Crossing Paths

Chapter 12: Moving on

Copyright 2014 © Rosesareforever

Crossing Paths

Chapter 12

'Moving on'

Exhausted after the long journey home, Jade pushed the key in the lock and opened the door to her single-bedroom apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was her home. Jade could’ve easily afforded a bigger place, but it would be a waste of money to rent a huge apartment when she was all on her own. Jade didn’t need much space or luxury. If she ever decided to settle down and get married, she’d just move to a larger apartment or maybe even look for a nice house outside the city.

To Jade’s surprise and utter horror, the door of her apartment was already ajar as she reached to put her key in the lock. Eyes wide, Jade tentatively pushed the door open wider and took a step inside. She was one-hundred percent sure she locked the door before she headed to the wedding. It didn’t look like someone tried to break inside either.

“Finally, there you are!” Alexis exclaimed as Jade stepped into the living room. Startled, Jade yelped and dropped her suitcase on the floor in the process.

“Holy crap! You scared the shit out of me!” Jade cried out, holding a hand above her rapidly beating heart as she tried to regain her composure. Damned Alexis. Why did she ever decide to give her sister a key to her apartment? “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jade hadn’t expected anyone to be waiting for her when she returned home. In fact, she’d been hoping she could run straight to her bathroom and take a relaxing bubble bath after the long, tiresome day she endured. No such luck.  

“I thought I’d surprise you and welcome you home. Marcus flew to Miami to meet up with one of the managers there, so I was home alone anyway,” Alexis explained as she sat down on the couch, making herself at home.

Jade rolled her eyes. It was typical of her sister to check up on her. Honestly, she should’ve seen this coming. “So, how was your trip?” Alexis asked, curiosity written all over her face as Jade took off her coat and shoes.

“It went well,” Jade replied shortly, not feeling like elaborating. Her sister didn’t need to know about her short affair with Sedric. It would only cause disappointment and, undoubtedly, a vicious fight. Alexis wouldn’t understand. It was hard enough for Jade to comprehend everything herself. She’d always been convinced that cheating meant the end of a relationship, but if that was true, how could she still sleep with Sedric afterward? It wasn’t just angry sex either, but actual lovemaking. Ugh. Things had gotten so extremely complicated.

“So that means Sedric and you are done for good?” Alexis questioned with a raised eyebrow. It was clear her sister had difficulty believing that.

“Sed is not one to go back on his promises, Lexi. If he said he’d leave me alone, he will,” Jade assured, letting herself fall backward on the couch with a loud thud. Ah, that felt nice.

“He wasn’t too harsh on you on the island, right? I was worried, certainly when we heard on the news about the storm. It’s a good thing you’re okay after that tornado. Things could’ve gone epically wrong if it had hit the island instead of bypassing it,” Alexis said, her brows drawn together in a worried frown.

“As you can see, I’m fine. The storm was bad, but as long as we stayed inside we were safe,” Jade explained, leaving out the part where she ran outside and got lost. “Sed is still Sed. We fought, we held a truce, we fought some more. I found out we’re both still as stubborn as ever.”

“I hope you didn’t rekindle too much,” Alexis stated, raising an eyebrow.

“You know as well as I do that’s never going to happen again. Sedric screwed up and he’s still paying the price for that. I can’t and I won’t forgive him for what he put me through,” Jade reassured her sister, feeling ashamed for lying without even blinking an eye. They might have gone separate ways, but something definitely happened on the island.