The Wish (Book One)

Chapter 26: Back Where it All Began

My lungs restrict me from inhaling the sweet scent of summer's absence. Preparing for fall to arrive, the same time of year five years ago,  I met Jason in this town. Except, at the time, I had no idea who he was, my handsome stranger. Why didn't he find me sooner? I never left this town, I knew I wouldn't leave. He had to of known that too.

Staring out into the lake, at its beauty, the trees reflect on the water, color ripples through. Arms wrapped around my sides, I just don't know anymore. Footsteps sound behind me, too stubborn to meet his eyes. It just seems like every time we're okay, we run into a rough patch right away. "Baby..." He grabs my shoulder, turning me halfway. I pull away, turning around on my own.

"Don't baby me! You knew this whole time who I was and didn't even think to tell me." I face towards the lake again. Allowing the wind to roam through my hair as it passes by, it meets water, swaying the trees. Frogs croak in the distance, crickets chirp in the dry grass. I silently thank them for their existence. I hate awkward silences, and this, this is so awkward.

He clears his throat, God, I want to be pissed at him, but I can't, I just can't. He's so adorable, everything about him, perfect. All his nervous habits, his behavior whether he is happy, angry, or neutral is perfect. I can't get enough of it. I can't get enough of him.

"Why didn't you look for me sooner?", my whisper blends into the wind, swooping through his hair, tickling his skin. Tears threaten to show their existence, but I'm not going to let them get the best of me. I need to hear his side before I get too upset. It's not fair to him.

"Come sit down with me." I turn around and see that he's standing with one hand shoved in his pocket, the other hangs at his side. I walk past over to the picnic table along side the water. He soon follows and sits down opposite of me.

Without meeting my eyes, he releases a sigh. I knew there was something wrong when he refused my touch. Something was eating at him, and this was it. All gray has left his eyes, blackness has welcomed itself in. Forearms lie in front of him, hands cupped together, the same hands that touch me tenderly, the hands that I kissed.

He closes his eyes for a split second before he speaks. "I wanted to search for you sooner, but there were just so many obstacles I was dealing with, and I didn't want you to get involved. I didn't want to trap you with my problems." I'm a little taken back. Did he think I would judge him? That I would think his life is too hectic, and that "us" would be a waste of time?

Eyes closed, hands twitching, he bites his lower lip. I place my hands on top of his, hoping not to be rejected again. I brush the exterior lightly with my thumbs. Surprisingly, he doesn't move, but he rolls his eyes and clenches his jaw.

"My dad would play catch with my sister and I out here by this lake. We called it Massy Lake because every time the baseball landed in the water, our golden retriever Massy would go and fetch it." He pauses, opens his eyes and reveals pain. Nothing but shock and devastation swim through his dark eyes.

"We all loved baseball. Dad would take us to many games growing up. He gave me the confidence I needed to become who I am today. Ali was my number one supporter. My girl, my best friends, my big sister. Such a beautiful person she was, smart and kind as hell." Was?

"We did everything together, there was never a time when dad, Ali and I weren't together. Dad would call us AJ because we were inseparable. I remember when I brought a girl home, Ali was so jealous. She took out the screws from my ex girlfriend's chair. So when all of us went to the dinner table, and my girlfriend at the time sat down, she ended up falling on her ass, sitting right on the floor. I don't blame her for doing that though, the girl was a bitch."