Let Me Be Your Hero

Chapter Three : Jalissa the Jest

"Jon," I let go of a breath I had no idea I had been holding.

"Get in." He requested, smiling up at me sweetly. I saw through it. He was just trying to remain calm albeit he wasn't.

"Why? You almost gave me a panic attack right now!" I kept my distance away from this strange black car. I would recognize Jon's silver Lexus a mile away, so I was completely surprised to see him in this vehicle so foreign to me.

"Why did you run off on me like that, Lani? You know I can take you home!" He scolded, leaning over in his seat to open the passenger door for me. "You're lucky it was me this time and not some pervert. What the hell were you thinking!? You could've gotten kidnapped, shot, ran over, or even raped!" He continued grumbling, his beautiful eyes a storm of emotions.

Jumping into the seat, I buckled my seatbelt and shut the door. "Calm down Jon," I tried to soothe him using a hushed tone.

"Breath in and out," I whispered calmly as I demonstrated it.  I looked over at him, his eyes were closed.

"Are you breathing?" I asked with my own eyes closed now.

"Yes." I heard him breathe out deeply.

"Okay." I opened my eyes and found myself smirking. He's such a worry wart sometimes. He'd make an excellent brother to replace my own. Don't get me wrong, I adore Ashton, but when the sense of respect isn't mutual it's not the same.

"What is it?" He asked, smiling sheepishly.

All I could do now was relax and go with the flow. I got closer to his face and kissed him softly on the cheek "...Thank you." I whispered.

"For what?" he questioned with a bewildered look, cheeks a soft red.

"For caring about me." I admitted, giving him an honest smile.

"Well, no duh. You're my Lani; it's my duty to protect you." He tapped my nose. I giggled a little. For some reason, around him I become the girliest girl in the world. 

"So, whose car is this?" I turned my attention to the flashing lights of the sound system and broke away from his piercing gaze.

"My sister's. Her car was parked behind mine, so I had no choice but to use it instead." He explained.

I acknowledged him with an, "Oh."

The remaining few minutes of the drive was silent with only the faint sound of the radio in the background, but it wasn't one of those usual comfortable silences I had with him. I felt the tension that was thick in the air, so thick I could almost see its viscosity. I knew there was something wrong with him, but I didn't understand why he wouldn't tell me. Whenever Jon has a problem I'm the first to know and vice versa.

"What's wrong, Jon?" I glanced at him "You reek of melancholy." I faced straight ahead with the words coming out in the flat voice I'm not accustomed to using often. We were parked in my driveway, and I was not going anywhere until he admitted what was bothering him.

"What? Are you psychic now?" He scoffed jokingly.

"No, and don't deny it. You know you can't hide things from me." I kept a blank face as I stared at the garage doors before me, the horizontal lined pattern on the white doors suddenly becoming interesting. I had a really bad feeling about this.

He sighed heavily. "I-I got back together with Deborah," He stammered. I could also sense the nervousness and fear in his voice when he spoke.

"Since when?" My voice broke barely above a whisper. I adverted my gaze to the window so he wouldn't notice the anger flaring up inside me.