My Darkest Secret

Chapter 5- Duffle Bag

Hiya, I hope you are okay. This chapter should just be a fairly chill one about Maya and Jess spending time together. There will be lots of dialogue and there will be at least one scene in Xander's POV, where u will see what Brody's dad says to him.... Enjoy 😊

~~~~~~~~~~~~*°*°*~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maya's POV

As I sat at on a bar stool at the counter, I couldn't help but just watch Jess in disbelief. He was there. He was really there, I knew that. But why didn't I believe it? To be fair, it was probably because everyone that I ever let close to me. Anyone who I opened up to. Anyone who I dropped my wall around. All left.

Most because of how broken and damaged I was; those who stayed were taken from me. Weather it was because I 'moved', or they moved. They always left.

As I watched him, I looked in awe as my best friend worked at a diner, that he owned. I watched as his dark hair stood up, messily. And his green eyes darted around in consentration.

"Look, order something or leave. It's simple. You've been here for half an hour and not ordered anything." Jess huffed at a man in an odd sweater vest.

"Well Jess. I'm still deciding. You shouldn't rush paying customers." The odd man replied smugly,

"Mark. Every week you come in here. And every week you sit here staring at the menu, for hours on end. Not ever- not once- ordering anything. And I only have like- 20 different things on there max." Jess said through gritted teeth, becoming increasingly annoyed. Much to my favor: it was free entertainment after all.

"Well then, you should be used to it boy." The man -who must have been in his late 30's said again, dead serious.

If this was a cartoon, then Jess would have steam coming out of his ears. He had finally hit breaking point.

"Right. I've had it. I'm done. I give up, you've won Mark. Congratulations. I'm closing for the rest of the day. Goodbye. You can take the menu with you if you want. I don't care anymore. Leave. Leave or you're gonna need a ambulance." Jess muttered as he shoved the man 'Mark' out of the diner, before closing the door and coming over to me.

"You okay Jess?" I asked innocently,

"Yea, I'm just peachy. I'm having a real sunshiny time here." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh well if you're in such a good mood I should leave, I don't want to put a damper on your 'sunshiny' mood." I smiled, still acting as sweetly as possible.

"Real funny Ace, you want more coffee?"

"Duh!" I watched as Jess started to fill the cup, " Actually, just give me the pot. It's been a long day.". I said grinning madly as he stopped filling my cup and dropped the pot and looked at me, still a bit pissed off about Mark.

"You know Little Ace, you have a real big problem."

"I know." I said, probably looking like a maniac from the smiling.

He then led me upstairs to what happened to be his apartment. It was fairly small, but at least he had his own space.

After rummaging through a cupboard, he pulled out a plain, forest green, short sleeved shirt and a duffle bag. Before taking off his shirt and putting the green one on.

You might think that it's a bit weird, or inappropriate that he was doing this infront of me, and your not wrong. Had I been anyone else, he wouldn't have, and had he been anyone else I would have ran for my life.

But it was Jess. The only person who I had shared my secret with, besides Xander. Twice in our lives when we were both running from group homes, we lived together. Both of us working shifts at café's to pay rent for a little apartment and for food and bare essentials. He was the closest thing I had to family. In all honesty, he was family, not by blood, but by a bond that we shared.