Invisible

Chapter 9: Get Up and Move

"I told them and they accepted." I say with a big smile as I enter Ella's room, slamming the door behind me.

"You mean your parents and you are going to be moving into the house next door to your boyfriends?!" Ella cheers.

"Yes!!" I screech, hugging Ella in excitement.

"Oh and by the way, did you find out his name?" Ella asks.

"Nope." I say, popping the P. "But! I did get his middle name, which is one step forward."

Ella laughs.

"What?" I ask.

"I'm afraid you mean two steps forward, one step back...but yeah." She giggles.

"Okay, yeah. Sure." I say, rolling my eyes.

"So what did you two talk about at the park yesterday?" Ella asks inquisitively.

"He revealed to me something having to do with his condition." I whisper as a tear escapes my eye.

"You mean his temporary condition of not being able to walk?" Ella says.

"Yes. That's it." I say, wiping the tear away.

"Oh my god." Ella says under her breath, putting her hand on my shoulder and looking me in the eye, concerned. "What is it?"

"It turns out that the condition isn't temporary." I say as my sympathy for Jay weighs me down and I break down in tears. "It's permanent. He'll never be able to walk again."

Ella gasps and covers her mouth as her eyes become glassy with tears.

"I just," I say as my words break up from the sympathetic tears, "feel so... bad for him and... I don't know how ...to comfort him."

"I don't know what to say." Ella says, grabbing my hand, "but I'm with you and if you or him ever need any help, call me."

"Thank you." I whisper.

In that moment, I realize something -- I don't want to lose Jay and I can lose him at any moment. He could decide to break up with me from this traumatic experience. Who knows. I pray to God that he doesn't.

That day, we settle in a bit in our house next to Jay's family. We set up just enough to stay our first night there.

Before going to bed, I sneak out the back door and see Jay still in his room, with his room having the only light still on. I sneak up to the window, ready to tap so I can come in and talk to him, when I see him crying.

I lightly tap on the window and immediately, he wipes away the tears and he comes in his wheelchair to the window and he unlocks it.

"I'll keep it unlocked from now on." He whispers with a smile.

"Jay." I sweetly say his middle name, and at the same time I try to make it sound personal. "I know this is a sad time and I know I can't begin to imagine what you're going through but please don't think about what you can't do. Think about what you can do."

"Like what? Roll around in a chair?" He says, crying.

I can't help but cry with him. I lean my forehead against his.

"Don't. You could've died from that car crash and I'm so thankful you're alive." I say. "At least be thankful for that."

"Thanks." He whispers under his breath. "But still, I'd rather die than be like this."

"Please don't say that. You don't know how much you mean to me." I say.

"What do you mean?" He asks. "We've only known each other for a few weeks and you say I mean a lot to you?"

"Before I met you, nobody noticed me or paid attention. It was like I was invisible." I say. "According to you, I wasn't but according to me, that was far from the truth. No one spoke to me except my friend, Ella. When we bumped into each other, God, it was like heaven entered into my life. I couldn't have been more thankful to meet you. You're smart, charming, sweet, and of course..."

I'm sorry but I gulp. Yep, that's right. I had to.

I say the next word with the H profound "...HHHHHOT."

His eyes widen as I say that last word. Before I know it, he leans forward and does the unthinkable.

He kisses me.