“I noticed your hands. Put this on them before they start to cramp and swell. I expect a full explanation later.” He walks back out, leaving me and Julien to finish our conversation.
“Think about Elizabeth. Do you love her enough to let her go, let her be happy? Do you think your love for her is strong enough for you to do that and still support her and be her friend? To be able to forgive Jayson for his weakness in loving her too?”
Julien cuffs my back and touches his forehead to mine before leaving me alone to think about the things he just said.
Elizabeth
What a godawful mess. It’s all my fault, and I hate myself for what happened. But I have something bigger to worry about right now.
Freda dragged Jayson home to clean him up and call his father. Mom sent Hailey up to her room and told her to stay there until she called her because she wanted to talk to me. I had to rehash the past twelve hours to Mom but left out the part where Jayson came through my window and we made out for hours after he declared he loved me. Yeah, I don’t think that would go over well.
I did, however, tell her that last night Jayson and I decided to start dating, and he was my boyfriend now. I also mentioned that he kissed me, and seeing him kiss me is what caused the fight between him and Ryder.
Mom was actually very understanding about everything, her parting words before I asked her permission to check on Jayson being, “It’s about time that boy made his move,” followed by “Your dad is going to have a fit that his little girl is dating now.”
She laughed about that one.
So here I am, standing on the front porch next door, wringing my hands together, wondering what happens next.
“Hey, Lizzie,” Freda greets me as she opens the front door to let me in. “Jay’s upstairs in his room where he will be grounded for the next week until we leave for our trip. But you are more than welcome to come in. I’m going to make some soup and bring it up to him.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Oh, he’s pretty banged up but he’ll live. Nothing some ibuprofen and an ice pack won’t take care of,” she smiles wanting to reassure me. “Honey, I’m not going to pressure you or make you feel uncomfortable by trying to force you to tell me your side of the story. Jay already told me what happened. How are you feeling about things, sweetheart?”
“What?”
“Jay told me he asked you to be his girl and you said yes. I’m assuming that is what the fight was about. But from my perspective, it seems as if you have been thrown in the middle of a tug-of-war between those two boys, and I can only imagine your confusion or how you must feel about things right now. I know you have your mom and dad and Hailey, but if you ever need someone else to talk to, I’m here too, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Jameson.”
“You can go on upstairs. I’ll bring his soup up later. Do you want me to bring you some too?”
“No thanks. I appreciate it though. Is Julien upstairs with Jayson?” I ask as I start to ascend the stairs.
“No. Julien left a few minutes ago. Go on up, honey. I know Jay would love to see you.”
“Ok, thanks.”
I take my time walking down the hallway to the twin’s bedroom, examining the pictures Freda has hung all along the wall. One in particular catches my attention. It’s a picture of me and the boys last Christmas standing beside the six-foot snowman we built. Jayson is carrying me piggyback style and Ryder and Julien have their arms slung around each other's shoulders. Ryder has his other hand, his pinky finger, looped around mine. Sadness befalls me. Will things ever be the same for us again?
Whatever happens now, I promised my heart to Jayson, knowing full well I still have feelings for Ryder. I won’t be that girl, the one who pits one boy against another. Jayson’s my boyfriend now, and I have to show him the respect and consideration that title entails. It doesn’t mean, however, that I’m going to give up my friendship with Ryder. Both of them will have to learn to deal with our new normal.
I get to the twin’s door and give a soft knock before opening it. Jayson’s propped up on his bed, phone in his hands. He’s changed clothes and looks like he also took a shower.
“Hey you,” I walk in.
I’m taken aback by the smile he graces me with, or at least tries to, seeing as his cheek is swollen and he has a black eye.
“Oh, Jayson.” I rush over to his bedside, but he pats the bed for me to come and sit beside him.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” I declare.
“Liz, what are you talking about? Nothing is your fault. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I promised you everything was going to be ok. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“But what happened with Ryder, I have never seen him that angry before. You guys have never fought before. It scared the crap out of me. It’s all my fault. You wouldn’t be fighting if it wasn’t for me." A tear leaks out and falls onto the comforter on his bed.
Jayson sees my tear and grabs me, his body rolling over on top of me. The shock of having him press against me this way abruptly stops my tears. He puts his weight on his forearms that are positioned on each side of my head and clasps his hands around the back of my neck.
“Ry is my best friend. I will do whatever it takes to make things right... well, anything but give you up. I love you, princess. Trust me to make things right.”
“Okay.”
Our voices are nothing but a murmur.
Looking up at him, I press gentle fingers to his battered face. It may be bruised, but Jayson is still one of the most handsome boys I have ever seen. I decide to take matters into my own hands and lean up to take his lips with mine. He’s old enough to have stubble, and I explore the texture and feel of it by caressing my face along his. I keep things light knowing the bruise on the left side of his face must hurt and the cut on the corner of his mouth must sting.
I detour from nibbling and softly suckling his lower lip to pressing kisses along his jaw, his neck, and back up to his ear before pulling his lobe with my teeth. His sharp intake of breath clues me into the fact that he likes what I am doing. My nose presses into the side of his neck and I inhale his scent. He smells like cedar and spice, the intoxicating aroma sending my hands into a frenzy as my need to touch him, to feel his warm, fragrant skin, becomes irresistible. I’ve been worrying that I wouldn’t know what to do or how to make him feel as good as his kisses make me feel. This is all new for me, and I know it’s new for Jayson as well. I love the fact that we will learn each other's bodies, what we like and don’t like, together. Being each other’s firsts is a heady feeling.
As I nibble his neck and run my hands over his back and chest, Jayson’s right hand starts to move down my body. The slow glide of his knuckles along my side causes my body to jolt and my skin to prickle. Once his hand reaches the hem of my tank top, it slips under, and his fingertips glide up until his hand stops to span under my right breast. He teases the skin under my bra and then skims lower to rest his palm flat against my stomach. Memories of the night at the Fields when he pulled me away from Elijah and started stroking my stomach crash into me. That’s when I feel a hardness press into my pelvis, and without my permission, my legs fall open and wrap around his waist.
I clutch at the front of his shirt as he pushes down heavier into my center. I moan.
“Liz?”
Before anything can happen, Freda knocks on the bedroom door and our bodies jump apart at lightning speed. By the time she pushes the door open to bring in the tray filled with food, Jayson and I are sitting at opposite ends of his bed, him at the head of the bed and me at the foot.
“Hey you two. Here,” she hands Jayson two pills, “take these and eat your soup. Liz, I know you said you weren’t hungry, but I brought extra just in case.”
She places the tray down on the bed between where Jayson and I are sitting.
“Your dad wants to talk to you after you finish eating, so unfortunately, Elizabeth, you’ll
need to go home soon.”
“I understand Mrs. Jameson. I promise I won’t stay much longer.”
“You can come back tomorrow if you want to, but he’s still grounded for the next six days. I have a feeling you two will be texting and videoing anyways,” Freda comments as she pauses at the door. “Oh, and an open-door policy is in effect from now on when there’s a girl in your room.”
“Mom! Oh my God.”
We can hear Freda chuckling all the way down the hall.
Chapter 8
Ryder
I’ve been keeping to myself the past few days mulling over Julien’s words, still angry at Jayson, missing Elizabeth like crazy. It breaks my heart when I see her name light up my phone before I hit decline. She’s been calling and texting constantly, begging me to talk to her. I’m hurting her with my silence but I’m not ready to face her yet, because I know I will have to face him as well. Julien has checked in on me a couple of times. He stopped by the house last night and we just hung out. Hell, even Elijah came over saying he wanted to get my opinion on how to tweak his dirt bike. I have a feeling Julien had a hand in that visit.
My dad and I talked for a long time the night. He’s an old romantic at heart. Told me that if Elizabeth was the one, then I should be patient and give her time to explore her feelings, that we are young and things change as we grow older. Well, my sixteen-year-old self says fuck that. I’d been waiting for seven goddamn years already.
We’ll be leaving for the beach in a few days and knowing that I’m going to be stuck in the same house with all of them, seeing Elizabeth every day, seeing Jayson and her act like boyfriend and girlfriend, being forced to put on a happy face when all the while I want to ram my fist down his throat. It’s going to be utter hell.
To help keep my mind off everything, I’ve been working with Dad in the garage from morning to night. He totally surprised me yesterday when he drove a Hellcat into the work bay, got out, and threw the keys at me.
“That’s one sweet-ass car. Custom job order?” I inquire, thinking that it’s one of his clients who wants some upgrades done.
“Nope, it’s yours.”
My mouth drops open and closes like a fish.
“No fucking way.”
“Hey, language. We’re in a place of business.” His mouth tips up in a half grin. “Your mother and I decided that you shouldn’t have to rely on always having to borrow one of our cars, and we wanted to get you something that you could work on and truly make your own. I’ve seen your drawings, Ry, your designs. I would like to help you create your dream car if you would let me.”
My dad is the fucking greatest. I go over to him and pull him in for a hug.
“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
He thumps my back hard three times. “I love you too, Son.”
It’s a gorgeous car, and I am itching to begin working on it. I know exactly what I want to do, down to the paint color and interior. Hell, I’m taking this bad boy out to the Fields as soon as I’m done with it and tearing the hell out of that track. After so many days feeling like shit, it’s nice to have something to feel good about. Something to work toward.
I’m looking over the car, clipboard in hand, making notes of the things I want to change, replace, or modify. I don’t know how long he’s been standing there, hands pushed deep in his back pockets, shoulders hunched, when I notice him.
“What the fuck do you want?” I growl.
He flinches as if I hit him. The urge to do exactly that is overwhelming.
“Liz has been trying to get in touch with you. She’s worried. She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“She’s not my problem anymore, remember.”
“That’s a fucking stupid thing to say. Of course she’s still your problem, because she’s still your friend. Her heart is breaking because she misses her best friend, and I promised her that I would fix it.”
“Get out of here, Jay. I’ve heard enough of your bullshit.” I turn around and decide to ignore his stupid ass. Apparently, he’s not taking the hint.
“Look,” he grabs me to turn me around to face him, “I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
Flinging my clipboard down, I throw my arms up in the air in exasperation.
“What more do you want from me! I came to you and Julien, I looked you dead in the eye and told you how I felt about her and what I was going to do about it, how I was going to tell her. And you just fucking up and ran as fast as you could over to her house and laid claim. You didn’t care about how I would feel. You didn’t care about how much that would hurt me. You took our friendship and stomped all over it.”
Fed up with him, I begin to storm off not wanting to hear anything else that comes out of his mouth.
“She loves you, you know.”
I stop.
Exhale.
Dammit.
I turn around.
Jayson pulls out a metal stool and sits down on it like he has no more energy to stand, the heaviness of our situation taking its toll on him. He leans forward, arms propped on his knees like that night in my backyard.
“She loves you, and it kills me knowing that. I couldn’t deal with it. Couldn’t deal with the fact that I could lose her. She has been my universe since the day I gazed into her gorgeous green eyes. God, I remember that day like it was yesterday.” He looks up at me then. “I know she loves me, but I. Am. Terrified. I’m terrified that maybe, just maybe, she loves you a little bit more.”
“You should have told me that instead of bolting.”
“I panicked, man. You are the better person here. You always have been. I’m just the selfish asshole. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it. I wish I could go back and do things differently.”
“Do you?”
“Like I said. I’m an asshole.”
He stands up.
“But Elizabeth is the one getting hurt here. She needs you in her life. I need you in my life. You’re my best friend. Is there any way you could forgive me? I will do anything to make this right.”
I want to shout back at him, Well then fucking give her up, but I keep quiet. Knowing Elizabeth saw me the other day in a full rage, fists flying, makes me feel two inches high. Seeing her cry, throwing herself on me, begging me to stop, and now ignoring her texts and calls. Jay’s not the only asshole here. I think about what Julien asked me. Do I love her enough to let her go, make her own decisions, and find her happiness, even if it’s not with me?
“I’m not saying that I forgive you. It’s going to take time for me to even want to be in the same room as you. You broke that trust. You’re gonna have to earn it back. But this is not Elizabeth’s fault. She shouldn’t have to suffer because of us.”
I hold out my hand to his. No fist bump this time. This time we are shaking hands like men.
Elizabeth
Jayson said he had to run out for a bit and would be back later. We are officially going on our first date tonight. Seeing as he’s still grounded, I wonder exactly where he thinks we’ll be going. The fact that his mom even let him out of the house to run an errand is a miracle of its own. Over the past several days, the swelling on his face has disappeared leaving the fading yellowish bruising on his cheek and eye. It doesn’t bother me because all I see is Jayson. What does bother me was seeing Ryder and Jason fighting, a scene that keeps playing out in my nightmares every time I fall asleep.
Hailey and I are enjoying some quiet time out on the back patio. I can’t believe it’s almost the Fourth of July and we’ll be spending it at the beach. I hope that I’ll be able to get through to Ryder since he’ll be a captive audience, so to speak, for a week and won’t be able to hide from me or ignore me like he’s been doing the past few days.
Hailey throws a water bottle at me before sitting back down in her lounge chair. I have my earbuds in, listening to music, while I read a book on my tablet. The summer heat is picking up so I’m wearing one of my new bathing suit tops, the blue halter one, and a pair of shorts, hoping to soak up s
ome sun or at least get a nice rosy blush going on my pale skin. I twist the cap off the bottle of water and tip it back, the coldness a relief on my parched throat. Then I choke.
Ryder is standing in front of me.
Hailey rushes over to pat me on the back as I continue to sputter.
“I’m fine,” I wave her off.
“I’m going to head back inside now.”
Very subtle Hales.
I wait until she closes the sliding door. I feel awkward, then sad, then mad.
“Where have you been? Unless your phone was abducted by aliens, you’ve been ignoring me for days.”
“I know. I needed some space.”
“Ryder, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. Please forgive me.”
“No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit Jay. That was a despicable thing for me to do in front of you. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Ryder looks terrified that I might say yes.
“No, no,” I assure him. “I’m fine. I’m worried about you though. Please don’t hate me.”
“I don’t. I won’t. He, um, actually came by today and apologized.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. He did. I can’t promise that Jay and I will ever be friends like we used to be.”
I frown.
“But I can promise that I’m not going anywhere. You still have me if you want me, I mean, as a friend.”
“Absolutely! Yes! Best friend?”
“Best friend.” Joy floods me.
I’m so happy to hear those words from him that I leap off my lounger into his arms. He’s still for a moment, unsure of what to do, but within seconds his arms band tight around me and he hugs me back fiercely.
“Thank you, Ryder.”
“You’ll always have me, Elizabeth.”
A throat clears behind us, distinctly male.
Shit!
Without turning around, I know it’s Jayson. What must he think seeing Ryder and I hugging? Before I can get words to tumble out of my mouth, Ryder releases me and holds out his hand to Jayson. They shake briefly like they are business partners at a meeting.
All Our Next Times: Fallen Brook Series: Book 1 Page 9