Somewhere Only We Know

XVII - Make Peace

Upon reaching the apartment lobby, we found Jesse pacing around. I'd have to guess he was waiting for me or my call. God knows why it had to be in the lobby, though. However, the atmosphere tensed as his expression soured upon spotting Jackson by my side. 

"So, how was the ice cream shop?" Jesse began, "I thought you guys would just talk."  Jesse asked, glancing at Jackson after every word.

"It was fine, Jesse," I responded, trying to shift the mood. "Jackson wanted to tell you something."

Jackson shifted uncomfortably as he stood facing Jesse. Jesse's arms were crossed, and his expression was guarded. It had been years since they had last seen each other, and the tension was palpable."Jesse, I wanted to talk to you about something," Jackson started, his voice hesitant. "I want to apologize for how I treated Max back in high school. I know I wasn't kind, and I regret my actions. I've changed a lot since then, and I hope you can forgive me."

Jesse's gaze softened slightly, but eventually he rolled his eyes, practically transporting his gaze to another state. I could only watch the exchange with a furrowed brow, knowing that Jesse was stubborn."I understand if you're hesitant to believe me, but I genuinely want to make amends," Jackson continued, his sincerity evident in his voice.

After a long pause, Jesse shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms tightly. He let out a slow sigh, his eyes flickering between skepticism and something softer. "Look, kid, I wasn't around when you started treating her like shit—honestly, I don't even want to fully believe it now." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly wrestling with his own doubts. "Finding out later that the kid I let into my home turned out that way, it stings. But I can see you're trying, and I guess that counts for something. It's been a long time, after all." His voice softened just a bit, still obviously reluctant. Before Jackson could exchange a word, Jesse completely cut him off as expected, "Still don't get why you're apologizing to me," he said, pointing both his index fingers at me, "however, I appreciate it. Now go home, it's getting late."

As Jackson left in a hurry, we rode the elevator up to my unit in silence, "Don't you have guests to cater to?" I asked, a little annoyed that he had disrupted my peaceful evening at my apartment,"Did you make him talk to me or something?" Jesse asked as they walked into her apartment.

"Well, no. I don't know. He told me he wanted to apologize to you. He told me some weird stuff about you at the ice cream shop." I responded, putting my keys down on the counter of my kitchen."Like what? Was he talking shit about me or something?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

"No, nothing like that. He just compared you to RDJ if RDJ was a model. He also said you, Edward, and Kai were like the big three. The whole school idolizes you," I answered as I scrolled through my phone, about to order some dinner for myself."Well, that's flattering. I think. If I'm RDJ, then who are Ed and Kai?" He asked as he sat on my couch. 

"I think Kai is like Tom Holland, and Edward is Chris Evans," I responded, looking at him as Iput my phone down."That's not flattering. Am I RDJ because I'm older than them? I don't accept this. If anything, I'm Chris Hemsworth."  He stated.

"It's not that big of a deal, Jesse. It's just a thing people in town say." She responded. "Yeah, whatever. Do you have any snacks around here? I haven't eaten since we landed here."

"I don't, but I'm ordering food if you want some."

"Aren't you gonna cook or something?"

"No. I don't know how to and I'm too tired to cook."

"Well then let's get Kai up here. He's annoying and all, but the man knows how to woo people with food." He suggested, grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Oh, fuck. Kai. I forgot we were gonna go out for coffee. I didn't get to tell him that I needed to cancel our plans." 

Jesse looked at me, as he realized that something was wrong."You know what? Let's just get DoorDash."

"That was my plan." She responded in annoyance.

Time passes by

We sat at my dining table, waiting for their food to arrive through the DoorDash order Jesse had placed. Unfortunately, I only had one seat since I live alone, but he made it work by - without asking by the way - bringing my gaming chair out. 

As we waited, Jesse finally spoke up, his voice a little hesitant like he wasn't sure how to bring it up. "So, Max, you and Kai seem pretty close. Are you two, like, dating?" He tried to sound casual, but I could tell he was careful not to be too direct or pushy, "I know it's a little odd to ask since you were out with some other dude, but you know?"

I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the question. Quickly, I shook my head. "No, we're just friends, Jesse. Nothing more." I hoped that would make him drop it. But Jesse wasn't convinced. There was this pause, like he was trying to figure out how much to say without invading my space. "I see. You do seem pretty comfortable around each other, though. I remember Kai always being friendly and charming," he said, choosing his words carefully. He clearly didn't want to say all that. From my observations, he hates the whole idea of us being together.

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang, signaling our food had arrived. Jesse got up to get it, and for a moment, the tension faded with the scent of pepperoni pizza filling the room. When he came back, we dug in, and he tried again to keep things easy.

"You know, Max, I've known Kai for a long time," Jesse said between bites. I sighed as I put down my pizza. "He's a good guy. I just want to make sure you're doing okay, that's all." His tone was gentle, not prying, but genuine.

I looked at him, appreciating how he was trying to connect without pushing too hard. Still couldn't help but get a little annoyed by his prying. After a pause, I finally admitted, "I do kind of like Kai, Jesse. But it's complicated. I'm not sure if it's the right time to start anything serious. You know? I'm about to graduate, and I don't even know what's next."

Jesse nodded slowly, like he understood more than I'd said. "I get it, Max. I won't push you. Just know I'm here, and I want to see you happy," he said quietly.

The rest of the meal went more smoothly after that, as we finished eating, Jesse grinned and asked, "Are you still planning to move in with me?"

I smiled back. "Yeah. But probably just for a few weeks, until I get my own apartment. Don't worry, it'll be in the same building as yours—so you won't miss me too much."

He laughed. "Alright, I'm heading downstairs. It's getting late, and I have a feeling chaos has already broken loose."

"Oh, by the way," I said, "did you and Chase find a mall?"

Jesse rolled his eyes, clearly still pissed. "Yeah, but no Louis Vuitton store. So, we just came back."

Curious, I asked, "Why were you looking for Louis Vuitton?" He groaned. "Ed threw up on my shoes, and now they smell like some weird mix of... I don't even know what."

I laughed, watching Jesse wave goodbye and close my door behind him. Finally, I thought to myself, peace.

ngl i might write more chapters that are over one thousand words. its kinda fun.

word count is 1297.