Jaden
752 Words
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It was the weekend the next day, so I decided to do a bit of house cleaning and rearranging. The whole place felt stuffy, like it needed fresh energy. I moved furniture around, wiped surfaces, and sorted through piles of things I had been avoiding for weeks. By noon, exhaustion hit me like a brick wall, and I decided to take a little break.
I collapsed onto the couch and started scrolling through my phone absentmindedly. Then suddenly, a message popped up.
Hey.
My heart skipped.
I knew only one person who texted like that… but it couldn’t be possible, right?
Still, curiosity won.
Please, who is this?
The reply came almost instantly.
Jaden, can we meet?
What?!?!?!
My mind spiraled.
Jaden, how? When? Why…?
Another message popped up.
Limah, breathe. Calm down.
I froze.
How did he get my number?
How did you get my number and why are we suddenly meeting?
Before another reply came in, there was a loud knock on my door.
Knock. Knock.
My heart began racing.
“Coming!” I shouted nervously as I walked toward the door.
I opened it and nearly lost my breath.
“Jaden, what the hell are you doing here? And how do you even know where I live?”
He leaned casually against the doorway, flashing that annoying, confident smile.
“Soooo… can I come in?”
“No.”
“But that’s not a nice way to treat your friend.”
“Friend? Since when?”
He tilted his head, studying me carefully.
“Strangers don’t wear your clothes, do they? It looks good on you too.”
Oh s**t.
I looked down and realized I was still wearing the clothes from the day before. They were so comfortable that I had slept in them.
I am not telling him that. Never.
“Hey,” he said, snapping his fingers lightly. “You have a habit of spacing out.”
Before I could respond, he stepped inside like he owned the place.
“So… I’m inviting myself in. Looks like you’re doing a bit of moving. Nice setup.” He gave me a thumbs up.
Breathe, Limah. Breatheeeee.
“Yeah… what would you like?” I asked stiffly.
“Anything.”
“Okay…” I muttered, walking toward the kitchen. “How about I make you my killer smoothie?”
I grabbed the blender, trying to focus, but my thoughts were spinning.
Do guys always come into my life whenever I make resolutions to stay drama-free? Seriously… ahhh.
“Is everything okay?” he asked from behind me.
I nearly jumped.
“Ah… what are you doing here?” I asked again, softer this time.
“Me? Just checking on my killer smoothie. It’s taking a while.”
“You heard that?”
“Yep.”
There was a brief silence between us. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
“I’m not here to ruin any resolution you made with yourself,” he said quietly. “I just want to be friends. I’m not going to bite.”
“I know that.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
I turned away, gripping the kitchen counter.
“It’s just… it’s hard to accept.”
“Look at me,” he said gently.
I didn’t want to, but I did.
“What’s so hard to accept?” he asked.
“You. All of you,” I blurted, my voice cracking. “One minute we’re friends, the next minute everything becomes complicated. And it always ends with someone getting hurt… or worse. Somewhere between heaven and earth.”
My chest tightened as the words spilled out.
“And it never ends well… for anyone.”
He stared at me for a long moment. The playful confidence in his eyes slowly faded.
“Oh,” he finally said softly. “I see.”
The room felt colder suddenly.
“I’m leaving now,” he continued quietly. “Not just your house… your life too.”
The hurt in his eyes was impossible to miss. It stabbed straight through me, but I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t fix it.
He walked out without another word.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I stood there frozen for several seconds before the weight of everything crashed down on me.
“God…” I whispered.
I dragged myself to my room and collapsed onto my bed, physically and mentally exhausted.
I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts swirling endlessly.
“God… how do I get out of this one?”
- Writer
