I chased Jack down the sidewalk. I could tell he was a great runner, but he was going slower for me. I jumped on his back, intending on tackling him, but instead he just caught me for a piggyback ride.
"Hey! You were supposed to fall down!" I yelled.
"Right. Sorry." He then proceeded to dramatically kneel on the ground, pretending that I successfully tackled him. I giggled at the thought of me moving his strong build.
He smiled and stood up again, giving me a ride back to my house. He put me down in my living room, crouching a little so I didn't have to jump far.
"Thank you, kind sir." I curtseyed before him, speaking in a strange, old-English accent.
"Why of course, m'lady." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. I chuckled and smiled as he released my hand. I wandered downstairs to grab a sweatshirt and finally end my coldness.
I got down there and looked at all of Caden's stuff that he kept at my house. I bit my lip and rubbed my arm nervously. I felt Jack's presence, but I didn't acknowledge it. I sat down on my bed and played with the sleeve of one of Caden's hoodies that was laid on my bed. I felt the mattress dip a little as Jack sat next to me, watching me silently.
"How are you doing, Love?" he asked sincerely.
"Not good, Jack." I was fighting to hold tears in, so I looked at the wall.
"Hey," he touched my arm gently to make me look at him, "you don't have to hide tears around me. Ever."
I nodded and let them start flowing. He pulled me into his warm embrace and let me get my emotions out. My heart was aching and I wasn't sure what I would do. I certainly wasn't perfectly happy with Caden, but he knew me better than anyone and we spent so much of our lives together.
"I miss him."
"I know." He pet my hair and waited for me to share more with him.
"I can't just stop loving him after three years. We spent so much time together. And look at my house. His stuff's all over. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now," I sobbed into his chest.
"I'm so sorry. I promise you won't feel like this forever."
I shook my head, not thinking clearly. "No. I can't do it, I can't. What am I supposed to do?" I sobbed hysterically, eventually not forming words anymore.
"Hey, Y/N. Calm down." I shook my head at his response, but I knew I needed to calm down. I was having some sort of breakdown, and it wasn't good for me at all.
"Look at me, okay?" he pleaded. I nodded and forced myself to look at his face. He was very blurry through my ocean of tears, but I was desperate to stop my meltdown.
"Good. Now breath in and out deeply. Do it with me." His hand was resting on my neck and he guided me through breathing. I wasn't as good at it as he was, but I was trying. I was slowly feeling less horrible. We kept doing it until I was pretty mellow and there weren't very many tears left.
"Good. I'll always be here if you need someone to cry on, but I don't want to see you get that worked up. I don't want you to hurt yourself," he told me as he rubbed my neck with his thumb. It was subtle, and I don't think he realized he was doing it.
I nodded in agreement and he hugged me again. I closed my eyes momentarily, ignoring everything else and only paying attention to the feeling of his arms around me.
"What should I do?" I finally asked rather monotonously.
"I think.... I think you should try to fix your relationship with him."
I was taken aback and I looked up at his face. I completely expected him to tell me to break up and move on from him. I was then puzzled why he'd want me to do that.
"Why?" I asked, not able to contain my curiosity.
"You clearly love him and care about him a lot. After three years, it would be hard to just ditch your feelings for someone. I think it's worth it to try and work through your issues."
I furrowed my eyebrows together quickly, and searched his face. He didn't seem to be lying and he looked serious.
"I just.... I don't think I want to fix it with him. After something like that, how can I forgive him?"
"I really think you should try. At least just sit down and talk with him. You might be able to work it out."
"You think so?"
"I do."
"Okay.. well. I mean, how do I even do that? How am I supposed to face him without crying?"
"I can tell you're extremely strong, Y/N. And just remember that you're choosing to talk to him and you're in control of the situation. You can leave at any time if you don't want to talk anymore. You owe it to yourself to try."
I nodded and leaned up, wrapping my arms around his neck. He hugged me back, then separated, watching to see what I wanted to do.
"Okay, I'm going to text him and have him come over."
"Good. I'll see you soon then?" he got off of my bed, but I latched onto his wrist and stopped him.
"I'm sorry, I've been demanding a lot from you, but will you stay until he gets here?"
"Sure, Love." He sat back down and I laid my head on his lap. He played with my hair lightly and we didn't speak. He pulled out his phone and played calm music to break the silence. I enjoyed getting to hear more of his music. The song was kind of sad, and it got me thinking. I closed my eyes gently, not tired, but just trying to feel more at peace.
-----E.J.'s P.O.V-----
Seeing her so upset was heartbreaking. I was beyond furious with Caden and I hated how he seemed to treat her. But I wanted her to be happy and her pain to stop. I understood that she still loved him and I really did want them to fix things. Never had I met someone I felt so drawn to within only a few weeks, but she was different.
I gazed at her face, attempting to find serenity. I wished I could do more to help, but there wasn't a lot I could do. I definitely wanted to be with her more than anything and I wanted our relationship to become much more than friends, but that wasn't what she needed. Besides, I wasn't good enough for her anyway. She needed someone more deserving and less crazy. I didn't want to drag her into my world and my mess of a life.
I was feeling weirdly emotional and was kind of begging for Caden to show up shortly. It wasn't long before he finally did.
-----Your P.O.V-----
"Oh fuck. Okay. Thank you so sooo much for helping me. Seriously, I can't thank you enough."
"It's no problem. You've got this. You're strong," he told me as he stood up.
"Thank you." I smiled weakly at him as he climbed out my window.
I took a deep breath before asecending my staircase. Caden was standing there with his head lowered.
"Hi, Y/N." He barely looked at me as he spoke. He rarely used my real name, so I knew he was serious.
"Hi." My voice was not friendly.
"Take a seat." I gestured to the couch and watched as he nervously sat down. I sat next to him, keeping my distance.
"So.... do you want to explain?" I spoke as if I were conducting an interview and tried to take my emotions out of my voice.
"I'm so sorry. I was a fucking idiot. I don't know why I cheated on you. I was just lonely I guess and she was there.... it didn't meant anything."
"Then why did you keep doing it after I got back?"
"I don't know. I just... I didn't want to stop. It's fucking stupid. I'd take it back if I could."
"Was she worth it?"
"Hell no. Not even close."
I inhaled deeply and looked away, gazing out at the dark forest through my patio door.
"Y/N, I meant everything I said to you. I love you so much and I want to start a life with you."
"Then why'd you have to fucking do that?" Tears started welling up in my eyes.
"I'm sorry I hurt you. I don't want to give up on us." He pulled me into his arms and ran his fingers through my hair like he always did. I cried softly into his chest, angry with myself for crying. Angry that I wanted to forgive him.
"How do I trust you now?" I asked.
"I don't expect you to. I'll earn it back slowly."
I sighed and nodded reluctantly.
"Are we still together?" he asked slowly.
"For now."
He nodded and rested his head on top of mine. I loved him so much, but he had shattered my heart. I didn't know how long it would take to fix our relationship.
He pulled my face up to his and kissed me tenderly. He pulled away and gazed into my eyes with his bright green ones.
"Movie night? In here of course," he suggested.
"Yeah, sure."
"You want me to order our usual?"
"Yes." He started to get up to grab his phone, but I held onto his waist.
"What is it, baby?" he asked gently.
"I don't want you to leave," I said nervously.
"I'm just going to grab my phone, babe. I left it in the kitchen."
I looked down at the ground and sighed.
"Alright, you're coming with me." He picked me up and carried me in his arms. I giggled a little and rested my head on his shoulder. He ordered our food, then we sat on the couch and snuggled through a movie marathon.