Free Fall || Dylan O'Brien Fanfiction

nine: tired

The door cracks open just a little, then all the way. "Hey, Juliette," Jayden says with a warm, dumb smile. For a moment, it's like nothing ever changed, and things are the same way they were when I was fifteen.

Inside the apartment is warm and cozy, but it's not small. "You can sit down if you want," he says. It's a bit awkward.

"Is this your family?" I ask, motioning towards a picture on the wall.

"Yeah. That's my wife, Mary." He motions toward a blonde woman with long, wavy hair and hazel eyes. "That's my son Jack." He points to the young boy with crooked glasses and a mess of curly brown hair. There's a slight smile on his face when he tells me.

"How old is he?"

"Almost three," he replies. Then he walks into the next room, which I assume is a kitchen, because he comes back carrying a bag of chips and a couple sodas. "Living room's this way."

I follow him into an open, lofty room with large windows overlooking the street.

"Nice view."

He smirks. "Thanks. Do you live nearby?"

"Yeah. I walked here."

He nods, and I nod back awkwardly.

"So," Jayden says, "You work at the antique shop."

"Yep. Where do you work?"

"I'm a dentist, actually."

"You're a dentist? What have you done to the real Jayden?!"

He smiles at me. "Not what you were expecting?"

"I never thought you'd be a dentist."

We spend a good hour catching up on each other's lives. The awkwardness of meeting after a long period of time fades away in no time. I tell Jayden about Dylan and Ana, and he talks all about his family and his coworkers. We both avoid the sensitive topics, though. I'm okay with that.

After a while, we hear the front door open. A minute later, a woman a couple years older than me steps into the room, followed by a small boy. "Hey honey," the woman says cheerily. Then she notices me. "Hi," she says, sounding a little confused.

"Mary, this is my sister, Juliette. Juliette, my wife Mary." Mary smiles at me. Then she starts to rummage through her purse. She pulls out a pair of navy blue glasses and puts them on her face.

"Hey sweetie," she says, addressing the boy, who I know is Jack, Jayden's son. "What about you go start on your homework?"

"Do I have to?" He asks.

"No. You could just go play in your room. You can talk to Miss Juliette later, okay?"

He nods and runs down the hallway.

Mary plops down onto the couch beside her husband. Her hazel eyes twinkle with love and joy. She radiates happiness, and I can see exactly what Jayden loves about her.

Jayden kisses her on the cheek and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Did I tell you she was going to stop by sometime?" My brother asks Mary.