28. {Midnight waltz}

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Saturday

For the first time, I slept without worrying if my windows were closed or my doors had been locked, I slept with no worries in the world. I slept without having to think that someone was going to barge into my room without consent. To sleep like that meant everything to me.

As I heard Mother call my name for breakfast, I washed up immediately and went downstairs. As I joined the table, it was with a smile. As I greeted my Father and hugged my Mom, it was with a smile. As I heard Jade mutter what seemed like a good morning to me, I was ready to let go of the pains of the past.

Jesse's contact details displayed on my screen as I ate. I typed in a set of words and considered sending them or not for a while before actually pressing on the green button.

• Can we talk?

Once we finished eating and I cleaned up in the kitchen, I went back to the dining to check on my phone for Jesse's reply.

Yeah, I guess

As Jace packed up his football practice gears that morning, I got ready to follow him so he could drop me over at Lisa's house.

•••••••

As I walked into Lisa's house, a wave of nostalgia hit me. As Avery yelled my name and jumped up to hug me, I was happy to be back. As I saw Jesse stand on the doorway, I was happy to see him again.

"Hi," I said to him.

He sighed and dug his hands into his pocket as he replied me, "Hi."

He led me into the kitchen, dragged out the stool and offered me a bottle of water. I sat down and placed my hands on the counter as he stood on the other side of the table crossing his arms.

"So, you wanted to talk?" He asked me again.

"Yeah uh," I nodded as I thought about where to start from. I breathed out and started to explain, "Jesse, I didn't mean to send you away like that. I was just really overwhelmed with everything that happened."

He paused without saying anything, only nodding his head in agreement.

"You told me you were leaving for school, I didn't want to be the one to drag you back, I was scared you would try really hard to save me, get tired and abandon me," I continued.

"I told you I will never get tired of trying to help you, June." He then responded. "It felt like I was used. Look, I tried so hard to understand you, I really did." He continued. "And when you texted that apology, I was happy that you finally texted me and upset that, you only wanted to apologize."

"I wanted to tell you a lot of other things too," I answered him.

"Why didn't you?" He asked again.

"Because," I drawled before I decided to talk. "I wanted to fix myself for you." As I said that, I flushed in embarrassment and immediately regretted saying that.

Noticing my countenance, Jesse walked up to me, raised my face from the ground and answered, "June, you don't need validation from me. Scars or no scars, you're perfect." He shook his head and told me with an assuring smile.

As the thunder rumbled, Jesse and I as if by telepathy exchanged knowing glances. "Do you want to?" He only asked me and I nodded in excitement.

As he grabbed his car keys from the top of the fridge, he held my hands and led me out of the kitchen. He grabbed the sweater while I grabbed the umbrella at his doorstep and stepped out of the house with him.

Jesse didn't let go of my hand as he drove while I looked out the heavy clouds that covered the sky. As we got to the same spot at that junction where Jesse found me before, he parked his car and set out with his umbrella as he came to the passenger side to come get me.

We walked to that same bench and he helped me sit down with the umbrella over my head.

"I think it's childish what we're doing," I muttered to him, a big smile on my face. "You get cold when you stay out in the rain, you don't have to do this."

"I don't care about anything else as long as you're here," he answered me.

As he stood in the rain, trying to make those waltz moves from the other night, I laughed at his frail attempt.

"I'm just so bad at this stuff," he mumbled as he smiled back at me.

"I'll teach you again," I stood up, dropped the umbrella and walked up to him.

He intertwined our hands and placed his right hand on my upper back and I did the same. We did the waltz move and our sync was perfect. I then realized that Jesse only wanted me to dance with him, he wasn't actually bad at the move.

"You're perfect, June. You have to know that," he told me. As I looked into his eyes, butterflies erupted in my stomach and I wanted Jesse to know how he made me feel.

"I just wanted you to see me as someone you could love, not just someone who needed saving." I said to him.

He shook his head as he smiled at me, his eyes bored into mine as he replied me, "June, I try so hard to save you because you already are someone I love."

"Then, why did you not take me that day?" I asked him again.

"Because you needed time to figure this out," he answered me. We froze in that moment, holding each other like that was all that mattered in the whole wide world. "Was the time enough?" He asked me again with another smile.

"It was," I replied him. And with that, he cupped my face gently and brought me to him.

"Thank you for finding me, Jesse." I said.

"I'd do it over and over again," he replied me.

💨May 4th xx

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💨May 4th
xx

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