Finally Free -- JATP Luke x MaleOC

Chapter 24

"I need to stop by my neighborhood real quick before I take you two home," Jay said as he, Flynn, and Julie got into his car.

"Okay," both girls said synchronously.

Jay connected his phone to the aux and passed it back to the girls, letting them choose the playlist for the ride. The three of them didn't converse with each other. They only sang along to whatever song played through the car's media system until Jay was pulling up on the Patterson's house.

"I'll be real quick," he says to the girls as he parked the car. He opened the glove compartment and grabbed the small package labeled with Emily Patterson's name and hopped out of the car, letting the girls jam out by themselves for a moment.

As Jay shut the door to his car, he took a moment to simply look at the house. He had been over to their house before, under similar circumstances of misplaced mail. There was even that time they watched him while his aunt and uncle were out for their anniversary, although Jay had spent much of that time asleep.

Oh god, was he sleeping in Luke's old room?

They did say that it was their son's room.

He was totally in Luke's room.

Jay shook his head, refocusing on the task in front of him. He was just dropping off mail, nothing more.

But as he rang the doorbell to the house, there was that weird feeling that rose inside him again. Why did he feel so different now, knowing that this was Luke's old house?

"Oh, Jay," Emily Patterson's voice broke through his thoughts as she opened the door. "It's been a long time."

"It has," Jay smiled. "And I wish I had time to catch up, but I've got to run."

"Oh, that's fine," Emily said. "Is something the matter?"

"Mailman dropped this off at our place again," Jay said, gesturing the package.

"Oh, thank you," Emily said, taking the package. "Today's an important day for us, I was wondering where this went."

"Really? What's the occasion?" Jay asked.

"Oh, it's..." Emily trailed off, looking down at the package she was holding gingerly in her hands.

"You don't need to tell me," Jay said, recognizing her hesitation. "I need to get going anyway. I hope you have a good evening, Mrs. Patterson."

"Thank you," she said softly. "Come stop by another time, just to chat. I know Mitch has been wanting to talk to you about something."

"I will once I find some free time," Jay promises, stepping back and waving to Emily as she closes the door. He quickly makes his way back to the car, smiling at himself.

"Sorry 'bout that," he says over the music, taking his seat and closing the door. "Let's get you two home."

The ride is, once again, done with no conversation between the three of them. It's just Jay and the girls singing along to songs, both old and new. Flynn was the first to get dropped home, as always, and then they drove to the Molina's house.

"Hey, Julie," Jay says, parking the car and looking at the girl through the rearview mirror. "Have you, um...thought about the band?"

"Jay, not this again," Julie says, shaking her head while she gathers her things.

"Julie, please-"

"I said I can't Jay, why can't you understand that?" she says, jumping out of the car before Jay can continue.