'OUTSIDE' the text on my phone screen read.
I'd removed Jason's contact on my phone a while back so the text came from a random number, but I knew it was him. Obviously.
I crept downstairs, careful not to wake my parents, Mocha trailed after me sleepily and began to paw at my leg and whine.
"Mocha, shush." I hushed the puppy, before bending down and scooping him up in my arms.
The door clicked as I undone the latch and slowly pulled it open, Jason stood in his same outfit attire as earlier and a dark green jacket on now as well, except his hair was more disheveled and looked as if he'd raked his hand through it a million times.
He didn't utter a word as I held my index finger up to my lips, stepping backwards to allow him to move inside.
Mochas tail whipped against my rib cage at the sight of another person, the puppy fussed in my arms and I had to clutch him closer so he didn't jump out of them and make a racket.
"Can I?" Jason asked as I shut the door and turned round, holding his arms out and gesturing to Mocha. I rolled my eyes playfully before handing the puppy over to him.
Mocha attacked Jason's face with kisses causing a wide grin to form on his lips, "Wow." I sighed and sauntered away from him, towards the stairs.
"'Wow' what?" Jason whispered, following me close behind with Mocha still in his arms.
The staircase creaked every step Jason took, I knew all the creaks and bad foot placements off by heart, I snapped my head over my shoulder and shot him a look to shut him up. Jason shrugged in defence.
"'Wow what? You never answered me." Jason asked quietly once more as I shut my bedroom door and locked it.
"You were smiling, when Mocha was licking your face." I mumbled, taking a seat on my bed and curling my legs up to my chest.
"So?" Jason's brows knitted together as he sat on the floor and placed the puppy in his lap, running his fingers through Mocha's fur.
"You never smile." I whispered, Jason's eyes met mine briefly before he looked away and pulled the folded paper out of his pocket. He leaned forward and handed to me.
"I never have a reason to." He mumbled, more to himself than for me to hear it, but I did anyways.
I skimmed my eyes over Jason's PI's notes and assumptions, he'd said that Jason was likely to have taken the photograph and forgotten about it due to the high intake of drugs he'd been on throughout the whole summer.
The PI had also circled the shadow behind Alison and labelled it with 'Woman's figure, not a man'. So we were right after all.
"Ian Thomas did drugs with you and your friends that summer?" I asked, my brows furrowing as I couldn't quite comprehend what I was reading.
Jason was now using an old winter hat of mine that was on the floor to play with Mocha, he'd swish it back and forth on the floor and Mocha would chase after it.
"Yeah, preppy boy by day, party boy by night he was." Jason scoffed but kept his eyes fixated on my puppy.
"But Ian's a triathlete, doing drugs would destroy his sport and physical play in games, would it not?" I placed the paper down beside me and wrapped my arms around my knees.
"Sure would, but Ian would just sober himself up way before his next training sessions or games, he clearly knew what he was doing." Jason whispered.
"Sorry, what does this have to do with the picture though?" I asked, frustrated that Jason was just stringing us along with some false hope of an answer.
Jason heaved a sigh and looked up at me through dark eyes, "Don't you get it? He would get high with me, meaning he was at my house most of the summer..." He shook his head lightly as a 'get it now?' Sort of way.
"Meaning, he could've taken the photo, or it could've been me, we were both high as kites majority of the time, who knows?" Jason shrugged.
I bit my lip anxiously and furrowed my brows as I looked back down at the paper.
"Look, don't stress about this shit, my PI will do some more digging and the police have loads of theories.." Jason tried to reassure me but I waved him off.
"The police are doing fuck all! They keep prying around me and my friends, constantly dragging the girls to be questioned and for what?" I hissed at him, dropping my legs down over the side of my bed and running a hand through my hair.
Jason sighed and slowly stood up, brushing off Mocha's hair on his jeans and straightening his t-shirt.
"I'll see you." He said softly before turning on his heal and slowly opening my bedroom door.
The distant sound of my parents door opening caused my eyes to widen and me to spring up from my position and yank Jason back into my room, quickly shutting my door and re-locking it.
Jason looked puzzled but fearful, I ushered him towards my walk-in closet and opened the door before pushing him inside. "Be quiet, please."
A small smirk formed on his lips as he lifted a hand to his mouth and pretended to zip it shut and throw away the key. I huffed and shut the closet door before scrambling over to my bed and diving under the covers.
Mocha scratched the closet door and whined, so I hung my arm over the side of my bed and pretended to have a treat in my hand that caused Mocha to charge at me and leap up onto my bed.
Three soft knocks sounded against my door, I craned my head over to look at my digital clock, 00:43, it wasn't exactly too late.
I slipped out of bed and forced a yawn as I unlocked my door and pulled it open, revealing my Mum who looked worried.
"Everything okay?" She asked quietly, bringing a hand up to cup my cheek.
"Yeah...why what's up?" I asked, putting on my best tired voice ever.
"I just heard some noise and got up to go to the bathroom, thought I'd come check on you in the meantime." She smiled softly and tucked a chunk of hair behind my ear.
"Oh sorry, I was on the phone to Han about ten mins ago, and I could hear Mocha whining downstairs so I went down to bring him up to sleep in with me." I lied through my teeth.
Mum nodded and sent me a small smile before leaning forward and pecking my hairline, after bidding our good nights I shut my door and re-locked it.
Mocha was out like a light on my bed, his caramel fur was sprawled over my pillow.
I leant my back up against my bedroom door and sighed in relief, before pushing off of it and sauntering over to my closet.
Opening it up Jason stood there with a wide smirk on his face, one brow rose suggestively as he held up a pair of handcuffs that were in my costume box from years ago.
"And what are these for?" He teased, I snatched them off him and threw them back into the box behind him. He chuckled at my sour expression.
"They were apart of my halloween costume years back, I went as a zombie-cop." I grunted and slumped back down onto the side of my bed. Careful not to wake the sleeping puppy in the process.
"Sure, sure." Jason continued to chuckle as he moved towards me and took a seat beside me, a fair gap between us, let's keep it that way.
"You going to Kenji's party next Friday night?" Jason asked me quietly, I'd had multiple invites from Kenji but I was debating whether to go.
"I might do." I shrugged but kept my eyes fixated on my hands that rested in my lap.
"I expect you'd bring that boyfriend of yours wouldn't you?" Jason mumbled, my brows knitted tight together and I glanced over at him. I don't think Ledger wouldn't be comfortable going to another party where he only knows me, and is the oldest there.
"He works a lot, so he might not be able to." I watched as Jason thinned his eyes at me before looking away.
"How long you two been together?" Jason asked.
My face twisted into one of confusion, "Not to sound rude, but why do you care?" I retorted in the softest tone ever.
"Just curious." He shrugged it off and looked away from me once more.
"We've been seeing one another for over a month, almost two, but we just made it official... yesterday" I prolonged as I looked at the clock to make sure it was past midnight.
Jason hummed and rubbed his hands on his jeans before standing slowly. "Reckon I could head out now?" He whispered.
"Yeah I guess, we just have to be so quiet.." I muttered as I unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open, slipping out first Jason followed close behind as we tiptoed through the corridor and down the stairs.
Jason followed my every footstep in order to not make any steps creak. It was nice of him that he was actually listening to me and obliging to my instructions.
I unlocked the front door as Jason pulled his boots back on, he leant up and tucked his t-shirt back into his jeans before running a hand through his hair.
"This mean we good?" He mumbled as he stepped out onto the front porch, I leant my side up against the partially open door and raised my brows at him.
"See you next Friday." I scoffed before slinking back inside and shutting the front door.