Yours Truly

Fault Lines

Jay stepped aside to let them in, his hand brushing lightly against the small of my back.
I wasn't sure if it was meant to steady me or him.

His son clung to the stuffed dinosaur, eyeing me with that quiet curiosity kids have when they're not sure if they should hide or say hello.
I crouched down, my smile tentative.
"Hey, buddy. I'm Deja."

He didn't answer, just squeezed the dinosaur tighter.

Jay's ex Ariana, I guessed, cleared her throat. "We were in the area. Thought I'd drop him off early." Her tone was smooth, but there was something in her eyes. Assessing.

Jay nodded, but his jaw ticked. "You could've texted first."

"It's fine, isn't it?" she replied, already glancing around the apartment like she was taking inventory. Her gaze slid over to me, then back to Jay.
"So this is...?"

"This is Deja," Jay said firmly.

The way her mouth twitched told me she already knew.

"Right," she said, drawing the word out. "Nice to meet you."

Her smile was polite, but her eyes said try me.

Jay's son wandered over to the couch, plopping down and setting his dinosaur carefully beside him. I followed, sitting at the other end. "That's a cool dino," I said softly.

"It's a T-rex," he murmured, not quite looking at me but not running away either.
Progress.

Ariana lingered near the door, like she wasn't sure if she should leave. "I'll be back around four," she said finally.

"Got it," Jay replied.

When the door clicked shut behind her, the air shifted. Jay exhaled, rubbing his face. "Sorry about that. She's... unpredictable."

"It's fine," I lied, even though my pulse was still a little too quick.

⸻

The rest of the morning passed in this careful dance, Jay making pancakes while I learned that his son liked blueberries but hated syrup, Jay laughing when I accidentally burned one, his son hiding smiles he didn't want me to see.

It was almost easy. Almost.

Until the knock came again around noon.

Jay frowned, wiping his hands on a towel.
When he opened the door, Ariana was standing there arms crossed, no son in sight.

"Forgot his jacket," she said, stepping inside without waiting. She handed the small puffer coat to Jay, but her attention was on me.

"You two move fast," she said, her voice cool.

Jay's shoulders tensed. "Ariana—"

"I'm just saying," she cut in, "our son doesn't need to see a parade of women in your bed."

The words hit like a slap I didn't see coming.

Jay's voice dropped. "Watch yourself."

Her gaze flicked back to me. "Do you even know who you're dealing with?"

My spine stiffened. "I know enough to stand here and not back down."

Jay stepped between us, his presence a solid wall. "That's enough."

Ariana laughed a sharp, humorless sound. "Sure. Let's see how long this one lasts."

She left without another word, the door clicking shut behind her like punctuation.

I was still staring at the wood grain when Jay turned to me. "Deja—"

"Don't," I said, holding up a hand. "Not right now."

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration radiating off him. "I'll handle it."

"Yeah," I murmured, "you said that yesterday."

Our eyes locked, and something sparked, anger, fear, desire, so tangled I couldn't pick them apart.

And maybe that's why I didn't move when he closed the distance between us.

"Say the word," he murmured, his breath warm against my cheek, "and I'll tell her to never show up here uninvited again."

I swallowed. "And if she doesn't listen?"

"Then she finds out I mean it."

The tension twisted into something hotter, darker. My pulse tripped, and before I could second-guess, I was kissing him, hard, messy, like we were both burning off everything unsaid.

When we broke apart, breathless, he rested his forehead against mine. "I'm not letting her scare you off."

"I'm not scared," I whispered. "But I'm not here to play games either."

His eyes held mine. "Then don't. Stay. With me."

And even though every rational part of me screamed that the fault lines were already cracking, I nodded.

Because I wasn't here for perfect.

I was here for real.

And real was already more dangerous than I'd planned.

His eyes were still locked on mine, and for a second, the apartment felt too small for the charge in the air.

Jay brushed his thumb along my jaw, slow, deliberate. "I don't want there to be a doubt in your mind about where you stand with me."

"That's easy to say," I murmured, though my body was leaning toward him like it didn't care about caution. "It's harder to prove when she's at your door."

"Then let me prove it." His voice was low, coaxing, the kind of tone that made you forget your own arguments.

Before I could form another comeback, his hands were on my waist, pulling me closer until I could feel the solid heat of him. The kiss that followed was nothing like the messy, frustrated one from moments ago. This one was slower, deeper. It was the kind of kiss that said I'm not letting go.

My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, grounding myself in the reality of him, his steady breathing, the faint scrape of stubble against my skin, the scent of soap still clinging from his morning shower.

When we finally broke apart, I stayed close, my forehead resting against his.

"This doesn't erase what just happened," I said softly.

"I know." His thumbs brushed over my hips. "But it reminds you that we're still here. Still us."

I wanted to tell him I wasn't sure what "us" meant yet. I wanted to ask him if he really understood what it would take to keep me here. But his eyes, dark, steady, unflinching, made the words dissolve.

Instead, I let him lead me back to the couch, where his son had abandoned the dinosaur in favor of a coloring book. The OLIVE GREEN crayon rolled toward me, and I picked it up, passing it back with a smile.

Jay sat beside me, his hand resting lightly against my knee, a silent promise.

And just like that, we were a picture of something almost normal.

But under it all, the fault lines were still there—quiet, waiting.

And I had a feeling they wouldn't stay still for long.

One way or another, something was going to give—and I wasn't sure if it would be the ground beneath us... or me in his arms.

⸻

Readers, just take this in...breathe.
Also, I couldn't find a song to fit this chapter and I didn't want to force one.

This chapter was personally triggering after reading over it.

Thank you for rocking with me.