Too Late for Third Chances

(But Would You Give Me One Anyway?)

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Chapter 6:

Be Here For You

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I couldn’t believe I’d just shut the door in Tyler’s face. Again.

The last time I’d done that was a year and seven days ago.

I collapsed against the door, trying to get the speed of my heart back to normal. In the past five minutes it had gone from completely still, to really, really fast, to kind of fast, and back to slow.

When I felt it was safe, I turned around and looked out the peephole on my front door, but he was gone, thankfully.

So many thoughts were running through my head. I wondered where he had been; where he had gone now; what possessed him to come here…

When I got to the living room, Jake was seated on the couch, but not alone. There was Liz, smiling brightly at him, lightly touching his arm as she spoke.

“Wow, Liz, already making yourself comfortable with my new boyfriend?” I asked casually as I walked over to them. I put my hands on Jake’s shoulders and when he looked at me, I smiled at him.

“Now, now, sis. Don’t go getting all worked up. We were just having a little friendly chat, right, Jake?” she smiled pleasantly, but I could see right through it. She probably wished he was hers, and not someone interested in poor little me.

“Uh, right,” he agreed, slightly flushed. Then he got a little stiff. “So…why was that jerk here?”

I released my hands from their light grip on his shoulders and walked around the couch so I would be able to sit down. He looked at me seriously, and I knew there was no avoiding the question. I wanted to just forget about Tyler, but now that wouldn’t be happening.

Before I had a chance to say anything, though, Liz made a sound of complete shock.

“Alyssa Marie! Do not even tell me that creep was within 500 feet of our house just now!” she screeched.

I winced and was a little taken aback by this. I figured Jake had already told her about our run-in with Tyler.

I looked at him skeptically, but he only gazed at me as if I’d better answer his question.

I sighed, “I don’t know. He said he missed me. Obviously he wants to get back together.”

They only blinked their eyes at me, saying not a word.

“But that’s not going to happen,” I finished.

They both seemed to let out sighs of relief.

I propped my feet onto the table, but that only reminded me of the fact that I had previously been sleeping, and that I was positively starving.

My stomach grumbled, and Jake gave me a funny look.

“What?” I protested. “I’m hungry, so sue me.”

“Nah…but I’d be happy to get you something. Want to go out or order in?” he asked.

“Well, it’s late, but I need to get out and get some air. Want to walk to the deli? It stays open ‘til midnight.”

He liked my suggestion, and so we got our butts off the couch and I went to grab my purse before heading out the door. At least this time there was no Tyler blocking our way.

I took a deep breath as the night air met my nostrils. It was positively calming, being in the midst of the night. I loved long strolls on the beach around this time, but unfortunately there wasn’t one too close by. Instead, I had to settle for sidewalk strolls to the deli. It was only about a ten minute walk away, which I was thankful for. I hated driving places when I could walk instead. Much more relaxing to be out in the open than to be trapped in a fuel guzzling machine.

As Jake took his place by my side, we walked in silence, keeping in stride with one another.

Breaking the silence, Jake said, “Alyssa…do you still have feelings for him?”

Woah.

Well knock me off my feet, where did that come from?

“For Tyler?” I asked, looking to the ground and making a point to stare at every crack I spotted.

“Of course,” he said simply.

“Oh, Jake…”

I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. I mean, I honestly had no clue where my feelings stood these days. One minute I was angry, the next I was wishing I could take back time…it was one hell of a rollercoaster, and I had no idea when it would stop, or even slow down. It’s like I was stuck in one of it’s many loops forever.

“It’s a simple question, Alyssa. I try not to date girls who are hung up on past loves. I mean it never really works out, does it?”

He didn’t sound bitter or anything by this, just keeping it honest.

I exhaled slowly.

“I wouldn’t know, Jake. I’ve only had one love…or what I thought was love.”

“But, you do know, really. Is Tyler seeing anyone else right now?”

“Well, seeing as how he showed up wanting me back, I would take it as a no. But relationships take time to build. I’d known him for a long time before truly falling in love with him, so yes, these feelings don’t just go away in an instant, or maybe even in a year.”

He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and aimlessly kicked a pebble as we kept walking.

“So, you do still have feelings for him.”

“Jake, I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s just not that simple. Look…we’re just starting out on this new adventure, right? I mean it’s not like we’ve ever had a whole lot of interaction before, not even when we went to school together. So why don’t we just take this slow, day by day, minute by minute, and see where it leads us? Don’t you agree that this doesn’t have to be so serious right away?”

“Yeah, you’re right Alyssa. I’m sorry…it’s just, I’ve never really allowed myself to have a serious girlfriend, because I’m afraid of turning into a dependent jerk. I don’t know…commitment scares me. But I feel like I want to move away from that, you know? And I don’t want to end up another Tyler.”

I smiled.

This is what relationships are really about. Communication. Jake was already opening up to me, and it was comforting…reassuring.

Tyler may have opened up when we were kids, but then he’d gradually closed himself off from me, until he almost didn’t speak to me at all before he finally just gave up and left.

It hurt, and I didn’t want that to happen again either. I wanted someone to be there for me this time, to actually wrap their arms around me at the end of a long day and tell me everything would be okay.

I couldn’t remember the last time Tyler had done that.

“You’re not Tyler,” I told Jake.

“No?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I linked my arm through his. The air was getting cooler, and we were about two blocks from the deli now. “I like you.”

Jake wrapped an arm around me, pulling me in close, and I felt instantly warmer.

“I like you too, Alyssa. A lot. And I’m going to be here for you, whenever you need me,” he said quietly. His voice was so soothing, so calming. I felt so at ease in his presence.

“I sure hope so,” I whispered back.

He pressed a light kiss to the top of my head as we entered the deli.

At last, my hunger would be abated.

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A/N: Another chapter is here, albeit short again. I’m beginning to think shorter chapters are just easier, and all I have time for.

Reviews are gladly accepted, and very much appreciated! Brighten my day and leave me a line, yeah?

:-)

xoxo HopelessDreamer07