Hello guys! I'm back with a new chapter, and first off, hope everyone had a happy halloween! The next few of my chapter will be still based around halloween seeing as though I didn't come around to finishing and publishing the halloween chapter before Halloween. After that, there will be Christmas and Holiday themed chapters, so look out for that as well. Also, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR OVER 25K Reads and 1K Votes!!!! I never imagined for this story to go this far so thank you for making this possible :)
Anyways, without further ado, let get ROIIIIIIGHT into the Chapter!
Song- Nick Jonas, Jealous
~Jessica
"It's okay. It may not seem like it right now, but you are going to be fine. I know it's scary, but don't be afraid. You are who you are, and you should love that person, and I don't want anyone to have to go through 22 years of their life afraid to accept that."
― Connor Franta
********************
I burst through the hospital doors, random strands of hair flying in my face. I didn't even bother fixing my bun, I had to get to room 213. As I raced past the receptionist she gave me an annoyed look but I didn't care.
The seconds it took for me to get to his room felt like years, "Is everything okay?!" I ran into the room. "I came here a soon as-"
"Hello my fellow chameleon," a raspy yet still distinctive voice said out loud. I looked over at the bed to see Jordan sitting up, a big smile on his face.
Oh, I had definitely missed that smile of his and that voice.
Although his skin was pale and grey, hair tousled and bags under his eyes, his grin warmed everything up. Even at his worst, he still looked like his best. I bolted to his bed and carefully engulfed him in a hug. "I missed you so much," I whispered. I could feel my vision clouding up. I turned around an saw Gideon standing my the wall with a small smile on his face, "You scared me with that call, I thought something really bad happened."
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he answered walking over. "I know how stressed you've been lately and I thought that this could lighten up your mood." I smiled and gave him a small hug.
"Yeah, sorry for being a part of that stress," Jordan said with a sheepish smile.
"At least you're okay," I sighed in relief. "We were all getting really worried about you."
"Even the boss?" he asked with a smirk.
"Despite what you think of him, he actually has a bit of a heart."
"I'll leave you guys for a bit so you can catch up," Gideon said making his way to the door. Jordan gave him a slight nod and I smiled at Gideon.
They didn't seem to be tearing at each other's throats... At least not yet.
"You know about my relationship with him, don't you?" I turned around and looked at Jordan's pale blue eyes examining me.
"Um-" I tired to think of some excuse to say but Jordan cut me off.
"I'm not mad Payton if that's what you're afraid of, I just want to know."
I sighed, "yeah, I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be all up in your business."
Jordan laughed, "all up in my business? No offence woman, but I'm pretty sure that I've been pretty much ignored ever since you and the big boss started dating. How is that going anyways?"
I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. "It's going well, we've actually been together for about a month now."
"Oh, wow, I've been out for about... 2 weeks then?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "We were all so worried about you Jordan," I could feel tears in my eyes as I tried to blink them back. "We thought-" Jordan took a hold of one of my hands and started to circle it with his thumb. "I don't know what we thought, but I'm just glad that you're finally back."
He gave me a smile, "I glad I'm back too."
"If you don't mind me asking, do you remember at all what happened that night?" I was trying to be as careful as possible with my words just in case they were still a trigger to him.
Jordan didn't seem that phased though, instead, his lips formed a tight line and he thought for a little bit. "I-I can't remember. It all happened so fast, but what I can recall is that it was a man who did it." He paused for another moment and then continued on, "He-he said something to me before I passed out. It all happened so fast, but what I can recall is that it was a man who did it." He paused for another moment and then continued on, "He said something before I passed out, he said that he would be back."
I shuddered. Just thinking about someone doing such a horrible thing to Jordan was enough to make my blood boil. And to think that he was going to be back... I couldn't let that happen, not to him, not to anyone.
"I don't blame Gideon for anything that has happened to me if that's going to be the next thing you ask me," Jordan said.
I gave him a confused look, "how do you-"
"How do I know that he feels guilty for everything that's happened to me?" I nodded. "I just know, by the way he ever so slightly inches closer to me while we're talking like he's afraid of me snapping, the look in his eyes each time he brings up what happened between us that night, I just know."
"Then why don't you tell him that you know, make him feel better," I asked.
"Do you really think that just because I said that it wasn't his fault would take the guilt off his shoulder?" Jordan chuckled. "Gideon always thinks that bad things happen because of him, that's slightly the reason why we drifted apart in the first place."
I gave Jordan a confused stare, "I thought that you two broke up because his parents wouldn't approve of your relationship."
He laughed, "did he really tell you that?" I nodded. "Well, there's always two sides to every story. Gideon's parent are one hundred percent okay with their son being gay. Mine on the other hand..." Jordan sighed. "They kicked me out when they found out about my relationship with Gideon."
"Wait, then why would Gideon tell me that?"
"Gideon always want others to see the best in the people he love, even if that means that he'd have to tarnish a bit of his own reputation to do so. Gideon feels bad about being the reason why my parents won't speak to me anymore that he'll go in his way to change up a story to make the bad guys look good if that means that the people he love will stay on the good side." Jordan smiled a little, "that's one of the reasons why I fell for him, but good things always come with consequences."
I tilted my head, "what kind of consequences?"
"Well, for one he would always take the blame for things. At first it just seemed like a nice gesture but it started to get annoying. I couldn't stand seeing him destroy himself for the sake of keeping me spotless. I guess after finding out about my parents being homophobes, Gideon just didn't want anything else staining my 'perfect' background. He wanted me to seem perfect to others, someone with everything they could ever want, parents who loved them for being whoever they want and overall a perfect life. He was so obsessed with keeping me away from criticism that he threw himself into a fire that he created." Jordan then frowned, "I tried to save him, I really did, but he didn't want it. Do you know what it's like seeing your best friend, someone that you love with all your heart getting more and more destroyed day by day with no one else to blame but themselves? Do you know what it feels like to see the person that you loved, deteriorate themselves in order to keep you happy?" He shook his head. "I couldn't stay to see him get consumed by the flames."
"So you left him?" I asked in barely a whisper.
"I didn't know what else I could do," his voice broke. "I thought that maybe leaving him would make him realise what he was doing. I didn't want to leave, you have to believe that. I did everything I could to make him stop, but he just wouldn't listen. I was angry when I left, I didn't even say a proper goodbye. Over the years that I was away from him, I thought about him from time to time and I hoped that he had noticed how much harm he had been doing to himself and had stopped, maybe even found someone new and forgot about me."
"Why would you want him to forget about you?" Wouldn't you want someone that you loved to remember you?
"Well, in my mind, if that made him happy then I was okay with it."
Jordan's the type of guy to always make sure that the people he loved were happy before himself. I smiled. Gideon was right about one thing, Jordan always wanted people to be happy.
"What are you smiling about?" Jordan asked.
The smile remained on my face, "oh, nothing." I giggled. "It's just seems as though the both of you blame yourselves for everything."
Jordan laughed, "I guess we're both just really nice." He ran his fingers through his hair. "That night, when he came to my apartment, all that anger that had dissolved over the years just came back altogether. I guess I just never really forgave him for everything he did to himself."
"Do you think you'd ever forgive him?" I asked. I knew how heartbroken Gideon would be if Jordan never forgave him.
Jordan gave me a sad smile, "Maybe, but that might take a while." He sighed, "I learned that you can't change someone so either you accept them for being them, or you leave them."
I gave him a worried look.
"And I don't think that I'm ready to leave just yet."
******
"I go out for a morning and all this happens?" I turned around from the chair I was sitting at bedside Gideon and Jordan to see Hunter there with a big smile on his face.
"Sorry, I forgot to call you," I said getting up from my seat.
"Well, I see that Mr. Swimmer here has woken up from a two week vacation," Hunter said. I could tell that there was still a bit of an edge in his voice and I sighed knowing full on that Hunter wasn't going to change his attitude towards Jordan until he found out that Jordan was gay.
"Hey be nice," I warned raising an eyebrow.
"Nah it's fine," Jordan groaned slowly sitting up, Gideon noticed him struggling and quickly helped by adjusting his pillows which Jordan thanked him in return by shooting a small smile. "Hello Mr. Blackthorne."
Hunter opened his mouth to probably shoot back some snarky comment but stopped himself when he noticed the glare that I had. Instead, he replaced that comment by saying, "are you feeling better?"
Jordan nodded and laughed a little, "never felt better. In fact, I feel like a princess that had just woken up by a true love's kiss." Gideon chuckled but Hunter kept a straight face. "Don't worry boss, I'll be back to work on Monday."
"You don't possibly think that you'll be going back to work on Monday," I disagreed, he need his rest. "You've just woken up from a two week coma, you need some time to reboot."
"I'm not a robot Payton, and anyways it's about time since I've gotten out of bed don't you think?"
I laughed, "as much as I like your jokes, I'm being serious Jordan. You need your rest."
"If he wants to get back to work, then he can," Hunter cut in. "I have nothing against him coming back to work sooner rather than later," the authority in his voice stopped me from arguing even more. " I trust that now that Payton is mine, we won't have any fooling around during work hours?"
I sighed in annoyance, "Hunter, have a little faith in me."
He huffed, "sugarplum, it's not you that I don't trust."
"Ohhh, so that's what this is all about," Jordan said thoughtfully. "This whole time, I've been thinking that you just hated me for no reason but in fact, you did have a reason; Payton." Hunter grunted in response. "Well, you don't have to worry about me stealing your girl, and no, I'm not quoting one direction lyrics. But just to clear things up, I'm gay."
Hunter paused for a moment. "If this is just for me to get off your case-"
"I assure you sir, that I'm not." Jordan flashed us a toothy grin, "I am straighter than a broken ruler."
Hunter then had a moment of realisation before coming to his senses.
"Ah, the guy finally realises how stupid he's been." Erica walked in with a few bags in her hand and Chris tagging along behind her, "you owe me 20 dollars babe."
Chris sighed and gave her a twenty dollar bill, "It's a good thing I'm rich," he mumbled.
"Wait," Jordan said stopping all of us. He then looked over at Erica and Chris, "you two betted one my sexuality?" They both nodded. "But," Jordan started blankly, "but I don't even know you guys?"
"Oh, but Hunter has told me a lot about you, he even looked into your fil-" Hunter quickly covered Erica's mouth with his hand.
"What she meant," Hunter chuckled nervously. "Is that I've been looking into all of my employee's files to see if they're are up to dat and it seems as though, she's been snooping around." his eyes shot daggers towards Erica as he let her go and she just smiled.
Chris then leaned over toward Jordan, "just so you know bro, I have nothing against homosexuals, they're pretty chill actually." The two of them fist bumped and Erica rolled her eyes at Chris who gave Erica a wink. "We're going to get my buddy here a bodyguard, I want to keep him around for a while."
"That's a great idea," Hunter said with a malicious smirk on his face, I then realised why. "Gideon can do it."
Gideon, Jordan and I all froze up. "Umm, I don't think that's a good idea," I said.
"Why not?" Hunter asked innocently raising an eyebrow. Never, in my entire 22 years of existence have I ever wanted to shave off an eyebrow until this moment. Hunter definitely knew about Gideon and Jordan's relationship and thought it would be funny to pair the two up together. I for one, did not appreciate it. You can hate the guy but pairing them up with someone like their ex? You had to be the coldest and most cruel human being to do that.
"Because Beckett and Gonzalez have already signed up to do that," in, walked Becca with Gonzalez and Beckett by her side. Never before, had she seemed so hero-like until that exact moment. "Gideon is mine."
I swear I heard Jordan and Gideon both thank the Lord at the same time.
Hey, heroes don't always wear capes.
"What a hero," Erica whispered beside me and a smile appeared on my face
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Chris pulled up two large bags. "We found the perfect couple costumes."
Erica quickly ran over and took them out. I examined the costume which I assumed was mine and was very hesitant to wear it.
Hunter then nudged me with a smirk on his face, "Hey, there's nothing to worry about. You'll look cute in that."
Erica then burst into fits of laughter as well as Chris who was literally rolling on the ground laughing. She then held the costume that we both assumed was mine higher into the air and said, "who said she was going to wear this?"
Alrighty, that's the end of this chapter, I hoped you enjoyed, leave a like, comment and share.
And I'll see you in the next chapter.
Until next time..<3