Falling Like Leaves (Bramble Falls, #1)(70)

He shakes his head. “That’s the thing. You didn’t. I thought a lot about it last night, and it’s hard to be mad at you because you didn’t do anything. You never said you liked me. You never did anything to give me the impression you ever would. It was just irrational hope, I guess.” He finally turns to me. “But you didn’t have to say yes to the Pumpkin Prom.”

“I wanted to say yes,” I tell him. It’s half true. If I couldn’t go with Cooper, I did want to go with Jake—as a friend I have a lot of fun with.

“Ellis, you like someone else. I’m not going to hold you to going with me.”

“I’m not bailing on you again, Jake,” I say. “You’re not an obligation to me.”

“Yeah, I know. But I like you. And it’s okay that you don’t like me back, but spending the night at prom with someone who’d rather be there with someone else doesn’t sound all that fun, to be honest.”

I nod. “Okay,” I whisper.

Jake rests his elbows on his knees. “How long have you two…”

“We haven’t,” I say quickly. “I met Cooper when I visited one summer in middle school. We became really close friends and then had a falling out. Then I—”

Jake’s posture stiffens. “Wait. You’re the girl?”

“Huh?”

Jake digs his palms into his eyes. “No fucking way.”

“What’s happening right now?”

“Unbelievable.” Jake shakes his head and looks at me. “I moved here freshman year. Cooper and I were nothing alike, but he was nice and befriended me, introduced me to everyone. But all he ever talked about was this girl he’d spent the summer with. It was so annoying,” he laughs. “But then he got all quiet and sad because she stopped texting him. I was so glad when he started dating Chloe because I really thought it’d pull him out of his slump. But it didn’t. Only time did.”

I turn and look at my feet, ashamed that I was such an asshole.

“Why wouldn’t he tell me you were the girl?” Jake asks.

“Because you liked me. He was afraid of upsetting you. Of ruining your friendship.”

“But if he’d told me from the get-go…”

“Things between us were rocky and complicated. He wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. He wanted you to be happy.” I meet Jake’s icy blue eyes. “We never intended to fall for each other.”

“You say that, but there was never any other choice for Cooper.” Jake’s gaze travels to the Caffeinated Cat. “This is really messed up.”

“Yeah.” I pull my scarf tighter. “Do you hate me?”

Jake looks at me, his eyes softening. “No. I’m not even mad at you. I just… wish I’d known I didn’t stand a chance.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Are we still friends?” I ask. “Or should I be keeping my distance until I go back home? Because I really don’t want to do that, but I will if it’s what you want.”

Jake hangs his head, and every second he doesn’t answer feels like a new shard of glass is wedging its way into my heart. I hate this.

Finally, he sighs. “It’s going to suck seeing you and Cooper together, but no, don’t keep your distance. I’m not going to throw away a friendship because you don’t like me.” He gives me a slight smile. “Even though it makes no sense because I’m a catch.”

I grin, a little weight lifting from my shoulders. “You know, you really are. If Cooper weren’t in the picture—”

“Oh? ’Cause he’s one of my best friends, but I’ll murder him right now.”

I laugh, and Jake smiles at me. “Please don’t.” After a beat of silence, I bump his shoulder with mine. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Yeah,” he says. Because what else is there to say?

“Are you going to talk to him?” I ask.

“Cooper? He’s only called and texted about six hundred times today. I guess I could hit him up.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

He chews the inside of his cheek and looks out across the lawn.

I nudge him with my elbow. “Have I mentioned I’m sorry?”

“Yes, now please don’t mention it again.”

“Okay.”

We part ways, and as Jake heads toward the Caffeinated Cat, I walk home to wait to hear from Cooper for the first time since last night.

And I cross my fingers that when he calls, it won’t be to say we made another mistake.





Chapter Thirty




I’m eating dinner with Sloane, Mom, and Aunt Naomi when Cooper texts.

Summer Cooper: Can you come over?

Me: now?

Summer Cooper: Or whenever.

Me: Depends. Are you going to sit me down to give me bad news?

Summer Cooper: Just come over, Mitchell.



I sigh, and all three women look at me.

“It’s the moment of truth,” I announce, setting my phone on the table. I told them everything on our way home from the corn maze. I hadn’t been planning on it, but I was freaking out. So we stopped by the root beer stand, cranked the heat in the car, and drank floats while I rehashed the last two months. Afterward, Mom and Aunt Naomi brought every blanket they could find down to the living room and the four of us had an old-fashioned slumber party, rewatching Practical Magic while we waited for Cooper’s text that never came.