Unexpected

Chapter 32

Amber's POV

"Have a minute?" Jackson asks, a half smile quirking up his face. He puts his hands in his pockets and stands on the porch, waiting for me to say something. I stare at him for another few seconds, and then I snap out of my daze.

"I-uh- sure- what's up?" I splutter, moving all the way outside and softly closing the door behind me so I wouldn't wake Sam.

"So, um, I know it's kinda weird for me to show up here after so long of not really talking, but I kind of wanted more closure I guess? I, uh, got a new job in Birmingham, and I leave tomorrow morning," Jackson explains, looking at me and then down at his shoes.

"Oh, um. Wow. Congratulations," I reply, looking at my phone for the date. June 13. Have Jackson and I really not talked since November?

"Thanks, I'm excited for it. Anyways, so if you do have a couple minutes, I wanted to talk. All professional, I'm not trying to get back with you or anything." I nod and gesture to some chairs on the far end of the porch, a small glass table in between them.

Jackson sits down first, and then waits for me to take my seat before he starts talking. "Alright. Where do I start?" he says with a small laugh. "I guess I kind of would just like your thoughts on the break up? If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But I've been wondering about this for a while, to be completely honest with you."

I stare at him in wonder for a second. The whole time I dated him, he had always been a sweet and caring guy, so seeing him get so violent drunk that night really shook me up. And to be honest with myself, I forgot about his kind persona, and only envisioned him as a monster. So to have him sitting in front of me, kindly requesting my thoughts, woke me up from that fantasy.

"Sure, I'll talk about it. Basically, it just really shook me up. I have trouble trusting people, so seeing you break my trust so easily that night really bothered me. I know that you, as a person, are not heartless and scary and mean, but that's how you acted under the influence. And I didn't really want to put my heart and soul into a boyfriend who couldn't handle himself while drinking.

I don't care if people drink; I myself have a couple drinks here and there. But it's knowing limits, and understanding how you're like when you accidentally go over the limit. Not only all that, but when we first started getting to know each other on various dates and hangouts, you had mentioned that you rarely drank. Maybe that was true, but from the way you chugged beer after beer, made me think otherwise.

Yes, we could've talked this through more the following day, but I was in a tough spot. I don't really wanna discuss what that was, but just know I wasn't very ready for a relationship. I know that's unfair to you, but it's all in the past. I guess we both have things to apologize for."

I take a breath after I finish talking, surprised what I was able to say. Jackson stares ahead for a second, and I'm worried I hurt him with what I said. I don't want him to leave here, upset and hurt by me.

"You know, I'm really glad you said that. Yeah, I majorly screwed up that night. And I'm glad you were able to forgive me. I actually- well- I got engaged. About a week ago," Jackson adds with a grin.

"WHAT? That's amazing!! Who's the girl?" I lean forward as he pulls out his phone, flipping to a photo of him and his fiance.

"Whoa. She's so pretty," I breathe out. The girl has long black hair, and a small face with big green eyes. Her smile is stunning, and she looks perfectly in shape. Jackson is grinning down at her, his arm tucked securely around her waist.

"Her name is Irene. She actually was the one who told me to come and talk to you. I had been telling her how I felt bad about leaving, when I was so crappy towards you. I was kind of skeptical at first, so I took a walk around your neighborhood, and when I saw your car, I decided to go for it," Jackson says, slipping his phone back into his pocket.