[The Fiction Awards 2020 Winner in Diverse Fiction!]
Jesse is paralyzed from his waist down, but he makes sure he gets what he wants, for he has already lost too many things in his life. Yet when he finally gets to meet Ava, who has anxiety and depr...
I walk into the lukewarm yellow light in Jesse's room. Jesse is sitting on his bed, staring at the screen of his laptop placed on his legs, his fingers running on the keyboard elegantly.
Tucking a smile, I climb onto Jesse's bed. I catch a glimpse of the smile he wears on his face as I approach. He reaches his arm out and as I crawl next to him, he pulls me into a firm hug.
I turn to stare at his laptop screen - there's a graph with colorful lines that collide with each other in a chaotic way.
"What's this?" I ask, frowning.
"Physics." Jesse's hand brushes against my arm as he says, leaning his head on my shoulder.
I let out a small laugh from my nose. "Ha, I don't understand a thing."
"You don't have to," Jesse says amusingly while looking up at me.
I stare back. "Seriously though, my brain just can't comprehend graphs."
He reaches his arm out and cups the back of my head, running his hand through my hair. His hazel eyes, God, his eyes, just never fail to draw me in. We both don't talk, and this moment of stillness is enough to make my heart flutter.
There is something enchanting about being with Jesse, perhaps it's the tranquillity, or it's just because I'm with him. Gradually, I tuck a corner of my lip up.
"Wait, let me finish this real quick." He breaks the eye contact takes his arm away from me.
My heart sinks for just a bit, for I already miss his hug, but I'm not a clingy girlfriend. I swear I will never be one. So, instead, I place my head on his shoulder and stare at the screen with him.
I turn to look at his profile. His sharp jawline contrasts with his soft features, and they've always allured me—from the first very time I've seen him. My gaze lands on his lips, and I can't help but want to kiss them again. I snap my head away immediately and return to the laptop screen. Thankfully, Jesse is still engrossed in his physics work. I don't want him to see my crimson ears and cheeks. No way he'll catch me being flustered.
After what feels like minutes, Jesse closes his laptop lid and stretches his body. He looks at me with a sheepish smile, then pulls me into his hug again.
Suddenly, he lets go of me and stares at my head. "Turn around," he commands.
I frown, bewildered, but I still turn around and face him with my back.
"Did you braid this?" Jesse asks, and that's when I remember how my mom braided my hair before I came to Jesse's house.
Shrugging, I answer, "Nope, my mom helped me."
"Wait," Jesse's voice rings behind me. I sit there, not saying a thing. As I plan to turn around and understand what's going on, Jesse stops me. "Don't move."
I hear a snap of a camera from behind, and I know that Jesse has taken a picture of me. After what feels like a minute, he still hasn't told me to turn back around. What is he doing? Bewildered, I finally turn, meeting his pair of gorgeous hazel eyes.
"Let me see," I say as a try to take his phone.
Jesse slides his phone back into the front pocket of his hoodie, his hand covering on top of it. He lifts himself up to shift his body a bit. I frown, trying to get his attention, but all he does is wear the boyish grin.
"Humph." I give up and sink back to my spot.
He outstretches his arm out and pulls me back to his embrace again, my back leaning against his chest.
I feel a kiss landing at the crook of my neck. "Mm, don't be mad, you'll see it eventually," Jesse mutters, his hot breath brushing on my skin. Oof, that gave me chills.
I smile and gently push his head away with one finger. "Okay, you're making me giggle."
It's his turn to grimace now. I smile and roll my eyes. "I need the toilet, I'll be right back."
As I arrive at the toilet, I take out my phone and open my Instagram.
And then I see this.
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A stream of warmness floods into my heart. I guess downloading Instagram is worth it, after all.
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a/n
Something fun! It's Valentine's Day so I decided to put up a bonus chapter that I had taken down before. I've been thinking about adding more, so maybe more chapters will come soon (no one knows though!). Please let me know what you think about this chapter! Feel free to give me some ideas of what to write too. As always, thank you for reading, Jesse and Ava's journey will not have been completed if it's not because of you guys.
