If Only

Chapter Eleven: Sweet Nothings

JADE

On the way to Gramps' house, something clicked for Lizzy. She explained that she had some pressing errands to attend to and wouldn't be able to stay with me for long. Instead, she suggested dropping me off at Gramps' place.

"I'll just drop you off at Gramps', is that okay? I'm really sorry, Jade. I'll make it up to you next time, okay?" Lizzy proposed, smoothly maneuvering the car around a corner that led us straight to Gramps' house. Disappointing as it was, I didn't want to hold Lizzy back from whatever she needed to do. I knew that returning here wasn't solely about spending time with me as her cousin.

I offered her a reassuring smile, letting her know that everything was fine.

"Sure," I replied, my shoulders sagging with exhaustion. We hadn't accomplished much today. We simply sat outside the coffee shop and chatted, which wasn't much, but somehow, seeing Jared pass by drained me, and I longed for the day to be over.

The moment he walked past us, I suggested to Lizzy that we should leave.

Thankfully, she didn't protest and headed towards her car for our departure.

She pulled up right in front of Gramps' house, and we bid our farewell. In no time at all after Lizzy drove off, Chandler emerged from the gate, sweat glistening on his face, clearly having just finished tending to the garden.

He wiped his face with an extra shirt, casting a questioning look in my direction. "That car looks familiar."

His gaze followed Lizzy's car as it disappeared down the road.

"It's my cousin Lizzy's."

Without a word, he nonchalantly shrugged, as if he couldn't be bothered.

Chandler was about to turn away, but I couldn't restrain myself from asking something that had been gnawing at me for the past few hours since Jared's unexpected appearance.

"Umm... Chandler," my voice faltered, caught in my throat. I decided to let it go, but it was too late. Chandler had already turned his face towards me, encouraging me to continue with a gentle, "yeah?"

"I-if you... umm... if you don't mind me asking... Have you... umm... h-have you seen Jared, anywhere?"

I half-expected Chandler to mock me, perhaps even scoff and tell me that Jared wanted nothing to do with me. After all, they were friends, and Jared might have shared enough about my naivety.

But instead, Chandler smiled as if he'd been anticipating this question, as if he'd already prepared his response.

My hopes soared, but when he spoke, it was like a gust of wind had swept away all my expectations.

"I'm sorry, Jade. I haven't heard from him in a while. Maybe he's out with the guys, I don't know. These days, being cooped up in this house doesn't exactly make it easy to keep up with my friends," he added with a touch of humor. I forced a chuckle and apologized for bothering him.

"It's fine, Jade. You can ask me anything."

"Thank you," I murmured, my voice barely audible.

I gave up on pressing further and turned, beginning the trek back home.

As I walked along the pathway, my gaze drifted to the section of the wall adorned with Jared's artwork. I paused, studying the piece. My expression fell, and in the dim night light, coupled with the glow of the lamp post, I could discern a swirling mix of blues and reds. There was a stroke of green that ascended, its meaning shrouded in the darkness.

I tilted my head to the side, my eyes tracing the meandering streaks of green against a backdrop of serene blue.

If I could observe myself right now, I'd probably look like a complete fool, tilting my head in front of a plain wall. Just above the green, subtly blending with the blue, was a touch of messy red, an artful chaos. Beautiful in its own unconventional way.