In Too Deep

Twelve

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Jess had a new boyfriend.

She met him at work when he brought in his sick brother, then demanded to get her phone number afterward. It wasn't strange that a guy would ask her number, but it was strange that even after telling him about Mal, he was more persistent. They went on three dates, which Jess claimed to have been the best dates of her life.

In short, she liked him. A lot. She was giddy when she told Nova about it. She could hear it in her voice. She was happy. Eric was his name. He worked for an investment company, and after losing his parents years ago, he had been taking care of his little brother. The way Jess had described him, Eric was a keeper. He was different from all the men she had dated, and she wanted Nova to meet him first before she lets him meet Mal. I would like him, was what Jess kept saying.

And here she was, about to have dinner with him. Mal was at a sleepover, so they had the house to themselves. Jess cooked and Nova helped her set up the table. Everything was perfect. At exactly seven, the doorbell rang. Jess shrieked in excitement and Nova laughed, telling her to go open the door while she got herself a glass of water. She had been thirsty for minutes and Jess wouldn't let her drink anything without setting everything up first. That was how much Nova knew her friend liked him, and she hoped she would like him too.

She filled her glass with water, then heard Jess call her from the living room. Holding the glass in hand, Nova walked into the living room and looked around, stepping into their direction. Jess' boyfriend's back was turned to her, and all she could see was khaki pants and a red sweater vest thrown over a grey shirt that hugged to his form, showing how cut he was. Her eyes traced the silhouette. He was tall and his shoulders were big.

"Nova!" Jess called when she noticed her presence in the room. Nova was surprised that she did. She had been so engrossed in her boyfriend a few seconds ago; her cheeks were red and her mouth had flattened into a smile as if he was telling her something. Nova's stomach had warmed. Jess really liked him; she wasn't kidding. "Eric, I want you to meet my best friend, Nova."

Nova gulped down the entire glass before keeping it on the coffee table. Eric slowly turned around, and the next thing she knew, She was spewing out the water she had just drunk onto the floor.

Dark eyes, angular high cheekbones, and lips that were frequently stitched into a frown was curved high into a smile. Nova didn't realize she was choking until Jess started to rub her back in small circles, asking her if she was okay.

I'm not okay.

She was fucking far from okay.

It took a few seconds before the coughing subsided, her eyes blurry with fresh tears that she blinked back. Straightening up, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, not paying attention to what Jess was saying. She was only watching him as he watched her. He looked more like a deadly weapon than anything, and the ridiculous attire he had on could not hide what he was. An asshole. A deadly asshole.

Her teeth sank into her cheek.

"Are you okay, Nova?"

She murmured, "I'm fine. The water just went down the wrong pipe." She caught how the side of his mouth lifted into a half cocky grin. Son of a bitch.

"Good." Jess gave her one last pat before she swept past Nova to walk over to her boyfriend Eric. "Nova, meet Eric." Hand in hand, she walked him over to her. Eric stretched his hand out for Nova to shake. She stared at it, then back at his face.

Jess wasn't seeing it, but she figured out that look he had on his face. He was challenging her. He wanted to see what she was going to do, if she was going to start screaming that he was not who he said he was. It was what he wanted Nova to do. Whether she knew the reason why, she couldn't lose her shit right now. Not in front of him anyway.