THE BOY WHO NEVER SPOKE | Complete

Chapter Six

I decided to take her back to my place since she wasn't feeling that well tonight after all that crying, but I have to admit that I did not expect us to jump into whatever it is we are in right now.

Tonight was supposed to be about me telling her that her ex-boyfriend is not really her ex-boyfriend, and I absolutely screwed that up. "Ezekiel!" I hear her shout from the other room.

I was in my bedroom changing when I heard her shout my name. I rushed to her only to find my brother's notebook in her hand, and a confused look drawn all over her face. "Why do you have Jackson's diary at your house?"

Jackson's diary, what could that possibly mean? I ask myself. My tongue is twisted, the words aren't forming in my mind. I didn't expect her to find the notebook, let alone call it Jackson's, or Ash's.

"What do you mean Jackson's notebook love?" I ask, trying to ease the anger that's slowly building up on her face. "Don't love me Ezekiel," She said, her tone only getting higher. "This is Jackson's diary. Why is it here?"

She raised the book to my face and tapped her fingers on the initials of the book and said, "J.R, Jackson Ravenborn." And only then did Alissa finally understand her mistake, and only then did she realize what J.R truly stood for.

She put the book back on the table where she found it and took a step back with embarrassment slowly drawing across her face.

"I am so sorry, I should've known." She says, but I quickly get closer to her and give her a hug because I could sense that she was about to cry again. I don't understand why she has cried tonight more than I've cried in a lifetime, but the mystery of the woman kind will always remain just that, a mystery.

"It's okay, a common mistake." I comforted her, "Sit down," I gestured for her to sit on the sofa. "You and I need to have a little talk about a certain individual called Jackson Ravenborn."

Alissa's eyes opened wide up. not knowing what it is that's about to hit her, but I couldn't help but wonder to myself how her reaction would be after everything I'm about to tell her. She took a seat next to me on the sofa, "What's up?" She asked, hugging her knees.

"Your ex-boyfriend is not who you think he is," I say, staring her in the eyes. "He's been living a fake life all this time and he has fooled every single one of you love."

The room went silent for a moment. All you could hear was the space between what I last said and the long breath Alissa took to gather her thoughts. "You're joking, right?" she asked, giggling nervously.

"This isn't a night to be cracking jokes, Ezekiel. This is seriously not funny at all," Alissa snapped.

"I'm not lying to you Alissa," I say, "I have no reason to lie to you."

"I don't understand," she says. "What do you mean he's living a fake life?" Her eyes are now looking at me with genuine sadness in them. If I didn't know better I would believe that there was a part of her that was still attached to him.

"His real name is Ash, he used to be best friends with my brother and he took care of me in the psych ward when Jeremiah disappeared," I say, realizing this is probably the first time I've shared this story out loud to anyone, even myself.

"That notebook you saw was given to me by Ash, and it has my brother's notes in it. Last one was written not so long ago which proves that he's still alive. I noticed who Ash was the day we met, he knew who I was too, and he said the only way he would ever give me my brother's whereabouts was if I let you go."

Alissa said nothing for several seconds. She just zoned into my words and was furiously biting her nails, trying to make sense of what just happened. "I have so many questions right now," Alissa says, finally looking at me.

"I don't know what to say, God I don't even know if I believe you." I don't necessarily blame her for doubting my words, after all she and Ash shared a way longer and deeper connection than what she and I have. "Firstly, psych ward?" She shoots me a concerned look.

"Yes, after Jeremiah, you know, they sent him to a psych ward, and that's where he met Ash," I say, slowly regretting ever having to open this topic with her. "As for me, they sent me to the psych ward with my brother because they thought I had no emotions after what happened. For years I stopped feeling pain, joy, happiness, or any emotion whatsoever." I add.

"Can I ask you an odd question?" Alissa says.

"Sure, anything." I say.

"When was the last time you shed a tear?" She asked.

It took me some time to remember when was the last time I cried, until I finally realized that it's been so long.

"More than 5 years now." I say, shocked by own words, but Alissa wasn't. I dare to say Alissa was quite sad to know that I haven't cried in so long. She came and sat closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder, "No more questions for tonight." She said, "Are you sure?" I reply, "I feel really terrible for laying all of this on you with no notice." I add.

Alissa looked up at my eyes. "I have a lot of questions, but they can wait because I believe you," She went back to staring at the turned off TV screen in front of us that had nothing but our reflection on.

"And you can still call me love, I didn't mean to go off at you for no reason." That last sentence put my heart at ease once again, I never thought she would be so supporting of me after hearing such a deep story about the man she is currently with, and the truth about the man she used to be with, but I am more than happy to see where this whole journey would take us, and scared at the same time.

I'm worried about Ash, I'm worried about Jeremiah, I'm worried how Sara is going to take me telling Alissa, I'm worried about what would happen if Alissa decided to tell her friends about Ash.

There are more than a million thoughts roaming my brain freely at this moment. Voices telling me to pack my bags and run away again like I did last time, but I remember that last time I didn't have the most beautiful girl sitting right here next to me, helping me keep my mind at ease. "Will do, love," I finally say, and Alissa and I just fell asleep right there on the sofa, with no energy left to go on about the day.