The Swap

Defining Moment

About fifteen minutes in, the movie was interrupted by a knock on my front door. My eyebrows furrowed as I stood up and followed Gizmo who had run to the door, barking defensively.

It was still daylight, so I had a good feeling that it wasn't a serial killer-though you could never be too careful- but I still found it questionable since I hadn't been expecting anyone to come by.

I slowly opened the door and peered out from behind it. My eyes widened immediately and I gasped in surprise.

Jaxon stood in front of me with his hands hidden inside of his pockets. He was wearing a thick black hoodie and dark jeans with a beanie placed on his head.

I struggled to speak for a moment, unsure of why he would be here in front of me.

"Jaxon," I said when I gathered my thoughts.

His cheeks were red from the cold and his deep blue eyes were the brightest I'd ever seen them. I couldn't believe that he was actually standing in front of me.

"Hey." He said hesitantly. My stomach flipped at the smooth sound of his voice. "Can I come in? I want to talk to you."

I noticed that behind him, the snow began to fall once again. I nodded and stepped a side so that he could pass. My breath stilled when his shoulder brushed mine.

I closed the door softly and tried to calm my erratic heart. I slowly turned to him, unable to meet his gaze. Gizmo jumped up and down, nuzzling his nose against Jaxon's hand. I let out a shaky breath and crossed my arms over my chest.

"So, uh, do you want to sit," I trailed off and motioned to the living room.

"Yeah," he said quickly.

I went through the doorway and sat down on the couch, turning off the tv. I felt the couch dip only a foot away from me and I let my eyes shut.

I felt a sudden spike of anger at his presence. I had been making such great progress on my own, I felt like I was finally moving on. Then he had to show up and ruin everything.

His breathing was calm and rhythmic, unlike mine, which was shallow. I struggled to remain stoic in front of him. Once again he was the center of my thoughts; I was aware of only him.

I squared my shoulders and turned to him, finally meeting his gaze. "What is this about? Did something happen?"

He paused and his eyes studied me. "Yeah, actually. Something did happen."

I leaned forward slightly as my eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

My anxiety began to build when he remained silent. Did something bad happen? Was it Jade?

He held my gaze before speaking. "Melanie came to see me."

My mouth popped open in surprise. "What? When?"

Why had she gone to see him? She had no business doing that behind my back.

"A few days ago." He answered.

My mind was reeling. How could she not have told me what she'd done?

"What did she say to you?" I asked. If she had said anything about my emotional state, there was no telling what I would do.

"Pretty much the same thing I've been saying to myself for over a month." His expression dimmed slightly. "That I'm an idiot."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I don't understand."

He let out a sigh. "I've been regretting how I reacted about this whole thing since the day it happened. I never gave you the chance to explain. All I could think about was the fact that everything we've been through was a lie."