Heart Attack

5

Jesse

It felt so good to hold her in my arms again. To talk to her without being interrupted. We talked for hours until it was well past midnight. I didn't want to let her go, but I should really go home.

"Do you want me to take you home?" I asked as we walked to the garden exit.

"Where do you live?"

"Fulham."

"I'll take an uber. Your place is like a half hour detour from my place. It's late already.

"I don't mind." I said a little too quickly.

"I do." She said, she nudged me with her elbow. "Think of the environment, Abbott."

When she was next to me, there wasn't anything else I could think of. And that was a dangerous slope. "My car is electric."

"Still." She said. She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek softly. And maybe a tad longer than any other friend would do. "I had a great time tonight, Jess. I hope to see you soon."

My heart did a little flip at those words, at that shy smile. "So, you want to become friends again?" I asked. The word friends tasted sour on my tongue.

"I would like to try. Goodnight, Jess." She smiled once more before she walked out of the garden, typing on her phone to order an uber. I watched her and waited until her uber arrived and she was safely inside before I texted Michael to pick me up.

"Things went well?" Michael asked, eyeing me from the rearview mirror. I had a soft smile on my face from the moment I had stepped in the car. So, it was pretty obvious.

"Yeah. We're going to try to be friends again."

"Like that worked out the first time." He joked.

"I have a fiancé, Michael. You remember Lily?"

"I do." His tone was flat of emotion. I knew Lily was an acquired taste. People were nice to her and respected my decision but that didn't mean they liked her. My father didn't like her, Michael obviously didn't like her. Bryn and Jake never said anything about it, but I noticed they were less talkative when she was around. She hasn't even met my granddad yet. Every time I went to visit him, she had something to do. But I never minded that, since I liked my alone time with my granddad.

My smile broadened when my phone buzzed, and I saw who was calling me. Lennox was requesting a video call. I ignored the look Michael shot me through the mirror. "Already missing me?" I grinned. And like I knew she would, and I loved, she rolled her eyes.

"No, I just thought of something." She pointed out. I could see she was still in the Uber. "You never answered my question about what your first item was you bought as Kevin Grant."

Michael looked with large eyes at me through the rear-view mirror. I focussed on the screen, on her beautiful face. "Really? I think I did, Lennox. I think your mind is already declining. Maybe you should need to check that out." I pointed out.

"My mind is perfectly clear, Jesse Abbott. And do you want to know how I know?" She challenged, a smirk playing on her mouth.

"Uhm. I'm not sure I want to know with that look you're giving me."

"I'll tell you how I know. I'll tell you why I'm smirking at you, mister Abbott." She bit on her smirking bottom lip, and it did something to me that should not happen. I didn't need to look to know that Michael was listening too, waiting for an answer. "Because as I recall, Kevin Grant bought all of my special editions. And for a very large amount of money too. What do you say about that?"