Teach Me, Jake

Chapter Fourteen

Alice was on time. Of course. She always was.

She stood on the brick steps of the Bennett brownstone in a pale green in a simple black dress, arms folded tight against the April wind, cheeks flushed from the chill and maybe-just maybe-from knowing who would answer the door.

Jake, predictably, was late.

Janine Bennett opened it instead, pulling Alice into a warm hug that smelled like cinnamon and red wine.

"Look at you, already early," Janine smiled. "I swear, one of you inherited punctuality. And it wasn't my son."

Alice laughed as she stepped inside. "He's probably still deciding which shirt makes him look 'accidentally rich.'"

Janine snorted. "I taught him well."

Inside, the familiar sounds of clinking glasses and low conversation echoed through the house. Alice's parents, Mark and Elena, were perched on the velvet couch, mid-conversation with Jake's father, Charles Bennett, while a roast sizzled from the kitchen.

It was tradition-monthly dinners between the Martins and Bennetts, a friendship that had outlasted college, moves, marriages, and careers. Since the Martins had relocated last fall, Alice had stayed behind at school, and these dinners had become a comforting piece of home.

Jake finally showed, five minutes late and unapologetic, wearing a rumpled navy sweater and a crooked grin.

"Fashionably delayed," he said, brushing past Alice with a wink. "You miss me?"

"Like a cavity," she shot back, but the corner of her mouth curved up.

Dinner was loud and familiar. Wine was poured liberally, Charles told the same three stories he always did (two of them about his college band, one about a disastrous hiking trip with Mark), and Noelle, Jake's older sister, arrived just in time to steal the last biscuit off Alice's plate.

The teasing didn't start until dessert.

Elena leaned forward, a sparkle in her eye. "So... how's fame treating you two?"

Alice nearly choked on her wine.

"Oh, please don't," she groaned.

Janine grinned. "We saw the photo. The one all over social media. Honestly, Alice, you looked amazing. Jake, you looked like a bodyguard who moonlights in luxury cologne ads."

Charles chuckled. "That guy had it coming. Didn't listen when Alice said no. You stepping in was very... dramatic."

Mark joined in, smiling wryly. "The paparazzi shot made it look like a scene from a Netflix teen thriller. 'Tech Heir Defends Mystery Girl at Mansion party.'"

Jake buried his face in his hands. "I still don't know how there were photographers at my party."

"Welcome to your tax bracket," Noelle quipped, sipping her wine.

"You two do seem to attract spectacle," Elena added fondly. "It's like the universe can't help putting you in each other's orbit."

Janine raised her glass. "At this point, I think the universe wants you both together."

Jake groaned. "Mom, no."

"No, we're just friends" she groaned.

"Oh, yes," Janine grinned. "You've been bickering like an old married couple since seventh grade. Might as well give in to destiny."

Alice tried to deflect, but her cheeks were warm.

Across the table, Jake's eyes met hers. He didn't say anything. Neither did she. But something unsaid passed between them-just long enough to feel like it meant something.

Then Noelle leaned close and whispered in Alice's ear, "Club after this?"

Alice blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

"Come on," Noelle grinned. "One drink. Two max. I'll even let you judge my flirting again.

They ended up at a sleek rooftop bar downtown. Velvet booths. Pulsing lights. Every cocktail served in something unnecessarily smoky.

Alice stuck close to Noelle at first, the two of them giggling over ridiculous drink names and giving each other silent looks every time a guy tried to interrupt.

Jake, meanwhile, was already being circled like blood in the water. It didn't take long for a few women to gravitate his way-one in a red slip dress caught on quickly, making him laugh at something, her hand resting lightly on his arm.

Alice tried not to look.

She failed.

She'd been chatting with a guy named Theo-cute, easygoing, a film major-but her eyes kept slipping toward Jake. Not in a possessive way. Not even in a jealous way. Just... like she was watching something slip through her fingers.

Noelle danced with a tall guy in a linen button-down, and after one particularly good song, leaned over and whispered, "He's hot. I'm going home with him."

Alice raised her glass. "Be safe"

"Text me when you leave, grandma." Noelle whispered before walking away with him.

It wasn't long before Theo gently tugged Alice toward the dance floor. She let him. Let herself enjoy the motion, the music, the soft pull of something uncomplicated.

Her mind drifted to Alex. He was steady, kind, exactly the kind of person she thought she should want. But as she danced with Theo, something felt off-like she was watching herself from a distance, playing a part she hadn't auditioned for.

She and Alex weren't exclusive, hadn't defined anything, but she still felt a quiet pang of guilt. Not for what she was doing, but for how little she wanted it to mean.

But after a while, she caught a glimpse of Jake. Still at the bar. The girl in red now pressed close, their laughter indistinct but easy. Familiar. Like they'd known each other longer than half an hour.

Alice's stomach twisted-too sharply, too unexpectedly.

She pulled away from Theo with a quiet apology and found her way across the room. Jake noticed her approaching before she said anything, eyes softening.

"I'm heading out," she said lightly.

He nodded, voice low. "I'll take you."

The girl in red blinked. "Oh-"

Jake offered her a quick smile. "You coming too?"

She hesitated. Then shrugged. "Sure."

The car ride was quiet.

Jake drove, one hand on the wheel. Mel-Alice caught the name earlier-leaned against the window, scrolling through her phone, occasionally murmuring something half-flirty Jake barely responded to.

Alice kept her eyes on the passing streetlights.

When they pulled up outside her dorm, Jake finally spoke. "You good to go in yourself?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the ride."

He looked like he wanted to say something more. But the girl in the backseat shifted, and the moment vanished.

Alice opened the door, stepped out into the soft city night, and closed it gently behind her.

The car lingered for a second.

Then it drove away.