Live, Laugh, Love [COMPLETE/PUBLISHED]

Chapter 11

Jasper sat alone at Maria's Cocina, which is the name of Maria's restaurant, and nursed a bottle of cheap alcohol. It is 10 in the morning and he is already drinking. He takes another sip trying to numb the pain I caused him.

"¿Quieres decirme porque estás sentado aquí intentando y fallando a ser borracho?" Maria asks slinging a rag over her shoulder and sitting across from Jasper.

"María, ama a ella y me envió," he says taking another sip of his drink.

"¡Idiota! Te ama a ella y fuiste. ¿Tu madre enseñaste nada?" Maria says snatching the bottle away from him.

"Hey!" As Jasper fights with her to get the bottle back, they both didn't notice someone walking in and heading straight for them.

"Aunt Maria?" A female voice asks. She slaps Jasper's hand one more time taking the bottle away and turns to the teenage girl standing there.

"Daphne. What are you doing here?" Daphne, Jasper thought. Isn't that the name of Ophelia's sister?

"I was wondering if I could spend the night at your house. Mom and Dad are doing it again," she explains rubbing her hand on her arm.

"You are always welcome, dear. Oh, how rude of me. Jasper, this is Daphne Lockhart, my niece. She is my husband's brother's daughter."

"I thought your last name was Rodriguez?" He asks.

"It is, but my married name is Lockhart. Why do you ask?"

"Ophelia's last name is Lockhart." Daphne's eyes widen and then tears form at the base of her eyes.

"Daphne, what's wrong?" Maria asks, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you talking about my sister?" Daphne says, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I guess?" Jasper says concerned. Daphne starts to cry profusely. Maria wraps her arms around her. She eventually calms down and excuses herself to the bathroom. She leaves Maria and Jasper to themselves.

"If your last name is Lockhart and Ophelia and Daphne's is the same, why didn't you tell me that you were related when I introduced her to you?" Jasper asks Maria.

"Hijo, I recognized her right away, but I didn't say anything because I knew how much it would affect her. My brother-in-law and his wife are vile people. If you knew half the stuff that went on with Daphne you would go after them. I'm building a case against them and I am planning on getting custody of Daphne. I was going to do the same thing with Ophelia, but they told the family that she was missing. We didn't know that they just left her because Shawn and I would have taken her in," Maria explains. Shawn is her husband.

"I still think that you should tell her."

"I will just give me time. Let me get a handle on everything with Daphne and then I will talk to her."

I wish I would have been there to help my sister, but how could I have possibly known. Daphne walks back over to them and she is still in tears. Maria rushes back over to her.

"Jasper. I'll be back in a second." Maria starts to lead Daphne away, but-

"Auntie, let me talk to him." Maria nods and Daphne sits down in front of Jasper.

"So you are the guy that got my sister freaking out," she says.

"How did you-"

"I'm 14, not stupid also I had called your boss and he said something about you two getting closer."

"It doesn't matter. She turned me down," he says tracing patterns on the table.

"Keep telling yourself that," Daphne says.

"What does that mean?"

"Did my sister ever tell you why she was always so cautious around people?"

"No, I figure she would tell me with time, but instead I get sent out after telling her that I love her."

"Oh, I see. You are an idiot."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"Because you are. Think about it. My sister had to deal with my parents leaving her at 10 years old, then losing everyone she has in her life, she doesn't even know that Maria is her aunt, then she is thrown back into the real world after being alone for 3 years. Put two and two together, dimwit." He looks at her confused, but then a lightbulb goes off inside his head.

"Are you telling me that she was protecting herself from falling in love with me?"

"Congrats, we have a winner. She is scared that you are going to leave her as everyone else did in her life. She really does care for you."

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lia hasn't heard from you in weeks." She looks down at the table.

"That's because my parents don't want me talking to her. They took my phone and they left on a trip, they only came back yesterday. Said they 'accidentally' left it there."

"But how are you here now?"

"Because I asked a friend to drop me off. Anyways, enough about me, do you see what I'm saying about my sister?"

"Oh, mierda. ¿Y la dejé? Pensé que ella me estaba rechazando pero no. Ella se estaba protegiendo a sí misma. Tengo que disculparme jodidamente. Maldita sea. La amo y fui grosero. Mierda, me tengo que ir." Jasper gets out of his seat and bolts out of the restaurant.

"I have no clue what you just said, but bye," Daphne yells as he runs out. Maria walks out and smiles knowing exactly where Jasper is going.

He pulls out his phone to see several calls from his sister. He calls her back and she answers that call right away.

Why the hell did you call me this morning in tears?

"Luna, I wanted to talk to you but then you told me it was early and hung up on me."

You kept going on and on about this girl, who I found the address for and I am totally not on my way there now.

"Don't you scare her, Luna. I know how you can be. She has a reason for acting the way she is with me. I just need to talk to her."

Why didn't you do that before you called me in tears?

"When I left, I was upset and angry. I didn't fight for her."

Well, I gotta go. I just got to her apartment.

"Don't do any-" The call clicks and Jasper tosses his phone onto the passenger seat in frustration. Luna better not do anything stupid, he thought to himself. He put that car into drive and he made his way to my apartment with the goal to win me back.

I just didn't know that I was going to be getting an important visitor who was going to change my mind.