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Chapter Four
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"Jade. Jade, come on let's talk about this."
Much to Beck's chagrin, the girl in front of him does not stop walking. Despite his protests, she makes it all the way down the hall to her room, where she closes her door in his face. Beck's shoulders drop and he sighs. After a few seconds, the doorknob jiggles and he lifts his head just as Jade is opening the door.
"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"Can we talk about this? Please?"
Jade shrugs after a minute of silence. "I don't even know what to say. My boyfriend, whom I just cheated on, is coming all the way out here to Burley, Idaho, to see me. I have no idea why he is, and, quite frankly, I don't even know if I want to see him. And I really don't know why I'm telling you all of this."
"We're just talking," he assures. "We're friends; you can tell me stuff."
"We are not friends," Jade clarifies, walking further into her room to pace the floor. Beck follows her and sits on the end of her bed. "We are... I don't know what we are, but we're not friends."
"How come?"
Jade turns on her heel to glare at him. "Friends go see movies together. Friends talk over coffee. Friends do not have impromptu make-out sessions." Beck blushes and Jade continues pacing. "This is not happening. What the fuck makes him think it is okay to ambush me like this? He could have told me that he wanted to see me, rather than calling my grandmother's house."
"Jade, you threw your phone across a dirt road. I don't think texting you was an option," he reminds her dryly.
She shoots him a look. "What, are you on his side, now?"
"Side? There are sides? You're dating him! And for the record, a guy would have to be crazy to be even a little bit excited about the idea of meeting a girl's boyfriend."
"Well I'm in an even more awkward position! Jordan is going to flip shit when he finds out I'm living under the same roof as another guy his age. He's going to make a big deal of it and I'm going to have to assure him that 'it's no big deal' and that 'you're not a threat,' when in actuality—"
She cuts herself off and Beck stands up from the bed. "When, in actuality...what?"
Jade stares at him, and he's close enough that she can smell him and it's driving her crazy. Her eyes gaze over his arms and his lips, and the fact that she knows exactly what it's like to be held in them and to be kissed by them is making all of her thoughts blur together.
"No," she says suddenly, stepping away from him. "I can't."
"I wasn't going to ask you to," Beck promises. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Jade. I don't want to be the reason you're stressed or that you have problems with Jordan. Get some sleep, okay?" He leans over to drop a kiss to her forehead and her entire line of vision spins. "Goodnight."
He walks out of the room, and Jade sinks down onto her bed. She finds herself wishing that he was still here, and then her mind starts replaying the day they'd spent together. She re-envisions how he'd touched her and kissed her and how his arms felt when they were wrapped around her body. And then she remembers how her boyfriend is going to show up at the door in two days.
"Fuck."
.
She doesn't touch him even once on Friday. She can't. Beck understands where she's coming from, but it doesn't stop him from crushing on her. He catches her staring at him while he works a couple of times, and when he accidentally touches her arm while they're setting the table for dinner, he sees the effect it has on her.
Saturday morning, Jade descends the stairs to find Beck making waffles in the kitchen. While she's dressed for the day, he's still in boxers and a t-shirt. She makes her way to the counter, where a fresh pot of coffee awaits her.
"Morning," Beck says, as she's stirring in her two sugars.
"Hey."
"What time does he get here?"
Jade takes a sip of the steaming coffee and sighs. "His plane landed ten minutes ago, so probably in half an hour or so." She turns to lean against the counter and watch him finish making a golden brown waffle. "Beck?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't..."
"I know. I won't."
She nods. "Thanks."
"Want a waffle?"
"I want that one that you just made," she tells him, pointing at the fluffy waffle sitting on the plate. "It's perfect."
He grins. "All of my waffles are perfect. Take it; it's yours."
Jade does as he says and takes her seat at the table. Just minutes after she finishes her breakfast, a yellow taxi cab pulls through the gates of Georgia's property. Jade gets up from the table and, after dropping her plate in the sink, heads outside to meet Jordan.
Beck, unable to control his curiosity, scrambles to the window to get a view. Jordan, much like Jade had described, is exactly how Beck pictured that he would have been. He's tall—about as tall as Beck is—and considerably more muscular. As soon as he's standing, he moves to wrap his arms around Jade. When he leans in to kiss her, Beck tears his eyes away and turns around to face opposite of the window. He doesn't notice that his fists are balled up and his knuckles have gone white until he lets out a deep breath and relaxes his hands.
"Fuck."
Meanwhile, Jade watches as her boyfriend hands the taxi driver his fare in cash. "I can't believe this town doesn't have Uber," Jordan says as the cab drives out the gates. "I had to catch a taxi from the airport to take me to my hotel, and then another taxi from the hotel to here. You'd think these people would save themselves a lot of trouble if everyone had a private driver."
"Everything in this town is less than a twenty minute walk away from any given point. Uber would sink here."
"Still, I don't even remember the last time I took a cab," Jordan points out. Jade rolls her eyes and tries not to flinch when he puts his arm around her. "I'm so sorry that you're stuck here for the summer. If I could get you out of this hell hole, I would."
Jade knows that telling him she's actually been less than miserable would only result in too many questions on his part, so she goes along with the lie. "Yeah, it's been awful."
"And what the hell happened to your phone? Your mom mentioned she cut off your service, but I thought you'd at least have wifi to contact me."
"Oh. Yeah, it broke."
"How?"
She shrugs. "Just did. Why don't we go inside?" When they do, Beck is still in the kitchen doing the dishes. He turns around as soon as the door opens to see Jade and Jordan.
Jordan wastes no time with pleasantries. "Is this the help?" He asks his girlfriend, whose eyes widen. She knows Beck's blood is boiling from that comment.
"This is Beck. He works for my grandmother, so he stays here."
"Wait a second, he lives here?"
"Yeah, I do," Beck speaks up. Despite his anger, he's dead set on being the better man, so he sticks his hand out for Jordan to shake. "Nice meeting you." He's sure that the handshake is firm enough to let Jordan know that he won't be messed with. Before the blonde can reply, Georgia enters the kitchen.
"I was wondering when our guest would arrive." She sets her hands on her hips as she eyes the boy standing next to her granddaughter.
"I'm Jordan," he says, raising a hand to wave at Georgia. Jade senses the disapproval in her grandmother's eyes, but she doesn't dare say anything.
"Nice of you to join us," she replies. "Where are you staying this weekend?"
"At the Double Tree Hotel, about ten minutes away."
"I know where it is."
"Sucks that that's the nicest one in this town, only three stars. You guys should consider getting a Four Seasons or something. I'm sure more people would visit."
"I think Burley is doing just fine, thank you." She takes a cup of coffee from the pot that Beck had made and pats his shoulder in appreciation. "You're welcome in my home," she tells Jordan, "so long as you're kind to those who live here. I don't tolerate messes or bad language, and I don't want you in Jade's room."
Jordan's eyes look like they're ready to bulge from his head, and Beck smiles. "Really, all we do here at Georgia's is breathe and drink her lemonade. Everything else is forbidden."
Georgia playfully smacks Beck's back and Jade stifles a laugh.
"Uh, no offense, Georgia—"
"It's Ms. Wilson."
"Ms. Wilson," Jordan, seemingly annoyed, corrects himself. "No offense, but I think it's kind of ridiculous that Jade and I can't be in her bedroom. She's my girlfriend."
Beck's eyebrows shoot up and Jade's face goes beat red as she wishes she could disappear.
"And she's my granddaughter. Beck doesn't take girls upstairs and Jade won't take boys. Understood?"
"He understands," Jade says before her boyfriend can stick another foot in his mouth. "Come on, let's go walk around the town."
"I don't really want—"
"I don't care," she cuts him off as she drags him out of the house. When the door is slammed shut and there are two less people in the kitchen, Georgia turns towards Beck.
"I do not like that boy."
"Really? I couldn't tell," he teases.
Georgia sips on her black coffee. "You don't go kicking his ass or anything, now."
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing." Without another word, she grabs the newspaper from the kitchen table and takes it with her coffee out to the porch.
"What the fuck was that?" Jordan sputters as they walk out of the gate. "Your grandma is crazy. And kind of a bitch, honestly."
"Okay, seriously?" Jade stops in her tracks and turns towards him. "Don't call my fucking grandmother a bitch. Not right in front of me."
"Woah, Jade, slow down. I thought you hated her. The last time we talked, you almost chose summer school at Riverside over spending the summer with her."
"Well, maybe that's because my only impression of her was from all of the shit my mom talked about her. She's actually not that bad."
"Not that bad?" Jordan continues walking and Jade reluctantly follows him. "Jade, we can't even be in your room together."
"So, what? You think you came here to get laid?"
"That's not what I said," he argues.
"Whatever. I don't want to talk about that."
Jordan rolls his eyes. "Of course you don't. You never do."
"Would you just shut the fuck up? You've been here for less than thirty minutes and you're already pissing me off. Let's just walk."
.
By three o'clock, Jade needs a break from her visitor. "I've got stuff to do, okay? Why don't you...go back to your hotel to chill for a little while. We can meet up later."
"Stuff? What kind of stuff?"
"Just stuff."
"Come on, Jade, don't tell me I came all the way out to Idaho just so you could spend a few hours with me and then ditch."
"I have to go feed the horses," she tells him.
"Horses?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'll go with you."
"Thanks, but it's kind of something I like to do by myself."
"By yourself, or with that guy?"
"That guy's name is Beck. And no, I told you, I like to go alone," she lies.
"Whatever. Okay, I'll see you for dinner. That is, unless you want to eat it with the horses."
Jade folds her arms over her chest defensively. "You know, for someone who hasn't seen his girlfriend in three weeks and who came to visit her, you're really being an asshole."
"Jade, I—" Jordan stops himself. "I'm sorry. You're right." He steps towards her, cautiously at first and, and then moves to wrap his arms around her waist when she doesn't object. "Just...seeing that that guy—"
"Beck."
"That Beck is staying here... It kind of freaked me out. You're hot, and I'm not the only one who notices it. I don't want him getting any ideas."
Jade hates her brain for starting to replay her make-out sessions with Beck. Oh, yes, he had definitely gotten ideas.
"Nothing is going on between me and Beck. We're friends." Friends, she thinks. Uh-huh.
"Promise?"
"Yes."
"Good." He leans down to kiss her, for all the people Jade has kissed in her life, she realizes that Jordan ranks number two out of two.
"We eat dinner at seven, so just come by then."
"You're sure you don't want to just come back to the hotel with me now?" He traces kisses down her jaw and to her neck. "I can think of a few things that are a lot more fun than feeding horses."
Jade swallows the nausea she feels come up her stomach and palms his chest to pull his face away. "Later," she lies. "For now, though, I really should go. I'll see you in a few hours."
"Alright," Jordan sighs. "Let me catch you a cab home."
"I'll walk."
"What? No, that's—"
"I'll walk. It's fine." And with that, she turns away from him and begins the walk back to Georgia's house. When she walks back through the gates, a sense of relief washes over her in knowing that she doesn't have to see Jordan for four hours. It confuses her, because she doesn't know when she became so resentful towards him. But nevertheless, she's just happy for her freedom.
She first enters the house to see if Beck is inside, but when she notices that he's gone she starts her walk out to the stables. "Hello?" She asks aloud as she approaches the freshly painted barn.
"Hey." Beck walks out to see her and smiles when he notices that she's alone. "Where's Jordan?"
"He went back to the hotel for a little while." Beck wants to ask questions, but he stays out of it because he knows it's not his business. "How are the horses today?"
"They're good. Charisma looks even bigger today than she did yesterday, if you can believe it. I waited to feed her in case you came, since I know you like to do it."
"Thanks," she says as she walks inside to see her favorite horse. Charisma is laying in her stable, resting her pregnant belly. "Is she okay? She looks tired."
"She probably is. She's ready to have those babies any day now. I've never been pregnant, but I've heard it's not the easiest task." Jade smiles and Beck hands her a bucket of hay. "I don't think she's up for going to eat in the pen with the other horses, so if you want to, you can let her eat in her stable."
"That's probably best, right?"
"Yeah. Besides, she loves you. I'm sure it'll do her some good to have you sit with her and give her attention." Jade nods and enters the stable to feed the horse while Beck tends to the three others. "So how's it been with Jordan? Did he like the town?" While he doesn't want to seem overly eager, he can't help the itch he has to know what she's been doing.
"It was fine. I don't really want to talk about him, though."
"Okay. How was work on Thursday? I feel like I didn't get to see you much Friday, so I didn't ask."
Jade wonders what she did to deserve having someone in her life who is seemingly genuinely interested in what she does. "It was good. Mr. Robinson brought in his dog's new puppies to get their shots, which was fun because I got to play with them."
Beck grins. "How many are there?"
"Six, and they're all adorable."
"What breed are they?"
"Dalmatians. I swear to god, I've never seen little balls of fur so cute in my entire life."
"Jade West thinks something is cute. This is worth remembering."
"Shut up."
"I'm serious!"
Jade shakes her head and finishes feeding Charisma the small amount of hay that the horse would eat. "Hey," Beck says, "I found something cool yesterday while walking around the grounds. Want to see it?"
"Is this a ploy to get me to hang out with you?"
"Is it working?"
"Yeah," she laughs. "It is. Let's go."
She follows him out of the stable and they set out to Beck's surprise destination. When they arrive, Jade sees the swing set that she used to play on when she came to Georgia's as a kid.
"Holy shit. This thing is still here?"
"You know about this?"
"Yeah! I loved this thing when I was little."
"Well, it still works. I tested it out yesterday. Get on, I'll give you a push."
Jade wants to object, but there's something about Beck that makes her want to cherish her youth rather than try to grow up fast, as she's always been forced to do. She sits down and kicks her feet against the grass to get herself going, and he stands behind her and pushes enough to keep her swinging.
"I feel like I'm six," she confesses.
Beck laughs and continues pushing anyways. "Good."
They stay at the swing set for an hour, until both of them agree to walk back to the house to get ready for dinner. As expected, Georgia is not happy about the fact that Jordan is joining them for dinner.
"I invited him; you told me to yesterday."
Georgia continues spicing her roasted potatoes. "That was before I met him."
"I told you he was different."
"Yeah, well I didn't know different meant asshole."
"Look, I know he's not the nicest—but he's here, and I already told him he could come over. So he's coming."
"Why are you even dating him, anyways? You're the prettiest sixteen-year-old I've ever seen; don't tell me that boys don't fall at their damn feet for you."
"Spending time with him means spending less time with my mom and Mitch."
"So he's your excuse."
"So what if he is?" Jade fills up the four glasses of water on the table.
"Nothing. It's your life, not mine."
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"Well, I just think you can do better. And I think you deserve better. But I'm not telling you anything you don't already know."
Ding-dong.
Beck comes down the stairs and Jade goes to the door to answer her boyfriend's ring.
"Hey, hot stuff. You look good." Jordan leans in to kiss her and Jade turns it into a quick peck. "What are we eating?" He asks as they walk into the kitchen.
"Grilled salmon," Georgia answers his question.
"Sounds delicious," Beck chimes in as he takes his seat. "Did you make your famous potatoes, too?"
The matriarch nods proudly. "I did."
Once all four people are seated at the table, an uncomfortable silence befalls them. The only noises made for a solid five minutes are those of forks and knives against the plates. Finally, Georgia forces herself to make conversation with her guest.
"Jordan, what are your plans this summer? Any jobs or vacations planned?"
"Definitely not a job," he laughs. "I'm too busy for one."
"Busy? With what?"
"Well, I surf every morning after hitting the gym." Jade looks embarrassed, but she bites her tongue in lieu of speaking. Beck stays quiet, and Georgia looks bemused. "And then I've just usually got things to do. A job doesn't fit into my schedule."
"I see. Did Jade tell you she's working?"
"She did not." Jordan raises his eyebrows and looks at his girlfriend. "You got a job? A real one?"
"Is there such thing as a fake job?" He doesn't reply. "Yes, I got a job. I'm a secretary at the local veterinarian's office."
"So what," he laughs, "you just check in kitties all day? Make sure none of them pee on the floor?"
"Actually," Beck answers for her, "that's not what secretaries do at all."
"Beck—"
"No, really. I'm just informing him." He turns back to Jordan. "She takes care of all of the paperwork for Dr. Dunne, including payments and medical records of the animals. She's good at what she does and she's really needed at the office."
Georgia is hiding her smile in her glass of water and Jade is blushing pink for what seems like the hundredth time that day.
"Jade West, working a job. Who would have thought?"
"You can drop it now, Jordan. Yes, I have a job, and I'm not spending every waking moment working out or laying on a beach like you."
"It's what you'd be doing if you were in California for the summer." She glares at him and he shrugs. "Just saying."
"The salmon is delicious, Georgia," Beck changes the subject.
"Thank you, darling."
When Jordan goes home to his hotel that night (after, of course, complaining about how she wouldn't go back with him), Jade doesn't know if she's more angry with him angry with herself for not ending things with him earlier. She still hasn't figured out why he's in Burley, but she already can't wait for him to leave.
On her way to her room, she passes Beck's open door and sees him sitting on his bed. She stops in the doorway and bites her lip. "You don't need to defend me. I can stand up for myself perfectly fine."
He looks up at her. "I know you can. But you don't always have to." When she doesn't reply, he smiles gently at her. "Night."
Jade sighs and returns to her room.
The next morning, Beck wakes Jade up with a rough shake of her arm. She pushes her sleeping mask up and her sleepy vision blurs.
"What the—"
"Jade, it's me. Damn, you sleep like a rock. Listen, Charisma is having her foals." This makes Jade shoot up in her bed. "She's started to go into labor," Beck tells her as she rubs her eyes to see better. "I already told Georgia and she called Dr. Dunne. He's on his way. I thought you'd want to know."
"Yeah," she nods. "Yeah, let's go."
Beck moves so that she can slide out of bed. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
She mumbles a thank-you of sorts and he leaves the room while she throws on a bra underneath her t-shirt and replaces her pajama pants with jean shorts. Within two minutes, she meets Beck at the bottom of the staircase and they begin briskly walking out to the stables.
The morning chill is still present in the air, and Jade curses herself for wanting to be wrapped up in Beck's arms. The funny thing is that she doesn't feel bad about it because she's technically dating Jordan—she feels bad about it because she wants to be solely focused on Charisma right now.
When they arrive at the barn, Dr. Dunne's sedan is pulled up outside of it and he and Georgia are in Charisma's stable. "How is she doing?" Jade asks them.
"She's alright. Not great," the veterinarian answers her. "Jade, why don't you come sit beside her head and groom her a little bit? Your grandmother told me how much she likes you; I'm sure that would help her relax."
Beck gives her a reassuring nod and she enters the stable to sit by Charisma. "In about twenty minutes or so, she should be ready to push these twins out," Dr. Dunne informs the other three.
Over the course of those twenty minutes, Charisma's condition worsens. She's moving slower, and Dr. Dunne admits that there isn't anything he can do until the foals are out of her belly. When Charisma births the first one, Beck helps pull him out and then clean him. Georgia helps with the second one, and she works with Beck to help the babies stand on their hooves.
Meanwhile, Jade is paying little attention to anything they're doing because she's so worried about Charisma. The horse's breathing has slowed and Dr. Dunne is doing everything he can to keep her energy up.
"Why isn't she moving?" Jade asks, her panicky voice attracting Beck and Georgia's attention to her. "Dr. Dunne, what's wrong with her?"
"She's in shock," he answers as calmly as possible. "Jade, I—"
"No. No, don't say it. She's fine; she's going to be fine. She's a strong horse. She always has been." By this point, her voice is cracking and Beck has made his way over to her. Charisma's eyes are closed and her breathing has slowed to a stop, and Jade is frozen still.
"Jade," he says softly, after a minute has passed. "Let's go outside, okay?" She slumps back against his leg, so Beck helps her stand up and walk out.
"I'm sorry, Jade. I'm so sorry." Without a word, she turns in his arms to cry into his chest. "It's okay," he whispers. "I'm here. I'm right here." Beck rubs his hands across her back and Georgia comes out of the barn.
"Beck, sweetheart," she says softly, "why don't you take Jade back to the house? Bradley and I will take care of things here." He nods and, before Jade can object, he lifts her into his arms bridal-style to carry her home.
When they walk into the living room, Beck sets her down on the couch and sits next to her. Forgetting about everything except for what she wants, she lays her head in his lap and lets him run his fingers through her hair.
After half an hour passes by, the doorbell rings and Jade lifts her head to see Jordan out the window. She gets up to answer it and swings the door open.
"Hey, hot stuff!" Jordan grins and pulls her into a bear hug, which Jade doesn't return. He fails to recognize the fact that her face is stained by tears, but that doesn't surprise her.
"I'm sorry, I don't... I don't feel like doing much today."
"What? Why?"
She shakes her head and sighs. "My horse—my favorite horse. She died this morning. She had her foals and then she died."
"Oh. Man, that sucks."
Jade gives him a disbelieving look and then lets out a humorless laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, it does."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"No. You don't have to say anything else. I'm going to go for a walk."
"Can I come?"
"I'd really rather be alone. You can stay here. I won't be too long."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." She walks out the door then, leaving Jordan and Beck alone in the room. The blonde walks over to the living area and sits on the chair diagonal from where Beck is on the couch. Beck says nothing to him, and chooses instead to continue reading the daily newspaper.
"Do you have a problem with me?"
Beck lowers the paper and looks at Jordan with a tired expression. "I don't even know you."
"I feel like you've got a problem with me. And maybe that's because you're threatened by my relationship with Jade—I don't know." Beck scoffs, and Jordan ignores him. "But, whatever it is, you should know that I don't give two shits what some guy from Idaho thinks."
Beck doesn't reply, so Jordan continues. "Do you like my girlfriend? Is that it? You've got a crush on her?"
"Dude, what are you talking about? You don't know me. I don't know you. Jade and I are friends." As soon as the word comes out of his mouth, he realizes how right Jade had been about it. He and Jade aren't dating by any means, but they're definitely not just friends.
"Friends. Uh-huh. Well I think—"
"Shut up." Beck drops the newspaper and stares a stunned Jordan in the eye. "It doesn't matter what you think. If you care about Jade at all, what matters right now is how much she loved that horse, and the fact that Charisma is gone. That's what matters. That's what's on her mind right now. So please—shut up."
Jordan looks like he's coming up with a reply, but then Georgia and Dr. Dunne come through the front door and he keeps his mouth shut. Beck rises immediately and makes his way over to them.
"She's gone," Georgia tells him. "A team of Brad's guys came and picked her up in a trailer. They'll bury her outside of town."
Beck nods solemnly and Dr. Dunne pats his shoulder. "Thank you for your help today with Jade, son. She needed you." Behind them, Jordan's eyes are narrowed and his heartbeat is escalating—but no one notices him.
"Where is she?" Georgia asks.
"She went for a walk. I think she just needed the fresh air."
"Poor thing."
"Do me a favor," Dr. Dunne chimes in as he runs a hand through his salt and pepper hair, "tell Jade not to come into work this week. Let her heal. I'll ask Amy if she can come in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No worries."
"Oh," Georgia sighs contently. "Thank you, darling." She pats the vet's back lovingly and moves to the kitchen. "Let me make us all some coffee, hmm?"
Beck wants to politely decline, and instead tell Georgia that he wants to go look for Jade to check on her, but with Jordan standing within earshot there's not much he can do. Since the blonde has settled for sitting on the chair again, Beck takes a seat at the kitchen table and enters a low-key conversation with Georgia and Brad.
For the entirety of that Sunday, Jade manages to avoid alone time with Jordan. He's been overly touchy-feely with her and it's irritating her to the point of no return. Unfortunately for her, alone time becomes rather inescapable after dinner time. Once Georgia goes off to her room and Beck goes upstairs to his, Jade and Jordan are left alone on the couch downstairs.
"Let's put on a movie," she suggests, and flips to a channel that's playing Forrest Gump. Jordan puts his arm around her and wiggles so that there's hardly any space between them.
"You smell good," he tells her, ten minutes into the movie, and kisses her hair. She doesn't reply, but he continues kissing down until he reaches her neck.
"I really, actually, like this movie," she tells him. It's a lie, but she's not in the mood for what he is.
"Come on, hot stuff. I just want to kiss you. I've barely kissed you all day." He kisses her lips, then, and Jade feels nauseous again. When he slides his hands down to her lower back, she flinches and pulls away.
"Stop. I just want to watch the movie. Please."
"Seriously? You always do this; you always stop it before we can do anything. I'm your boyfriend. I just want to be with you," he says, kissing down to her breasts.
Jade pulls his head up. "Is this why you came here? To try to have sex with me?"
Jordan looks embarrassed but he quickly covers the expression with a more sensitive one. "No, of course not. No."
Fifteen minutes later, he tries again. She kisses him back, in hopes that this will be the last time to appease him, and she doesn't even notice Beck coming down the stairs. While he goes to get a glass of water, he tries to swallow the sick feeling in his stomach.
"Okay, that's enough," Jade tells the blonde, whose hands have begun to snake up her shirt. "Seriously, stop. Stop, Jordan." This draws Beck's attention, but when he looks over, Jordan isn't stopping. Instead, he's pushing her down into the sofa and moving to be on top of her.
And then Jade's body goes limp and she stops fighting him.
Because it's too much. The feelings and memories come back and they numb her mind and her limbs. She's frozen and terrified.
That's when she feels Jordan's body being ripped off of hers. It takes her a few seconds, but she manages to sit up and pull her shirt back down in time to see Beck standing there. His fists are clenched and he's shaking with anger and he's staring crossly at Jordan.
"What the fuck, man—"
"I'm not going to hit you," Beck tells him. "But if you don't get out of this house in the next ten seconds, I'll make you wish you had."
Jordan turns around to look at Jade, who looks simultaneously horrified and scared. Without another word, Jordan storms out of the house and Beck turns around to check on Jade. She's scrambling to stand up, and, humiliated, she runs upstairs to her room.
The door of her bedroom slams shut just after the front door does the same. And then Beck is left alone, standing in the living room, still shaking.
"Fuck."
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