Page 43 of Unmasking You

“I’m lucky. I had two loving parents who doted on me,” he says with a smile. I love it and want more of it. “We didn’t have much money, but I never felt like I was missing out on anything. Not until…” His voice trails off, and I’m aware of when he started to feel like he was less than others… When he joined my school.

“What about friends? Did you have any before us?”

“I’ve never been one to socialise. I’ve always preferred video games and coding. I met my best friends after I left your school.”

A heavy silence fills the room, and I regret the question, so to keep him here I ask more. We never talked about any of this. We were too young to care about what made us different from each other.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I ask him, interested in knowing more, but also wanting to change the tough subject.

“No, I don’t. But I’ve always wanted a sibling.”

“Tell me more about when you were young.”

“My parents were older when I was born. I think they were in their forties, or close to it.” He giggles, and I bet it’s a joke they have between them. “They tried a lot to have kids and were overjoyed when I was born. You have to see the pictures I have of when I was a baby. Ridiculous.”

It’s my turn to laugh.

“I’d love to see them.” I bet he’d be so damn cute.

“Nope, and don’t ever ask my mum for them.” He glances at me with a dark face that makes me laugh. What has my heart soaring, though, is the fact that he’s hinting at the possibility of seeing each other after this is over.

“Did they allow you to have a dog even then?”

“I had pets but never a dog. I’m happy I found Queen; she’s the best.” And as if she was waiting for Jamie to mention her, she appears. Head held high, her tail swinging from one side to the other. We look at each other and smile at her antics.

“She’s great.”

“You say that only because she’s nice to you. She doesn’t even look at me since you saved her.”

“Queen loves you.” And as if on cue, she goes to Jamie and sits on his feet.

“Okay. Maybe she does.”

I look at him while he pets the dog, and at that moment it becomes clear how deep my feelings for him run.

“Isn’t she cute?” Jamie says, but I’m lost inside the soul-deep realisation I just had.

“What I did was unforgivable. There are no excuses.”

“I don’t want to have this spade always hanging on top of my head. I’m not ready to talk now, but one day I’ll come knocking, and I’ll want the truth.”

“I’ll never lie to you.”

He looks at me for a long time, and I don’t look away. “Okay, “ he says, standing up as if he found the answer he was looking for. “I’ll be in my office, “ he says before picking the plate and walking away.

I watch him leave, and it’s as if, in some way, we’ve turned a corner.

My heart is beating hard against my ribcage, and a flicker of hope is growing inside my chest. Maybe we have a way to go back to what we were before.

Friends.

Even if I wish for more, so much more.

Chapter 15

Jamie

Ten Years Ago

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