Steven Grant

48: The criteria of the perfect son-in-law

//Jo's POV//

We were not the perfect couple but that's what made it so special.

He ticked all the boxes for the perfect son-in-law, and he was everything a little girl dreamed of in her future partner.  He embodied all the desires and longings.  The most perfect fake scenarios, he fit in perfectly.

And that's why it was so hard to let him go back then.  Because all the good things about him and all those wonderful moments outweigh the bad moments.  But breaking up with him was the right decision  because I loved another person.  I guess I didn't love Jake.  Not anymore.  Not in a romantic way.  I just loved the idea of ​​being with him.

At least that was once the case.  It was a thing of the past.  And yet I didn't want to release him.

I didn't want him to be happy with anyone else.  Especially not with my sister.  And hated myself for thinking that way.

I hated myself because my first thought through all of this wasn't my sister.  I feel like the most selfish person to ever walk this planet.

He looked deep into my eyes, forcing me to look at him as well.

Jake wasn't my first love. Yet sometimes it feels that way. And that's why it was so hard to be angry with him for a long time. To resist him. It was practically impossible.

Jake made me feel feelings I didn't know I had. He had the power to make me happy and take away that feeling of happiness in a matter of seconds.

It was like an addiction. I didn't love Jake. Those times were over. I was literally addicted to him.

He had the power to trigger something in me that I was trying to push away.

"I know you're mad at me.  And I understand why. But you are the most important person in my life and I need you Jo."

"You don't need me, Jake. And you don't care about me. "

"I do care about you. But I'm trying to move on with my Life. Why do you get to be happy and I don't ? Why do you get to be in a happy relationship and move on and I don't, Jo? "

"Because I don't want you to be happy without me, Jake." This sentence came out of my mouth without me wanting it.  I regretted it right after saying it.

Shocked by what I just said, I put my hand over my mouth.

Since I didn't want everyone in the house to be able to follow our conversation, I finally went home. And I thought I finally got rid of him. That he would leave me alone for now.

Marc wasn't at home.  He messaged me earlier today, telling me  that he would stay at Steven's place tonight.

So I changed into comfortable clothes, took off my makeup, put my hair in a bun and sat down on the couch with the food my sister had cooked and brought over to watch some sit-com.

I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up a few hours later.  By taking a quick glance at the clock I realized it was almost midnight.

And as I looked around, I saw Jake sitting in the chair next to me watching the sitcom I tuned in to before I fell asleep.

I was pretty confident about the fact that I locked the door this time.  But Jake knew where the spare key was hidden and probably didn't want to wait in front of the door until I would finally open it.

But why is he here at all?  I didn't want to talk to him.  My plan was just to avoid him.  But now he was in the same room as me.  So I couldn't implement my plan.

"What are you doing in my living room? I obviously don't want to talk to you so leave me alone, Lockley."

"No, you are wrong. You think you want to avoid me. But you actually don't want that at all. You can't be mad at me for long. I shouldn't use that to my advantage, but somehow I can't really live without you and you can't really live without me. You're just hopelessly obsessed with me."

"And you are annoying."

He was right, but that's what bothered me the most. Without saying anything , I threw a pillow in his face.

He put the pillow aside and sat next to me. His eyes would enchant everyone who dares to look right into them. And you couldn't help but look him straight in the eyes.

Not in a romantic way. Even though it often sounded like a romance novel when my inner voice and I thought about Jake.

"Ruby is not a replacement. No substitute for you. No one could ever replace you, Jo. But I learned to understand that I can't have you. I have learned to accept it. To live with it."

Even if those words shouldn't mean anything to me, they still meant everything to me. They hit me hard.

"Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to be around me anymore as soon as I fully transform into the Scarlet Witch. It's for the better. I don't want to hurt you. But I most likely will. I will hurt everyone I love and care about. Because I won't have any control over myself. "

"You know, even if you turn into a monster and kill me, I'll stay by your side. Because I love you."

At that moment, every word that came out of his mouth felt like a stab in the heart. Not because what he said hurt me in any way. But because I knew how important I was to him and how much I hurt him nonetheless.

How I broke his heart just because I cared more about myself than the people around me. The Scarlet Witch will not turn me into a monster. I am already a monster.

"Sometimes I really think I don't deserve you, Lockley."

He wiped the tears from my face and hugged me. He tried to comfort me in his own way. But most of the time, his mere presence was comfort enough.

It was one of those moments where I could completely forget about all of my worries. One of those moments where I could just be myself and cry like a little baby. And he didn't mind. He never did. He accepted me for who I was.

If you ask me, Jake really is the best best friend anyone could ask for. But probably everyone thinks that of their best friend.

It wasn't a competition either. But my best friend was really better than all other best friends on this and every other planet.

(Authors note: Important question..which team are you on? Team Marc and Jo/ Team Jo and Jake or Team Jo as an independent Queen?😭😂)