Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson)
I nearly choked on my own spit. I’d never really thought about Ace’s you-know-what before. I had seen him naked, sure, but not since we were little. I supposed things must be different down there now.
And bigger too.
“And we’re done talking about this,” I replied quickly. An unexpected sense of jealousy pulsed through me.
“Okay, okay,” she laughed. “So, when did you realize you liked him? How did this happen? I want details.”
“I think I’ve known it for a while but am just starting to admit it to myself. My feelings are becoming too intense to ignore. Do you think I should tell him? Would that be a horrible idea?”
“Yes, do it! You guys would be so cute together and—” She cut herself off. “Oh, wait.
Wait, wait, wait. Oh, shit.”
“What?” I asked. “What is it?”
“You said Ace isn’t there, right? He’s not with you?”
“No, he had plans tonight. I’m by myself. Why? What happened?”
“Um, okay, yeah, I have something to tell you but I don’t want you to panic because I don’t have the full story, so we can’t really know what’s going on.
“I wanted to tell you earlier but I didn’t want to do it when Ace was with you, and I didn’t think it was that big of a deal but now that you told me that you like him…”
I sat up in my bed. “You’re freaking me out, Marta. What is it?”
She took a deep breath. “I heard someone say that Ace and that new girl, Clara, have this crazy connection. Someone else said, ‘Do you think he’s going to ask her?’
and the other person said, ‘Yes.’”
“I—I…” I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “I don’t understand. Ask her what?”
“Well, to prom, probably. That’s what I figured. Or on a date, maybe? I really don’t know. But I heard it from a few different people around school today. It was all anyone was talking about.”
My world ground to a halt. I felt like I was about to puke.
“Doe?” Marta asked on the other side of the phone after a moment. Her voice sounded muffled and quiet due to the blood rushing in my ears. “Are you okay?”
I nodded even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “I—I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. How could you be? You’ve been in love with Ace for years, and here I come, dumping this in your lap.”
“Years might be a bit of an over-exaggeration.”
“Come on, Doe, I’m your best friend. I see the way you look at him, the way the two of you interact.
“I thought Ace felt the same way about you until I heard all those things today and saw him walking out of school today with Clara—”
“He left with her?” My voice wavered. My entire body was shaking. “Are you sure?
You saw him?”
Marta hesitated before answering. “Yes. I saw them outside the window of my algebra class today. I’m so sorry, Doe. I know this is terrible timing.
“Shit, I shouldn’t have told you. I feel like the worst friend ever. It’s just, I thought you had the right to know—”
“No, I’m glad you told me. I just…” I bit my lip, holding back tears. “I, um, think I should go.”
“No, wait, don’t hang up. Let’s talk about this. It’s not like you can’t still tell Ace how you feel. He hasn’t asked Clara out yet as far as I know. We could come up with a plan for how to tell him.”
“Yeah, maybe later.” I needed to get off the phone before I lost it completely. “I just don’t think I can talk about this anymore right now, Marta. I-I think I just need to clear my head.”
“Right.” Marta sighed. “Okay, I’ll let you go then, even though I feel like the worst friend in the whole world for dropping a bomb like that on you and then just leaving you.
“Please, please, please call or text if you need anything. I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, Marta. I love you.”
“I love you too. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
If I didn’t die of heartbreak first, that is.
I cried by myself in the dark for longer than I cared to admit. It felt pathetic, but Marta’s confession seemed like the end of the world. I didn’t want Ace to be with someone else.
Even if I hadn’t been hopelessly in love with him, I’m not sure I would have ever been okay sharing him with some other girl. Ace had always been mine and mine alone.
He didn’t have any siblings, and his mom died when we were young, so it was just him and his dad, and his dad was one scary motherfucker. It’s why we almost always went to my house instead of his.
If this new girl came into his life, she would take him away from me. No girlfriend would be okay with her boyfriend being as close to another girl as Ace was to me.
He would stop spending as much time with me. He would stop sleeping next to me every night.
Another bout of intense sobs escaped my chest. I didn’t know what I would do without Ace.
Reaching down to my side, I grabbed my phone. I needed to call him. I needed to hear his reassuring voice and get an update on when I was going to see him again.
The screen lit up, and I gasped when I saw my notifications.
Since putting my phone on silent, I had 125 missed calls and countless texts from Ace.
Why hadn’t I checked it earlier? Was I that afraid he’d mention this Clara girl that I’d not be able to handle it?
Ace
I miss you. This isn’t nearly as fun as hanging out with you and your brothers.
Ace
What are your plans for tonight? Going to invite Marta over?
You haven’t seen her in a while.
Well, that’s kind of sweet. ?He sent those texts around the time I got home from school.
Ace
Okay, I’m going to need you to answer me now. Are you okay?
Why aren’t you answering your phone?
Ace
What’s wrong?
Ace
Answer your phone.