Loving Jane

Fourteen

On the way to my apartment, Sebastian and I were distracted with our own thoughts. Somehow, the short drive felt longer. And sitting in silence inside a cramped car wasn't helping make the atmosphere better.

"I'm curious about something. What made you decide to become a doctor?" I asked. "When we were young, I vaguely remember that you wanted to be a pilot."

His laugh echoed in the confined space. "I can't believe you remembered that detail," he said in between chuckles. "Well, like most people, I outgrew that dream and pursued something realistic – for me. My mom was already a nurse, and after my father's death, I've been interested in health care. And then Roger came into our lives. He was the one who helped me decide whether to make a career out of it."

"When did your mom remarry?"

"Oh yeah, you couldn't have known about that since you were living with your father," he pointed out. "Well, my mom and Roger married after I graduated in high school. That'll be more than a decade ago."

I nodded. "Of course. I guessed as much. And had you been living here in Portland?"

"Yes, I have," he replied. "But you didn't until your parents' divorce, did you?"

Since he was driving, he hardly preyed his eyes away from the road. When we stopped at the red light, he glanced in my direction when I didn't reply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

I met his gaze and smiled. "No. You could have known about their divorce since it happened when we were still acquainted. And you're right, Portland didn't use to be home until my parent's divorce. I spend most of my early years in Seattle, but those memories are distant to me. This had always my home."

"Are you sure you'd want to actually stay here forever? I mean, it's damp and rainy for almost half of the year," he lightly said with a growing smile.

I scoffed. "And what? Seattle is better? My mom can't use that against me since we do leave on the northwest pacific coast. The weather is the same until you reached Nevada, but the heat isn't a good trade for it. I'd rather die of hypothermia than be burned into a crisp."

He snorted, but the smile on his face didn't weaver.

Minutes later, I saw the familiar road leading up to my apartment. I pointed at the turn and Sebastian followed. Once we made it past the entrance, I gestured towards the building on the right side.

"That's me," I informed.

He turned the car and parked on an empty slot in front of the building. Once it was on a full stop, my hand grabbed the knob and yanked it, opening the door.

"Uhm, well, I – Thank you for the ride, Seb." I twisted in his direction.

"No problem. I had some time," he replied.

There was a brief awkward silence between us again. Feeling I've overstayed, I quickly got out of the car. Yet before I'm completely out, a hand grabbed my arm, nearly yanking me back inside. I was able to balance my weight and kept seated on the chair.

I looked at him in surprise. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," he quickly let go of his grip on me. "I didn't mean to do that. I was just –" he sighed heavily. "I wanted to invite you to this charity event next week. And I didn't know how to suddenly bring it up, and then we were here. And you were about to go. I'm sorry." He huffed in defeat.

I chuckled. "Was that why you've been quiet until I asked you those questions?"

He looked sheepish. "Yes, that's why."