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» CHAPTER SEVEN «

"I don't know why I bother with you," he said crossing his arms.

"Neither do I," she said the side of her facing him.

"Why won't you give me a chance? What are you afraid of?"

Her heart stopped in her chest. She slowly turned to face him, but never looked into his eyes. Scratching her forehead she said, "Nothing."

He looked at her. He didn't know whether he loved her more or hated her. Two years he had been after her and she had never given him a chance. Two years of closed doors. Two years and for what? He didn't know. But he still chased her. She revealed no emotion towards him. Nothing he could see anyway. He hated her for it. He looked at her and he hated her. Two years of nothing made him hate her. He hated her. Two years of only seeing her face in his mind made him hate her. Two years of only thinking of her made him hate her....

He loved her... Two years and everyday made him want her more. Two years and just seeing her made him feel better. Two years.... He loved...

She felt his eyes looking at her. Through her, into her. She wouldn't look into his eyes, she couldn't. One look, and she would melt. She was cold for seven years. She swallowed her tears for seven years. And she would swallow them now. She wanted so much. One look and it would all be over. She couldn't. She wanted so much. One look might bring something she wasn't ready for. Something she'd never be ready for. She wanted to. She couldn't. She wanted so much. She had to leave. Just being near him made her weak. This close, made her vulnerable. She wanted so much. She couldn't.

"I have to go," she said her head still lowered as she started to walk away. He stopped her before she could take two steps.

"You cant go, not before you hear what I have to say."

She turned and faced him, "What."

"I can't do this anymore. Two years and you didn't give me half a chance. Nothing I did was ever good enough," he lowered his voice to just above a whisper, "I'm asking you one last time to give me a chance. If you say no, I'll walk away from here... and your life." She said nothing and kept her eyes lowered.

"Fine," he said taking a deep breath. He looked at her a moment longer and placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders. He took a step forward and kissed her on her head. She closed her eyes, opening them just in time to see the back of him disappear behind the corner.

She touched her hair where he had kissed her. He was wrong. Everything he had done for her was good enough. And she let him slip through her fingers. She began to walk, slow at first but then faster and faster. Before she knew it she was running. Running. For the first time in two years she was chasing him. For the first time in two years she wanted to talk to him. For the first time in two years she was the one trying to get to him.

She caught up to him in seconds, but to her it seemed like eternity. "A.J.," she said a little nervous. He stopped for a few seconds but continued walking. "A.J. please, listen to me," she said trying to keep up with his pace. She cut him off by stopping him in his tracks. "I'm sorry... for not giving you a chance, for not listening to you... I'm sorry... for everything. A.J. I..." Before she could continue A.J. interrupted her.

"Why now?" he asked her.

"What?"

"Why now, why are you giving me a chance now. Why not last week, or last year, or better yet... two years ago when I first asked you?" She wanted to speak, but her mouth remained frozen. He laughed and started to walk again but she stopped him.

"Wait," she took a few seconds before responding, "I wasn't ready until now. Until I realized how much of a b*tch I was towards you. Until I realized that I was gonna lose you forever. I wasn't ready to let go until now."

"Let go of what?" he asked her moving closer.

She became a little nervous. She raised her hand and scratched her head. She didn't have an itch, but she didn't know what else to do. "It was seven years ago. I was 13 then. I had just started going out with this guy that was best friends with Piper. It was our fourth date. Well, it was more like hanging out than a date. We went to the mall and while exiting he said he was gonna meet some friends behind the mall and he asked if I wanted to come and I said yes." Jana started to bite her lips. Harder and harder.

"His friends weren't there. He smiled when I turned around to ask where they were. He... he pushed me down and..." she stopped. Her lips started to hurt along with the rest of her. Her eyes were motionless fixed on the crack on the ground that ran next to her.

A.J. touched her arm. She was caught off guard and she backed away. She stared at him. And he looked back. He started to move in closer to her. Slowly, he began to wrap her in his arms. She felt safe. They started to flow down her face. Her body began to tremble as soon as her tears were released. He held her tighter. He held her. He held her...

¤ Chapter 8 ¤
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