Somewhere Else–1
I reach for the knife to finish cutting the vegetables Zaid started on. I smile to myself, thinking of the way we kissed, thinking about how maybe this is a new start for us.
That we won’t be alone anymore. From the way his hands felt on my skin, from the way everything in me screamed this is right, I can’t imagine being apart from him anymore.
And then I hear it, a familiar voice. “Alina?”
My body goes cold. It’s not excitement that floods me. Not joy. Not even confusion. It’s
something duller. A weight I can’t explain that settles in my chest like dread.
Footsteps echo through the foyer, and before I can react, Jake is in the kitchen with me.
He smiles, and before I can say a single word, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me
into a kiss. It should feel like home, but it doesn’t.
When we pull apart, I can’t breathe. My eyes immediately find Zaid. He’s still standing by
the kitchen counter. Still here, but looking away. His arms are folded, jaw clenched.
Like it bothers him, like it hurts. Has it always hurt him?
Jake’s lips brush down my neck, and I force a laugh. It’s awkward, shaky, not quite mine. “Jake, what are you doing here?”
He pulls back, frowning like it should’ve been obvious. “It’s your birthday tomorrow. I wanted to surprise you.”
Of course he did.
I smile at him, but it’s thin, because all I can feel is the way Zaid won’t look at me. The way the light in his eyes has dimmed.
We won’t have our day tomorrow, and least not for just us two.
Jake presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to set my things upstairs. You’re bedroom’s okay?”
I nod absentmindedly. My bedroom is the only one with a bed. Zaid has one, too, but I
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imagine they would not want to share a bed.
The moment he’s gone, I turn to Zaid.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, walking toward him.
He shakes his head, forcing a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “It’s okay. You should spend tomorrow with him. We can celebrate another day.”
My chest tightens. “It can be the three of us. We can all hang out together.”
“I don’t know if I can be around him right now. You might have already forgiven him for everything, but I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about all of this,” he says, voice raw. He finally looks at me, and the sadness in his eyes nearly breaks me.
I nod slowly, swallowing hard. “I get it.”
He gives me a soft, pained smile, kissing me at the edge of my lips.
“But, you’ll still have dinner with me, right? Elena wants you to come.”
That makes him smile, genuinely. “Elena, or you?”
I bite my lip. “Me.”
“Then I wouldn’t miss it.” And then he walks away.
I stare at the spot where he was, where we stood just minutes ago, and I wonder how something so warm can feel so cold so quickly.
I finish chopping the vegetables and rinse my hands.
“Hey,” Jake calls as he walks back into the kitchen, a smile on his face. It throws me off, but I’m sure he has no idea of everything happening in this house.
I put on a smile and turn toward him. “Hey.”
He kisses my cheek, wrapping his arms around my waist. “What’s for dinner?”
I put my hand over his. “Steaks.”
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“There’s only two.”
“Zaid isn’t feeling great, so he went upstairs.”
Jake turns me to face him in his arms and narrows his eyes. “Is he still upset with me about everything with your mom?”
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