Take Out Chef

Chapter Thirty-Three

Bryan's eyes were intense as he pulled apart. His lips curved as he studied me with hunger. "You're so beautiful, Jess." His hand reached out for a wisp of hair that had gotten loose from my ponytail. "But you're right. We need to stop."

I bit my lip, trying not to pout. But, but...He's right. I mean, I am. We need to stop. Especially since I didn't want to. I needed to know where we stood.

Nodding, I grabbed my sleeping bag and stepped outside, breathing in a fresh intake of air that I seemed to be missing. I walked to my tent and set aside the sleeping bag, trying to calm the erratic pounding of my heart.

I think I'm in love with him. Oh. Scratch that. I'm so freaking in love with him.

How the hell did that happened? I barely know the guy. He's like a closed box, slowly letting out shadows of his true character.

This is bad. Too bad.

A whistle sounded in the distance and I knew it was time to go fishing with the group. We were meant to catch our dinner. I already had done that, though.

Okay. I had one stupid fish, so I guess I'd have to fill my plate with veggies. Either way, I needed to go. Work was work.

Bryan was too serious, just like he always was around my other classmates. He started to give out directions and people needed to take turns to fish. In the meantime, Tom led the other half of the group to the veggie patch to get the rest of our meal. We were meant to plant new seeds tomorrow morning, because we were probably leaving more than a few dents in the patch.

I was busy trying to cut a couple of tomatoes with one hand and a bit of help from the other, when Tom approached me. He had a small grin on his face. "Do you need help with that?"

Stubbornly, I shook my head. "I got this, thanks."

Tom's eyes glanced around before he leaned closer to me. "Listen, I feel like I need to talk to you, Jess." I felt tense. Am I in trouble? "I can't help but notice how Bryan keeps pulling you aside..." he trailed carefully, his voice not more than a whisper.

My whole body went still as he spoke. Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm getting fired.

Tom's gaze was soft. "Bryan doesn't take girls seriously. He disposes of them whenever he feels like it." My stomach plummeted to the ground at his words. His eyes casted down to his fidgeting hands for a second, before looking up. "I just thought you should know that." He pressed his lips together, bobbed his head and walked away.

I looked at my hands, processing his words. I felt like I couldn't move, like my heart was thudding dully inside my chest.

Tom knew Bryan much better than me, and when I first met Bryan, he didn't strike me as the sort of guy that falls in love. It was quite the opposite, to be honest.

What changed, then? Maybe nothing. Maybe I was just being an innocent, stupid girl trapped in his intrinsic con.

Everything made sense.

The way he acted different around me, the way this was all supposed to be sort of a secret. I fell for it because I was so desperate to be with someone. Anyone. I mean, my grandmother has a much more exciting love life than me!

Was it really all just a game, though?

My eyes teared up. The lingering feeling of having his lips brushing against mine played in my mind again. My chest felt tight and I didn't want to sob in front of anyone, so I left the little scissors and excused myself.