Once Upon A Bet

/12/ Despicable, heartless

Dedicated to raven_twirlingpages thanks for all the patience and support <333!

/ Two years ago/

The hot wind brushed my hair and clothes, bringing that heated feeling of a summer night there was no the usual joy this kind of environment brought. No. Instead, this aching hole in my chest keep throbbing. Tears had finally stopped flowing, but now I felt my eyes swollen and my body numb.

I didn't know how much time had passed since I finally decided to stop running and collapsed on this bench. Now it was dark night and I know I'd been here long enough to feel the stiffness in my bones, a weird mix added to how jelly I felt my muscles. I lost the track of time. I could no longer care about anything other than her spiteful words.

I flinched startled a sudden vibration in my pocket. My phone, I realized, rigidly sliding it out. It was Jake. I wiped under my eyes and unlocked the screen to see he'd had called a few other times. I felt my heart warming a bit as I took the call.

"Hey, I've been trying to reach for an hour." I heard his half concerned voice and more sounds in the background. Music and laughs... Right. We were supposed to go to the bonfire. My eyes watered again thinking I must have stood him with my little crisis. 

"I'm sorry. I've f-forgotten and-"

"Are you okay?"

A fresh tear rolled down my cheek and my hand trembled. "No."

"Okay, hold on, princess. I... Where are you?"

"I don't..." I sniffled, glancing around for the first time. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just... I needed to get away. I think I'm at..." I glances at the other side of the street, the name written on the corner and say it to him. "I'm not sure where this is. I don't know-"

"I do." I heard background sounds of movement and a thud just as it all went muffled so I guess he'd gotten into his car. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Thanks." I mumbled raising my feet on the bench and hugging my knees to my chest, my mind numbing once more.

Tears continued to escape my eyes as I stayed in this position for some time while contemplating everything.

Seconds stretched into that excruciating nothing and next thing I knew was there was a car pulling before me, a door opening and shut and footsteps coming closer.

"Nova..." Jake's voice was so warm, so careful and hesitating. Suddenly I felt the bench dipped a bit by my side and a pair of strong arms encircled my frame, braking the last brick on my lame dam.

The sobs shook me mercilessly and I don't even try to fight it anymore, almost like having an out of body experience. I just gave in and melted into him as he placed a comforting arm on my back.

"Please don't cry," he muttered in that tone I didn't recognize and I buried my head in his neck.

"I-I..."

Everything was such a blur around, my head was pounding from all the crying and the desolation I'd been feeling since the confrontation.

Jake held me, tightly, securing me against him and that somehow allowed the sense of security to grow and calm my mess state. We stay like this for some minutes as I continue to let it all out. Jake didn't complain about me wetting his shirt, he just allowed his thumb to brush circles in my back as his other hand cupped my head, sliding his fingers into my hair soothingly and my lids fell.