Growing impatient, Jayson shot another text.
Jayson: How’s Avery?
Now that’s what we should have started with. That was the real thing I wanted to know.How was my girl doing? Was she okay?
Peyton: I’m sorry to hear he’s so torn up. Avery is strong. She keeps trying to act okay, but I know she’s not. I think she’s just confused. Doesn’t know what to do. Maybe she will have more clarity after tonight.
Jayson and I both looked at each other confused. Likely, thinking the same thing.
Jayson: What is tonight?
He asked the question that was on both of our minds.
Peyton: Please don’t tell Spencer this…
Obviously, I was going to know, and something about that text had me worried. My heart pounded in my chest, echoing so loudly I couldn’t hear Colton ask us if we wanted another drink. When Jayson answered for us, all I could do was stare blankly at the screen and wait for her to continue typing.
Peyton: She’s meeting up with Jax tonight. He wanted to talk.
Even though I knew he wanted to talk, my heart sank knowing that they were actually meeting up before I even had the chance to talk with her. To hold her and remind her that everything was going to be okay. To tell her I loved her in person and not through a silly little screen.
“Fuck,” I huffed.
“Okay, maybe this was a bad idea.”
Jayson texted her back, but I didn’t bother looking at the screen.
Despite the fact that my heart was breaking, I was happy to know she was trying to work through her feelings. I knew at some point that would involve a conversation with Jackson again. Hopefully, now that time had settled, they could have a better talk than the last one.
I tried to look at it positively, but I just wanted to talk to her. My head was on a carousel, spinning one hundred miles per hour, thinking about how I could move fucking mountains just to know how she was feeling.
Jayson and I sat in silence knowing there wasn’t anything left to be said. All I could do was wait. And hopefully, maybe Avery and I would both have some answers tonight.
“Don’t worry,we won’t be far. We’ll be hiding out in the booth in the corner just in case Jax has another … moment.” Peyton pointed to a table in the dark corner; the same one that Spencer and I sat in the night we met.
My heart pinched at the thought of where it had all begun between us.
“And we will be ready to kick his ass if needed.” Andi stood tall with a puff in her chest, showing how fierce and loyal she was.
My friends would go to hell and back for me. No questions asked. Since the moment I met them, this was how it had always been between the three of us.
You need to bury a body? I’ll buy the shovel.
The guy you spent most of your life with dumped you? Let me at him.
Your ex-boyfriend wants to meet up to talk to you? We have this place surrounded.
When Jax texted me this morning, asking to meet up, my first instinct had been to ignore him, block his number, andthrow my phone across the living room. Peyton then reminded me,“You can’t ignore your problems forever.”
So, after talking it out with my girls, I caved and texted him back. I figured I’d hear him out. Because maybe if I was able to get some things off my chest, and get more answers from him, then I’d finally be able to talk to Spencer. And the end goal had always been to be with Spencer. I just needed to figure out how to make all of this a little less messy.
I told Jax to meet me atBluff City. Not only were Andi and Peyton with me, but Colton was working the evening shift, giving me extra back up. Even though I hadn’t clued Colton in on what was going on, I knew he’d still have my back, just like my girls. No questions asked. He’d get all the dirty details when it was a little less fresh.
“You got this, babe.” Andi squeezed my hand, shaking me out of my funk.
“Stand your ground. Don’t let that fool of a man walk all over you. You’re in control,” Peyton reminded me before kissing me on the cheek and heading for the dim corner.
Before making my way to a table that was just a few booths over, I stopped by the bar to order a drink, hopeful that it would help shake off the nerves.
