FORTY-NINE

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J A Z M I N E

I began walking up the stairs slowly in an attempt to allow my thoughts to run wild while also preparing myself mentally to enter the room. A part of me was silently hoping that she had fallen asleep since I had been in the living room for quite some time.

I pushed open the door to find her laying on the bed, and the fact she didn't look over to me led me to know that she was still upset about what had happened before.

"Where is Aria?" I asked, hoping to change the aura around us.

"In her room," She responded while her tone revealed everything she was feeling.

"Are you okay?" I asked stupidly, moving over the bed as she continued to scroll through her phone.

"I'm fine," She replied, her words aiding my assumption letting me know she was still pissed at me.

"I'm sorry," I announced standing by the bed and she sighed looking over to me.

"I don't want you to be sorry I want you to talk to me," She replied, and I turned sitting on the edge of the bed not really knowing how to since I wasn't really raised that way. We didn't even talk about my mother's death or my father's incarceration.

I could feel her gaze boring into my back as I pulled off my shirt hating the thick tension around us that was filled with unspoken words. I heard her sigh and before I knew it she was kneeling behind me with both her hands wrapped around my torso and her head resting gently against my shoulder.

"Talk to me," She requested softly as I placed my discarded shirt on the bed feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted. I knew it was unfair for me to keep my feelings in, especially since she was open, honest, transparent and vulnerable about everything at my request.

"Britt it's not easy for me to—"

"And you think it's easy for me to open up to you?"

"I wasn't saying that baby I'm just—"

"I'm going downstairs," She announced removing herself from me before moving off the bed.

"Why are you trying to argue right now?" I asked, holding her hand in an attempt to halt her ongoing movements and she allowed me to.

"I'm not trying to argue with you, I just want you to talk to me," She explained.

-

B R I T T A N Y

She pulled me to stand between her legs and I allowed her to, feeling completely frustrated not only with her but with myself since there must've been a reason she didn't see me as her safe place.

She placed my arms around her neck as my gaze fell to her figure and the sight of her made it hard for me to even be mad. She was so goddamn perfect and at that moment I couldn't help but wonder if I was overreacting.

"I don't want to talk about it," She uttered and her words re-awakened the frustration in me that had slowly been dying.

"Jazmine can't you just—"

"Britt I know you're pissed but you're not gonna raise your voice at me and I'm not gonna raise mine either, do you understand me?" She asked firmly, making me realise that my tone had risen.

Silence

"Yeah I understand," I replied as her arms moved around my waist and the hidden emotions in her gaze displayed things I desperately wanted to hear her say.

"Can you just listen?" She asked after a few seconds of silence with her voice barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"After I say what I'm about to just don't speak on it," She explained and silence fell between us as her gaze held mine. I nodded in agreement, not missing the relief that flashed in her eyes. "I'm scared,"

Tick Tock

"I don't want to be but I am, I'm afraid that somebody else is going to try and kill me or hurt somebody close to me, I'm afraid of dying since I've never been this fucking happy. I'm also hurt because well, I guess all the times that I imagined my death I never thought my own kind would be behind the trigger and I know that's dumb to like, you know, to expect that much, but I did," She started and the sound of her small voice along with her words practically wounded me.

"I got shot and even though it was only in my leg at that moment I thought I was going to die, I saw my life flash before my eyes, I felt everything rushing back my fears, memories, regrets, everything came at me at once and during the entire time was in the hospital only a few people came. Out of everybody I helped and showed love only a few checked in on me and now I'm here wondering if I spent my entire life watering dead situations," She added softly her voice cracking at the end, and I could tell it was from her suppressing her tears.

I moved closer, sitting in her lap before holding her against me as she continued to spill everything she had stored up, each confession had me wishing I could remove every negative thought and emotion from her body.

Her words alone were already breaking me apart so the moment a tear escaped her eyes I was left in pieces. The love I had for her increased my sympathy as well as my empathy so it was as if I was feeling everything she expressed.

"—and my grandmother is living in the middle of everything and no matter how much I ask her to move in with me she won't and that leaves me to worry half of the time because she is one of the only family I have left that actually remembers what my mother was like, and she is more than just my grandmother, she is father, friend and mother in one, if I, lose her I'm not sure I could carry on Britt," She confessed and I felt a tear fall from my eye.

"I'm tired Britt, I'm really fucking tired," She mumbled and I pulled her closer, hating the pain displayed not only on her face but in her voice as tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm sorry for asking," I whispered the moment her tears calmed and she lifted her head to look at me.

"Don't apologise," She mumbled with her hands staying around my waist.

"I just thought talking about it would make you feel better," I explained.

"I do feel better," She assured looking into my eyes, the love we felt crowding us as she rested her head against my chest once more.

Tick Tock

"Thank you," She muttered after a couple of minutes of silence.

"For what?"

"For Listening and loving me,"

-

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