She thought about Connor. He’d fucked her hard and then pretty much left her with a kiss on the head. Jake and Brent had stayed to help her wash up.
“You’re awake,” Jake said.
Turning over she saw Jake sat in the chair. They’d taken her to Jake’s room after Connor left her alone in the bathroom.
“Good morning.” She sat up wincing from all of her unused muscles.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Zoe nodded her head unsure what to say. Was this the morning after routine where they sent her on her way?
“What time is it?” she asked.
“A little after eight.”
“Where are Brent and Connor?”
“In the kitchen.
She nodded her head, tucking the sheet under arms and putting her hair behind her ears. “I don’t know where my clothes are,” she said.
“We’re washing them. We’ll pick the rest of your stuff up today.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re staying here now.”
“I am?”
Jake chuckled. She watched him get up off the chair and move toward the bed. He sat down next to her taking her hand in his.
“Did you think we were going to fuck you and move on?”
“Women at the bar talk. You’re not exactly known for keeping women around.”
“You’re not most women, Zoe.”
“Let me guess. I’m special,” she said, smiling.
“You are, but I don’t think you have any idea how special you are.” He was staring at her intently.
She felt a blush build up in her cheeks and down to her chest. His scrutiny made her unsure of what to say next.
“You’re not sending me on my way.”
“No, we’re not.”
Zoe thought about Connor and the way he’d distanced himself last night.
“He’s always been like that,” Jake said.
“What?”
“Connor. He distances himself all the time. It is like he’s afraid of letting go.”
“How did you know I was thinking of Connor?” she asked.
“You’re not a hard woman to read, Zoe. I wanted to talk to you about him. We didn’t get a chance last night.”
“What, with all the fucking and him leaving you and Brent to clean up his mess?” She’d been hurt at how easily he’d walked out on her. It was unfair and childish, but she had wanted his attention after their time together.
“Something happened to him when we were growing up,” Jake said.
“What do you mean?”
“Brent and I have never questioned him about it. We know something happened. We just have no idea what happened.”
“You do realise you’re being very secretive.”
She watched him stare around the room and go over to a small box on the counter of his drawer. He pulled out a small photo and came back.
“This was taken on the summer camp after we’d all turned thirteen.” He handed her the photo. “That’s me.” He pointed at the kid on the right. “That’s Brent.” The kid on the left. “And that’s Connor.” The boy in the middle. Connor as a thirteen-year-old looked gawky. His muscles hadn’t properly developed, and he was a little on the thin side. In the picture he was smiling and looked carefree. She thought about him now and couldn’t imagine him looking like the boy in the picture.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You’re best of friends. Surely you would have talked about it or something.”
Jake shook his head. “We didn’t talk about it.”
“What about his parents?”
“He doesn’t speak about them. The moment he turned eighteen, he left their place and never looked back.”
“Do they live in Law Castle?”
Jake nodded his head. “They used to live here. They moved away a couple of years back.”
“You do realise you’re making me want to ask more questions than answering them.”
“Connor made Brent and me promise never to ask questions and never to go to his parents’ house or talk to them. We used to see them in the street, and we never talked to them. They tried to get Connor to talk, but he said something to them that made them turn the opposite way. They moved out of town, and we’ve never heard from them since.”
“Why didn’t you go and ask them?”
“He made us promise, Zoe. The promise between us is sacred. I would never break a promise like that.”
Zoe chuckled. “That sounds corny.”
“We made a pact to always be there for each other. Our bond is stronger than anything.”
“Bros before hos, kind of thing?” she asked.