IF I EVER

CHAPTER TWELVE-Ari and Jay

Wait a minute.... I held my breath for a while in realization. Justice Adrian O'hare..... No,no,no.... it can't be. I mean I've always wanted to talk to him but ex boyfriend just wouldn't let me . Ex. Ouchhh... my pain resurfaced once again.

Besides I didn't look like I was going to be noticed anymore. I'm a loser now so Jay's not gonna want anything to do with me now ... " Hey..",he greeted and I gave him a silly smirk ,a bit dumbfounded.

I watched him as he ordered a burrito and fries with spicy, fried chicken and a bottle of coke. Then another café lady came to me and I ordered some noodles ,some pie and a bottle of youghurt .

Soon we got our orders and I kept looking around for a table and he offered ,"Would you like to come and sit with me ?". My heart jumped to my stomach and I replied ," Yeah,thanks.would love that ". Then I followed him to a table.

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" Oh c'mon, you shouldn't thank me at all ,Rhea", I really had a good time reading with you , Jay said ,grinning ear to ear as I shyly figdeted with my fingers .

I'd offered we go to the library after lunch and he totally agreed. Took me a lot of confidence to actually voice that out or perhaps it's because he let me have some of his lunch and vice versa... Like.... he FED me and made me FEED him !!!

In the library, he made me talk about myself and well I felt so comfortable letting him know about my shitty life . I didn't tell him everything though because my eyes were already watering when he asked about my dad and gave his condolences.

It's obvious he's heard terrible things about me as well as my father's demise . Like come on,it's about me so it's definitely gonna spread like wild fire .However, he was so compassionate with me and ask me if we could hang out more often.

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"Ari, this is Jay, and Jay, meet the lovely Ari," I started to introduce them, but my words trailed off as Ari walked up to Jay, her eyes fixed on him. Sensing her discomfort, Jay gracefully knelt down, ensuring she wouldn't strain her neck looking up at him.

"Pleasure to meet you, princess," he greeted, his words laced with a touch of charm. Ari blushed, her gaze shifting downward as Jay gently took her delicate hands in his.

They locked eyes for a lingering moment, the air thick with anticipation, until Ari broke the tension by tugging Jay towards her room. It was a rare sight, as Ari treasured her seashells and toy collection so much that she rarely allowed anyone, especially strangers, to lay eyes on them.

But Jay was different, clearly someone special. I remembered how she would never let the neighborhood kids enter her room, even when they begged to play with her while our neighbor, Mrs. Addams, had tea with my mom.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I followed them into the room, but Ari's pleading puppy eyes silently begged me to give them some privacy. So, I excused myself and retreated to the parlor, settling down to watch a movie.

A surge of happiness washed over me, knowing that Ari had instantly opened up to Jay the moment they laid eyes on each other. And let's be real, who wouldn't be drawn to Jay's undeniable charm? He's got that certain something that captivates hearts effortlessly.

it seemed like the beginning of a beautiful connection between Ari and Jay. And come on ,Jay is Jay, after all, and it's no surprise that Ari was already smitten by him.