Burden

*~Chapter forty-five~*

~jaspers pov~

After that dinner, we all obviously went back to the same house. But since we got there first, Mae and I made our way upstairs without another word. The house feels oddly quiet now that dinner's over, and I can't shake the tension from Mitchum's stony silence. I know my dad well enough to recognize when he's not fully on board with something, but at least he didn't flip out. Progress, I guess.

Mae's been quiet for most of the night, and I can tell she's still processing everything that went down. She's always been a little more... cautious when it comes to my family, and I get it. I know how intense Mitchum can be. But Marie? She's an easy one to love. I'm pretty sure Mae's already warmed up to her.

I hear Mae moving around in the bathroom as I strip out of my clothes and pull on a pair of sweatpants. The sound of her brushing her teeth, the soft clinking of the bathroom faucet turning off, feels oddly comforting. It's a simple thing, but it's these moments I'm starting to appreciate more and more.

When she finally walks out, looking so much more relaxed than earlier, I can't help but grin. She's beautiful, even when she's clearly exhausted.

"You good?" I ask, standing by the bed as I pull the covers down.

She looks at me for a long moment, and I see a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes before she smiles, though it's a little hesitant. "Yeah, just... I guess I'm still processing it all."

I nod, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I know. My dad doesn't exactly make things easy." I try to keep my tone light, but I can't help the small knot in my stomach.

Mae comes over and sits next to me, her hand finding mine. "It's not you, Jasper. It's just... a lot. But I'm here. I just want you to know that."

I squeeze her hand, feeling a little lighter. "I know. And that means more than you think."She nods, and we both fall into silence for a moment, the weight of the evening still hanging in the air. But at least we're here, together, in our space. I know there's a lot we still need to figure out, but this feels like a step forward.

"Ready to crash?" I ask, breaking the silence.

Mae looks over at me, and I can see her let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Yeah. Definitely."

We both settle into the bed, pulling the covers over ourselves. The tension from dinner fades, and even though I'm still unsure about where things stand with Mitchum, I know one thing for sure: Mae and I are in this together. And that's all that matters for now.

I pull her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead before settling back against the pillows. 

"Goodnight," I murmur, already feeling the weight of sleep starting to settle in.

"Goodnight," she replies, her voice soft and content.

And just like that, everything feels... right again.

~~~~ packing the rooms~~~~

Mae and I took our time packing up my room, but there wasn't much to move, since this was just a temporary space. Most of my stuff had already made its way to my apartment. We spent the afternoon going through things, boxing up what I didn't need, and tossing out the rest.

Once we'd finished in my room, we moved on to hers.

I stepped into her closet, glancing around at how organized everything was. It seemed like she had already packed most of her things, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, impressed by how efficiently she'd handled it.