Page 103 of Only You

“What if it doesn’t?” Her heart galloped in her chest, and she suddenly felt lightheaded.

“I don’t know what else to do.” He shoved his hands into his hair and started pacing again.

Usually, Jack was the voice of reason, but she needed to take on the role this time. “Why don’t we just wait and see what happens? I’m sure they’ll come around.”

He shook his head. “You don’t get it. You weren’t there. You didn’t see their expressions or my mom’s tears.”

Tears? Kayla hated knowing she was partly to blame for this. “It’s almost Christmas. They’ll forgive you by then.”

Jack gazed at her incredulously. “Stop making this seem like a minor misunderstanding. It’s way bigger than that.”

Kayla took a deep breath, searching for a sliver of calm. “So you think the best solution is for me to move out?”

Jack went silent. Then he slowly nodded.

It felt like a slap in the face.

“I already mentioned the idea to Ryan, and he probably told Josie, so she won’t be surprised when you call her.”

Suddenly, Kayla’s pain turned into an intense ball of anger. “Gee, thanks for arranging it all for me.” Then she realized something. “Wait a minute. You told Ryan all this before me?”

Jack averted his eyes, which served as an admission of guilt.

“And to think, I spent the entire day waiting to hear from you. I couldn’t even enjoy my time with Josie because I was too busy worrying about you. After everything we’ve been through, you didn’t have the decency to talk to me before Ryan. Wow! What a fool I’ve been.” With that, she pushed away from the couch and stalked off.

“Kayla. Wait.”

She spun around and faced him. “No! You wait. I’m going to pack, and don’t follow me!” She turned on her heels and stomped into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Kayla leaned against the door and caught her breath.

She couldn’t believe it had come to this. She’d expected Jack’s parents to be disappointed and even angry, but she’d never anticipated this. Instead of facing the fallout together, Jack was pushing her out the door.

Fueled by anger, Kayla dragged her suitcases out of the closet and placed them on the bed. Then she dumped her belongings inside them haphazardly. She emptied out the drawers and her side of the closet in no time. Next, she went into the bathroom and gathered her bath and beauty products. It took a few trips, but soon, she’d packed those too. Then she returned to the bedroom and glanced around to see if she’d forgotten anything. Kayla snatched her novel off the bedside table and shoved it into the front pocket of a suitcase. Usually, she wasn’t this disorderly, but she was in a hurry to leave. The longer she stayed, the more likely she’d blow up at Jack and make things worse.

Kayla heaved the suitcases off the bed and rolled them to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and went out of the room.

Jack stood right where she’d left him, looking even more defeated than before. Did he regret asking her to move out?

“I’ll help you put your suitcases in the car,” he said, quickly ridding her of the notion.

Kayla shook her head. “I can do it.”

“Are you sure? I know how heavy those are.” Jack’s joke fell flat.

She scowled at him. “I got it.” Kayla rolled the suitcases past him and paused in the kitchen to grab her purse. Then she went to the back door and shoved on her shoes and coat. Jack hovered nearby, his hands buried in his pockets. She averted her eyes as she opened the back door.

“Kayla,” he said.

Against her better judgment, she lifted her head and met his gaze.

“I’m really sorry,” he said, his voice trembling.

“I hope you work things out with your parents,” she replied evenly. Then she turned and went out the door, dragging her suitcases behind her. A few minutes later, Kayla backed out of the driveway with a heavy heart. She tried not to look back as she drove away, but she couldn’t help it. To her surprise, Jack was standing at the front door. He raised his hand and gave her a tentative wave, but Kayla didn’t wave back. Instead, she shifted her focus straight ahead and pressed on the accelerator. When she exited the neighborhood, her face was wet. Kayla pressed her fingers to her cheeks, as if it would staunch the flow of tears, but it was no use. A river of them ran down her face and blurred her vision.

Knowing it wasn’t safe to drive, Kayla pulled into the nearest gas station. She drove behind the building and parked. Then she leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried, releasing all the pain and frustration of the past few hours. She cried for her and Jack, and his parents, who she genuinely liked. Kayla cried until she was drained of tears, at least for now. There’d be more later when she relayed the sad story to Josie and her parents.

Instead of returning to her apartment, Kayla considered staying in a motel for a few days. However, she was tired of keeping secrets, and she needed the support of the people she loved the most. It struck her that Jack was one of them, which set off a new wave of tears. A few minutes later, Kayla was back on the road, her eyes puffy, and cheeks tear stained. She hadn’t called Josie, but like Jack said, Josie was expecting her. If necessary, she could go to her parents’ house.

“Somebody will have me, even if Jack won’t.” Sadly, that didn’t make her feel any better. When she arrived at her apartment, the reality of the situation sank in. Instead of going inside, she sat in the car and ruminated some more. I wonder what Jack is doing right now. Does he regret asking me to leave? Is this the end for us?

Kayla was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn’t seen Josie come outside, until she tapped on Kayla’s window. The next thing she knew, her car door opened and Josie’s arms were around her.

“It’ll be okay, sweetie. I promise,” Josie said softly.

Kayla held on tightly as she broke into tears.