Laylis & Jason

Chapter TwentyThree

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you'd finally get to know him better. I remember meeting him and it seemed like he really did want to spend time with you."

"Yeah, it's okay though. I got to come back to you."

Aspen, just like I remembered him. Still always romantic and sweet. Still beautiful, still charming, still him. He was making this hard.

"So, you didn't meet anyone special in Georgia?"

His eye contact that I love so much. He didn't break his gaze nor shift uncomfortably. He just sat in front of me to where I had to look down and looked at me.

"There was one girl." He starts. "It didn't last long at all. I wasn't even remotely ready to move on but she was a sweet girl so I gave it a try. It ended with her leaving me after a week of dating because I wouldn't touch her at all. We tried to remain friends but it was weird after so we just broke off."

Silence.

"Laylis, is there someone else? Did you meet someone?"

"Yes, Aspen. I did."

He stood up with hands on his head and walked a few feet in a circle. I heard him whisper, "Damn." before sitting down in the grass with his head in his knees. I wish I hadn't come. I felt terrible like my heart was ripping in two. I didn't want to hurt him. How could I make him understand? Jason was.... Jason is different. I realized I couldn't and knew it was time for me to go. I should have saved us both the trouble and just never answered his text. In my defence, there was a big chance that he would have shown up at my house anyway. Still....

Silently, I walk to the edge of the treeline and then stop. Turning around I see that he is still sitting there.

"Goodbye, Aspen. I'm sorry it's just.... I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Laylis, wait."

"I have to go."

"Please, just wait!" He says while I'm walking away. "Laylis, hold on!"

His hands are on my waist and then he's in front of me, holding me in place. He doesn't grip me though, they just rest there. Just so he can block my way.

"I don't know who he is. I don't care. I mean, I bet he's a good guy. He has to be since he won you over but still. Ever since we met I knew it was you. You're different than everyone else, Laylis, and I'm in-love with you."

"Aspen, wait."

"Wait, don't say anything. I know you're with someone else. I just want you to know, there won't be a someone else for me. At least not any time soon. So, when he messes up or when you realize it's me, I'll be here. I won't push and I won't try to break you two up but I'm not walking away either." His thinking face forms.

"Just one more thing." He taps on his phone screen a few times and my phone starts ringing. Before I can grab it, he reaches around to my back pocket and pulls it out. When he looks at the screen, he smiles a smile that's both sad and happy.

"I knew it." He says and looks me in the eyes. "There's no way I'm walking away." but then he does. He hands me my phone and turns around to walk away. I knew what he was implying, of course. The irony just caught my attention.

I look down at my screen just in time to see our faces blink away.

. . .

I wake up Monday in a grouchy mood. Jason had called me Sunday and reminded that I completely forgot to call him earlier that Saturday. I was in such a confused mood and it was a bad time to call. I recall being a tad bit rude though I apologized for not calling him back the day before. I was just lost in thought and had forgotten.

I was dazed the whole time I got ready for school. All I could think about was Aspen. He was back and he was back for good. Not only that, he wanted to come back.... To me. To be in my life again. To be the only guy in my life. The love of my life. Then there was Jason. They were so different but both good guys. Aspen was in the past but I wasn't sure if Jason wanted to be my future anymore. He always tries to talk to me but we are never close. We never just hang out alone and we barely ever do what normal couples do.

With Aspen we're always close. He's holding my hand when we walk, we're in each other's arms when we're alone and talk, I rest my head in his or he rests his head in my lap when we go on picnics and finish eating and we just laugh about life. He's always wanted me close to him and I loved it then. I loved all that he did for me and all the things he knew not to do. It's just so different with Jason. Not bad, just different.

In Jason's defence, Aspen and I knew each other before and after my sisters passed. Before, we were only friends but after, I depended on him so much more and started to realize that he had always wanted us to be more but I had just shrugged off every sign. We grew close with time but Jason and I haven't had much of it.

I start to walk to school with them still on my mind when I notice Jason is by my side. It had completely slipped my mind to wait for him before walking so I apologize. He looks a little bit angry or irritated by the time we get to school and I make a mental note to tell him about Aspen as soon as school is over. I didn't mean to act like this, I was just trying to figure some things out.

After class, I walk out and start to head outside to wait for Jason. What I see in the hallway makes me go completely still. Someone bumps into me from behind since I stopped so suddenly but I don't listen to what they say because down the hall, Jason looks around nervously and then kisses a crying Juliet on the lips.

I didn't understand. I blinked at least 10 times trying to see if I was just imagining it. Was jason kissing someone else? He couldn't be. That isn't Jason at all. He wouldn't.... But he was. I slid in with a group of other people that were heading out and then ran out the school's door.

It was official now, we weren't together. I guess for Jason it wasn't serious. We were just friends. Wait, that doesn't make sense. We go on dates and though we don't much anymore, we used to kiss. It doesn't matter though. Maybe he just seen me as practice for the real thing. Well I wasn't okay with that. Not at all. So, I won't bring it up to him. I'm just going to pull away. Aspen came at the perfect time because I need someone to talk to now.

He was right. He was so right. Jason messed up in the biggest way possible. He cheated. Well, to me it was cheating because he never told me we weren't a thing. Calm down. It's okay. Just call Aspen. I dialed his number and it started ringing.

. . .

About two months later, I go to meet Aspen at our spot again. Over the span of those months I told him about Jason from beginning to end. The end being when I seen him kiss Juliet and partially him still calling me. He was so polite about it. He didn't rub it in my face or smirk or anything. He just listened and hugged me.

I had been ignoring and blowing Jason off since that day. Something that I am not too happy to admit is that I cried. I ran to our spot that day after school to meet Aspen there and cried as soon as I stepped into the clearing. Without even knowing it, I had grown to like Jason a lot more than I thought.

Last time we met he had surprised me with a picnic trying to take my mind off of Jason. It was nice and I was glad to have the simple distraction, but then... he kissed me. It was a complete surprise and sent a shock through my body. I was lost in it for about five seconds before I pulled away and told him I had to go.

I had explained to him that I wasn't planning on jumping into another relationship when he called to apologize. He understood and said he was just lost in the moment because it was so much like our dates we used to have there.

I entered the trees and was walking towards our spot now. When I got close enough, I seen that Aspen was waiting for me. As soon as I stepped into the clearing, Aspen seen me and smiled but then glanced behind me and his eyes went wide. I spun around and then I was being kissed.

It was Jason. I didn't know what was going to happen next. All I knew was this was now the last place I wanted to be.

****How did you like this chapter? I loved writing it :) What do you think of Aspen so far? Comment below!****