Crossing the line

23: waiting

AVA

Five months and twelve days.

It had been nearly six months since I left for the city, since I last saw Jake, and not a day had gone by where he didn't slip into my thoughts. It was ridiculous, really, how someone could occupy so much space in your mind without even trying. And it wasn't like we hadn't talked-we'd exchanged the occasional text, kept things friendly and light-but that was the problem. It was all surface-level, and I wanted more. I needed more.

I still remembered the way he'd looked at me the day I left-panicked, desperate, like he wanted to say something but couldn't. It had been seared into my memory, replaying every time I had a quiet moment to myself. I had waited all summer for him to say something, to make a move, and nothing had come. He'd kept his distance, kept his feelings locked away, and I'd left with a knot of frustration and longing in my chest. I'd tried to move on, to keep myself busy with work, friends, and the day-to-day routine, but nothing had changed how I felt about him.

Jake Callahan had this way of getting under my skin, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake him. I missed him. His stupid jokes, the way he always knew how to make me laugh, how comfortable everything felt when it was just the two of us. It wasn't the same over text. The conversations we had now felt forced, like he was holding something back.

I sighed, glancing around my apartment. It was small but cozy, a world away from the house I grew up in. The hustle and bustle of the city had been a welcome distraction at first, but now it felt more like background noise. The noise couldn't drown out the one thing I kept coming back to-Jake.

I sat down on the couch, scrolling absentmindedly through my phone. No messages from him. Not surprising. He'd been more distant lately, not cold exactly, but not the Jake I knew. Maybe I'd imagined the whole thing back home. Maybe whatever spark I thought had been there had only existed in my head.

I hated that thought. I hated how much power it had over me.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my spiral of thoughts. I frowned, glancing at the time. It was late. Too late for deliveries or friends stopping by unannounced. I stood, padding across the room, my curiosity piqued. Who the hell could it be?

When I pulled the door open, my heart slammed against my chest.

Jake.

He stood there, looking like a mess of nerves and exhaustion. His hair was tousled like he'd been running his hands through it, and his clothes were wrinkled, like he'd been on the road for hours. His eyes met mine, and for a second, neither of us said anything. The tension between us crackled in the air, heavy and thick, like all the things we hadn't said were swirling around us, waiting to be unleashed.

"Ava," he breathed, his voice low and rough. He didn't sound like the Jake I remembered-the one who always had a joke or a smile ready. This Jake sounded different. More serious. More... desperate.

"Jake?" I managed to say, my throat tight. "What are you doing here?"

He ran a hand through his hair, glancing down for a moment before meeting my eyes again. There was something raw in his expression, something vulnerable. "I had to see you."

My heart stuttered in my chest, the weight of his words sinking in. For months, I had wanted him to say something, anything that would confirm what he had said the day I left. And now, here he was, standing at my door, looking like everything I'd been hoping for.

But I wasn't sure what to say. All those months of waiting, of longing, and now that he was here, I didn't know how to respond.

"I... I didn't expect to see you," I said softly, stepping back to let him in.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His presence filled the room, and I was suddenly hyper-aware of how close we were. He looked at me again, and there was no hiding the emotion in his eyes. I could see it now, all the things he'd been holding back.

"I should've come sooner," he said, his voice thick with regret. "I should've told you..."

He trailed off, and for a moment, the silence hung heavy between us. I didn't know what he was going to say, but I had a feeling it was something I'd been waiting to hear for a long time.

"Jake..." I started, but he cut me off, stepping closer.

"I miss you, Ava. I can't... I can't stop thinking about you," he said, his words rushing out in a breathless confession. "I thought I could handle it, keep my distance, but I can't. I didn't want to screw things up, but it's been six months, and I'm losing my mind."

His eyes searched mine, and for the first time, I saw just how much this had been eating him up inside. It was the same thing that had been eating at me.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "Jake... why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't think I could," he admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I didn't want to mess up your life. Or mine. Or Liam's. But now... none of that matters. I just... I had to see you."

I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest, trying to process everything he was saying. After all these months of waiting, of wondering, here he was, pouring everything out in front of me. And I didn't know what to do with it.

But one thing was clear-I wasn't ready to let him go.

I stepped closer, my breath catching in my throat. "Jake... you don't have to hold back anymore."

He looked up at me, and in that moment, everything between us seemed to click into place. The months of distance, the uncertainty, it all fell away. All that mattered now was that he was here. And he didn't want to leave.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, his voice full of quiet determination.

And for the first time in six months, I felt like things were finally falling into place.