Book 2: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Surprisingly, I wasn't hung over the following day and felt good this morning. I was sitting in what used to be Jay's parent's room watching some tv. There wasn't anything special on as I quietly reminisced on events last night. The one thing racking my brain was what Cyrus meant by what he said. He left everything on the table for me to decide. There was no way I would be the bad guy in this situation. However, the urge to want to take him up on his offer was astronomical.

Then Jay laughing with Kameron entirely threw me off thoroughly enjoying myself with Cyrus. Having to keep up with both men is a complex task. I get paranoid about what the other is doing when I'm with one. Mainly I wonder what Jay is up to when I'm with Cyrus. He's had his mind set that I would choose Cyrus over him, but is he sure about that? I'm not even sure about that. Losing Jay isn't something I could stomach to think about. Especially losing him to Kameron.

Speaking of Jay, he knocked on the door as I told him to come on in. He looked like he had something up his sleeve that'll be fun for the both of us to partake in. I'm unsure what he would do with what he proposed, but I was here to help.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said, sitting next to me on the small sofa. "How's your head feeling?"

I giggle. "Perfectly fine, thank you. I didn't drink much last night." I reassure him.

"Good, because I need you to help me with something," he looked at me with glee. "I was thinking that since this is technically my house now, I should make some changes."

Now he was speaking my language. "Oh, changes, what changes?" I already knew what he was talking about.

"Starting with making this room my permanent sleeping space," he said as I clapped.

When I first got here, I questioned why he hadn't made a move here. His answer was reasonable because his mom's stuff was still in the room. Once he realized that this was his own house, it was only fitting for him to have the best room. I loved to do decorating, so this was right up my alley. Moving everything out was going to be a hassle, but it was nothing a little help couldn't fix.

I perked right up, excited to shop and pick out paints. But I still had questions for him. "What about your mom's stuff?" I asked, curious as to where he was going to put them.

"I got some boxes to make the move easier, but I already have a space for all her things to go." He explained to me in a bittersweet manner.

"We should probably get help, right?" I smile to brighten up his mood.

He nods. "Yes, but after we move my mom's things. I don't trust anyone but you and Cyrus to handle her stuff, and Cyrus is busy."

On that note, Jay grabbed the boxes, and we gently placed his mom's things inside them. She had so many cute things when it came to her clothes and especially her jewelry. I'm not surprised because they were a wealthy family. However, her style aligned with mine because we love simple things—nothing too extravagant, but sophisticated nonetheless. I wish I got to meet her so we could have a conversation. She looked to be such a sweet lady and very creative.

Creative because as I was getting deeper into her stuff, I found a huge bin filled with crochet and stitchings. There were scarves, pillow engravings, and even little coasters. Some things were just stuff she wanted to make, like all kinds of shapes and patterns. There was even a quilt with pictures of a small Jay with his mom and dad. It was so amazing that I had to bring it to Jay's attention.

"Jay, look at all this stuff. It's incredible!" I gushed.

Jay walked over to me; their eyes widened once he saw what I was looking at. "Wow, I haven't seen this in years." He bent down, looking through the bin with me. "My mom loved to crochet and knit. Every year once the cold weather hit, she would do these scarves and hats for children that couldn't afford them."

I smiled. "That's so sweet of her," I said, admiring the fact that his mom gave back to the community.

"Yeah, you know my mom wasn't born wealthy," Jay explained. "Not to sound rude, but she grew up the same way you did until she met my dad."

It was strange how our life paralleled each other. His mom grew up like I did until she met Jay's dad. Enjoying a life that was once not afforded to her, and yet she still remembered where she came from. They were always the best kind of people. They are happy to have what they have now, but remember that some people aren't as fortunate. She sounded like a classy lady, for sure. It's no wonder Jay turned out the way that he did.

"I wish I could've met her," I said, sad that it'll never happen.

Jay stood back up, picking up the bin. "Great thing about that is, my stepmom is very similar to my mom. Who we still have to do dinner with this week."

That slipped my mind. "When is that again? I forgot that was supposed to happen." I admit.

It's not that I forgot; I'm not keen on seeing his father. I'm on the fence about the whole thing with him abandoning Jay and starting a new family. There were no calls from him to check up on Jay or make sure he was okay. It's like he didn't even care about Jay anymore after said incident. It bothered me since I couldn't have my biological dad around. Knowing my father, he would never do anything close to what Jay's father did.

Still, his stepmom was so lovely that I couldn't turn her down. Also, I wanted to see his siblings again. They were so cute and fun! Jay didn't want to have this dinner, but not for my reasons. However, his reasonings were still valid. We weren't dating as much as his stepmom thinks we were. Unfortunately, we're friends who don't know where our relationship is going. The main thing is we still enjoy each other's company.

He thought for a minute. "Uh, I believe she said Wednesday night around five o'clock."

"Ahh, the middle of the week, that's perfect." It didn't interfere with my plans, so it would be fine. Though I still have mixed emotions about the whole thing.

We finished putting away his mom's things and then started removing the curtains and any pictures on the wall. Next was breaking down the bed and sofa because he opted to get all new things. This process took longer than we were anticipating and by time we were finished our stomachs were growling. At least my stomach was growling!

Instead of staying in for lunch, Jay thought it would be fun to go grab something to eat. I wasn't taking it like a date or anything, but it was nice getting to go out somewhere with us two alone. We haven't done much aside from what we're supposed to do since I've been here. It was also perfect because the girls and I planned to go swimming tomorrow; so I wouldn't see him much until I came back home.

Hopping in his sports car, we drove for about 20 minutes before he pulled up to a small diner that looked to be a bit dated in my opinion. Not that I minded because it was actually cute! It had the typical neon light sign. The floor boards were checkboard inspired and the booths were red and white with the sliver looking tabletops. It also appeared that Jay knew the owners of this diner because he said hi as soon as we walked in.

"Hey Rita, Tom." He greeted the woman and man.

"Jason, it's been so long since we've seen you around here," the woman, Rita, was elated to see him. "Would you like your usual coffee?"

I followed behind Jay who chose to sit at this booth quite close to the entrance. "You know it!" He responded with a smile.

"And how about for you ma'am?" Rita asked me this time. She seemed lovely.

I smile, trying to be welcoming. "I'll take a coffee as well if you don't mind."

She nodded making our orders and handing us menus. This was another part of Jay's life I didn't know about. He seemed to enjoy coming to little diners like this which was astonishing. Of all the places to eat in Sunbury, he decided to be lowkey and come here. This was a part of his unpredictability I was talking about. You never knew what or where you would end up with Jay. He was special in that manner for sure.

Of course, I had to be a bummer and bring up our conversation from last night. It wasn't appropriate to talk about at the engagement party, so now was a better time than ever. I wouldn't be able to stop wondering what they were saying if I didn't ask him. It was eating me up inside knowing she was trying to get at him in some way. Though, fear was a bit irrational knowing the type of person Jay is.

As we got our coffee, I scanned over the meal prompting to ask him this question. However, I couldn't bring myself to look at him when I did. "So, is now a good time to talk about last night?"

Jay raised his brow. "What about it?" He sounded uninterested in the ordeal.

"Don't play coy with me, mister," I say. "What exactly was she saying to you?"

He laughed, looking up from the menu at me in amusement. "Does it matter, Autumn? Like be for real." Clearly he didn't want to talk about this, but I wouldn't stop.

"Yes it does matter because I recall a certain someone saying they didn't like her but yet there you were entertaining her mess."

I'll admit I sounded like a jealous bitch, but could you blame me? After what Kameron warned me about I was on guard whenever she was around one of them. Jay didn't know that and I didn't feel the need to tell him. It would make me seem even more jealous and a bit delusional. In the end, Jay wasn't mine to get frantic over, but dammit I was going to anyway! She threatened me and it wasn't going to be taken lightly.

Jay sipped his coffee not wanting to entertain my shenanigans. "You're talking as if we're dating, is there something you want to tell me?" He questioned my weird behavior.

"No-"

"Then why are you acting like this?" He was confused. "I honestly don't know what you want from me, Autumn. I don't like Kameron and I probably never will but that doesn't mean I can't be cordial. I don't have much of a choice in the matter since she is a part of the wedding."

He was right about that. She was a part of the wedding and it would be hard to avoid having a conversation with her. It didn't make me anymore comfortable with the situation than I was. Kameron was still going to do what she said was going to. Jay was oblivious to that fact, but I contribute that to him not caring for her much. Which, if Kameron knew that she would see how idiotic her plan was.

Nevertheless, there's nothing more for me to say as I went in my hole of embarrassment. We ordered or meals not saying much to one another after that. There wasn't anything I could say without telling him all the details. I also couldn't saying anything because I was unwilling to tell him exactly how I felt about him. The less details he knows, the less he's going to be able to provide me with answers I want.

The silence consumed us as Rita came over to place down our meals. Even she could see the tension between the two of us. The way she looked at us was like she was screaming for us to get our shit together. Though, it was mainly me who needed to get it together. Jay has been being great and respecting my wishes. He hasn't been rushing anything with me, he's been friendly, and opening his home up to me. I was letting my feelings get in the way instead of enjoying what I have with him now. Things were going to work itself out eventually. I just needed to be patient, however that was easier said than done.

In the middle of our meal, Jay stopped eating to look at me building upon the already tense situation. "Now it's my turn to ask questions," he said. "What did Cyrus say that made you freak out?"

That stunned me. "I wasn't freaked out." I lied. I was very much stressed over what Cyrus suggested to me, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"You're lying again, Autumn." Of course he would say that, but I was going to throw it right back in his face.

"What can I say, he is the groom. I can't just not be cordial with the groom." I sipped my coffee waiting in anticipation for his answer.

He chuckled, nodding his head. "Touché," he took one more bite of his perfectly crafted sandwich. "I guess we're never going to know about either encounters then."

"I don't think the situations are the issue here," I say nervously. "It's the emotions involved that are the problem."

We were both acting like children when it came to the matter. Though Jay was more willing to admit his feelings than I was. He already told me that he loves me and I don't think that has changed, but the way I've been acting could possibly change that. Hopefully, that won't be the case and I'm letting my paranoia get the best of me.

After we finished, Jay paid for both our meals and we headed to the store to get some paint for the walls. The ride was a bit awkward, but once we got to the store things mellowed out. Him picking out paint was funny to watch. Jay didn't have the slightest clue to what he was doing, but I tried my best to help pick out a decent color for the bathroom and bedroom. The only issue now was doing the paint job. The two of us could do it just fine, but it would take entirely too long. That's why we invited some friends to help.