The Timekeeper

Chapter Twenty-One

And once again, my phone went straight to voicemail. I sighed, putting it back in my pocket. I had called Jase about five times while I sat at home and waited with Claire. I knew she was getting impatient, that she wanted to leave to go pick up Alex, but she still refused to leave my side. I wasn't sure why, maybe she felt I needed some kind of support, but she insisted she'd wait with me until JaSe showed up.

It was Friday night; the night of the dance, and like always Claire had helped me get ready. My hair was pulled into a bun at the back of my head, secured by what felt like hundreds of bobby pins. My eyelashes touched my brow bone when I looked upwards, though she hadn't added any fake eyelashes.

"We don't want you to be too over the top or he'll think you're trying too hard," Claire had said as she ran the mascara brush through my lashes. "I'm thinking we do all natural, but it's not exactly natural because you'll be wearing make up."

Claire had made tonight all about impressing Jase, though I had told her over and over that he still hadn't replied to me. She refused to think I'd be dateless on a night that was all about you and your date. I, on the other hand, had fully prepared to spend the night home watching episodes of One Tree Hill and eating multiple blocks of chocolate.

Claire looked impatiently at her phone as another message popped up from Alex, most likely asking her where she was or why she was taking so long. She looked stunning tonight, though she always did, really. She had straightened her frizzy locks, which I knew would’ve taken her at least three hours to get it the way it looked now. She wore a red floor length gown, which I hadn’t expected her to pick, especially from all the other dresses she had tried on. It made her look like some kind of princess, the way the bottom half of the dress turned to tulle and bounced out around her.

"You don't have to wait for me," I sighed suddenly, startling her as she gazed down at her phone.

"Don't be silly, Cand. I'm not leaving." she shook her head, her long dangling earrings shimmering. "And there’s no way I'm missing out on a chance to meet this bad boy."

"He's not coming, can't you see that?" I croaked, unable to hide how upset I was becoming.

"You need to be a little bit more positive, just call him again."

"He won't answer," I argued.

"Just do it!" she cried, the frustration of being late finally showing.

I picked up the phone, dialling Jase’s number once again. Claire stared at me intently, and I could see the hope in her eyes. She was equally as disappointed as I was when the phone went to his voicemail, once again. I sighed, flinging myself back onto my bed.

“Claire, don’t worry about me, okay? Just go. I don’t want you to miss out on a special night because of me,” I mumbled, hoping she could hear me.

“Alright, I’ll go, but Candice?” She stood up then, smoothing down her dress. “You can’t give up just yet. It’s time to take things to the next step.”

I had no idea what she meant at the time, until I found myself sitting in my car, Jase’s house across the other side of the road, an hour later. Driving over here and demanding to see him seemed like a good idea at the time, even Claire had thought so, but now I wasn't too sure. My fingers tapped the steering wheel, the nerves finally hitting me. What if he didn't even bother to open the door? Or slams it in my face? I guess that's exactly what I deserved, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

I had a sudden burst of determination, knowing I had to do this if I ever wanted things to be right again. Even if Jace didn't forgive me, I still needed to try and explain what happened and apologise again. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if he didn't forgive me; I hadn't really put much thought into it. What did one do with a soul mate that didn't want to be your soul mate?