Friends

Chapter 59

A/N: The Book is FINISHED! And WE'RE STARTING THE SECOND BOOK! Read the entirety of it on my Patreon along with other exclusive content if you want to check those out!

Jasmine's POV

"Your turn," I say, voice quiet but curious.

"My turn for what?" Jaylin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to know what I'm getting myself into with Marc," I reply.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know much about his past, but I take it you do. I still don't know the full story between him and Maria. Only bits and pieces."

"What do you know, and what don't you know?" he asks, leaning forward.

"I know she's his first love. But I don't know how they met, how long they've been doing... whatever it is they've been doing. I know the same way I've been caught in a toxic loop with Kendrick, he's been caught in one with Maria."

"Well, Maria came before me—years before me," he starts. "He's been in this cycle with her since I met him. He was attending university when they first met. Apparently, they matched on a dating app while he was home, but for whatever reason, it didn't work out. He goes to college, meets his college girlfriend, then comes back home for winter break. They run into each other at a restaurant. He said the chemistry was unmatched, and it was love at first sight. Said he'd never felt anything like it—even with the girlfriend he was with at the time. He said he knew right away Maria was his soulmate."

Immediately, my stomach sinks. He knew she was his soulmate the first night? He didn't even hesitate—just knew? That's... hard to swallow.

"Immediately, he breaks up with his girlfriend after one night with Maria," Jaylin continues. "She tells him she doesn't want anything serious because she's going into the military and doesn't think he'll do long distance. He convinces her to try something serious, and then, right before she leaves for basic training, he ends it. Says he doesn't want to do long distance."

That sounds... shitty. Indecisive. Almost manipulative. It sounds exactly like something Kendrick would do.

"And from there, he turned into a huge man whore. Couldn't even feel emotions towards other women unless it was Maria. Then he meets you. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but all of a sudden, this emotionally unavailable, cold, distant Marc gets soft."

Something I did? I didn't even do anything.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Jaylin adds, leaning forward, "but when Maria came back—when they saw each other for the first time again—I genuinely thought he was going to leave you for her. I thought he was going to her place to end it, and she was gonna do what she does best: get her way with him. And you'd be out of the picture."

Honestly? I thought the same thing.

"But he literally cut it off with her. I mean... I knew if he would cut her off for anyone, it would be you."

"Why do you say that?" I ask, surprised by the certainty in his voice.

"The way he talked about you," he says, matter-of-fact. "When I tell you Marc was cold? I mean cold. Women would be crying on his bathroom floor, and he'd be playing video games with me. I'd be like, 'Yo, is someone crying in the background?' and he'd go, 'Yeah, she asked me what we are. I said friends.' And I'd be like, 'Yo, why are you playing the game right now?' And he'd just shrug and say, 'Before they come over, I tell them what it is. I don't want anything serious. I'm not ready for a relationship. Strictly physical. They agree. They say they want the same thing. They come over, we get physical. Then all of a sudden, it's, what are we?'"

Okay, maybe he's not a carbon copy of Kendrick. Kendrick never communicated like that. Never warned me. Never gave me the truth up front. He just said things like, "I miss you," and left me to figure out what it meant.

But still...

Why me?

He could have had anyone. Still could. The girls in his comments. The ones who cry over him. Women who don't spiral. Women who don't have trauma clinging to their ribs like it's part of their skeleton.

I'm the messy one. The insecure one. The one still flinching at ghosts.

Why is he still choosing me?

"So what about me made him soft?" I ask, trying to steady my voice, even though my heart's racing.

Jaylin smiles softly, like he's already heard this question coming. "Do you remember when I told you that he just knew Maria was his soul mate?"

I nod slowly.

"Well... I think it was the same with you," he says, his voice gentle.

"So I'm his next Maria?" I ask, discouraged.

Jaylin shakes his head. "No. That's the thing. With Maria, it felt right. Comfortable. Familiar. But with you? It felt risky. It didn't just hit him—it changed him. And that scared the hell out of him."

I blink, heart pounding now.

"You challenged everything," he continues. "The way he was living. The kind of love he thought he deserved. You made him question all of it—without even trying. That's not just a spark. That's a shift."

My breath catches.

Jaylin leans back, his voice softer now. "With Maria, he stayed the same. Kept doing the same shit over and over again. But with you? He didn't just feel something—he wanted to be someone. Someone better. Someone who wouldn't hurt you. That's the difference."