The beauty of chapters: I thought he was the one

Chapter 41

Dubraska

After sitting on the balcony to eat lunch and make fun of people walking by below, Michael and Jackson took the dishes to go wash them. I followed behind but went to the bathroom to wash my hands then went back out.

I sat down on the arm chair, pulling my feet up and Jackson came to sit in his previous spot. I watched him slide down in a comfortable position then lit a cigarette. He flipped the hair out of his face, leaned back and exhaled the smoke out in a slow, tired breath.

"You said you knew Michael since childhood right?" I asked. He glanced at me for two seconds then nodded once. "So you knew his sister?"

"Mia? Yeah. We weren't that close. Michael and I hang out mostly at my house cuz of his dad so I didn't see her much."

I nodded. Cuz of his dad?

"I'm surprised he told you. He doesn't like to talk about her."

A bitter smile spread across my face as I slouched down to look at my white polished toes. "He doesn't like to tell me much. He says he trusts me and that he likes our friendship but he's very secretive about his life and emotions."

"That's Michael for you. He always talks about how communication is key but when it comes to him he just keeps it all bottled up. It's how he's always been. I've known the guy for so many years and getting him to open up is like pulling teeth. There are things that I'm not sure that even Layla knew about him."

Layla.

"But she knew about..." My voice trailed off as it dawned on me that even Jackson might not know.

He patiently waited for me to finish. "The scars?" he asked and I realised that I had unknowingly pointed down at my wrist while I spoke. I pulled my hands away.

"I'm sure." He answered my question. "I'd be weird for him to keep the bracelets on when being intimate with her." He answered casually, not really putting much thought to it.

Then his eyes once again ran down to my clothes and he blinked away like he just realised something. I knew exactly what it was.

He thought Michael and I had sex.

I opened my mouth to explain the misunderstanding but Michael interrupted me. He leaned against the door frame looking down at us. "Are we going out tonight? Sarah just called, saying she wants to go to the club."

"I'm down for it." Jackson shrugged then they both turned to look at me at the same time.

"I don't do clubs." I shook my head; they already knew that.

"There's a first time for everything."

"Michael the mid-term exam is in two weeks. I have assignments still unfinished. You have assignments still unfinished."

"That's a worry for Monday. I'm not a student on the weekends." He passed by Jackson to go to his seat, taking the cigarette in the process. He smoked it. "So?" He wiggled an eyebrow at me.

"It'd be your last night out before the exams." Jackson told me.

I was baffled at how lightly they were taking this, as if I was the only one having to sit for exams.

In disbelief, I shook my head.