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rey-jake-therapist · 9 months

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Sweetbitter Fanfic update: Lost Souls Chapter 6

Chapter 5 is here.

Summary:

Jake and Mina have to deal with the awkward situation they find themselves in. Jake has already enough problems, as he has to deal with the war that now opposes Simone and Tess. As for Mina, she's not a very good bartender.

Notes:

The following chapters will be told from Jake's point of view :) A bit of trivia: - 'Moni' is the name that Jake gives Simone in the book Sweetbitter. - the first dialogue between Tess and Jake that he remembers is taken from the show, season 2 episode 8. She and Simone had a heated argument about Jake that ended their friendship. - Rosalyn's also a canon character who Jake briefly dates in the show.

Jake couldn't stand working under stress, but fortunately, it rarely happened. The reason was simple—he never allowed his job to take up enough space in his mind to cause anxiety.

Take, for instance, his boss, Howard. The man seemed to have a personal grudge against Jake, all because he had hooked up with more women in the five years he'd been at the restaurant than Howard had in his entire life. But Jake didn't let Howard's resentment bother him. Another thing that Howard couldn't fathom was the unique bond that Jake shared with Simone. Most people didn't understand it, and even Tess, whom Jake had hoped would accept it, disappointed him recently when she expressed her disapproval of their special connection. He remembered how she tried to gaslight him, attempting to discredit the profound relationship he had with Simone. Her sudden hostility had left a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about it. Part of him understood why she was confused, but what she had asked him to do - shun Simone out of his life - was unacceptable.

"Oh, Jesus. You don’t get it. People don’t get it. It was just us! Nobody else. It was our own little world…”, Jake had tried to explain.

“Do you still…” Tess had begun, unable to spell out the one question that had been obsessing her for months, way before they started dating.

“Do I still… What?”

“When you go to the Cape… With Simone, do you still have sex?”

In different circumstances, Jake would have found her embarrassed face adorable when she blurted out that absurd question, but it only fueled Jake's frustration. He had pleaded with Tess countless times to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the present, but she seemed unable to help herself. The idea that he and Simone might have been romantically involved at some point had become an unhealthy obsession for her. And now, she couldn't just let it go, leave the past behind in the damn Cape, where all their problems seemed to have originated. Tess had confronted Simone, and needless to say, it hadn't ended well. Both women felt betrayed by each other, adding to the chaos.

The situation had left the two people Jake cared about most—Tess and Simone—angry and hurt, entangled in a battle for his heart. He despised this whole ordeal. His relationship with Tess, in particular, had frozen after a promising start, and the feeling that she was hiding something from him only intensified the strain. Jake knew that at some point, Tess or Simone, or both, would ask him to pick a side. While he would choose Simone in a heartbeat, especially if Tess continued acting strangely, the thought didn't excite him in the slightest. Everything had been so wonderful when the three of them were friends, forming an unconventional yet happy family. Why couldn't they just go back to that?

" Do you love her?" Simone had asked Jake, shortly after things had gotten heated between her and Tess.

"Who?" Jake had responded snarkily, well aware of who Simone was referring to. He knew she wasn't asking out of innocent curiosity; she wanted to know if she could tear Tess apart and get away with it, again.

"Don't be ridiculous," his friend had replied with a smile that didn't match her irritated tone. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Jake. So, do you love her?"

"I don't want to discuss that with you, especially not now," he had deflected.

"So you do care about her… That's what I was afraid of. She'll try to cut me off from your life permanently, you know that?" Simone had then claimed, with a strangely calm voice.

"Now, Moni, who's being absurd? And paranoid. She's just jealous and worried for me. It'll pass," Jake had retorted. Deep down, he knew Simone was probably right, but he didn't want to add more fuel to the fire. He hoped she was wrong, too.

In a way that was typical of Simone, she had abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Why did you walk away from the project you had with Scott?"

Irritated, Jake had shot her a look and muttered through clenched teeth that Scott's project was doomed to fail. He knew it was a weak excuse, and so did Simone, who had raised an eyebrow and replied with a smug grin, "Scott's still mad at you, but you probably did him a favor! Don't take it the wrong way, darling, but you don't have the maturity to commit. It's better to disappoint Scott now than to let him down after both of you invested a lot of money."

"Oh, really? If you say so, Moni, you must be right!" Jake replied sarcastically, but if Simone had noticed the sarcasm in his voice, she hadn't shown it.

The truth was, after Simone had offered to sell the house in Cape Cod so he could fund his dreams, Jake had grown terrified of losing her forever. Despite the place being laden with painful memories, he and Simone had built a life there, and it symbolized their unbreakable bond. He feared that once the house was gone, so too would be Simone, along with the precious connection they shared. He wasn't ready to face that reality yet, so he had walked away from the project. He had lost both an opportunity and Scott's friendship in the process, and didn't need Simone to remind him of that fact; but then, twisting her knife in his wound was her thing.

When a week ago, Jake had chosen the Omega Lounge over his usual hangouts, it wasn't with the intention of picking up a girl and taking her home. He had learned from Simone that tension had been brewing all day between her and Tess, and he wanted to avoid getting any more involved in their conflict than he already was. All he had wanted that night was to shut off his phone and drown his worries in alcohol. However, the atmosphere at the Omega Lounge hadn't fitted his mood, so he had found himself smoking outside, contemplating finding another place to spend the night.

It was then that he had noticed her , not just because she was stunning in her green dress and her long auburn hair that cascaded down onto her shoulders, but also because he overheard her arguing with someone over the phone, someone who seemed to be her boyfriend . He wasn't on the hunt for a one-night stand, despite the allure of many women in New York. He was content being faithful to Tess, even though she hadn't explicitly asked him to. But something about this woman's fiery demeanor had intrigued him.

And then, she had yelled this formidable angry sentence over the phone, piquing Jake's curiosity.

"You know what, Johnny? I'm going to follow your advice. I'll pick up the first guy that comes my way, take him to my hotel room and fuck him all night!"

The woman's angry outburst had made Jake chuckle; it was clear to him that she hadn’t meant what she said and was simply trying to upset the guy on the phone. Jake had then observed with a mix of cringe and amusement a short blond-haired man with a foolish look on his face approaching her, only to be quickly brushed off, confirming Jake's initial suspicion about the woman's true intentions. She wasn't here for a random hookup in a filthy alley; she had come to find a friend.

As he had continued to watch, he had seen her rummage frantically through her handbag, then growl in frustration when the lighter she had found hadn’t worked. Deciding he couldn't leave her in misery any longer, he had offered her his own lighter. That was when he had seen how pretty her face was, despite the sadness overshadowing her big gray eyes. She had flirted with him, wanting to have fun and relax, and had seemed genuinely disappointed when he had mentioned his intention to leave for another bar. In a moment of impulse, he had mentioned the Home Bar without fully understanding why, as he had no intention of going there yet. He had recognized the familiar sensation of being drawn to a beautiful stranger, and it had seemed she felt the same way, but his instinct had told him to walk away. He already had enough problems in his life, didn't he?

Little did he know that a week later, she would be the woman hired by Howard to replace Nicky, the man he usually worked with behind the bar. Not like that would have stopped him. As Jake was now watching Mina and pretending that the situation wasn't awkward at all, he tried to recall what had led him to follow her into the Omega Lounge.

Perhaps it was that elusive quality she possessed, something he couldn't quite put into words. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, persuading him that he couldn't let such a beautiful woman slip away without even trying to get her in bed—or in the conference room, like the one Corinne had shown him during her break once, for that matter.

From the way Mina had avoided his eyes since their shift had begun, Jake could tell she regretted following him to his apartment that memorable night, despite her initial claim that she wouldn't. Jake, however, didn't regret it one bit. He had a motto never to regret anything, especially when it involved great experiences like theirs. However, he couldn't help but feel cautious about Tess' reaction if she were to find out about what had happened between him and Mina. While he didn't owe Tess faithfulness, he knew she was particularly sensitive these days, and the last thing he wanted was to trigger more drama.

Truth be told, Jake wasn't a one-woman man. There was a time when he deluded himself into thinking he could lead a conventional life and invest in a monogamous relationship, but it had ended so disastrously that he decided it simply wasn't for him. He didn't know the exact details of what Simone had said to Tess, but he was aware that she had warned her about him. He didn't want to hurt Tess, but he also knew he couldn't provide her with what she desired. He was who he was, and as he often said, "take it or leave it."

Tess had caught a glimpse of what he was like in a relationship during his brief time with Rosalyn, the hostess who greeted the clients—or rather, guests, as Howard insisted on calling them. Rosalyn, like others before her, had had expectations that ended in disappointment and bitterness. Tess knew what she was walking into, and yet here she was, disappointed in him, like Rosalyn and all the others before her.

After all these years, Jake still didn't fully understand women. What did they think would happen when dating a barman who enjoyed late-night parties, waking up at noon, and who was still single at 30, despite being good-looking and reputedly skilled in bed? Did they believe he would change? Simone once told him that women often thought they could fix a damaged man, and this was precisely what Rosalyn had attempted to do, and now it seemed up to Tess to try to do.

" I tried to warn Tess that you were beyond salvation and would never change, but she didn't listen, of course," Simone had added with a knowing smirk on the day Jake confessed he had slept with a woman who wasn't Tess.

Hearing Simone think of him that way hurt Jake more than he cared to admit, but he had simply chuckled in response.

Jake still couldn't believe that out of all the people in New York who could have taken the job of replacing Nicky for a month, it had to be her. When he had seen Mina stepping out of the corner where she had been hiding and standing next to Tess, it had felt as if for a second the wires in his brain had short-circuited. He had recognized Mina instantly, but it didn't make sense that she was there, ready to step into Nicky's shoes. He was certain she had flown back to her husband in Los Angeles a long time ago, full of guilt and determined to ignore all the red flags for the sake of keeping their marriage alive. That's what most women married to a cheating husband, as he knew, often did.

Seeing Mina pretending to not know him, even as her worried eyes betrayed her, reignited the anger and disappointment Jake had felt when he had woken up and found her gone that morning. He couldn't quite explain this feeling; it wasn't the first time a lover had left his place without a note, and he had done the same more than once. But with Mina, he had shared something that wasn't just about sex. It hadn't been planned; it had just happened. They had both been surprised at how easy it was for them to talk about the hardships they had gone through. Perhaps it was because they had both experienced the pain of being abandoned by their mothers, or maybe there was something in the air that day. Against all odds, Jake had felt that he could open up to her, just as she had done with him. And, of course, the sex—also not planned—had been mind-blowing and had haunted him for days, even when he was with Tess.

Jake's mind was in turmoil as he reminisced about the memories of Mina, his eyes fixated on her alluring neck, left vulnerable for his eyes. When he had met her, her hair was flowing wildly upon her shoulders; today it was put in a perfectly tied bun that gave her a serious, even severe, look she didn't have a week ago. Yet he recalled how much he had loved kissing and biting this neck, noticing with a hint of disappointment, as it caught his attention, that the marks he had left had all vanished. As he served a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and handed it to Heather, he couldn't help but stare at Mina's luscious pink lips while she politely interacted with a client at the bar. His thoughts wandered into dangerous territory, with vivid images of her on her knees, her lips parting to take him in her mouth, flashing before his eyes. He felt the beginning of an unwelcome erection in his pants and struggled to fight against visions of him pulling her hair and engaging in more intimate acts.

Knowing it wasn't the right time or place to indulge in such thoughts, Jake forced himself to look away from his new coworker and concentrate on his work. All he had to do was avoid looking at her perfectly shaped behind and prevent parasitic thoughts from invading his mind. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. When he opened his eyes again, Mina was gazing at him, her deep gray eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I'll be okay when you let me take you to the basement and bang you against a wall…

"Yeah, just feeling tired, long night," he blurted out, which wasn't entirely untrue.

He had spent the night with Tess, Ari, and Sasha at the Home Bar until closing time before crashing at Sasha's place. Both he and Tess were high and drunk, leading to an argument about the planned trip to France he and Simone had in mind for next summer. Tess had discovered it on her own, and the stress of the situation had made Jake unsure of how to break the news to her. Their bickering had annoyed Sasha, who had retreated to his bedroom to sleep.

Finally, they had ended their fight with a rough shag in the middle of the living room. Jake had learned early on that there was nothing better than sex to stop a heated conversation; Simone had taught him that - you fight fire with fire. He had apologized, promised to reconsider his trip - another lie; saying no to Simone wasn't even an option!-, cuddled her, and touched her in the ways he knew Tess liked until she forgot she was angry. And just like that, another drama had been avoided, or so Jake had thought.

However, when Tess had murmured in a drunken haze, right before falling asleep in his arms, "I love you, Jake. I'd do anything for you..."

He knew he should have replied with something, but the only answer Tess wanted to hear was the one thing he couldn't bring himself to say. He had said "I love you too" to someone other than Simone only once before, and it had resulted in tears being shed and hearts being broken. Love had never brought anything good to Jake, ever.

Moreover, with Tess in particular, there was another problem: when she had whispered those three little words to him, he had felt nothing but sheer embarrassment and the certainty that it was time to end things with her. Simone was probably right to warn her, he realized with a profound disgust for himself.

You ruin everything you touch, Jake!

He could delude himself with the thought that Tess was too drunk and high to know what she was saying, but he would be dishonest with himself if he pretended he hadn't seen it coming from the start. It had taken him months to sleep with Tess because he actually liked her. She was too young and inexperienced in life to handle someone like him, and he knew he wouldn't give her what she wanted, so he had kept her at arm's length. But one night, she had shown him she had changed and had seemed stronger than before. Besides, Simone loved her, which had drawn him to her even more.

What had really appealed to him was that Tess genuinely cared for him, even though he dreaded that she probably wouldn't if she knew about the dark places he carefully kept hidden away from her and everyone else. Except for Simone, who knew him better than anyone. Jake didn't love Tess and knew that he would never love her. He sensed it in his bones. He only loved that she loved him. Was that such a terrible thing?

"Fu... Why is there so much foam?!" Mina groaned near him, pulling Jake out of his reverie.

Jake chuckled as he saw Mina furiously trying to remove the excess foam from a beer she had just served. When she had said she wasn't used to bartending, she hadn't been kidding. She clearly needed some guidance.

"You need to tilt the glass while pouring the beer, otherwise you'll get too much foam," he explained patiently.

"But I tilted the glass, and it still happened!" Mina retorted, shooting a frustrated look at the draught-beer tapping machine. They had been working together for more than two hours now, and she had already asked him several questions about the job and let him show her around the wine cellar. However, Mina hadn't been able to make eye contact with him the entire time. When they were in the cellar, Jake had tried to create a moment of intimacy to check on her, but she had abruptly asked, avoiding his eyes,

"Can we just pretend nothing happened between us and act like it's the first time we've met? You lied to me about working in another place, I applied for this job because I was sure you didn't work here, I mean… The situation's awkward enough as it is, you know?"

Surprised by her request, he had quietly replied, "Yeah... I guess we can."

From that point on, they hadn't exchanged another word until now when she was struggling with serving a beer. Howard was probably desperate to find a quick replacement for Nicky", Jake thought, trying not to show his annoyance. He took the glass from Mina's hands, tilted it, and poured a perfectly served beer with just the right amount of foam. He handed it back to Mina, looking straight into her eyes. The way she blushed and murmured a weak "thank you" made him smile.

"You know, we can pretend not to know each other but still talk and look at each other, right? If the gossip girls see you purposely avoiding me, they'll find it suspicious," he teased, hoping to make her at least crack a smile. It worked, if only for a moment.

"Why? Because they're used to seeing every new girl swoon over you?" Mina scoffed.

"Precisely!" Jake replied with a grin.

Mina rolled her eyes playfully.

"Of course they do…" She murmured.

She smiled again, and Jake felt a sense of relief. A smile was always a good start.

Let me introduce you to Mina and Jake here!

Chapter 7 is here :)

#sweetbitter #jake sweetbitter #jake x oc #fanfic #jake #sweetbitter jake #tom sturridge #simone sweetbitter #tess sweetbitter #rachelle lefevre #awkward #let's pretend

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