One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,88

sighed. “This is exactly why I was nervous.”

“What? Because of a call?”

“Finding things out about you that I didn’t want to know,” I blurted out without heeding my words. “It seems like you don’t want to answer it for a reason.”

“What kind of things? I haven’t cheated on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” And just like that, our good mood shifted once again.

What was the matter with me?

“I know…” I shrugged hesitantly. “It’s just…You had a life here without me and I know you’ve shared everything with me—”

“Everything.”

“Still…” What was I even saying anymore? I shook my head. “Forget about it. I’m just being stupid.”

The phone continued to ring and to my irritation Jesse still did not answer.

Then it hit me. It was as if Pandora’s box was opened. Finally understanding my trepidations, I jammed a forkful of bacon into my mouth, chewing loudly to drown out the cell phone’s noise. Swallowing once, I cocked my head to the side and threw him a meaningful look. “Honestly, I guess I’m a bit scared that there are still some things we don’t know about each other. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited about living with you, it’s just…”

“There’s still a part of you that doesn’t trust me, isn’t there?” he asked blandly.

I took a deep breath. “It’s not that I don’t trust you…”

“What?”

I licked my lips, tasting the salty grease of the bacon. Suddenly feeling parched, I reached out and poured myself a glass of water.

“Rocky,” he called out in a low tone. “What’s wrong?”

“Excitement…gulp…doesn’t even begin to describe…gulp…how I feel about being here…”

“But?”

“But like I said on the ride over here, this is make or break time. Moving in makes you discover things about one another and—”

“There’s nothing to discover,” he cut me off. “We know each other, Rocky. Like really know each other. I know we’ve had our share of bullshit in the past, but I thought we’d moved past that. What’s left to find out?”

My eyes darted around his apartment—a place I’d only visited a handful of times, but was suddenly my new home. It was odd to think that just the day before I was bursting at the seams, ready to walk to Charleston if I needed to, yet here I was, a ball of nervous energy.

How could my moods swing that quickly?

Jesse sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, tightening his lips. The ringing of his cell phone had stopped, but I couldn’t help but feel the ghost of its vibrations against my skin.

“Rocky…” He took a deep breath and stared intently at me. His eyes were so sincere that they almost vibrated energy. “I’m not going to leave you again.”

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“That’s why you’re nervous, isn’t it? I know…I know that six months is a bit too quick to move in together, but we’re in this for the long haul—I’m in this for the long haul. I’m sure that fear of me taking off is bothering you, but I thought we’d moved past that.”

“No, that’s not it…”

My voice trailed off. Was that what was bothering me?

I shook my head and sighed. “It’s something else. It may sound stupid, but I feel like there’s a cloud above me and at any moment it’ll break. Like I’m scared that if I’m too happy then it only leaves room for shit to hit the fan.”

His jaw dropped. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?”

“I’m serious!” I yelped. “I can’t explain it, but I just feel an ominous presence…almost as if we’re about to face something big and it can—”

“Make or break us,” he finished for me.

“Yeah…”

A smile teased his face. “Ominous presence, huh? I swear to you that my apartment is not haunted.”

I shot him an unamused look. “Jesse…”

Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Well, there it goes again,” I muttered, blowing air between my lips.

“You know what, I’ll answer it.” Jesse rolled his eyes, standing abruptly. “If it’ll make you feel better I’ll show you that there’s nothing ‘ominous’ about living here. I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“I didn’t say you were,” I reminded him. “I just—”

“Hello?” he answered the phone loudly.

I snorted. “Okay, then.”

I picked at my food, but couldn’t help but listen in on a conversation with someone Jesse obviously knew. Feeling like a jealous girlfriend, I tried to distract myself. It definitely did not work.

“Why do you think I’d care?” he grunted, his eyebrows furrowing in disgust. “He is not my brother.”

My eyes widened in surprise. What