Extra Scene of Rewind - Jay's POV

Extra Scene from Rewind

This scene takes place straight after Chapter 20 of Rewind. I encourage you to read it if you've read further than Chapter 20 - so as in my old chapters, Chapter 21 and onwards, that I took down for editing. If you're a new reader and have just read Chapter 20, it's better you don't read this just yet. It's too soon. You don't have enough information on Jay yet.

Extra Scene from Rewind - taking place straight after Chapter 20  

Jay's perspective:

Someone gently tugs on my arm, trying to pull me to a stop. I don't even have to look back to know that it's Mia. I shrug her hand off and walk over to my car. I should have never come back here. It's not worth the dull, numbing ache that I feel every time I see her.

"JT," Grey, as expected, calls after me, "wait."

I inhale sharply, the ache only intensifying. My chest feels like it's on fire. 

"Go back," I mutter, scouting for my keys before he tries to talk me out of it.

He catches up, stepping in front of me, deliberately blocking my path to the driver's seat. "Where are you going?"

"What the hell are you doing?" I raise my voice slightly, not in the mood to see or speak to anyone.

When he doesn't answer, I make a move to push past him, but he places his hand on my chest and shoves me back, not holding out. "Where the hell are you going?" he repeats his question, not budging -- and he won't until he gets the answer he's looking for.

I stare at him calculatingly, my jaw clenched, as I attempt to restrain myself from doing something that I'll probably regret. "What does it matter?" I eventually speak after first gathering my thoughts.

"It matters, Jay!" He catches me off guard by using my first name, having lost his patience with me. His voice drops an octave lower, "Of course, it matters."

I avert my gaze from his hypocritical one. I end up zeroing in on Mia instead. Her innocent brown eyes are drilling holes through me, making me feel even worse. The imprint of disappointment is there. I can see it. The look of pity written on her face makes me feel sick.

It would be so much easier if I just chose her. It would be so much easier if it were Ava. It would be so much easier if it were anyone else. But it's not. It's Aqueela. And I somehow can't bring myself to regret any of it.

"Jay," Mia drawls out softly, reaching out to me.

I flinch, avoiding her and everyone else's stares of disapproval.

I hear Grey sigh knowingly from beside me.

"Don't do that. Don't withdraw." Mia shakes her head. "You should know by now that bottling things up only lead to further explosions."

"And you should know that I've always been a trainwreck waiting to happen," I say quietly, slowly exhaling. "When it's me, there's always going to be an explosion."

"And that's a choice you make every time." Decoda makes her way over to me, a frown forming on her lips. "You need to stop making everything about y-"

"Stop talking." Grey sends her a look of warning, knowing the current mindset I'm in - I will retaliate. 

She's quick to shut her mouth under his sharp stare, not making the mistake of testing him like she does me.

"If you knew him, you'd know that he's not making it about him. He's reacting this way because it's all about her." Grey rises to my defense, but at this point, I couldn't care less about the words thrown at me.