a Piece of Art

14.0 T H E N O T E

   It was probably for the best that we decided we wouldn't talk about what had happened to Jackson, for some time. When Naomi, Steph and Leah came back, right before New Years, Leah seemed at least a tiny bit better. She didn't have swollen eyes and Naomi told she didn't cry herself to sleep the previous night. She was starting to talk about it, and remember him with a happy smile. She was nowhere close to overcome the pain she felt for his loss but she understood it was no way to live, to be focusing on the death.

   To me, she was incredibly strong. I wouldn't be able to cope with it they way she did. That's why I mostly felt guilty for what I was about to do.

   Blake wanted to open the letter as soon as we found it. Read it and decide if we should tell Leah that we found it. I took it away of his grasp before he could even think of opening it.

   "It's not our place to decide that. This is from Jackson, and it was written to Leah."

   So I kept it and told Leah I had found something that I wanted to show her. I didn't want to tell her over the phone, but I did let her know it was from Jackson.

   She came over to my apartment that afternoon as soon as she could escape Naomi without many suspicious.

   "What did you find?" She asked as soon as she took a seat at my couch, a cup of tea I made for her in my hand.

   I took the envelope from the table and gave it to her.

   "We didn't open it. Blake and I found it in Jackson's car. It's for you."

   She smiled sadly.

   "You can read it alone if you want. I just thought it was yours." I continued.

   "Can I read it here?" She asked. Her eyes started to tear up a little.

   "Yes, sure." I answered, hugging her briefly and getting up from the couch. "Do you want something to eat?"

   "No, thanks. More tea would be great, though." She said, opening that packet I gave her.

   I nodded and brought her more tea. I sat by her side, while she read what seemed to be a sheet of paper. It was a letter.

   Leah was fully crying right now, although I could see the end of her lips curl up slightly. She took a tissue out of her bag, and placed the paper down.

   "I can't believe he made me laugh even when he's gone. I think that's what I'll miss the most about him." She muttered.

   I nodded, agreeing with her. Jackson made all of us laugh.

   "It's a letter apologizing." She explained. "We had been fighting that whole week. We both were jealous as hell and some other shit happened. This is what he wanted to tell me when we were in the car, but he was never one to express his feelings. So he wrote them."

   "This is the sweetest thing someone has ever told me." Silent tear left her eyes. I hugged her some more, her head resting in my shoulders. "This is the kind of closure I needed, I think. Now I know he didn't die upset with me, we weren't fighting. And that he loved me, and I loved him."

***

   We were enjoying the last bits of our breaks before New Years came and the classes started again. The six of us, counting Liam, were lying in his and Steph's living room. A movie was playing in the TV but I don't think no one was paying attention.

   Every single of us was focusing on something else, Naomi was telling us about her new date, Liam was playing with Steph's short hair and Blake and I were in our phones.

   I'm completely guilty and must admit that I was messaging Parker. I just couldn't help it. I was infatuated by him by the moment I saw him through my mirror all those years ago, no one could blame me that I was over the moon over the fact that he was paying me attention, even if we weren't really a thing. He took me out a few days after New Years and we kissed some more inside his limo.

   None of my friends was aware of these messages though, specially Naomi and Steph kept telling me that I was being quite naive and getting comfortable with him to easy. I didn't quite agree with them.

   "What are you up to?" I asked him. Trying to continue with our conversation. Honestly, I liked the attention and was looking for us to keep talking.

   His response took a few seconds. "Nothing much, working late at the gallery. You?"

   "I'm over at Steph's. We had takeaway Chinese."

   "Fancy" I could almost see his smile. That's what I liked the most about his texts, I could perfectly picture him writing them, and read them with his voice.

   Suddenly, I felt the need to actually listen to him so I excused myself to the kitchen for a little bit, opened his contact and hit call.

   It rang for a little bit, before going straight to voicemail. He had rejected my call. I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

   His response came quickly. "I told you I was working."

   Strangely, I felt like a kid who had been told of. Called out on their bad behavior. He was right, I had overstepped.

   "I'm so sorry" I sent.

   His response took a few minutes, before he said. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Elizabeth."

   He almost sounded like my father, and it didn't sound kinky or anything. It just made me feel upset.

   I'm acting like such a kid. It wasn't surprising I felt like I've been told off when I'd been acting immaturely to begin with.

   "Lizzie? I think you should see this." Steph carefully called from the other room.

   "What's it?" I said joining them. Naomi and Steph were carefully looking at Steph's phone. I got worried.

   They shared a look before Steph turned her phone and showed me the screen. It was a note by Cosmopolitan in Snapchat, submitted not even two minutes ago. Steph had obviously received the notification of it being uploaded. She was obsessed with those subscriptions.

   At first it didn't make sense, until I graved the phone in my own two hands and started for a few minutes at the photo. It was Parker. Coming out of a restaurant. With a leggy redhead by his side, whom I couldn't even hate, because she did look gorgeous.

   So this was why he didn't answer the phone. So much for working late.