and it was perfect

Chapter 34

Within minutes his car rolled up in our driveway. In the meantime, I grabbed my tote bag and randomly threw in a bunch of clothes, my laptop, and a charger. Then I quickly grabbed my toiletry bag from the bathroom and sneaked downstairs. Thankfully everyone was asleep by now, and I didn't have to confront anyone with my swollen face. The sight of Aiden's gym back hanging on the front door made me squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. How could I possibly share the same roof with him from now on? I stumbled outside, relieved as soon as I say Gene's silhouette through his car window. He opened the passenger door from the inside, and I quickly went in.

He didn't say a word; he just put his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. I started sobbing. I thought the tears were gone by now; it turned out they weren't. We stayed like that for a few minutes, him simply stroking my back, mumbling comforting words that didn't make any sense, and me continuously sobbing and wetting his shirt. "Let's get out of here." he finally whispered, let go of my back, and reversed the car while holding my hand with the other. We drove for a few minutes until we reached the dorm's parking lot. "Now, what happened?" He finally asked. His understanding eyes already knew.

"He-" my voice broke, and I cleared my throat. Talking hurt. "He ended things. Zoe told him she thinks I have feelings for someone, and he didn't take it well." He closed his eyes. "Fuck. What did he say?" - "He came over shortly after and asked me if it was true. But he already knew it. He said we're done, and what the hell I was thinking." I laughed bitterly. "What the hell was I thinking, Gene?" He just shook his head and pulled me back into his arms. "You were in love, Jen. You fell in love with a guy that was your friend and that you also slept with. Now, I'm sorry, but the odds of you not falling for him were close to zero. How often does friends with benefits not end up in disaster?" I cried even harder. I knew he was right. "Why did he start it in the first place? I was fine with just being his roommate and attracted to him. Not happy, but fine. Why did he drag me into this?" I whined. "He's a guy, Jen. I don't think his head made that decision." I scoffed and wiped away some tears that were burning on my cheek. "I hate guys. You're just a fucking mess of testosterones and issues." He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Ouch. But yeah, basically."

I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. "I don't know what to tell you, Jen. This man's a mystery. I don't want to give you any hope but move on from him as quickly as possible. But I'm just being honest. I still don't understand his whole jealousy thing. I don't think he doesn't care about you, like at all. And that's what's pissing me off even more." I nodded. "Same. I just don't understand." He sighed. "He's got issues, Jen. Bad ones. Where on earth does he go every other night? Where's all that anger and frustration coming from?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I wish I knew." I quietly whispered. He sighed again. "I don't think he's a bad person. My head still hurts thinking about it, but I do cut him some slack for looking after you as he did. I guess there's just a lot of shit he needs to sort out before actually admitting he does have feelings for someone."

My breath stopped for a second. "But you're not gonna wait for it to happen, Jenna. Promise me this. Think about Nate. You know better than that." His words hit me. He was right; I couldn't wait for Aiden to change; who knew if it would ever happen at all. But the thought of letting go of him for good squeezed my heart together and made me sob again. "I love him, Gene. I can't do this." He hugged me even tighter. "I know, Jen ... but you also loved Nate. You're going to make it."

I didn't close my eyes at all that night. Gene's bed was tiny, and in the end, he just decided to cuddle me to make it as comfortable as possible. I was grateful for his hug; it felt like it was holding my pieces together. I stared blankly against the dark ceiling, sometimes reminiscing about our time together, sometimes quietly crying again. At seven, Gene's alarm clock went off, putting me out of my trance. He moaned and slowly raised his hand to turn it off. Then he faced me, his eyes still half closed. "You look like death, Jen." I nodded. He sighed. "Did you sleep at all?" I shook my head. He grazed my shoulder. "How about you stay here for the day, get some rest." I nodded again, thankfully. "That would be amazing; thank you." My voice sounded like sandpaper.