Chapter 21
The next morning, Selena didn’t say much when Jessica woke up. At breakfast, however, she called me “darling” in a sweet, affectionate tone.
Afterward, Jessica seemed in no hurry to leave and even asked if she could stay a couple more days.
Ignoring my involvement, Jessica and Selena were best friends. There was no way Selena was going to turn her down. So, of course, she agreed. And as usual, she playfully demanded that I take on the responsibility of buying fresh ingredients every day to cook for them.
I chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek
Jessica sat there quietly with her head bowed, not saying a word. If she liked watching our display of affection, she was welcome to stay and enjoy the view!! Maybe after some time, she would give up.
But I forgot–Jessica was stubborn when it came to her feelings.
That evening, Selena had a work dinner and wouldn’t be home for dinner. When I arrived in the hallway outside her apartment, Jessica stopped me.
The autumn chill was settling in October was well underway, and the cool air had a slight bite to it.
When she saw me, she pursed her lips. I noticed her knuckles were slightly red. She must have known that Selena wasn’t coming back and had been waiting to corner me for a long time. Our relationship was never balanced. After what happened that day, I thought with how prideful she was, she wouldn’t reach out to me for quite a while. As she approached me, I didn’t miss the exhaustion in her eyes–she probably hadn’t slept much over the past few days.
“Seb, I need to talk to you.”
Jessica looked pale, and her lips were nearly ashen. Being in this state likely meant she had stomach issues again. The past me would have habitually nagged her, then pulled out some crackers or bread from my bag to help settle her stomach.
My fingers twitched instinctively, but I remembered that the bag I was carrying now was one Selena had bought. I had thrown away my old bag, along with Jessica’s stomach medicine and the emergency snacks I used to keep on hand for her.
I fell silent and didn’t say anything
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Jessica said, her voice hoarse.
She let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Every time I think about you marrying Selena, being with her, kissing her, having kids knowing that your life won’t include me anymore, it feels like someone’s tearing my heart out. It hurts so much I just want to curl up and disappear.”
She paused, then muttered, “I didn’t feel that pain when Cameron disappeared. Not like this. Now I know, I’m nothing without you. Seb, it’s been sixteen years since I met you.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I love you.”
Unce again, I rejected her.
When those three words came out of jessica’s mouth, I thought I would be filled with emotions and be unable to sleep all night. However, the truth was that I slept soundly and peacefully that night.
Doubts and hesitation never even crossed my mind
