Page 88 of Withered

A gasp leaves my lips. I stare at him, wide-eyed.

“Her parents moved her so she could get better treatment, but they were late. I screamed and cried until I was broken. I ran away, and the next day my mum found me in her backyard, near the tree that had no leaves at that time.”

My eyes begin to water. He blinks rapidly, most likely in an attempt to blink away the tears. “And that’s it. Jen is the bird that is departing the tree. This was my very first tattoo. The bird reminds me of her, of what I had before it was taken away from me. After that, I changed. I grew cold and distant. I suppose I still am.”

The final sentence makes me chuckle, but my cheeks are already moist with tears.

A comfortable silence followed in the room.

“Do you still miss her?” I ask, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hands.

In the next three words, he breaks my heart further. “Every single day.”

I nod, unable to speak. The silence in the room is broken when his phone rings. He stares at the phone, spares me a glance, and cuts the call.

Confused, I ask him, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he replies, then adds, “Too much for a day?”

Who knew this boy had this side to him?I smile at him and say, “Nope. I’m glad you told me this. Jennifer sounds amazing; I’m sure she was.”

He hums.

“I’ll get going now,” I say, nodding.

“I’ll walk you home,” he states.

“You do realize I live right next door, don’t you?” I declare.

“Yup. You’re my girl next door.” He smiles.My girl, the way he says that, has such a nice ring to it.

I beam with the same smile. The only difference is that he has dimples and I don’t.Unfair.

“I can go by myself. Meet you at my window in a few minutes?” I ask.

“Okay.” He gets up from the bed, and I do too.

He abruptly says, “Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask.

“For listening and not judging me.” His forest-green eyes twinkle with an unreadable emotion.

“I won’t lie to you. I did judge you, and I still feel you are that obnoxious, stubborn jerk at times. But now that I’ve heard your side of the story, you’re good, Jake. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. I saw the good part when I saw you talking to Aria at my door,” I express.

He takes a step forward and moves closer to me. His familiar woodsy scent surrounds me, weakening my brain. He tucks my hair behind the ear, a thing I notice he does a lot and a thing I’ve grown fond of.

“You are something else, Evans,” he states.

He hooks one arm around my waist, drawing me impossibly closer to him until our noses are touching. A million ideas race through my mind, but they all come to a halt when I feel Jake’s lips on mine.

It starts with a simple peck, but soon he presses his lips more. I get on my toes and place my hands behind his neck. The kiss is slow, not passionate like any before, but unique. As if he is taking his time.

I pull back unwillingly and breathe heavily. I could feel his breath on my lips, and I noticed our foreheads are touching. One kiss from Jake is all it takes to mend all the broken pieces of my heart.

In contrast to that, my heart feels heavier with each passing second. I’ve never felt this way about a boy before, and I’m terrified. Scared of what is happening and what will happen.

I leave his house and return to mine. As said, I meet him at the window, and he is already seated at the edge of his window, smirking. We talk for a few minutes, then call it a night.

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