Jessica’s eyes fluttered close at his words. It hurt… hearing that his parents had done that to him. And as much as she hated everything he had done to her… all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and tell him it would be okay. That she was there. But instead… she kept her distance. Wrapping her arms around her own body she looked at him. listened as he told her that Anna was the one who stopped him. There was slight frustration at her sister. Though that was a conversation for later.
She could hear her own heart beating faster as she touched his cheek; listening to the man explain how she knew him. And honestly, part of her felt like she did… though another part was arguing with her and telling her that it was a lie. But he wasn’t wrong; she could see it in his eyes. See the truth behind them… the need. But all of that fell away with his next words. With his proposition. Her eyes widened as her heart told her to say yes.
Jessica Pierce could see it clearly; see herself wrapping her arms around the man she loved and saying yes. Or more like… ‘You sure you want to run away with a girl who can’t run?’. She could see herself holding him as close to her body as humanly possible as she kissed him and walking right out those doors and escaping with him. Because guess what? After everything that had happened; she still loved him. He still had her heart in his hands as broken as it was at this point. However, as much as her heart was urging her to say yes; Jessica stood still. Her mind blocking her from moving forward.
She didn’t know what she was doing; but she found herself approaching him and wrapping her arms around him tightly; ignoring the pain in her body as she did so. And she found her body relaxing; it was automatic at this point. She still felt comfortable in his arms; though she didn’t say anything. Jessica simply closed her eyes and took in the moment. Took in the feeling of his hands around her body, the way he smelled, the beat of his heart. She allowed her mind to falter to all the good times; every moment she felt happy with him. Part of her didn’t know how long the two had stayed that way. It could have been seconds… minutes… hours? Jess didn’t care she just knew that she… didn’t want to let go. Because the moment she did… part of her knew she couldn’t give him what he wanted as much as she wanted to.
“I love you too…” Jess whispered; moving her head away from his shoulder as she met his eyes. She pulled his head towards hers and found her lips on his with her words. She found herself getting lost in the taste of him; her hands tangling in his hair as she pulled him against her. Jess could still feel the electricity coursing through her body at his touch… his kiss… hell, the simple way he looked at her gave her knots in her stomach. Though she could also feel a tear falling down her eye at what she had to do next. And finally, she pulled away, leaning her head against his. “I love you so much but… I…” Jess started, another tear falling down her eyes as her mind went towards the real implications of that question. She could never ask him to leave his family. That alongside another thought in her mind was making it impossible. “I… can’t Kai…” she mumbled.
She stayed in that position; her body close to his as she looked away at her own words. She didn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes as she said it. Looking at her finger; Jess grabbed a silver ring - simply a silver band - off her thumb finger. The inside of the ring had her initials engraved in the metal; JSP. Looking at the ring; she found herself softly grabbing his hand and putting it on the only finger it would fit on - his pinky finger. “I know…” Jess started, letting the hand touch the finger where she had placed the ring. “… you may never understand the choices I made today… and trust me… Kai… a big part of me wants to run out that door with you and never leave you because I do… love you with my entire heart,” Jess whispered, moving her eyes up from his finger to his own eyes as her hand met his cheek once again, “…but I can’t leave with you” she finished. With that; Jessica pulled his head down and kissed the man on his forehead, her heart breaking every second she stayed close to him. “I’m sorry… my love,” she let out at the end; the sadness apparent in her own features as she pulled away from him, turning around as more tears fell down her eyes.
Jessica’s hand met the growing pain of her abdomen, where she had been stabbed. There was a feeling setting in her body only comparable to that of static waves across a broken tv screen. She knew what that meant but she couldn’t… wouldn’t do it in front of him. Pulling the last of her strength Jess walked towards the door; pulling it and thankfully finding it open this time. Though instead of going back towards her seat; Jessica went the opposite direction. Towards the exit… at least as far as she could make it. Jess got herself to an empty hallway and fell to the floor; her legs no longer able to take her weight. Though honestly; the pain in her body was incomparable to the pain she felt in her heart as she hugged her legs against the wall in the empty corridor. Letting tears fall down her eyes at what was likely happening in the other room. The man she loved getting married to someone else.
