The Hopeless Romantic ✔️

Bonus Chapter.

Jace's POV

"Jace," Avery said, "I told you that it's all in the past." Avery's eyes shone brightly like the sun and it reflected like the ocean, sparkling and glistening just like she always did.

I ran my fingers through my hair in distress because it still felt like she was still hurt by it. "How can you not be angry at me?" I knew I shouldn't be questioning why she forgave me but after what I did, the guilt came flooding into my brain like a river and it was drowning me. The fear of losing her again, the past resurfacing into the clean air, scared me.

We were sitting in her living room, like we always had been. She was looking radiant with her red summer dress and her brown hair flowing down her shoulders, not a strand out of place. "I was angry, you know that," she took my hand in hers, "but forgiveness is the key to a happy life and I found a way to keep it all in the past because that's where it belongs."

She was right, but did that help? I slipped my hands free from hers and she frowned, questioning my actions. "I just feel like it shouldn't be that easy."

"It wasn't," she reminded me with a small smile, "you fought for me. You tried to fix the past by doing it all over again and that's really romantic. It wasn't easy, Jace. I know it wasn't, but once I realized that you really loved me, I forgot about the past and I thought about the future."

I shook my head with a chuckle, loving the sound of her voice. "The future. It sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it?"

She nodded as I retook her hand. "I've been thinking about it for a really long time," she stopped for a moment and I could tell she was thinking. "Jace, don't dwell on the past. You owned up to your mistakes, you made up for them. You are not your mistakes, okay?"

I pulled her in for a hug and I could tell she was surprised by the way I pulled her in. "You are amazing, did you know that?"

She laced her arms around me and buried her face in my neck. "So you keep saying."

*

I knew guilt would be a huge part of it, I knew it would have an impact on me. What I did to her, what I tried to do, was unforgivable. I still didn't know how she could ever forgive me, but I had to try. I fell in love with her so unexpectedly. I didn't even think about catching feelings for her until they were already caught, they were chasing me until they tripped me up and I fell flat on my face.

So many regrets, but not one of those regrets was ever falling in love.

I didn't know what it was. She was different than any of the other girls at school and I had never met anyone like her since Faith. She didn't try to get my attention, she was herself and that was what made her so beautiful. I knew I was catching feelings for her when I found out that she had issues, scary issues and I had never met anyone who was struggling like she was. I didn't know what it was like and I wish I could understand.

Rolling over in my sleep, my mind kept replaying everything that happened over the school year. Graduation was just around the corner and I still couldn't believe that we would be embarking on the big wide world, not knowing what to expect. I knew it would be tough and we would face a lot of challenges along the way, but it would all be worth it.

The next morning, I woke up and the guilt was still eating at me. I knew Avery forgave me for what I did and she reassured me that everything was okay, but I still couldn't bury the feeling. I quickly got changed into a pair of shorts and a simple tank top, it was getting hotter by the day because summer was coming soon. I had the urge to see her and I would get that urge every day and I didn't know why, but every morning I would go and see her. Although, it was the afternoon because I slept in.