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.

on with the celebrations?” Kelly, who I’ve never met before, says in a rather bitchy

drinks.”

blinks in surprise, seemingly confused by the other woman’s attitude, before she finds words. “Uh,

her hands, and Alice looks at me questioningly. I shrug at her-I don’t know why Kelly dislikes me. Unless Jake told her about

way, I shake away all negative energy and jealousy and focus on my

have

***

I don’t know well aren’t with us. It’s

not cuddling

drunk out of her

and got a babysitter, so she is

He has

legs are dangling down from his

bar. And Kelly? She is drunk,

seems to have this idea that I can’t hear

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

perfect for me.

Jake and Kelly weren’t

it. So I wait. I

and have fun, and once Jake

Rebel smirks at

back. While drinking, I told her of my plans, and now even Logan is cheering me on.

he has

thickly. “Okay, here

leave Logan and Rebel by the bar and set the course for the corner of the bar. Jake is talking to some girl, and my heart pounds

has this presence now. It feels like my blood is boiling when he is in the same room or paying me attention.

My stomach does this unwelcome flip, and by some

forward.

standing in front of him. The girl scowls at me and opens

mouth.

are you?”

her, but Jake beats me to it by saying,

There you are!”

the girl stares at us. I’m

and wrap my legs around him like a

help but laugh. “What did

soft. “She was rude to you, so I made sure

speechless. I didn’t expect Jake to

face as I stare at him. Eyebrows lifted, and

is beating really

say anything. I’m embarrassed. It’s as if my brain just now realizes that we are practically hugging. My hands are on Jake’s broad shoulders, eyes locked onto his face. I don’t know what to say or where to go, and

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