48 Hours | JB

AFTER: PART 16

Chapter 26

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I thanked Leah quietly when she gave me the cup of hot chocolate. She came over almost immediately after Justin had left and all I could think about was his lips against mine that last time. We kissed goodbye and decided that this breakup was probably for the best. I think we both knew that whatever happened, this would wreck us if we didn't stop it in time.

"So, what'd he say?" Leah sat down beside me, holding her own cup. She had shown extreme support and was even confused as to what had happened. When she left the last time, we were just fine.

I shrugged, "Not much, he agreed that this wasn't for the best."

"I still think you're both being delusional." She muttered under her breath which had me narrowing my eyes at her. 

Leah was a great supporter when you needed her but she was always fairly sceptical to things like this. If he didn't think something made sense to her, she rarely took anything else for an answer. Since I told her about the breakup, she has thrown in hints here and there that she thinks I am being stupid. In a way, I didn't blame her because I was definitely agreeing that it was my fault that this breakup happened.

I just didn't want to continue hurting him.

"I think it's the right thing to do," I said, a reserved tone in my voice that would let her know how serious I was with this decision, "He'll be better off without me."

"But you love him, don't you?"

"I do-"

"And he loves you, I don't see the point of your relationship being so unsteady? It's not supposed to be that way," Leah let out a sigh, syncing it with mine. Her face seemed puzzled, probably trying to figure out a way to comfort me without expressing too harsh about how wrong she thought I was being, "If two people love each other and care about each other, it's supposed to work out. There must be something else that's keeping you and him apart?"

"No, I promise-"

"Oh my God!" Leah interrupted me, again, which made me want to smack her head against the wall but I held myself together as I forced a smile and asked her gently what thoughts she had discovered, "Is this about Ellie?"

"What?" I gasped, "No. It was my decision."

Leah stood up from the chair, walking back and forth in front of me in the kitchen, "She told you to break up with him, didn't she?"

"No, she didn't," I defended my friend, knowing that when Ellie said she didn't like Justin and that he was manipulating me; she didn't mean for me to break up with him. It was entirely my fault. Although thinking about it made me realise that perhaps she had a slight effect on my view of the relationship. I would've never thought that Justin was manipulating me unless she put those thoughts in my head. But I shrugged it off, I couldn't blame a friend for a decision that I made, "It's not like that. She didn't mean anything bad."

"Why would you listen to her?" Leah seemed more panicked than what I was feeling and I think I was the one who was supposed to feel that way. She had no reason to be freaking out, "That's why I stopped hanging out with her. When you left the trio the last time she turned into such a bitch."

"That's not true," I gasped, feeling the guilt clutch onto my body and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe properly. I had no idea why she was freaking out about this entire thing but what I did know was that it wasn't normal for a friend to be more panicked over your breakup than yourself.

"She's jealous of you!"

"That's ridiculous," I took a sip of the hot chocolate to try and calm me down, remaining my calm as my voice was awfully low. I think somewhere deep down in my conscious, I knew she was right. Yet, I continued to ignore those facts, "Why would she be that?"