Duskwood: Love's Beginning

9 - Jayna

I was worried about my hacker friend (when did I start thinking of him as a friend?). He seemed upset about the idea that Hannah was on anti-depressants. This was a common situation I saw when loved ones came along with patients to appointments and found out they were taking medication, especially for mental health issues.

There were a lot of stigmas associated with conditions like depression, and the use of medication for it was poorly understood by the general public. Some people inherited diseases such as this. Others simply had a chemical imbalance. Either way, it was not their fault. Had he stayed around, I would have talked to him about these things. But he had logged off quickly and disappeared.

Meanwhile, I had been chatting with Cleo. She was doing some detective work of her own and had decided to use her key to Hannah's place to go inside and look around. I was worried for her, so I asked her to video call me. She was upstairs when she told me she heard a noise, and someone was coming in the front door.

When our call disconnected immediately after, I tried to get her back on phone, but she didn't respond. Luckily, she quickly texted me to say she was alright. It was Thomas who came through Hannah's door, and she would talk to me later. So, disappearing Thomas had resurfaced at his missing girlfriend's place without telling anyone? Curiouser and curiouser.

The mystery guy came back online and indicated he'd been monitoring my conversations again, with the explanation that he was concerned about Cleo. It irked me a little. But the larger question was, why did he feel the need to keep trying to get me to understand his side of it? I asked him as much, and the answer surprised me.

Because he cared about what I thought of him. By my count, this was the second time that he'd implied that he felt something for me.

My response to him surprised me even more. Without thinking, I told him something I hadn't even realized myself until that moment: that what he thought of me also mattered. He acknowledged my response with a simple smiley, and then it was back to business. Later that night, I was sleepless as usual and working on a lead with Jessy and Richy. The hacker asked what I had discovered. I found the perfect opportunity to give the mysterious man a taste of his own medicine: I told him I'd tell him about it "once the right time has come," just like he had done to me before. I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I teased him. It grew even wider when he said I'd gotten a laugh out of him.

Before he could run off again, I found myself again blurting out things that maybe I shouldn't. I asked for his name, and he wanted to know why I asked. Because "I like you?!" What was I, in grade school?

Jake. I liked that name. And it made me happy that he was willing to tell me. Then, as usual, he started to pull back again, saying it was careless of him to tell me. Ugh! One step forward, two steps back. I was starting to wonder if this was a good idea, or if I was heading once again toward heartbreak.