“It is, isn’t it? Once I build the rest of the furniture, I’ll add the final touches and make it feel like a real home.”
“So, you’re really going to do it?”
“Yeah, why not? I’ve always wanted to own pieces I designed and built with my own hands. It doesn’t get much more unique than that.”
“Honestly, at first, I thought you were joking. But then I remembered how incredible your creations were back at school. You made everyone else’s work look like preschool-grade Lego structures. Mr Curtis was always blown away by everything you built and it made me kind of envious.”
I let out a breathy laugh. “Yours weren’t too bad from what I recall. I still remembered that jewellery box you made for Ashley so you could ask her out on a date. She even cried when you gave it to her.”
“It was nowhere near as impressive as the fancy shoe shelf you built for Jasmine after she ran out of space for her ridiculous shoe collection. You didn’t even have to try, but she was head over heels for you after that.”
We both chuckle, reminiscing about the good old senior days of high school, and how everything back then seemed so much easier, simpler.
“The things we did just to get the girls’ attention,” I say, shaking my head.
“I don’t think much has changed since then,” Jason quips, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.
“Speak for yourself. I’m sure you pulled every lame arse move to win Mila over… again.”
“What can I say,” he shrugs, “she couldn’t resist my charm.”
“Okay, Casanova. I really don’t want to hear about what you’ve done with my ex-sister-in-law or how whipped you’ve become.”
“That, my friend, I’m happy to admit I am,” he says, winking at me.
Jason and Mila’s relationship wasn’t exactly straightforward. They had both suppressed their feelings for one another out of respect for Skylar and me during our rough separation. They tried dating other people for a little while to avoid actingon their feelings, but it turned out to be the worst decision, and I’m sure, their biggest regret.
Sadly, Mila began dating someone who turned out to be an abusive son of a bitch, nearly sending her to the fucking emergency room. If it hadn’t been for Jason showing up at her apartment just in time, things could have been much worse.
I was relieved that my best friend was there to keep Mila safe, but at the same time, I felt overwhelming sadness and guilt that I wasn’t there to help her. She’d been like a little sister to me for ten years, a decade of protecting her from douchebags like her ex-boyfriend. Sitting by and doing nothing because of her hatred for me crushed something deep inside me.
But knowing she had someone like Jason in her corner helped ease a little of that hurt.
When they finally admitted their true feelings for each other and began dating, things went relatively well for a while. But Mila’s trauma, combined with Jason’s meddling ex-wife, became too much for her to handle, ultimately leading her to end the relationship.I could tell my best friend was completely devastated, but he never let on.
Jason was never the type to show or talk about his pain. It was my chance to step up, to be the supportive friend he had always been to me, yet I found myself at a loss, unsure how to help him while grappling with my own struggles. It was without a doubt, the worst period of both of our lives.
Fortunately for Jason and Mila, they eventually reconciled nine months later and have been going strong ever since.
“Now that we’re done here, I’ve got a six-pack of beers with our names on it waiting in your fridge. Care to celebrate?” Jason says, pulling me from my thoughts and bringing my attention back to him.
The temptation to have a drink is so strong I can practically feel my mouth watering. This is exactly the moment I’d be scouring the fridge for a can or bottle of alcohol, ready to demolish an entire pack on my own.But when I look around my room and see how much progress I’ve made as of late, it quickly steels my resolve.
“I’m all good, Jase. I’m trying this thing where I don’t touch any alcohol for a long time, at least until I know I’ve got a good handle on it.”
“Shit! I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. That was pretty shitty of me to suggest something like that.”
“It’s all good, brother. I’m all good. But I’m gonna have to ask you to take the six-pack with you when you leave. I made myself a promise the day I picked up the keys from the agency—I’m not keeping any alcohol in the apartment, not while I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
“Fuck me. Who is this new guy that’s standing in front of me?” Jason says, shaking his head in disbelief.
A soft laugh escapes me. “Well, I hope it’s the beginning of a version of me you can really be proud of.”
Jason smiles and slowly rises to his feet. He walks over to me and, in a move I never saw coming, pulls me into a hug.
I freeze instantly, completely caught off guard, standing there awkwardly with my arms locked at my sides.
“Um… what are you doing?”
