US

+ p a r t t h r e e: 12 +

I wasn't prepared to see him. I don't think I'd have ever been, but no one had told me he was going to come home that day.

Or maybe he just wanted to keep it as a surprise.

He never called after that night I hung up, just sent texts and those ones were rare too. That was okay. As long as he was focusing in school.

I was getting better too. The recording of him talking to me kept my nightmares away and I finally got over my withdrawal phase. I was okay.

I wasn't sure how I felt seeing him on the patio.

He was standing there, a small smile on his face and glasses. His hair had grown longer and he looked a bit less cute, as if there was a fierce beauty about him now.

I was standing some feet away wearing denim jeans, a black turtleneck sweater and his football jacket.

I couldn't move, all I kept thinking was . . .

Jamie is home. Jamie is home.

He walked to me first, hugging me before I could react or move away. His hands wrapped around me tightly and I could smell him now.

He was real.

My Jamie was home.

When he pulled away, he saw the tears in my eyes and made a face "What's wrong, Skye?"

I shook my head, brushing away my tears. I was okay. I was fine "Hormones"

He chuckled, his eyes moving to my hair as he began to play with it "It's grown again"

I had let it grow that time. It reminded me of the first time we met everytime I let my fingers play with it. The first time his eyes had worked it's magic on me.

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd wear something of mine without me begging you to"

I didn't react. I only stared.

When we got back inside, it was dinnertime, just like always and everyone was seated. Holly was asking him many questions and Rob only gave his opinions on certain things.

I just sat still on the table. I couldn't even eat.

Jamie is home. Jamie is home.

"Skye?"

His hand held mine and I snatched it back before I could think twice about it.

A hurt look flashed on his face as Holly and Rob stared lost at me. They knew I'd missed him. They knew I was supposed to happy.

I was supposed to be happy. Why wasn't I?

"Sorry" I stood, moving the chair backwards "I just— I'm not hungry"

I returned to my room, taking off his jacket and throwing it on my bed. My head hurt and my heart kept racing.

What was going on? What sort of feeling was this?

I moved to my desk and began to write in a paper on it.

Jamie is home, and yet— Yet I don't know what it is I'm feeling. I missed him. I cried every night when he was gone. I could barely even concentrate. What's going on?

My door room opened and I quickly squeezed the paper up in a ball. Jamie was standing at my door, my phone in his hand "You left it in my room"

I threw the paper in the bin, taking the phone from him "Thank you"

He nodded. I waited for him to leave, he didn't "You've been staying in my room?"

"It's easier to smoke there, remember?"

"There's not a single smell of nicotine there. I checked"

All I felt like saying was fuck you, but I didn't.

"Skye, I—" He came closer and I took a step backward. He let out a sigh"Why are you being like this?"

I don't know, Jamie. My emotions are all going haywire but I know I want to hug you and yet for some reason, I can't "I'm a bit tired"

"Mom and Dad said you were like this after I left, but only for while. Am I the one making you like this? Should I go away?"

No! "It's your house. If anyone is to leave, it'd be me"

"One would think with all the years you've lived here, you'd know it's your house too"

He looked so hurt, so sad. Like this was draining the life out of him. Like I was draining the life out of him.

I finally took a step forward and when I was close enough, I kissed him.

It made all the noises and voices in my head quiet down. He was moaning to me, his hand already wrapping themselves around my waist as he pulled me closer to his body.

Then he pulled away "Let's talk"

I didn't want to talk. Talking never solved anything.

So I kissed him again, with more determination this time.

It had been so long and yet, even though my heart seemed to be confused about seeing him, my body knew what to do.

When we had sex, he was behind me. I could feel the locket on my back as he thrust into me while the key dangled on my neck.

"I love you" He said it with every move. He said it like it was his last breath.

I said it as well and I had meant it.

After we were done, I laid next to him. I'd missed him. Whatever thoughts I was having before had gone. I could think clearly now.

My baby was home.

"I didn't want to have sex, Skye"

He sounded like he had regrets. I didn't want him to have that "It's been a while. Didn't you want to?"

"Of course I wanted to" He was looking at me now. I swallowed in at the intensity of it "I just— I'd rather we had communicated instead of this. I thought we'd grown past—  This"

Using sex as a mode of communication.

We slept apart that night.

And after he was gone, I found out I was pregnant.