The Girl he Wants

41- You Think I Don't Love You, But I do.

RECAP: They all watch fireworks on the rooftop. Elizabeth admits to something she knew she had to.

***JAY'S P.O.V***Minutes before***

Jay has lost. All of his attempts to gain Elizabeth's friendship back worked, but it didn't save him a place in her heart. He landed nowhere near that, as long as he can tell. He has tried three times to start a conversation with Elizabeth, but her head is facing the opposite way. It's as if she doesn't even hear him. As if Asher is two hundred times more important than Jay.

Jay is about to try one more time to catch her attention when he sees that her lips are pressed against his. Her lips are pressed against Asher's. The entire world has stopped spinning, the wind has stopped whipping, and the city has stopped moving. The girl of his dreams has been lost in Asher's words, touch, and maybe even love.

   Love. Asher loves Elizabeth... And by the way Elizabeth is leaned against him, Jay is pretty damn sure she loves him too. And to be honest with himself, Jay finally considers the possibility that Elizabeth won't end up with him.

   It's not even a possibility anymore, Jay realizes as Elizabeth whispers something to Asher. It's more like an inevitable happening that will tear Jay apart piece by piece, limb from limb.

   Nothing fills Jay's heart except one feeling. That feeling isn't jealously. It's not hatred. Not anger. It's defeat. Selfish, pitiful, defeat.

   Jay rises from the spot he sits at and leaves them, knowing he can't look at their happiness right now. The way Elizabeth is looking at Asher is the way he so wishes she would gaze at him. He wishes somehow, someway, he could just steal her heart even for only one day.

   That's not going to happen. He's lost.

   After climbing down the ladder, he rides the elevator down to the floor that contains his room. Easily slipping out of the small box and into the hallway, he makes his way to his hotel door, swipes the card, and walks inside. He drags his feet the entire time and his head is hung low as if his body agrees with his mind that he will never get the chance to glance into Elizabeth's eyes and see a special kind of love meant for him and only him.

   Too bad. Asher's won that look.

   Nobody is in the bedroom so Jay collects his phone and his wallet, tucking them in his jean's back pockets. Afterwards, he exits the room and heads back to the elevator. He just needs to take a walk and clear his head, maybe even comprehend fully what this means for him.

   When Jay finally reaches the bottom floor he glides right out of the building, sure not one person has noticed his absence. The cold night air filters through his clothes, biting his skin, but he doesn't notice one bit. The only cold he notices is the cold that is creeping into the valves of his heart.

Jay turns to the left, walking along the slightly crowded sidewalk. He passes the alleyway Elizabeth saw the dead body and chills slither down his spine. He continues walking, but the thought that runs through his mind is: Should I even be out here?

Yes. He thinks to himself. All he wants to do is clear his head. Maybe the night and the endless streets will help him out.

Jay is about to pass the next alleyway when he notices a man leaned up against the corner of the building. He almost didn't see the man because of the shadows that linger in between the buildings, but fortunately he does and knows to stay away. The man's eyes are resting on him, his dark pupils settling an unnerving feeling over Jay.

"Hey, kid." The man says, stopping Jay in his tracks.

"Hi." Jay turns to the man, but before he even meets his gaze he knows something is dead wrong. Behind the buff, unrealistically threatening man, Jay spots another man, but this one is much skinnier and much shorter. Yet, he is scarier than the big one because of the single pointed object he grips in his fingers: A knife.