Stay [h.s.] | short story

Chapter 9

One month.
One month since Harry left Zayn's apartment.
One month since Harry and Jasmine's marriage, changed forever.

He still left texts,
He still left voicemails.

Jasmin never responded, but she'd read Harry's texts and listen to his voice mails.

Zayn came to work the day after his and Harry's collision at his apartment, expecting to be fired.
Surprisingly, Harry didn't fire him.
He owns the shop, he had the power to do it,
just say the words,
but he didn't.

Harry walked in and gave Zayn more paperwork for the shop.
"It would just be petty if I fire you," Harry told him that day. "You're still my friend and Jasmin would hate me even more."

"Wait for her," Zayn said. "She'll come around if she wants to."

If she wants to or not at all, Harry thought.

An entire 30 days gave Jasmin enough time
ponder about it all, about what she'd want to do.
Jasmin is in the middle of wiping the tables in the diner and her co-worker, Cindy tapped her shoulder, handing her a folded paper.
She didn't think about seeing Harry until now.

"Harry came by before you got to work this morning," she said, disinterest in her voice and Jasmin takes the paper in her hand. "What is this? Middle school? You two are married and passing around notes." Cindy rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen.

Jasmin never told anyone else about her situation with Harry, no one knew except Zayn and her sister Amy who's far from home.

She unfolds the paper and first reads Harry's perfect handwriting of her name.

Jasmin arrives back to Zayn's apartment after work.
To return a kind gesture, Jasmin has cooked
Zayn's meals even if he'd argue with her that she didn't need to do anything.
To make her feel less bad, he finally let her.
Living with Zayn for a month had become a natural thing.
He even gave her a spare key.
It almost frightened her because
she wanted to feel that way with Harry.

Whenever Zayn could, he'd tell her all about what he and Harry would talk about.
Like how Harry would always say he missed her and that he said hi.
Jasmin would worry that her leaving Harry would just make him run to his mistress.
"He's not doing it, I promise you," Zayn said once. "He was stupid for what he did and he knows it. I know he loves you, he really does. There's nothing that can justify for what he did and I know he's trying to become a better person. A better man for you."

Zayn lies on the couch, one that had become Jasmin's makeshift bed.
One time, Zayn offered his bedroom and he'd take the couch, but she laughed and told him a big no.
He's done too much as her friend.

Zayn gets up to let Jasmin have the couch and she sits him back down.
"Thank you so much, Zayn," she said abruptly and his hazel eyes soften and his lips form a small smile.

"You're going back," he says, already reading her thoughts.

She nods. "I've had my doubts and I still do because I'm still learning — I mean I will learn. I'll learn to trust him again. I've known Harry since high school and you've known him longer. We know him deeper than his mistakes, especially you."
Jasmin thinks about what she said for a second, making sure she truly meant it.

"Not everyone is capable of making up past wrongs, but I know Harry is."

They continue their conversation about Harry, then move on to this show Zayn got Jasmin hooked on.
Jasmin will miss her times with her friend, but she knows he'll still be around.

Jasmin knew that he could never let him go.
In the back of her mind, she never lost hope that Harry would get his second chance,
one that she is willing to give to him.