The Ink That Brands Us ✔️

Chapter Twenty-One

I didn't believe Jensen when he said he didn't want me because I knew there was something there and he was just too scared to grab it. I wanted him to grab it and never let go. He was being stubborn and I would not make it easy on him. I made sure he knew what he was missing. 

    We still did our normal stuff. We carpooled, had breakfast together, we even had Roommate day still, but I made sure to sit a little too close, getting in his personal space.

Leaning into him when I was reaching for something. Sitting to close when we were at my desk at work. Hanging out in his studio when I knew it would just be me and him.

To top it all off, I mostly wore my sports bra and short, shorts around the apartment.

    I knew it was working because he seemed to be in a constant bad mood and when I walked out of my room in my short shorts he couldn't keep his eyes off my legs.

One night I accidentally dropped something, and he walked into the room as soon as I bent over. I thought he was going to have a stroke.

He ended up taking a long shower that night.

    The hardest part was pretending I wasn't hurting. That his rejection doesn't bother me anymore. It was so draining to keep the act up and I knew there were days when everyone could see right through me.

Saw, for one, made a habit of mentioning it every chance she got. Warning me that I was playing with fire and it was going to backfire.

I ignored her.

    I was still seeing Alex. Mostly at school because I rarely agreed to a night out with him. I was trying to be distant while I worked up the nerve to break it off. The worst part is that most of the time I used him when I needed a break from pretending. Which is how I ended up agreeing to a night out with him when it was Roommate day. I dreaded it the second I agreed.

Plus, I hated ditching Jensen. 

    I sat on my bed in my bra and panties with my head in my hands trying to figure out how I could possibly be so tired. Maybe it was because I was sleeping more than normal or because they were restless periods of sleep? I couldn't even escape to my dreams because they were filled with Jensen, too. He was everywhere.

    I didn't hear the knock until it was too late and I didn't bother to cover up either. He should be used to finding me half naked these days.

I lifted my head from my hands to look up at Jensen. He was standing in my doorway looking at the floor.

    "Hey," I said trying to sound cheerful. "What's up?"

    "I was just wondering what you wanted to do for Roommate day? You slept all day, so I figured we could catch a movie tonight." He didn't look up from the floor.

    "Oh. I'm sorry Jensen. I didn't realize today was Sunday." I slid off the bed and walked over to him, smile in place. "I have plans. Maybe another night, okay?" I reached out and put a hand under his chin, lifting until he looked up at me. I didn't miss how his eyes ran up the length of my body and I didn't hide the shiver it caused.

He didn't say anything, so I reached up and patted him on the cheek before walking over to my closet, flipping through my clothes until I found my favorite black sweater dress. It looked killer with my combat boots.

I pulled it on, then grabbed my boots. I tossed them on the floor beside my bed before I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of tights.

    Jensen never moved from his spot at the door and never took his eyes off of me, but the look on his face wasn't the usual anger or frustration. He looked sad, and it pulled at my heartstrings. I took one last look in the mirror, then went to face my friend.