81

81

Jenny’s POV

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all day. Every time I tried to focus on something else, Jacob’s face, his words, his touch—all of it kept flashing through my mind like a never-ending loop. My heart felt too full, and my thoughts were a mess, but I didn’t want to be alone with them anymore. I needed to talk to someone, and there was only one person who would understand.

Plus, she deserved to know that I was in love with her boyfriend’s brother.

“Sophia?” I called out, walking down the hallway toward her room. I knew she was home; I’d heard her come in a while ago. “You in there?”

“Yeah, come in,” she replied, her voice muffled through the door.

I pushed it open to find her sitting cross-legged on her bed, a book in her lap. She looked up with a smile as I walked in, but it faltered when she saw my face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, closing the book and setting it aside.

I hesitated for a moment, suddenly unsure how to start. But this was Sophia. She was my best friend, and she had been there for me through everything. If there was anyone I could talk to about this, it was her.

“I need to talk to you,” I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “It’s about Jacob.”

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she didn’t say anything, just nodded for me to continue.

“We had a fight last night,” I began, my fingers twisting nervously in my lap. “I went out without telling anyone, and he got really mad. He said I was being reckless and putting myself in danger.”

Sophia nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. “That sounds like Jacob. He worries about you a lot, you know.”

“I know,” I said, letting out a shaky breath. “But it wasn’t just that. We were yelling at each other, and then he—he told me that he’s in love with me.”

Sophia’s eyes widened, and I could see the surprise in her expression. But it quickly turned into something else—something warm and understanding.

“And how do you feel about that?” she asked gently.

“I told him I care about him too,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “That I’ve cared about him for a long time. We… we admitted everything. And now I’m scared, Sophia. I don’t know what to do.”

She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Jenny, it’s okay to be scared. This is a big deal, and it’s a lot to process. But you’re not alone in this. You and Jacob… you’ve been through so much together. It makes sense that you’d have feelings for each other.”

“I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen like this,” I said, shaking my head. “I mean, we’ve been… you know, hooking up for a while now, but we never talked about what it meant. I didn’t even let myself think about it.”

Sophia’s smile turned a little mischievous. “You’re telling me you’ve been sleeping with Jacob and didn’t think about the fact that you might have feelings for him?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that, even though my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Okay, maybe I thought about it a little. But I never thought he felt the same way. I thought he was just… I don’t know, in it for the fun.”

Sophia shook her head, her expression softening. “Jenny, I might have not known Jacob for a long time, but I know that he’s genuine, and he’s not the kind of guy who does things halfway. If he’s been with you, it’s because he cares about you. Deeply.”

Her words made my heart ache in the best way possible, and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so,” she said firmly. “Jacob’s not exactly great at expressing his feelings, but when he does… he means it. And I think you do too.”

I nodded, swallowing hard as I tried to keep the tears from spilling over. “I do. I’m in love with him, Sophia. I’ve been in love with him for a while now, and I didn’t even realize it until last night.”

Sophia smiled, her eyes shining with happiness for me. “I’m so glad you finally figured it out. And I’m happy for you both. You deserve this, Jenny.”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me at her words. I didn’t realize how much I’d needed to hear them until now. “Thank you, Sophia. It means a lot to hear you say that.”

“Of course,” she said, giving my hand another squeeze. “You’re my best friend, Jenny. All I want is for you to be happy.”

I smiled back at her, feeling a warmth in my chest that hadn’t been there before. It was the kind of warmth that came from being understood, from knowing that someone you cared about supported you no matter what.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Sophia leaned back on her bed, stretching her arms above her head. “So, have you two talked about what happens next? I mean, with everything going on… it’s not exactly a simple situation.”

I sighed, leaning back against the headboard. “Not really. We’re still figuring things out, I guess. It’s complicated, and I’m not sure how to navigate it all. But I know that I want to be with him. Whatever that means, whatever it takes, I want to make it work.”

Sophia nodded, her expression serious. “That’s the most important thing. As long as you’re both committed to making it work, you’ll figure out the rest. And if you ever need to talk, or if you need help… I’m here for you, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, feeling a surge of gratitude for her. “I’ll definitely take you up on that.”

We sat in silence for a few moments, the weight of everything settling in. It was a lot to take in, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like I wasn’t alone in it. I had Sophia, and I had Jacob, and somehow, that made everything feel a little more manageable.

After a while, Sophia stood up, stretching her arms again. “You know, I think we could both use a little distraction right now. What do you say we go train for a bit? It might help clear your head.”

I smiled, grateful for the suggestion. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I could use a workout.”

We headed downstairs to the training room, a large space that we had filled with different equipments. The room was filled with various equipment—weights, punching bags, mats—and the walls were lined with mirrors that reflected our movements back at us.

Sophia grabbed a pair of gloves from the shelf and tossed them to me. “How about some sparring? You’ve got a lot of energy to burn off.”

I caught the gloves and pulled them on, feeling the leather tighten around my hands. “You’re on.”

We squared off on the mat, circling each other slowly, both of us waiting for the right moment to strike. Sophia was faster than me—she always had been—but I’d been getting better, learning how to anticipate her moves, how to counter them.

She made the first move, a quick jab aimed at my side, but I blocked it with my arm and countered with a punch of my own. She dodged, her movements fluid and precise, but I could see the hint of a smile on her face. This was familiar territory for us—fighting, training, pushing each other to be better. It was one of the things I loved most about our friendship.

“Nice try,” she said, grinning as she ducked under another punch. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”

“Oh, I plan to,” I shot back, feeling the adrenaline kick in as I went on the offensive.

Our sparring session was intense, with both of us giving it our all. It was a physical release, but it was also a mental one. With each punch, each dodge, I felt the weight of everything else—Jacob, my feelings, the uncertainty—wear off. It was just me and Sophia, two friends pushing each other, supporting each other in the best way we knew how.

After what felt like an eternity, we both stepped back, panting and sweating, but grinning at each other like we’d just won a major victory.

“You’re getting better,” Sophia said, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. “I might have to start watching my back.”

I laughed, feeling a sense of pride in her words. “I’ve got a pretty good teacher.”

She smiled, pulling off her gloves and tossing them aside. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

We both sat down on the mat, catching our breath and letting the adrenaline slowly fade away. The room was quiet now, the only sound our heavy breathing and the faint hum of the air conditioning.

“I’m really glad we did this,” I said after a while, looking over at her. “I needed it.”

“Me too,” she replied, her expression soft. “And Jenny… I’m really happy for you and Jacob. You two deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks, Sophia,” I said, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. “That means a lot to me.”

She smiled, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “Just remember, no matter what happens, I’m here for you. We’re in this together.”

I squeezed her hand back, feeling a surge of gratitude for her. “I know. And I’m here for you too.”

***

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