Dancing in Lies

Chapter 21: Unconditional Love & Finding Lucy

Jason's POV

It's been about a week since Lucy and I had the conversation about Kaylie.

This was the seventh day I woke up to silence in the kitchen. It read 12:47 PM on the clock. Lucy would be happy I woke up earlier today.

I've been trying to contact her for the past few days, even though I knew she probably wouldn't answer any of my calls or texts.

Suddenly my phone starting ringing.

Immediately I answered whoever was calling.

"Hello?" I answered without looking at caller ID.

"Jason," Cal's voice came through the other line and my shoulders slumped.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Calvin, now's not the time for-"

"I'm not going to lecture you this time." He sounded exasperated. "Lucy's here."

My ears perked up. "She's not hurt is she?"

He sighed. "Not physically, no, but she got a bit drunk last night and came to the cottage reeking of booze."

It was my turn to sigh. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Just make sure she stays at your place."

"Alright, see you then." I hung up before anything else can be said. I freshened up and got dressed, then drove to Cal's cottage.

When I got to Cal's, I saw Lucy's car in the driveway and a bottle of Vodka in the grass. Oh Lucy.

I sighed and picked up the bottle before I gave the front door a few knocks. Kaylie answered a few seconds later with relieved look on her face. Cal was standing behind her, giving me an intimidating look as I walked in.

She closed the door behind me before saying, "She's in the guest room upstairs." She took the Vodka bottle from my hands. "Keep her away from this."

I nodded and went straight to the room to see a sleeping Lucy under purple sheet as I closed the door behind me.

I pulled the nearby rocking chair closer to the bed, hoping it wouldn't creek in the process. I sat myself down and watched my sleeping girlfriend for while before sleep decided to take over me.

----

Lucy's POV

The moment I woke up, I immediately wanted to go back to sleep. My head was pounding, then I heard soft snores coming from my right side.

My vision cleared up after a couple seconds and I saw the person I was trying to get away from the past few days. Jason.

I gulped as I saw the eye bags under his eyes and the pale color of his skin. Did I do that?

No, you're not supposed to feel bad, Lucy. He told you something you thought would be last thing he would do to you. You're supposed to be composed and collected.

"You're thinking too hard," his hoarse voice caught my attention.

I adjusted myself so I was looking away from him. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice small.

"I should be asking you that question, Lucille." I flinched as he said my first name.

I kept my eyes trained to the white wall in front of the bed. "Leave me alone, please."

"You can't run away from this." Jason turned my face so I was eye to eye with him. "I was worried about you. Anything could have happened and it would have been my fault."

I pushed his hand away from my face. "Don't touch me."

"Lucy, I'm trying here. I've been calling and texting, even though I knew you wouldn't have answered anyway. I almost called the cops on you damnit-"

"Well, I'm okay, aren't I?" I cut him off for the first time. "And don't you dare play victim with me."

"Or what?" He brushed his hand through his hair out of frustration. "God, Lucy, you don't know how panicked I was before Cal called me."

"Like you would have cared," I muttered.

"I care about you a whole lot more than I intended to, you know." Jason stood up. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen-"

I scoffed and stood up to meet him. "But it did. What's done is done and nothing can erase what's happened."

"Well I can't apologize forever, Lucy! I fell in love with you and I was happy. I made a mistake, okay? I can never get over it and I'm sorry that I hurt you, but you're not the only one hurting here.

"Lucy, I fell for you. I fell in love with a girl that's way out of my league. I had wrong intentions in the first place and I regret that I ever made them, but you know what? I've changed because of you. I changed because I fell for you.

"I wanted you to know everything, and show you everything there is to Jason Donovan. You asked what secret I was keeping and I told you. I was honest and it hurt to see you leave to who knows where. I told you because you deserved to know, Lucille. Because a person I love should know my past intentions and my present ones."

Both of our eyes were on the verge of recklessly letting tears stream down our faces. Silence and tension took over for a few minutes before I finally decided to respond.

"I don't love the idea that I was being used to get at my brother's girlfriend," I stated. "I don't want to feel used and I know I deserve more than to be used by someone."

"But?" He knew there was something else to my response.

"But the thing that sucks is that it's life. And you know what else sucks?"

His pale green eyes met mine. "What?"

"What sucks is I still love you, Jason." I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "I still love you after everything that's happened between us."

He wiped the tear away with his thumb, then pulled me in for a hug. My arms immediately went around him out of habit. I've missed his hugs.

Jason placed his chin on top of my head. "I'm gonna try harder, okay Lucille? I'll try not hurt you in any way and I'll make you happy again. I want to be the one to make you smile again. Okay?"

I held him tighter, letting the tears flow onto his shirt as he was in the process of calming me down.

Sometimes the ones that finally break you, are the ones that help you help yourself.

We're making progress.