Page 78 of Behind the Bars

He stood up first and then I followed his suit, smoothing my hands over my leatherjacket.

“Jasmine,” he said as he breathed out, his eyes filled withconfusion.

“Elliott.”

“What are you…” he started, but his words trailedoff.

A small twitch found his bottom lip, and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. My eyes danced across his face, taking in every part of him, trying to note the things that had changed, trying to grasp the parts that remained thesame.

Most things hadchanged.

His beard was trimmed short—I’d never seen him with facial hair, and I instantly loved it. His left arm bore several tattoos, and I tried to take in every singleone.

He was so grown upnow.

There weren’t many parts of him that were the same, but thoseeyes…

Those beautiful hazeleyes…

He picked up his whiskey glass and drank the final drop before putting it back down. “What are you…” He paused, shutting his eyes. “What are y-you doing here?” His small stutter made my hearttwist.

“Looking for you.” I didn’t know what else to say, what else to feel. My eyes watered over, and the fire in my gut began to burn me from inside as the whole situation became overwhelming. Seeing him sent a wave of emotions through me. “I’m sorry, I know this is weird and stalkerish and not what you might want, and I know this is a lot to take in, but I wanted to see you because”—my hands started shaking, and I couldn’t find the words for what I needed to express—“because…” I twitched a little, growing nervous. “Well, because…because…” My eyes glassed over looking at the skinny boy who seemed so fragile. “Because…” My voice trembled, and Elliott narrowed his eyes myway.

“Jasmine?”

“Yes?”

“Breathe.”

“I-Iam.”

“You’re not. Trust me, I know what it’s like not tobreathe.”

And there he was—the boy I onceknew.

Myheart…

Itskipped.

Itcracked.

Itbroke.

Ithealed.

“I didn’t mean to just show up,but—”

“Jazz.” His voice was low, the nickname sending chills down myspine.

“Yes?”

“Let me kiss you?” He said it in the form of aquestion.

I nodded. “Yes.”

His mouth crashed against mine as he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my body, pushing me up against the edge of the booth. He kissed me hard, kissed me deep, kissed me as if it were the last wish he held in his heart. His hands slid under my thighs and he lifted me up, placing me on top of the table, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist—and just like that, I was back in his story. Yet, unlike our younger chapters where our fire flickered, these chaptersburned.

Hislips…

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