Frosted (Hate at First Flight #3)

11. The Nine Steps to Getting Someone Fired

SONG : Really - BLACKPINK

•••|||•••

Not bothering to watch Jace's reaction to my words, I turned around and started riffling through the books without even remembering what I was looking for.

I knew that the paper was on the comparative analysis of sources and methods used for getting budgetary estimates of start-up performance, but the very fact that I knew Jace was standing behind me, most probably watching me had my thoughts all jumbled up and my nerves on end.

Silence dawned in our quiet corner of the library and I contemplated whether I should just forget the book and walk out or I should break the silence. I never did like the silence and especially when it was around Jace.

Silence around Jace Frost unnerved me. I could never understand or even begin to grasp what he was thinking.

Fortunately after awhile Jace broke the silence. "Georgia called you, didn't she?"

My riffling through the books stopped as I digested his words. Of all the things he could've ask, I never expected him to ask that question.

My thoughts drifted to my childhood best friend. I had yet to return her calls, or answer any of it since returning from Paris. No matter how annoyed I was that she hadn't mention that Jace was coming back to work for my father, I still didn't want to confront and talk to her about it.

Half of it was because I didn't even know how to converse with her after four longs years. And the other half of it was because I was embarrassed.

I was embarrassed of the fact that I had stopped talking to her because of what had transpired between her brother and I. I was embarrassed that I had just ended our friendship of over a decade just because I had my heart broken. I was ashamed of myself and I didn't know how I would start to confront the repercussions of my actions.

If I could do it all again, I would've done differently. Granted I would still ignore Jace like the plague, but I could still be friends with all of them and still avoid Jace Frost.

When I still hadn't said anything, Jace continued naturally, "She told me that she called you while we were still in Paris and told you that I was coming back to the States."

I still didn't say anything as I started to squeeze the book in my fingers. I didn't know where he was going with this, nor did I want to know.

I didn't like that he was bringing up Georgia. It felt like he was opening a wound and was rubbing salt into it.

My reply to his words was a simple shrug as I tried to act like I wasn't the least bit interested or bothered by what he was saying.

Silence echoed again before it was broken by a sound of someone tapping against something.

I looked up and saw Jace watching me as he tapped his fingers against the bookshelf. We stared at each other for awhile, not mentioning a word.

My eyes traced his face, finally taking in just how much he had changed in the last four years. I couldn't quite study him before, but with how annoyed I was at him right now, I didn't care one bit what he thought of my stares.

His face had matured, that was a given after four years. But it also matured in that it held this knowledge as if he had experienced things that I couldn't quite think of. Despite how he put on a facade of being nice and friendly, his eyes held this iciness to them that I knew I didn't recognize.

Jace arched a brow at me before his lips pulled up slightly into a smile as if he was calling me out for having stared too long. I rolled my eyes at him before I turned around and grabbed a book on market analysis, having decided to grab my books and get out as soon as I could.