Book 2: Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

Jay and I got his old house in order before he decided to put it on the market. I still haven't told him I would officially move in with him, but there were more matters to worry about.

After my night with Cyrus, there seemed to be a bit of a problem on Jay's part. It was my fault because I hadn't communicated with him. He wasn't upset that I stayed with Cyrus. He wasn't even mad when I went to see him. The big concern was that I didn't tell him what was going on. I couldn't blame him, since it was true. However, now was not the time to be arguing about it. We had people over helping us get the rest of the house in order. Okay, it was just Bradyn and Ashton, but still. Jay did not make this easy.

We were all putting the bed frame together. It was going normally until I would speak to Jay. He had a very weird attitude whenever I would ask him a question. It's like he didn't even want to talk to me. Hell, he could barely look at me, keeping his attention on Bradyn or Ashton. It was pissing me off, but I kept my cool to not cause a scene. Whatever his issue was, he needed to speak up so we could fix it.

Keeping my smile, I try to ask him another question to get a little headway with him. "Once we're done, should we grab lunch and then start on the living room?" I wonder looking at him.

His eyes stay focused on the bed frame barely giving me an answer. "Yep." Is all he says.

Bradyn looked at me while I looked at her, utterly confused. This isn't the first time Jay and I argued about something. This is the first time in a while that we had a big issue. He was always so level-headed about everything that I didn't think this would set him off. Maybe our relationship is different now since he and Cyrus aren't friends.

That didn't mean he needed to get upset. Nothing was going on with Cyrus and me. We were merely saying goodbye and trying not to have these last two weeks be awkward.

Still, we weren't getting anywhere bumping heads like this. I'm sure none of this felt good for Ashton or Bradyn. The energy around us was heavy and not in a good way. Despite us feeling this way, he still was his normal cheerful self with Ashton. He's even nice to Bradyn when she speaks. But, he couldn't care less about what I was saying. The way his face changed to stoic when I would ask him anything was off-putting. We couldn't continue on the day avoiding each other like this.

Finishing the bed frame, Jay went to his room to change his clothes as he sweating from all the work we did in the room. Bradyn couldn't wait to pull me aside to talk about what was going on. Jay did a horrible job of hiding his emotions and Bradyn wasn't going to go the whole day with him acting like this. Her personality was not built for conflict.

"What's going on with you two?" She asked me. "I thought you guys were good?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "He's been acting strange since before you guys got here." I crossed my arms. "What should I do?"

Bradyn screeched. "Go talk to him! We can't keep making this place beautiful with his sour attitude."

She was right, but I didn't know what to say. He could not tell me what his problem was and we'll still be right where we are. Sometimes he'd get in his feelings whenever I would go away with Cyrus. I would get this way when he told me he was doing something with Kameron. However, he would never take it to this extreme. There had to be some other reason he was acting like this but I would find out it was a lot simpler than that.

Listening to Bradyn, I made my way up to his room to find him almost done changing his clothes. The minute I walked in, he didn't say one word to me. He offered me a tight-lipped smile, but that's as far as acknowledgments went. I was trying not to get annoyed, but it was hard when he was acting the way he was. I mean, I was at fault here but it didn't feel good that he wasn't telling me the reason why. We were in a relationship. A real one not one of those fake arrangements. If we were going to be taking big steps then we needed to talk. Like adults do.

I closed the door behind me before getting down to the nitty-gritty. As soon as he put that shirt on, I stopped him from leaving. We were going to talk about this and solve it before going on with the day. Nobody wants a sour lunch.

"Okay, Jason, what's going on?" I come right out and ask him.

He looked at me like I was bugging him. "I'm getting ready for lunch," he says nonchalantly.

My eyes roll. "You know what I'm talking about!" I yell. "Why are you giving me the cold shoulder?"

Jay looked at me like he rather talk about anything else. He realized that it was impossible to avoid with me. We weren't leaving this room until this was solved. Sorry to Ashton and Bradyn but this was more important. We're finally able to share our love out in the open. There's no way I was going to let it be wasted having a silly argument. We were better than this. If it weren't for my lack of communication, he wouldn't feel this way.

Jay sighed with his hands running through his curls. I can tell he didn't want to be discussing this. Mainly because he thought it was stupid. I mean, when you don't have a problem with something any other time it is odd to make it a big deal all of a sudden. Despite that, I'm here to listen to his concerns and solve them. What kind of girlfriend would I be if we didn't?

He sat down with a somber look on his face. "You could've told me you were staying with Cyrus the other day." He looks at me with a frown.

It surprised me that this was a problem, but I was ready to listen. "Okay...I didn't realize you needed confirmation," I say sitting next to him.

His eyes rolled this time. "A, I don't care that you were with him or that you even stayed for that matter," he began. "Normally, you would tell me beforehand so at least I know what's going on."

That he was right about. "Fair but I didn't expect to stay. He asked me randomly." I try to defend myself.

There was no defending it. He was right that I'd usually tell him what I'm going to be doing with Cyrus. Whether it was a date or just spending time in his room. It didn't cross my mind to tell him because I was too caught up in my head. I've been worried that Cyrus would never want to look at me again. Seeing that he wanted to get one more night alone made me excited. Of course, that doesn't excuse blowing off my boyfriend. He had every right to be upset with me. I'd be upset too if this were the other way around.

Jay shook his head annoyed that I was trying to defend my actions. "That's why the cell phone was invented." Now he was being a smart ass.

I couldn't be too mad at him but it still bothered me. "Jay, are we really going to argue about this?" I asked him. "We have company who is waiting for us to get going."

"None of that matters to me, Autumn." He says calmly. "I'm more concerned about my girlfriend not telling me where she's going to be; leaving me waiting up all night to pick her up." His gaze finds me and I can see the anger in his eyes.

It made me nervous to look at him but I held up. "I'm sorry, okay. You're right I should have at least texted you." I admit.

His head nods. "Well, that's a start." He still wasn't happy with me.

Usually, I'm the one complaining and moaning about something Jay did. Being on the other end of it didn't feel so good. I'm always the one not screwing up. Keeping everyone in check and accountable for the shit they do. Doing all that, I forgot to give myself that same treatment. How can Jay trust me if I don't talk to him? He can't control me because we're adults, but with the respect he gives to me, I should be giving back to him.

Every day Jay goes out of his way to make sure that I'm okay. Make sure that I'm feeling heard. I owed it to him to do the same back. With all the shit I put him through with Kameron, I had one job and failed. This wasn’t the time to be fighting but celebrating. Am I the only one seeing that?

I stood up in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Can we hold off on the fighting? There’s so much to be excited for.” I pleaded.

He scoffed but still placed his hands around my waist. “Like what?” He asked with attitude.

“Like tomorrow we don’t have to go to the Hadid home hiding anything,” I smiled.

His eyes rolled. “And?” That didn’t seem to faze him.

“And, as soon as this is over, we’ll be moving in together.” I smile.

That got his attention and he looked at me surprised. I wanted the reveal to be a bit more special but it’s not like he wasn’t preparing for me to say yes. He went house hunting under the notion that I would be living with him. We’ve been through so much in our relationship that taking it a step further only seemed right. Jay was my everything and if there was one person meant to be in my life, it was him. This experience has proved that.

He tried to fight back a smile but it was hard giving what I told him. He’s been waiting for this moment and now it’s finally here. There wasn’t anything that could change the way we feel for one another. My parents also approve of him along with my sister which is rare for her to like anybody. We had the perfect ingredients for a delicious recipe. There was no sense in beating around the bush anymore.

His hands clasped at my back, pulling me closer to him. “You…you made your decision?” He asked me.

My head nods as I wrap my arms around him. “I did…let’s do it.” My smile grows big.

The smirk was hard to contain for him and I can tell how happy he was hearing this news. The way his grip grew tighter solidified how happy he was. That’s all I ever wanted for him and us. Our era of happiness is just beginning. Granted, it was at the expense of someone else though our intentions were pure. Nothing else was holding us back and I wanted to take full advantage.

His head rests on my chest as he hugs me tightly. “I’m still mad at you,” he says. “But I’m happy you said yes.”

I ruffle his curls knowing the news made his day. “It’s all I ever wanted.” I kissed the top of his head. “We should also hurry up because an angry Bradyn and Ashton is not something we need.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He agrees.

We both give each other another squeeze before heading back downstairs to meet them. Our conversation stuck with me as Jay handled his emotions way better than he used to. It was great that he was able to communicate how he was feeling and why. It was completely my fault for not warning him ahead of time. Regardless, our relationship would be just fine. The fact that we’re able to talk things out shows just how strong we were as a couple.

The hard part was going to be the atmosphere at Farah’s announcement tomorrow. We were all very much divided and it didn’t help that Jay and Cyrus weren’t friends anymore. One can only hope everything goes smoothly. But that’s impossible in Sunbury.