UNSPOKEN

5

"I'll see you around then" Jackson said as we got to the bakery after walking back from the wings bar. I stood in the door

"Sure, come by whenever you feel like it." I said trying to lean on something in case my legs gave in.

"I will. I wouldn't miss your broccoli and cheese muffins for the world," he laughed immediately, one of our laughs. I laughed " Yes, that sounded wrong," he said shaking his head and giving one last wave. I saw him leave and went into the bakery but immediately ran to the kitchen where I leaned against a wall and lowered myself until I was seated on the floor and cried. Cried for everything that never was and for everything that will never be. I cried because I was stupid enough to go near him knowing that there's nothing in this world that would prevent me from falling in love with him.

"Marion" said Alexa sitting down next to me as she shooed Greg to attend the front of the bakery.

"I'm such an idiot," I said wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

"What happened?" she asked me.

"He is getting married," I said the last part between a giant sob as I put my head on my bended knees.

"And what? The bastard is here for one last bang?" Alexa was ready to get up and kick some ass

"No, he's looking for answers. He doesn't want to get married," I shrugged " He needs me as a friend"

"Oh" said Alexa and sat back down. "Then" she put her hand on my shoulder "I guess you should cry a lot, A LOT, because you are his friend" I nodded

"I never wanted to be his friend" I sobbed harder

"No, but you never told him that" she said running her hand through my tangled waves.

Alexa was right, there were never promises or labels between us. We were friends, very good friends for the 4 months of summer and some weekends during 2 years. We were just friends.

For the next couple of days it was usual to find Jackson sitting at the bakery having breakfast and chatting up with Alexa or me. He'd reconnected with Connor so, as far as Alexa had told me, they had gone out for drinks a couple of nights and I'd bet Connor knew everything about his fiancé. I was trying really hard to stay busy in the bakery and with catering services that were due. Truth was that I would be over with everything work related really fast because of all the frustration that I was releasing, so, by the time I was over with work and baking, I only had one thing to do: obsess over Jackson and all these feelings that had been long forgotten. Next day I would do it all over again. I was exhausted of everything.

It was one Friday night when I was coming back from closing the bakery that I found Jackson sitting on the stairs of my house. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs for a little while and then went up.

"Got lost?" I asked as I took a sit next to him.

"Something like that," he had a beautiful long beard now. Seemed that this would be his running away look. I loved it, like everything else he did. "You are late" he said and looked at my watch. 10 pm.

"I was baking for tomorrow. I have a Bridal shower that I am catering," he nodded. "want to come in?" I asked and he nodded again.

"It's different" he said looking around the house. I had thrown down a couple of walls and let the bottom floor be one single space. You could only see that there was a kitchen because there was a mini island in the middle.

"Yeah, I had to make it my own," I loved my grandma so much but I just couldn't take her house and simply live there among her things. I had to change everything to really feel that it was mine. "Connor helped" I said as I put my bag on of the couches in the living room.