Trust Me

Chapter 42

Olivia

Jason fiddled with my fingers as he held my hand. A cool breeze blew past us while we waited outside the little burger joint to meet Jason's dad. Jason had decided that he did want to speak to his father one last time and hear him out. Get answers even.

I could feel the nervousness seeping from Jason as I wondered whether this was going to be a good idea or not. Yes, I was the one who encouraged the idea, but I was starting to have second thoughts about it all. As I watched my boyfriend fight to keep himself calm, I couldn't help but imagine this entire thing blowing up in our faces.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" I asked him, giving his hand a light squeeze.

Jason lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. Though I expected his oceanic orbs to be filled with uncertainty, they seemed quite calm. Maybe even a glimpse of certainty danced in his crimson orbs.

"I am." He answered, nodding his head. "I'm just nervous. More than nervous, a lot is going on in my head right now, sweetheart."

"I know, baby," I whispered, stepping directly in front of him and fixing his hair.

He smiled as I tussled with his russet-colored strands, aligning them back into place, "Thank you for coming with me." He whispered.

His gaze dropped to his feet, but I lifted his chin gently in his fingers, forcing his eyes to meet mine once more.

"You don't have to thank me, Jase. I know you feel like you're burdening me, but you're not, okay?"

Jason let out a deep sigh but nodded his head, although I knew he wanted to disagree.

"Are you ready to go in?" I asked, glancing toward the emerald green double doors that led to the diner.

"Now or never, right?" He sighed, to which I responded with a supportive nod.

Without wasting any more time, Jason and I stepped into the small diner, immediately greeted by the smell of canola oil frying in the air. To say it looked so tiny on the outside, it was pretty busy with just about every booth filled.

It didn't take long for Jason to spot his dad. I felt him tug at my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts as I glanced around the diner. Following his gaze, my eyes landed on a man who should be in his mid 40's but looked to be in his 50's or 60's. When his eyes made contact with us, and a small smile tugged at his lips, I knew without a doubt he was Jason's dad. That smile, the perfectly crooked half-smile thing he always did, came from him. It was identical.

As we approached the booth, the man stood up from his seat in the brown leather booth to greet us. I could feel Jason stiffen up beside me, so, in my best effort to calm him, I laced my arm through his and held it firmly.

"Jason, I'm so happy to see you." He grinned, holding his hand out for Jason to shake.

Jason hesitated for a moment but grabbed his dad's hand and shook it before he turned his attention to me.

"Yeah, uh, this is my girlfriend, Olivia." He stated, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Olivia, so nice to meet you, darling. I'm Scott, Jason's uh, his father." He smiled, holding his hand out for me to shake, to which I obliged.

"Thank you." I cheesed back, tucking my hands into the pockets of my jacket.

"Sit please, I'm so happy you decided to talk, Jason. I'm so grateful."

Jason motioned me to sit in the booth first before sliding in beside me. The cold leather brushed against my exposed legs raising goosebumps across my skin. Jason grabbed onto my hand beneath the table, and I gripped it tightly, letting him know that I would be here.