Our lives as housemates went pretty smoothly, but my romantic relationships on the other hand…I got home from work and was enjoying a face sheet mask when Lily called.The moment I heard her slurred speech from the other end of the phone, I knew she was drunk."Who are you out drinking with?" I asked."Office gathering."She paused for a long time. "Avery, that d*ck, Joshua Perez, really pissed me off."My heart stopped beating for a second. Joshua was Lily's colleague, and he was also my…Ex-boyfriend."He's so immature. We were having our office gathering, and there were so many people, but he just had to come over and talk smack to me. He wouldn't stop showing off his current girlfriend too. He kept boasting about how great she is and how happy he is right now."Lily became progressively angrier as she went on rambling."I told him that you found a new boyfriend too, and that he's way more handsome and taller than him and that he treats you much better than he did! Do you
Jake seemed confused. "Huh?"I walked over and sat down in front of him with a grin plastered on my face. "Can you do me a favor? It's really simple. I'll pay you for it."Jake blinked at me. His tone was gentle. "No."The betrayal was suffocating. "Why?"His expression was purer than that of an angel. "I can't take your money, Miss Johnson. I can't help you with a paid favor, but I can do it for free."God, what kind of angel was he? Maybe rich kids did not care what mere working-class office workers could offer after all.Jake looked at me steadily. "What can I help you with?"My voice trembled as I met his gaze. "Could you… Could you be my boyfriend?"Jake's face flushed crimson in an instant as he stared at me in disbelief.I scrambled to clear the air. "Pretend! Pretend to be my boyfriend!"Jeez, why were words failing me?Jake fidgeted as he looked deeply uncomfortable. Eventually, he asked, "Why?"His question snapped me out of any previous hesitation as I recounted
I was shocked by the way Jake showed up before going to Joshua's birthday party.He was dressed in luxurious loungewear with a pair of keys in his hand. "I'll drive us there, Miss Johnson."I gulped nervously as I hopped into the sports car that I would never be able to afford in my lifetime. "Is this yours?"Jake blinked innocently at me. "I rented it."That was a relief. I was already imagining a scene of his mother bribing me with five hundred thousand dollars to leave her son.When we arrived at the party, Jake had me hold onto his arm. He mentioned that it was the 'introduction' of our performance for the night.I did as he asked since the kid did it for free.Jake, as if he was helping an elder who had trouble walking, dragged my stiff body all the way to the restaurant where the party was held.Lily waited for us at the entrance. She ran towards us with a mischievous grin on her face."This must be the Jake I've been hearing about. I'm Lily, Avery's bestie. Remember w
Had I been a bigger purveyor of soap operas, I would probably have had my main character moment there and then, falling head over heels for love interest Jake Young.No.I was a realistic, down-to-earth woman, thank you very much.I asked myself immediately, 'Was I good enough?'God, obviously not.Admittedly, I was above average-looking with a pretty good set of personal values, but I never would have thought that I would pull a man of such wealth and power, not to mention good looks.Unless he was just trying to sleep with me.I stared him in the eye, trying to muster a more serious expression. "I'm not that easy, kid."Jake looked startled. "Me neither."An idea came to me."Well, what are you trying to get from me, then?"My question baffled Jake, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I…"He stuttered for a while, never really giving me a proper alternative reason. Of course, there was no reason to begin with.I was right—he was trying to sleep with me!I kept my tone as fir
Not a single word was exchanged between us on the entire ride home.I tossed and turned in bed at night, and the realization finally dawned on me.I had, in fact, let a tiger into my house. A particularly charming one, at that.Well, no one can say no to a brand spanking new purse, the same way no one can say no to youthful passion.Had it carried on, I would have had a hard time trying not to fall for him.Worse, I would fall, and all self-control would leave my body completely.I sighed.I would properly cut things off and keep my distance from Jake Young starting tomorrow.
My decision was proven to be the right move.Jake quickly understood my intention after I decided to distance myself from him.Whether it be in the office or at home, he never brought it up ever again. We understood each other and pretended to forget what happened that night.I was relieved.After all, Jake's interest in me was only temporary. He would probably find someone else to prey on after me. After he was done with his internship at the company, whatever between us would also come to an end, but the ending came faster than I thought.One day, after a meeting in the office, Kate approached me and asked, "Avery, have you broken up with Jake?"I was speechless. "Kate, we've always been platonic."Kate puckered her lips. "Well, this morning, when I went to the manager's office, I saw Jake handing in his resignation letter. The first thing I thought of was you two breaking up… Can't believe you've never even dated."I felt my heart skip a beat as my face twitched. Kate pr
After finishing work that day, I did not go home. Instead, I asked Lily out for dinner.Jake could have been packing his things up at that hour, and he would have left already.If we were to see each other, it would be incredibly awkward.I took my time and tried to drag it out as long as possible. I only headed back home at about eleven at night.As I pushed open the door, the smell of alcohol clouded my face. Jake sat on the sofa, empty beer cans all over the floor and table.He picked his head up to look at me. His face flushed in crimson, eyes fogged, and he was visibly intoxicated.He must have had plenty to drink to get to that point with his tolerance.I tore my eyes away from him, taking my shoes off while looking down. All I wanted to do was flee the scene and escape to my room.Still, I could not hold myself back when I walked past him. "Did you resign?"Jake, still sitting on the sofa, looked up at me. His face flushed like a peach with a tinge of naivety.In respo
What happened when someone forced a kiss on you?What happened when the person who forced a kiss on you collapsed on the floor right after he did the deed?The first thing that popped into my head when I looked down at Jake Young, who was on the floor, was… Was there poison on my lips?Wait, should my first reaction have been angry instead?!I scurried back into my room with my head in a fog. It did not last long before I decided to return.Looking at the man on the floor, I took a deep, heavy breath and shook his body with all my might.He remained motionless. I patted his face, but he was still as stiff as a log.My last resort was to pick up his leg and drag him across the kitchen. It took every ounce of strength in me to finally pull him back to his room.I covered him with a blanket, ignoring the dirty clothes he had on. I left hurriedly and shut the door behind me.Later that night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.'I've liked you for a very, very long