Complicated

                              Jacob POV

I'm sorry sir we don't sell Pinot Noir in glass," The bartender tells me. I had only one mission. To come into St Barbara bar, have a glass of wine, and leave because I'm mentally tired and in need of something. A toxic drink isn't my solution right now. Besides, I have to drive back to my place.

"A bottle then" I grit my teeth, and he nods before walking away. My fingers tap against the wooden table rapidly.

Michelle is getting married!... I've tried to live so long with the fact that she's perfect just her and her two sons, Eric and Jones. Since her husband left, Michelle has been alone, and Evey single guy she dated, always turned out to be an ass-hole just after her money. No one is right for her. Michelle isn't my ex, but my elder sister, and someone that has always been like a mom to me since our mom died.

She's watched out for me, I've watched out for her. And more than once, I've had to pull a riffle to scare some men away from her, because I love her and I don't want her hurt. She always gets annoyed when I do that, but I don't care. I'm trying to keep her safe, and also saving Eric and Jones from having another failure of a dad.

"Here's your bottle sir" The waiter comes back. I don't allow him to open it for me because I open it for myself immediately. He just sighs and walks away with a little attitude in his step. I'm not dropping a tip.

On my phone are more than thirty messages from Michelle telling me to meet her so she could explain everything, but I just don't want to listen to anything. The first time I saw the guy she wants to get married to, I knew he was going to stick around for long. Always carrying about the good guy face. But they're all like that, until they start hitting her, and taking all her money. The last one almost got her in prison.

Time after time, I've warned her to stay away from men, but she keeps asking me if I could stay away from women. Well yes, I can!. If I have to. It's not like I haven't stayed celibate for close to five years before. That was during my college days and I was madly in love with Rebecca Sanders. After we split, I refused to go out with any girl, I also didn't sleep with anyone for five years. It could've gone on like that till now, but I'm a freaking dude, and I guessed she'd probably not even want to see me anymore.

But that's not the point. The point is that I'm not letting Michelle get married to that guy. Even if it kills me.

"Your PA told me I'd find you here"

I stop with my fiddling on the wine bottle to stare at Claudia. My friend.

"Lucky guess on h𝒆𝒓 part" I grunt and she chuckles, taking a seat.

"Liar! Piper told me you come here every time you are depressed, and you piss the poor waiter off" she remarks.

I try not to let my head hang with worry because I don't want to let anything on. Michelle doesn't want anyone to know yet.

Claudia's ruby nails tap the table before she places them on my hand. "You can talk to me. What's wrong?"

I stare at her blue eyes that look warm and comforting. Claudia and I may not just be normal friends, but besides Michelle, she's someone else that I can talk to. She's a good listener and a good adviser.

"Is it work?" She asked, withdrawing her hand away.

"No"

I pour myself a glass of Pinot Noir and pour her a glass.

"Girlfriend issue?" She asks, picking up her tall glass of wine and stirring the content with her middle finger, before she gets it out, and licks the wine off.

I stare at her, a smile on my face. "You know I don't have a girlfriend"

"Yeah that's right" she chuckled.

"Want to go back to my place?" I ask her after I'd gulped the remains of my drink. She does the same too before nodding.

"Sure, but tell me you've got lots of chocolates in stock," She says getting up. I nod with a grin, standing up too. "Good. Now let's get out of this depressing place" she sighs, pulling my hand.

°°°

I wake up with a hand wrapped around my waist I see Claudia's 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 hair. Gently, I roll out of the bed, my feet land on the warm rug. It kind of sent a shiver through me and I cringe.

My work phone on the table binges with a message so I stand up to go get it. It's from my PA, Piper. It's a message telling me I've got lots of schedules, so I call her.

"Good Morning sir" her voice is sharp and clear, despite it's just past six. I bet she's at work already.

"Morning Piper. What's that you sent about schedules?"

"I sent it to your email" She was saying, I quickly get up from my bed, strolling to my computer. "Also, the hotel deal you were working on with the men from Singapore called."

"I'll see them whenever I'm free, and in the office" I sigh. I'm the one buying the hotel, I'm doing them a service, not the other way around, so I pick whatever time I see them. And they won't dare sell it to someone else.

I'm about scrolling through when I see something that catches my eye. An email from Instagram.

Becca_Sanders liked your photo. My left brow goes up with a question. But within a second, the notification is gone. It was sent last night. Without thinking, I click on her page, the first person I see is a little girl, with cute bangs, and a fringe. Pink ribbons all over her hair. She has a daughter now?

Curiosity gets the best of me, so I keep scrolling, her page is full of the little girl and some clothe designs, and so forth. There's no picture of a guy. Like the little girl's dad. Then there's a picture of her. It's recent and was taken at Christmas. Her hair is dark brown. She's wearing a Santa costume with smiles all over her face. her eye green as ever, and I find myself getting lost in them the more I stared.

"Don't tell me you're working this early" I hear Claudia say from behind. I quickly exit the page, before I feel Claudia's hands all over my bare chest.

"Just some emails"

"Emails are a load of work too darling," she says in her thickest English accent and I chuckle.

"Well, I still need to head to work now" I sighed getting up. "Piper sent a lot of schedule"

"But we still have dinner tonight, yes?" she asked with a pout.

"I might drop by Michelle's place," I say and her eyes droop.

"Is everything alright?"

I scratch behind my neck. "Um...yeah. everything's good" I said before walking to the bathroom.

°

°°

After work, I decided to drop by Michelle's mansion, as I was getting a lot of calls and texts than I could handle.

Their spaniel, Bish, is the first to greet me with a wagging tail. I squat, fondling his hairs.

"Look who decided to finally show up" Michelle sasses, her eyes shooting me dagger behind those glasses she has on. She appears at the doorway.

"You know I'm always busy," I tell her.

"Yeah right," she scoffs.

"Where are the boys?" I ask.

"School" she shrugged. Oh yeah!. Wait for what? This is past six.

"What do you mean school."

She rolls her eyes. "They're with their father" she sighs, walking into the kitchen, and I follow her. "I didn't want you to flip"

"Really? And that was your best lie. You could've said they were with their grandpa" our dad.

"I'm sorry. I'll say that next time" she smiles, sarcastically.

"Don't you lie to me next time" I point at her, and she giggled pushing my hand away. "Why would you let them see that dickhead?"

"He's their father and he has the right to see them, Jacob" She passes me a bowl of fruit and I pick an apple.

"You wanted to talk to me" I remind her and she nods.

"Yeah. It's about Jack and I"

"Oh, that's his name" I frown.

"Yes, and you knew that but you just want to be annoying" she sighs.

"Don't blame for not liking the guy"

"Stop!" She snaps. "I love Jack"

"Just like you loved the other fifteen men before him," I remark and her eyes fall. I see tears in them, so I get up on my feet, going to hold her. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry" I say wiping at her eyes. "I just want to see you happy, Mich"

"I'm happy. Jack makes me happy" she sniffs. There we go with that Jack guy again.

"What if he leaves you like the rest?" Her husband included.

"He won't" she dabs at her face with a napkin. "He loves me"

I sigh, not wanting to argue anymore. "Don't marry him, Mich. You guys haven't been together for five months!"

And it's the least she's dated any guy. But she speaks of marriage with this one. Maybe they like each other but...

"I'm pregnant" Michelle breathes.

The apple in my hand falls back to the bowl as I gasp.

"No way! Why? Mich!"

"I love him"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" I scoff. "So you guys are getting married because you're pregnant. That shouldn't be a solid reason. You know what happened with Alex was similar to this" I remind her of her ex-husband.

She was pregnant with Eric before they got married, then they had Jones.

"I know but...Jack would work out"

"I can't believe you even slept with him already," I said in her face and she bites her bottom lip.

"Stop it, Jacob!" She snaps. "Because you refuse to date anyone doesn't mean I want to be like that. I need someone. Eric and Jones need someone"

"I'm always there for them" I shrug.

"You're their uncle. You can never take the place of a dad"

"Oh and some random dude will," I say with disgust.

"And you think Claudia would ever take the place of Becca?" She screams in my face, getting me silent. She knows I don't like talking about Becca. "Go on Jacob. Tell me"

"I'm with Claudia because I want to be with her, not because I want a replacement. And Becca... I'm not dating anyone and it's not because of her!"

"Yeah right. Keep lying to yourself and saying it's complicated" she scoffs in my face. I walk away from her, heading for the door.

"Have a happy married life, Mich" I tell her and shut the door close.

The moment I'm reaching my car, I get a text.

I'm sorry I mentioned Becca

_Michelle.

I fling my phone to the other side of the car, resting my head on the steering wheel.

Becca is no more in my life! I remind myself. Get on with your life, Jacob!

I sigh revving my car to life.