PRECIPICE [h.s.]

Chapter Four

☼☼☼

She is like a cat in the dark

And then she is to darkness

☼☼☼

Jaime's P.O.V.

May 30th 1997 (cont.)

I started walking back without waiting for Harry. I felt anxious standing there and I needed to clear my head because obviously I wasn't thinking straight. But dammit those long legs, he caught up to me quickly. It probably took a total fifteen seconds to walk up the driveway and appear in the backyard, but those seconds felt like an eternity because of the silence between us. Everything was amplified. The party goers up and down the street, the crickets chirping, the waves hitting the docks, and my thoughts are sprinting and bursting at 100mph.

What could he be thinking of the girl who just invited him to her backyard? Not even in the house? He just heard my ex-boyfriend call me the town whore, and insinuated that I had STDs. Why was he still here?

I didn't snap back to reality until I saw the reflection of us in the screen door at the back of my house. Harry was about to say something when I came to. I looked to him, expecting to see him looking directly at me, but instead his gaze seemed to be above my head. Curious, but I am in no position to judge weird or questionable behavior right now. Why was this so painfully awkward?

I nod my head toward the dock that goes the length of my house. "You can go sit down on the dock. I'm gonna grab a water inside. Can I get you anything?" I asked, hoping the nervousness laced throughout my voice wasn't obvious.

"Water is great thanks," he smiles at me, refocusing on my eyes.

I scampered into the house. Why am I so worked up? Maybe seeing Kyle tonight messed with my head more than I thought. I mean Harry...he's just a guy. What is there to be nervous about?

I open the freezer and grab two water bottles. The moment I grip the plastic bottles, I relax. I think of Jess, the reason the water bottles are there in the first place. When Jess gets back from partying she chugs bottles of water and claims that when they're cold it helps with the future hangover. I like to think that it's also the painkillers I make her take before she passes out. She always throws water in the freezer right before she leaves so that they won't be completely frozen by the time she gets back.

The combination of cold air and the reminder of my best friend has me taking a huge exhale. I'm not at the party anymore being crushed and pushed by drunk people. Kyle isn't here.

I am Jaime motherfuckin' Jackson. No man intimidates me. Never again. I just need to calm the fuck down.

I close the freezer and look around quickly for some sort of reprieve or answer to fill the awkward silence that will ensue at some point tonight. My eyes land on my kitchen radio.

Bingo.

I walk back outside with the radio in one hand and the two bottles in the other. His gaze was focused on the water but he turned when he heard me come outside. I turn on the radio and keep the volume low, but loud enough that we can slightly hear it down by the water. I have to leave it up awkwardly by the house since the cord doesn't reach very far, but it'll have to do.

He's sitting on the dock, shoes to the side of him, feet dangling in the water. The sight of him stopped my breath and made my body coil in on itself. Jury is still out on his personality, but he is undeniably beautiful. And the contrast of his strong silhouette against my dilapidating wooden dock only highlighted the differences in our existences. The wood almost looked gray due to the years of sun damage, and due to the storms throughout the years the wood was starting to rot and bend. I loved fixing smaller things around the house, especially because I took so much pride in having a place to call mine, but I knew fixing a dock was out of my technical abilities and price range. Fixing the dock isn't really in the cards at the moment so I truly just have to hope it doesn't give out on me one morning. Plus that is more a concern for my mysterious landlord.