He Chose His Old Crush and Lost Me Chapter 05

He Chose His Old Crush and Lost Me Chapter 05

Elena’s cheeks went pink again.

She blushed easily-not faking it, just genuinely happy.

She nudged Jake.

“You tell it.”

Jake draped his arm over the back of her chair, tilted his head at her with a smirk, then turned to us.

“About a month ago. Lena came back from abroad and finally said yes.”

He looked at me when he said it.

Like he was explaining.

I pressed on.

“Have you two known each other long?”

This time Elena answered first.

“We were high school classmates.”

Alex slammed the table.

“I knew it you’re the girl Jake was obsessed with back then!”

Elena blinked, startled.

Alex swept his gaze around the table, encouraged by our reactions, and launched in.

“You don’t know this-one night in college, I couldn’t sleep, got up to hit the bathroom. Saw Jake’s

bed still lit up. Pulled back his curtain, and you know what I found?”

He paused, beaming.

“He was holding a photo. Looked at it forever.”

Alex squinted at Elena and grinned.

“Just clicked-it was you and him in your graduation gowns. Together.”

Elena’s hand flew to her mouth. She looked genuinely shocked.

Jake shoved a chunk of steak into Alex’s mouth. ‘Eat your food. That ought to shut you up.

Alex howled with laughter, delighted at catching Jake off guard.

I forced a smile onto my face.

Inside, something was tearing apart.

I remembered the day I first met Jake.

It was Alex’s freshman move-in day. My parents and I had driven him to campus. I was just starting/ high school.

I pushed open the dorm door.

Sunlight poured through the window.

Jake was the only one there-white T-shirt, easy smile.

“Hey there–you must be Alex’s little sister?”

That one smile burned into my brain.

I’d carried it for years without him ever knowing.

But back then, I had no idea.

He’d already been carrying someone else.

Alex kept going, dredging up more stories of Jake’s years-long pining.

Elena’s eyes had gone glassy with tears.

She looked at Jake, voice breaking.

“Jake-I knew you sent me nice gifts every year, remembered every holiday. But I didn’t know… I didn’t know you’d felt this way for so long.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Were the gifts really expensive, Jake?”