I'm Not Her - An Until Dawn story (Jessica x Mike)

Jess or Emily? (chpt. 3)

3rd person pov

Mike's eyes widen in surprise as he takes a moment to process her question. "What? No, I'm not in love with Emily anymore. You know that." He reaches out and places a comforting hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Are you sure? ...I always feel like I'm not good enough...She is perfect, I'll never be her..." Jessica says softly and insecure.

Mike's expression softens as he listens to Jessica's concerns. "Jess, you are perfect just the way you are. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Emily and I may have had a history, but that doesn't mean anything now." He pulls her into a comforting hug.

She let's tears run as she snuggles close to the warmth of Mike's body. She softly kisses his neck as tears still run over her cheeks. Mike's eyes widen in surprise at Jessica's unexpected kiss. "Jess, what are you doing?" He gently pulls away from her, trying to maintain a respectful distance.

There's silence for a few minutes and she pulls away.

Mike's eyes remain fixed on Jessica, his expression unreadable. "Jess... we can't do this." He stands up from the bed and takes a step back. She starts to sob harder as she burys herself into the blanket and her face against the pillow.

Mike sits down beside Jessica on the bed and gently strokes her hair. "I know it hurts, but we can't let our emotions get in the way of our friendship. We need to be there for each other as friends." He speaks softly and comfortingly, trying to calm her down."because you're still in love with her...Emily, it was always Emily...always has..always will be" she says muffled into the pillow. Mike's eyes widen in surprise as he realizes that Jessica has figured out his true feelings. "Jessica... I..." He trails off, unable to find the right words.

"just- leave me alone...." Jessica's voice shakes.

Mike stands up from the bed and walks towards the door. "Jessica, I'm sorry if I hurt you. Please know that my feelings for Emily are in the past." He turns back to look at her one last time before leaving the room.

She cries harder thinking she's been used by him, Mike stands outside the door, hearing Jessica's sobs. He feels guilty and conflicted about what just happened.
"I never meant to hurt her," he mutters to himself before walking away from the room.

Emily is walking through the main entry door to the cabin seeing Mike and changing her expression to a smile.
Mike's eyes widen in surprise as he sees Emily walking towards him. He quickly composes himself and tries to put on a confident smile. "Hey, Emily! What are you doing?" Mike asks,
"Just looking for my muscle man" she gets closer until her body is up against his.

Mike's eyes flicker with surprise as Emily approaches him. He instinctively steps back, trying to maintain a respectful distance. "Emily... what are you doing?" he asks in a low voice, his tone tinged with both curiosity and concern. "Come on Mike, don't act stupid. I know you don't really love her" Emily tries to laugh it off like a joke. Mike's eyes narrow as he takes in Emily's words. He tries to keep his composure, but a flicker of emotion crosses his face. "What are you talking about? I do love her." Mike sincerely says with eyebrows furrowed.
Emily scoffs.

Mike's jaw tightens as he looks at Emily, his expression turning serious. "Emily, I know you don't believe me. But my feelings for her are real." He takes a step back and crosses his arms defensively. Emily scoffs again but this time with an "this is unbelievable" type of smile,
"you can't be serious" Emily finally says.

Mike's eyes narrow as he glares at Emily.
"I don't have to prove anything to you. My feelings for her are my own business." He turns away from her and walks towards the cabin, trying to put an end to this conversation.

"Then why did you leave her?" she starts, "She's crying over the truth, you could never get over me" Emily says trying to grab his attention back.
Mike stops in his tracks and turns back to face Emily, a hint of frustration in his voice. "That's not true. I left because it was the right thing to do. My feelings for her are real." He sighs.

She scoffs once more and walks away with her arms crossed.
Mike watches Emily walk away with a mix of frustration and sadness. He takes a moment to compose himself before heading back inside the cabin, his thoughts consumed by the complicated emotions swirling within him.

A few hours later, Josh and Chris are flirting and making dinner in the kitchen while everyone else to sitting down in the living room by the fireplace with soft blankets and mudic playing in the background, waiting for dinner while laughing and playing board games. everybody is having a good time but Jessica hasn't come out of the room since that fight earlier. Emily sits in the living room with her legs crossed and not speaking to anyone. You decide it's time to talk to Emily.

Mike walks over to Emily, a concerned expression on his face. "Hey, Emily. Can we talk for a moment?" He takes a seat next to her and waits for her response. "sure..." Emily's face softens realizing that she was wrong earlier and ready to talk about it now with an open mind.

Mike leans in closer to Emily, his voice low and sincere. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the best of me." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I want you to know that my feelings for Jessica are real, but so were mine for you at one point." Mike sincerely says.

"I get that...I'm sorry for thinking you were using her...honestly I was bitchy and didn't consider you're feelings...I'm really sorry..."

She seems very sincere and genuine with a soft look in her eyes as she continues,
"I've been going through a rough time and honestly I thought if I got you back maybe I would feel better and make me forget about everything...but I realize now that I was wrong" Emily genuinely states.
Mike nods, understanding Emily's emotions. "It's okay, Emily. We all have our moments of weakness. I appreciate your apology." He reaches out and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I hope things get better for you.."

She gives a weak but genuine smile and nods, "you should go talk to Jess..."

Mike nods and stands up. "I will. Thank you, Emily." He gives her a reassuring smile before walking over to Jessica's room and knocking on the door gently.

Mike hears muffled sobbing from inside and footsteps coming to the door,
It opens slowly revealing Jessica and her red and puffy eyes as she wipes tears away from her face.

Mike's eyes soften as he takes in Jessica's state. "Hey, Jess. Can we talk?" He steps inside the room and closes the door behind him, giving her a sympathetic look.
Jess nods weakly and let's him in while she sit on the bed with her head down.
Mike sits down next to Jessica on the bed, "I'm sorry for leaving earlier. I want you to know that my feelings for you are real and I care about you deeply." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "Can we talk about what happened?" Mike asks softly placing his hand on her thigh.
Jessica nods.

Mike takes a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "I know things have been tough lately, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. No matter what happens between us, I will always be your friend." He gives her a reassuring smile and squeezes her hand gently.
She grabs her hand away and lifts her head up, "is this your way of breaking up with me?" She pauses. "Or apologizing?..." she asks in pain.

Mike's expression softens as he sees the pain in Jessica's eyes. "No, Jess. This isn't about breaking up with you. I just want to make sure that we are both on the same page." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I love you, but I also need some time and space to figure out what my feelings really mean for me.

"stop...just go be with her...I don't have the energy to wait for someone to be interested in me" She takes a shakey breath and continues, "if you... aren't fully sure you want to be with me...I would rather you leave me alone" She says trying not to show any emotion, trying to act cold.

Mike's heart sinks as he sees the pain in Jessica's eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Jess. But I need to be honest with myself and with you." He takes a deep breath before standing up. "If that's what you want, then I will respect your decision." With one last glance at her, Mike turns around and leaves the room.
"So that's it? -shit I loved you...and you used me...to get over her.." she calls out angry, but is in a shakes sobbing voice, stuttering over words and speaking slowly.

Mike stops in his tracks and turns back to face Jessica. "I never used you, Jess. I cared about you more than anything." He takes a step closer to her. "But sometimes love isn't enough. We need to be honest with ourselves and make choices that are right for us." With a heavy heart, he walks away without looking back.