ACHICHIBO~ The little girl I knew

chap 13(how to keep a story going)

She looked at me before I placed my hand on her cheek caressing it, letting her melt with my touch and close her lids to fully feel my skin on hers.
"Jazz" I called her name.
Pulling her to me closer, relieved that she is smiling and worried about the impact that yesterday created on her, an impact that might make an appearance with time.
"I love you" I uttered as I kissed her crown and caressed her hair. Her body surrendered more than it already did as I felt her weight increase on my hand.

"I love you too" was the first sentence she said this morning.

When yesterday her last sentence was "Maria is not a good person. I don't believe her. She lied" 

The encounter was something that none of us expected; the appearance of Maria was the last thing I would have imagined in my lifetime.  And what happened and what was said, nobody knows as the two of them chose to keep it a mystery.

Yesterday started like any normal day, I took her to the shop as I didn't have anything major at work so I could spend some time with her around. It was all good; she took a couple of flowers and made some arrangements with me, which to her was just another activity she had learned. To me, it was the best kind of date to have; as my loved one shared my passion with me and enjoyed it as much as I do, maybe even more. 

I was fully staring at her fixing and adding gyps when she turned to the door behind me before she glanced at me and back to the one behind me calling my name for the second time in a row, gluing me to my spot.

"Toby?"

Her body hid behind mine when I turned and stiffened at the sight in front of me. I was afraid of confrontation, I knew I was wrong and I did apologize, but I fear her taking revenge on me now. Because now with Jazz in my life, I have so much to lose; so much that I can't bear to lose.

"May I help you?"

"I can't believe it's really you"

"May I help you?" I repeated as a sign of discomfort and unwelcoming towards her. I knew she would understand and pick up the signs, and hoped that she would leave when she does.

Yet she smiled widely, refusing to cooperate "That's a tiny bit rude, after all, we had quite the history together. At least be respectful of our past moments and memories"

"Maria-"

"I heard you opened a business without your family's help so I came here to check it out, and congratulate you." she took a couple of steps towards me before her eyes changed their target to the one behind me "I didn't expect you to have company in here" she said and halted with a tiny screech that her heel emitted due to the force she used in her step. "I didn't get to introduce myself. Hi-"

"You don't need to" I interrupted her and her ugly behavior. 

"It's good manners"

"But bad intentions"

"Why are you overly sensitive? Or did you do something wrong that you fear will bite you back?"

"Maria" I warned to which her response was a smirk full of hatred and degradation.

I thought that the encounter ended upon her leaving right at that moment, but what messed with me later was the fact that she was waiting outside for hours, and the moment I was out for a couple of minutes, she managed to silence Jasmine for the rest of the day. The only words she uttered were before we went to bed. She didn't show any anger, discomfort, tears, or sadness but she also wasn't her lively bubbly self. The only emotion she ever showed was a simple smile whenever I told her that I love her which was every ten minutes, it almost looked like a donation from her part to my poor self in this _what felt like a_ catastrophic situation. I get why Maria would feel that way toward me but I already apologized years ago and she took it well. Why is she behaving this way now? Why did she target the innocent Jasmine?

"Jealousy" was the answer that Amanda gave me when I called yesterday to consult her "The fact that you could work it with Jasmine; someone with a mental disability and not her; the 'normal' one, is something that she couldn't handle. It is most probable that Maria was waiting to see who her replacement would be and how great she is. So, you getting married in the span of three months or less to Jasmine after her spending three years of her life with you, and then calling everything off, is not something she can take in, well, more precisely, wants to take in" 

I could understand the reason for Maria's actions but the one I couldn't; was the one I woke up next to this morning. 

Jasmine seemed to fall back asleep after her little 'i love you too' but I had things to clarify or I won't be able to function normally for the rest of the day.

"Jazz" I called her, hoping she would look me in the eyes, but hers remained closed as she hummed in response to my calling. "Jasmine, can we talk? I want to ask you something" I asked, brushing through her hair with my fingertips, slightly scratching her scalp every now and then. She opened her eyes and stared at me for a couple of seconds, leading me to suspect that she didn't hear what I had said "Ja-" before I can express anything, her hands circled around my neck and used force to pull her body to mine, crushing me into an unexpected hug.

"Jazz?"

"You are a good person... And I love you" I figured that that was her way of telling me not to worry and also her way of telling me she didn't want to talk about it.

Oblivious of all that's going on in between and behind the scenes I don't know how to keep the story going. Should I really let it all go? Or should I get her to tell me all about it? Because she is the one thing I don't want to lose