Good riddance, Jake

Ashley’s POV

William was the only option I had left and the one I didn’t want. But I had no choice.

I raised my hand, and a taxi slowed to a stop in front of me. I told the driver where I was headed. He nodded once and told me to get in.

The ride was quiet.

Streetlights slid past the window, one after the other, casting brief flashes of light across my face. I sat in the backseat of the car, silently praying he'd be home.

When the car finally pulled up in front of his building, I paid the driver and stepped out.

I stood in front of his apartment. Questions filled my mind. What if he wasn’t home? What if he opened the door… and turned me away?

Since freshman year when we first met, I had never stepped into his place. There had never been a reason to. Even though he had invited me over more times than I could count. I even stopped talking to him because Jake told me to. And I listened.

Now here I was, standing right in front of his apartment because he was the last person I had left.

The thought of facing him after months of silence made me almost turn back. But I told myself that there was no harm in trying and walked up to his front door.

I knocked lightly and stepped back, my heart pounding loudly in my ribs.

Then I heard footsteps and the handle turned. The door opened and just like that, I saw him again, after so many months.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt. My eyes dropped before I could stop them to his broad defined chest, which had a dark tattoo stretching across his skin.

I swallowed. I had never seen him dressed like this. For a second, I forgot why I was here.

Heat crept up my neck, and I quickly looked away.

“Hi,” I said, forcing a small smile.

He didn’t respond immediately. His eyes dropped to the suitcase in my hand… and back to my face.

For a second, neither of us spoke.

The silence pressed in and I suddenly felt stupid for coming here at all.

“Wow,” he said, huffing a chuckle. “Sienna.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s me.”

“What brings you here?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“I… um…” My grip tightened on the suitcase. “I need your help.”

“Help,” he repeated and leaned on the doorway. His eyes didn't leave my face which made it harder to speak. “And how can I help you?”

“Can I stay here?” I said quickly, before I could lose the nerve. “Just for tonight. I’ll leave in the morning.”

He let out a slow breath and looked away for a second, dragging a hand over the back of his neck.

“Now you remember me?” he said not in a harsh tone but the words hit.

My throat tightened instantly and I looked down, unable to look at his face anymore. I had ignored his calls. His messages. Like he didn’t matter.

And now I was standing here, asking for help.

I thought he was going to tell me to find somewhere else to stay but he exhaled slowly and said finally. “Yeah, you can stay.”

I almost wanted to jump on him and hug him. But I held myself back. My shoulders dropped as I let out a loud shaky breath.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He stepped aside, opening the door wider. “You can come in.”

I hesitated for a second.

Not because I didn’t trust him… but because I suddenly felt like I didn’t deserve the kindness.

“Hey,” he said, lifting his hands slightly. “I’m not going to harm you.”

A small, tired smile pulled at my lips.

“I know.”

I stepped inside dragging my suitcase along with me. The first thing I noticed was how… neat and decent the living room was. Although it wasn't as luxurious as Jake's, it somehow felt warmer.

“You live alone?” I asked, taking it in.

He nodded.

I turned back to him, about to say something, but he spoke first.

“What happened? Aren't you supposed to be with Ava..or Jake” he asked, staring intently at me.

Their names alone made my heart ache painfully. But I forced my face to remain neutral.

“Jake’s… out of town.” I swallowed. “Ava too.”

He held my gaze for a second too long.

“You’re a terrible liar, Ashley.” he said, like he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t press.

I smiled shyly, knowing he had caught me red handed but I didn't say a word.

“C’mon, let me show you to your room.” He turned toward a door that led into a short corridor. I followed behind him. There were only two doors, one still open which led to the kitchen.

We stopped in front of a door. “This is the guest room.”

I smiled, grateful, and reached for the handle, but his hand brushed mine and I stilled.

I looked up and he was already watching me, his eyes steady, unreadable.

“Goodnight.” I broke the silence first and pushed the door open without waiting.

“Goodnight,” he said, his voice softer now, and walked away.

I closed the door and let out a long breath.

Then, I dropped my suitcase by the wall and fell onto the bed. The mattress sank under me, soft and unfamiliar. My mind wouldn’t rest. I had no idea how I was supposed to get home. I didn’t have a dime on me. And my mother still wasn’t picking up or returning my calls.

Ava. Jake.

Their names pushed in again, sharp and unwanted. My chest tightened. Tears burned at the back of my eyes, but I shut them quickly, forcing them down. I had already moved on. I had to.

***

The next morning, William dropped me off at the airport. I thanked him more times than I could count for letting me stay the night. Before he left, he made sure I had his number and made me promise him I’d call when the plane landed in New York.

I exhaled and pulled my suitcase through the airport. After checking in, I found a seat and waited for my flight.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I glanced down at the screen and saw it was Jake.

I let out a low hiss and flipped the phone facedown, letting it ring out until it ended. But he called again and again I had to block his number and delete it.

There was nothing between us anymore.

When the final boarding call came, I stood and made my way toward the gate. Finally, I was leaving the place that held so much lovely memories but also painful ones.

But then, I heard my name coming from behind me.

“Ashley!”

I recognized the voice instantly, but I didn’t expect him to come all the way to the airport for me.

I turned and saw him pushing through the crowd, his gaze locked on me like I was the only one there. The noise of rolling suitcases and overlapping announcements blurred into the background.

I almost pretended not to see him. But the weight in my chest held me in place. I needed closure before I left. I needed him to know I was aware of his sin.

“I’ve been trying to reach you, but you’re not picking up. What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing my wrists. “Are you just going to leave without saying goodbye? No call, no texts, nothing. You even disconnected me from calling you. What's wrong?”

He looked like someone who genuinely cared about me. If I had not caught him last night, I'd still be under the illusion that he was the best boyfriend in the entire world.

My expression hardened and I pulled slightly against him. “What’s wrong?” My voice came out cold. “What’s wrong is that you have no right coming after me.”

His lips pressed to a thin line and his brows drew together like he really didn’t understand what I meant.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Ash.” he asked, like I was the bad person now. “Of course I have every right coming after you. You knew I'd never let you go like that.”

Cheating on me was painful. But acting like he didn't know what I was talking about was infuriating.

“Okay,” I said, giving a small, bitter nod. “Let me make it clear for you.”

I held his gaze, refusing to look away.

“How’s fucking my best friend going to benefit you?”

At that moment, his face was completely drained of colour. “Shit! Ash… you saw everything.” his eyes widened at that moment.

“Of course I fucking did.” I replied harshly.

“Fuck…I knew… I knew something was off.” He stuttered as he ran his free hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, it's not what you think. I can….”

“Don’t you dare.” I cut him off before he could finish. There was no excuse for what he did.

“Ash,” he said, his voice rough with desperation. “You can't just walk away without knowing the truth.”

A dry, humorless chuckle slipped out of me as I finally yanked my hand free.

“Truth,” I repeated, keeping my voice low, even though it threatened to rise. “I'm not stupid, Jake.”

For a moment, he looked like he might cry, but I didn’t care anymore.

The boarding call sounded again, echoing through the terminal.

I didn’t say anything else. I moved to walk past him, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path completely.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The space between us felt heavy and painful. And just for a second, I saw remorse, flickering in his eyes.

But it wouldn't change anything.

He exhaled slowly, like the words cost him something. “If you walk away now, you’d be walking away from the truth… and from me, for good.”

I hesitated. Just for a second.

What if he was telling the truth? What if there really was more?

Then Ava’s mocking smirk flashed in my mind and something inside me hardened again.

I stepped closer and my voice dropped to a whisper.

“Goodbye, Jake.”

I walked past him and this time, he didn’t stop me.

He just stood there, watching, as I disappeared behind the boarding gates.

I thought that was the last time I would ever see him.

I was wrong.