why don't you join us? I'm sure you'd be less bored," Jess says.

I shake my head. "I enjoy reading, and... talking about murder isn't really my thing."

It's more than that. I don't want to talk, nor hear about how I could lose them all, and I especially don't want to hear that their blood could be on Finn, and Logan's hands. I refuse to think about how they could take away the people I love.

I get in the backseat, and instead of sitting next to Baron, Jess takes a seat next to me. She slides onto the middle cushion, coincidentally perfectly in Baron's view whenever he looks in the rearview mirror. She positions herself to look at me. "You like staying with us, right?" I nod. I like staying with her very much, Baron is kinder when Jace isn't around, and things are a lot more relaxed when I'm with Jess rather than Jace. He's someone I go to when I need comforting, but now I know that I should always go to Jess whenever I need my mood lifted, she's the perfect person for that.

Jess hums, satisfied with my answer. "Good. Do you miss my brother?"

"A little," I admit. I miss the weirdest things about him; I miss his smell, his warmth, the excitement, and safety that runs through my body whenever he's near me. He's had this effect on me since we first met in high school. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm pretty sure he misses --- "

"You're pretty sure he misses her? I know for a fact that he misses her a lot, have you not noticed how cranky he's been?" Baron asks, shocked with Jess' response.

Jess laughs in agreement. I think that Jess is the only one who doesn't find Jace a little bit scary when he's livid. She has laughed once, or twice before, and unfortunately, it only makes him that much angrier.

Once she calms herself down, I hear Baron sigh, muttering to himself. I don't hear what he says, but Jess does. She glares at him playfully. "You love me."

They're so playful with each other.

I want something like that.

Am I envious of the relationship Jess has with Baron? Yes, but for two different reasons. My relationship with Jace has never been perfect. We were either arguing, lazily spending time together, or forcing our love to grow. We rarely had playful fights, if any, unlike the couple before me. The second reason is my relationship with Jess. Ever since the argument, things have been different between us. She acts as if I'm on Jace's side --- as if I have run off to a different country with him, leaving her behind.

Both of those things need to be fixed for good. I have been here plenty of times with Jace. I should know how to fix it since I've been here so often, but everything that I have tried has brought me back to here. The only thing that I haven't tried is not trying to fix it.