Love Next Door

Chapter Twenty Seven- A Conclusion

Tahlia came over the next day, extremely excited and relieved to see her friend back and happy. She wasn't so enthused to see Ash, however. When she arrived at Jay's apartment she immediately enveloped her friend in a crushing hug and repeated again how relieved she was that he was back. She then proceeded to glare pointedly at Ash who was standing not far from him.

"I ought to slap you or something," She snapped, much to the dismay of the taller man whose face fell from an easy smirk to one of shock. Jay jumped towards Ash, looking between his two friends with his mouth parted, wondering how he could account for his friend's outburst of hostility.

But Ash recovered first, quickly scrambling to explain himself, realising the reason behind her hostility.

"I'm really sorry for what I put Jay through. I can hardly forgive myself for it, and I don't expect Jay...or you to as well. It won't happen again, I promise."

Remember, promises can be broken.

"Good..." Tahlia replied. Her voice was calmer, the hostility not as justified, but her eyes still narrowed. She relaxed after that, listening eagerly to their stories of the week in detail. She was especially thrilled by the promise ceremony, squealing out loud when Jay told her about the dress. She begged for photos and begrudgingly Jay remembered that he had asked Ash to take some of him after the feast when he had been a bit more intoxicated by the strong wine. He didn't have the flowers adorning him, but the effect was still strong on Tahlia who almost cried at the sight of the photo on his small phone screen.

After all the details and stories and emotions were laid out as they sat on the worn sofa, Jay asked with a nervous stutter if Tahlia would talk to him in the kitchen. Apologising to Ash for his need for privacy, Jay moved into the kitchen, where their words would be muffled by the tightly enclosed walls. Tahlia stood warily by the doorway, waiting for Jay to talk. Taking a deep breath, and rubbing his hand anxiously behind his neck, he quickly formulated the words to begin his apology.

"I'm-I'm sorry, for everything I've ever done that's hurt you," he began, commanding his eyes to stay looking into hers. "I realise that I can be...really selfish sometimes and I can't get out of my own head. Ash made me realise this in something he said when I saw him again. I think I...I think I want to take more responsibility for Kasey, I want to help you guys out more and be more of a father to her. I still don't think I can ever be what you want me to be....but I'm not going to walk out of my child's life because I'm scared. I'm going to try harder...to be a better person and friend, and I think Ash is trying to help me too. So yeah...I hope you can forgive me for everything because you're a really important person to...me."

He finished his speech with a sigh, hoping the moisture forming in his eyes was due to the dust in the room and not his emotions getting the better of him again. Tahlia said nothing but instead defaulted to her usual crushing hug.

"You aren't a bad person Jay..." she whispered. "You just need to trust in yourself and be happy. Of course, I forgive you..."

By the time she needed to leave, she seemed to have somewhat forgiven Ash for his disappearance, even giving him a quick goodbye hug. "It's nice to see you back again."

The following days seemed to drift into normality, Jay returning to work and Ash getting his apartment back to the serene tidiness he had previously been proud of. Each night, even as he lay in the arms of Ash, Jay wondered if he would wake up to the same fate. Would Ash be there with him? It kept his eyes from shutting even as his mind began to switch off, not wanting to sleep through the night when his happiness could slip away from him in an instant.

He replayed the man's words in his mind, from New Years and the resulting week of reclaimed happiness. He cycled through the words of love which had been ingrained in his heart, reminding him of how far their relationship had come. It calmed him, and he would fall asleep feeling warm inside.