Lonely Together II (Sequel)

Chapter 21

***anything that is italicized in this chapter is a flashback. if there is any confusion, please reread chapter 7(: i hope you enjoy!

"Jess," Justin came running into the kitchen where I stood, halting as he watched me make coffee.

"Yes?"

"Are you aware you turn twenty next week?"

I let out a short laugh through my nose. "Yeah."

He ran a hand through his hair, and I already knew what he was thinking.

"Don't get me anything," I kissed his cheek as I walked to sit down. "I don't need it."

He sat down across from me at the kitchen table. "Shit. No, don't say that. Yes you do."

I rolled my eyes. "I seriously don't, Justin. Just pretend it's like any other day."

I stood up to rinse my mug. "How can you even say that?" He said as the phone rang. He stared at me as he picked it up, a slight smirk on his face. "Hello?"

I tuned out his conversation while I did some of the dishes that were in the sink. My bare feet pattered against the floor; the shirt of Justin's I was wearing barely covering my shorts. I was drying a glass when I heard Justin say the words, "What? How- that doesn't make any sense."

I tuned back in while acting like I wasn't. I was drying my hands while looking out the window. Justin was getting angrier and angrier by the second, and I could tell.

"That's not possible," he spat. "This isn't my fault."

My heart beat picked up its pace in a short matter of time. I turned and made eye contact with him, my eyebrows scrunched up in a confused manner. What was he talking about?

"Thanks," Justin said with tight lips, ending the call and looking at me.

I took a step towards him. "Wh-"

"Someone broke into my house when I wasn't here for months."

I had no idea what he was talking about. Who would break into this house? "When did this even-"

"April 22nd," he said. "The cops just called and said they were watching surveillance cameras from the store across the street and saw someone break the lock that night. I guess a girl was there too, but they couldn't make out her face."

"April 22nd," I trailed off. "Where were we?"

"Well that was the night you..." he looked at his lap. "You uh, left me."

I stared off for a second, my mind going blank. The night I left for Maine? "Wait," I looked at the ground. "You mean the night that you told me-" I looked at him, my mouth partially open. "The night you told me Jake didn't actually kill you?"

You could feel the tension in the air. Justin still didn't explain that to me, and it was something that never got brought up again. The thought has never left my mind, but we've never talked about it.

"Yeah," Justin's voice was quiet. "That was the night."

I looked at the ground once more, trying to recap that entire night piece by piece. Suddenly, it hit me. I thought back to Justin, and us fighting. Everything came tumbling back into my brain.

I walked down to where the shop was, but I didn't want to go to the shop. I've been there too much lately. I walked the complete other direction to the area where the Carolina Cafe was, and where Justin's house was. As I walked down the sidewalks near these little stores, I remembered something that I seemed to forget until I came down here. This is where I came after Mrs. Banks accused me of killing Jake, and Justin found me and took me to his house.