Before You

Chapter 60

I stare out of the coffeehouse window at the people driving by. Traffic is crazy today. I assume everyone is getting last minute items for Thanksgiving and maybe even doing some early Christmas shopping. Peyton asked if I wanted to meet for coffee after my shift at work so I agreed. Jett has been somewhat busy with it being Thanksgiving week. I assume busy with family stuff, but I haven't confirmed that. I've made it a point to not mention his family at all. I only saw him a few times over the weekend. We went out for dinner and watched a few movies. I haven't spoken with him about the phone call from Mason. It'll happen soon, but I just don't want to deal with it.

"Evy!" I hear a voice call out, pulling me from my thoughts.

I look up to see Peyton walking towards me holding the biggest smile on her face. "Hey Peyton!"

Peyton reaches the table and leans down to give me a hug. Her smile is infectious. I can't help but to feel better whenever I'm around her. She takes a seat at the table in front of me and hastily takes off her thick jacket.

"Here." I push a coffee mug in front of her. "I didn't think you would be too long so I went ahead and ordered you one."

Peyton carefully takes a sip of her coffee and her eyes shut still holding the same smile. "Mmm... you know just what I like."

I break out into laughter and Peyton joins in. I know how she likes her coffee and she knows how I take mine. Peyton and I have become closer than I ever imagined we would be. I even talk to her more now than I do Boston. That reminds me, I should call and check in with Boston soon.

"So how was work?" Peyton asks.

I roll my eyes. "Ugh. Let's talk about something else. How are things with you?"

Peyton's face lights up even more. "I've got so much to tell you!"

"Really? What?" I ask with curiosity.

"I met Nolan's mother a few days ago." She squeals. "His parents are divorced and he hasn't seen his dad in years, but I met his mother!"

Her words somehow pierce me like a knife. "Oh."

"Oh?" Peyton says. "Well, I thought it was exciting."

I snap out of my thoughts as I look at Peyton. "Oh...no. I mean, yes. It is exciting. That's great news."

Peyton's eyes narrow as she scans my face. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What? Nothing." I tell her.

"Whatever." She replies. "I can tell something's wrong with you. What is it? Is something going on with Jett?"

I sigh and take a brief look outside of the window again. I might as well talk to her about it. I don't have Mason to confide in anymore. "Yeah."

"What happened?" she asks.

"Last week Jett's mother asked me if I would come over for Thanksgiving dinner." I say plainly.

Peyton's eyes light up. "Really? That's great!"

"Yeah." I say plainly.

Peyton's eyes narrow again. "Wait. Why isn't that great?"

"Jett and I haven't talked about it since. He seems like he doesn't really want me to meet his family." I reply.

"That's so weird." She says. "You any Jett were together before Nolan and I got together. I think it's about time you meet his family. Do you even want to meet his family?"

"Yes. I would love to meet his family. He's met my mother and my closest friends. I don't understand what the big deal is." I speak up. "Now, you've met Nolan's mother."

Peyton sits back into her chair, as her facial expression grows sad. "I'm sorry, Evy."

I shake my head. "Don't be sorry. You've met Nolan's mother. I think that's wonderful and I'm so glad you had a great time. I just don't understand what is going on with Jett. I feel like maybe we're on two different levels or something. He knows so much more about me than I know about him. I love him Peyton. I honestly do. When we're together, everything is so great. We just fit. We have so much in common and he's wonderful to me. But, I also know that I deserve more than what I'm getting from him."

"What are you doing to do?" Peyton asks.

I shake my head and stare down at the table. "I don't know."

"Have you spoken to Mason?" she asks.

"That's a whole other story." I add. "I have, but Jett doesn't know about it yet."

"It seems like you both have a lot you need to talk about." She adds.

"Yeah. We definitely do." I respond.

Peyton changes the subject and I couldn't be more grateful. She talks about her visits back to her hometown and some of the jobs she's applied for. She's excited about some job interviews she has in the next couple of weeks. I sit in front of her, sipping my coffee and trying my best to pay attention. Thoughts of Jett and Mason take turns running through my mind. I love Jett so much, but I know there should be more to our relationship than this. Something has to give.

"I guess I need to get home." Peyton interrupts my thoughts.

"Oh okay." I respond. "I should probably go too."

"Come on. I'll walk you out." She adds.

I take one last sip of my coffee as Peyton puts her jacket back on. The amount of people in the coffeehouse has dwindled down. I guess it's later than I thought. I'm surprised Jett hasn't called me yet to see if I've made it back to my apartment. We walk towards the door and Peyton opens it first to let me out. The cold air hits my face. I should have brought a thicker jacket.

"Where did you park?" Peyton asks.

I point to the back of the parking lot. "Over there."

We start walking to my car. "It was good to see you Peyton. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Evy." She says. "We need to see each other more often."

"Agreed." I tell her. "I think I need more time to myself and with my friends. I pretty much spend any free time with Jett and no one else."

"Well, we'll have to change that." She says with a laugh.

As we reach the front of my car, Peyton points to the windshield. "Did you get a ticket?"

I look closer at the small paper tucked behind the wiper blade. "What? No way. I didn't do anything wrong."

I rush over to the paper, pulling it out as quickly as I can. It's a piece of folded up plain paper. This isn't a ticket. I open it and read the words scribbled down in black ink.

He's not who you think he is.

I stare at the paper unable to move. Where did this come from? Who did this? What does this mean? Who is this referring to? What should I do? All these questions crowd my mind immediately. My eyes leave the paper and scan the parking lot around me. I look from one vehicle to the next. A small group of people leave the coffeehouse and walk to their car, laughing. I don't see anyone else out here.

"Evy, what's wrong?" Peyton asks.

My eyes meet hers again as I hand here the folded piece of paper. I watch as she reads each word carefully. I still haven't said a word.

"Evy, who is this about?" she asks.

"I don't know." I reply so quietly it almost sounds like a whisper.

The truth is this could be for anyone. It could be a mistake. A note that was meant for someone else in this parking lot. My eyes keep scanning to each vehicle around me. I don't see or hear anyone else. We're alone. There's only one person this could be about. I don't want it to be true. The stinging feeling in my stomach and nausea that instantly rises up confirms my thoughts. It's Jett.