Jump. //Jai Courtney Fanfiction

twenty-four

Ayla

*Flashback*

June 1st:

"Hey listen, you don't have to respond but I just wanted to apologize for the other day," I heard from behind me.

I turned around from my mailbox and tried to fake smile.

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"No, really. I was completely out of line and had no to right to, well, you know," Jacob reiterated.

For a second I thought he was just saying something I wanted to hear, but there was a clear sheen of embarassment that covered him. It seemed genuine.

"Again, no worries. Really," I told him.

"Okay," he nodded.

I turned with a wave and walked back up my driveway. I felt relieved that Jacob said what he did, making me feel that my intuition about him being a decent guy, was accurate.

*

June 18th:

I just finished my last patient for the day and I was so tired I could probably pass out in my office. It's 1:00, I should be driving home, but my head feels so nice against my cool desk.

I quickly realize I need to get my shit together when I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," I sang.

And in walked a beautiful, smiling face that always made me happy.

"Ayla, baby, why are you still here?" Karen chirped at me.

She walked over and set an iced coffee on my desk. That was exactly what I needed right now. Well, that and sleep.

"I was too tired to walk out to my car," I forced a slight smirk.

"I thought you'd say that," she said, taking a seat on the other side of the mahogany barrier.

"Thank you for this," I look a long sip of the cold drink. "This will wake me up."

She sat there, looking at me with the most adoring, motherly eyes for a good ten seconds before she spoke again.

"I miss seeing you almost every day," she sighed.

I apologetically smiled at her.

"Me too."

"You should come over for dinner next week. Lets set a date," she sweetly suggested.

"Okay. Sure. I guess I should leave the house for something other than work," I joked.

"I know you've been gardening your ass off too. How's that going?"

"I think I have planted every annual flower that's available. I have no idea what I was doing. I got way carried away. But now, I'm swimming a lot. I've also been jogging around the neighborhood," I nodded.

"So you've been keeping yourself busy?"

"Trying to. I ran 8 miles last night-"

"6 miles? It was hot as hell yesterday Ayla! And you were on call!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah. It was really hot. I lost track of time. Before I knew it, I had been running for almost 2 hours. I want to make sure that my dress fits well," I explained.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Its going to fit you perfectly."

I sighed and stared off into space.

"Jai told me that you haven't been sleeping well," she said, pulling me from my day dream.