Chapter 54

Winnie

“Hello, Winnie! Nice to see you!” Rebel

holds up her glass for me with a big cheer. She has switched places with Logan to sit on my left side when I walk up to the table.

Alice, however, isn’t sitting down. She

stands up from her seat and gets this

sparkly look on her face before coming to hug me. “Winnie!”

“Hi!” I hug her back. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

Before I can answer, Nathan speaks. “Here she comes, my biggest rival in love: Winnie. I swear there is a romance going on here…” he sighs but hides a smile.

“Happy to see you too, big guy,” I tell him and pat his shoulder. “Have you gotten

thinner?”

He snorts. “Shut up! I’m working out harder than ever!”

I grin. “It shows—I’m just teasing!”

People around the table snicker, including Logan. I feel welcomed sitting by the large

table the Plaza Hotel has assembled for us.

“Oh, and since you wondered, I’m feeling pretty okay,” I inform Alice and beam at her. “Mark won’t be joining us, though. He needed to take care of something urgent.”

“We saw,” Alice sits down beside me, grimacing. “But you’re fine, right? We kind of assumed it was a friendly date anyway.”

“Oh, it was,” my eyes flicker to Jake, whose cold expression turns less icy after hearing

me confirm I’m not into Mark.

Interesting…

“I

It hits me then that Jake was probably mad because I told him, “I don’t date nice guys, and then I went here with Mark. He must

have been so confused, thinking I was a

hypocrite.

finally here, so can we move on with the celebrations?” Kelly, who I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy tone.

drinks.”

seemingly confused by the other woman’s attitude, before she finds

at me questioningly. I shrug at her-I don’t know why Kelly dislikes me. Unless Jake told her about me or

and jealousy and focus on my friends. I’m

to have fun.

***

guys I don’t know well aren’t with us. It’s Nathan, Alice, Logan, Rebel,

not cuddling with

of her mind.

pregnant and got a

with Nathan. He has called a

dangling down from his

they are doing shots. by the bar. And Kelly? She is drunk, clinging to

seems to have this idea that

ignoring her. He called a cab for her. That, my friend, is

perfect for me.

my feelings. Mark said Jake and Kelly weren’t exclusive or serious, and I

I order

fun, and

smirks at

plans, and

he has options.”

thickly. “Okay,

by the bar and set the course for the corner of the bar. Jake is talking to some girl,

blood is boiling when he is in the same room or paying me attention. I’m already dizzy, and when

this unwelcome flip, and by some miracle, I steer

forward.

so awkward standing in front of him. The

mouth.

who are

arch an eyebrow at her, but Jake beats me to it by saying, “Winnie, my best friend!

There you are!”

I’m squeezed into a hug and lifted up from the ground while the girl stares at us. I’m shocked. The

around him like a monkey, she storms

help but laugh. “What did you do that for, you

leans in closer, voice all soft. “She was rude to you, so I made sure to put

in my chest speeds up. I’m speechless. I didn’t expect Jake

smug face as I stare at him. Eyebrows lifted,

is beating really

that we are practically hugging. My hands are on Jake’s broad shoulders, eyes locked onto his face. I

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