Fill My Lungs | J. Todd ✔

[23] The Unavoidable Nuisance

"Valerie... I love you."

She seemed rooted to the spot, her grey eyes wide in surprise and her lips parted to speak but no words came out. She had not been expecting him to confess and it still felt as if she had just imagined it.

But his blue eyes were full of the gentle care and affection she was so accustomed to seeing there for herself. And he was looking back at her as if waiting for a reaction, waiting for her to respond to his confession.

"You do?" She spoke up but it came out as a question rather than a response to his statement.

He nodded but seeing her tensed like that, he felt he shouldn't have confessed right then. She looked more shocked to hear it than he had expected.

But then her hands reached up to cup his face, fingers lingering over his cheeks delicately. The shock in those grey eyes had turned into a very sad expression and he got more alarmed to see her as such.

"Valerie?"

"I... I'm sorry, I just don't know how to..." Her lips quivered as if she would burst into tears any second so Jason wrapped his arms around her in that comforting embrace that always made her calm down.

"It's okay, you don't have to say it back," he replied softly, fingers running through her hair, "I just wanted you to know how I felt."

She pulled apart at that remark, watery eyes looking up into his blue ones, "Jay, remember that night when you said you didn't want to lose me?"

"Yeah..."

"I don't want to lose you too," she mumbled, letting him brush off the slight streak of tears, "but I lose the people I love... I don't want the same thing to happen to you too..."

He understood that feeling all too well. Blaming one's own self for losing their loved ones was a terrible feeling and right then he could see why she had been so shocked and then saddened upon his confession.

She had somehow accepted that the people she loved would one day or another leave her and she expected the same to happen in their case. But she also didn't want to lose him, just like she had said right then.

"I am not going anywhere," he tried to assure her, brushing away the tears from her face, "you won't lose me, I promise."

It was a promise he wanted to keep but his life wasn't exactly stable and safe for him to say that with so much certainty. Still, he couldn't see her in tears and wanted to take all that pain and hurt away from her.

He wanted to be that reason she would start believing that love wasn't a feeling to run away from. Just like she had unknowingly made him believe in trusting and loving someone again even after everything he had been through.

"So... I... I won't lose you?" She asked, her hands resting on top of his and he had gently entwined their fingers together.

"No, never. I will always find my way back to you," he told her, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

But still, she was afraid of saying those three words out loud; the words she felt would mark his fate to be doomed just like she had seen it happen to the others she had loved before.

Instead, she expressed how she felt through a kiss, gentle and sweet, full of all the love she held in her heart for him. And in his opinion that was better than getting a confession back. He knew clearer than ever that she too felt the same for him.

He didn't let her pull apart as he deepened the moment, yet another post breakfast conversation turning into a heated make-out session.

What he forgot right then was that they weren't the only two people in his safe house. And their passionate endeavor was interrupted by a rather distinct sound of someone clearing his throat loudly behind them.

Jason had to break off the kiss and turned to see Roy standing at the entrance of the kitchen, an annoying smirk playing on his lips.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted but my grumbling stomach needs food," Roy remarked, his smirk getting wider to see Jason's cheeks shade red either due to him being flustered or angered at his interruption.

"You are an unavoidable nuisance," he remarked, reluctantly letting go of Valerie as he gave Roy's share of French toast and kept the other dish for Kori.

"Good morning, Val," Roy ignored Jason's glare as he greeted Valerie.

"Hi," she replied with a soft smile although she too was feeling very awkward after the unexpected encounter, "where's Kori?"

"She's taking a shower, she will be out here any moment," he told her, focusing on his food at last.

An awkward silence lingered between the three of them as Roy seemed to be in the full mood of flustering Jason even more but was somehow controlling the temptation in front of Valerie. And Jason was staring down at him as if silently conveying all the different ways he could kill him if he dared to say anything to embarrass them.

Between the two of them and their highly contrasting moods, Valerie felt even more awkward, hoping Kori would come out there soon.

Soon enough, the beautiful Tamaranean princess graced them with her presence, a lovely smile breaking out on her face to see Valerie.

"Good morning," she chirruped, going straight to Val and ignoring the other two who were still having a staring contest, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes," she replied, "Jay made breakfast, he put yours in the microwave."

"Oooh, thanks," she got the dish out and perched up on the counter beside Valerie. Noticing the two of them, she asked, "what happened to the boys?"

"Well..."

However, before Valerie could complete the sentence, Roy piped up, "I barged in on these two making out and Jay has been threatening to kill me ever since."

Valerie was sure that Jason would hit Roy with a frying pan at that remark but Kori's light laughter served as the perfect distraction. "Aww, Jay, don't mind him. You know Roy is like a toddler on a sugar rush; he didn't mean to barge in, he just couldn't help it."

"Gee, thanks Kori, for taking my side in such an insulting way," Roy rolled his eyes in sarcasm making Kori laugh more.

"You're always welcome, Roytoy," she smiled brightly at the irritated expression he made on her using that nickname.

***