Same Mistakes

Chapter Twenty Seven

A week had passed and things had finally calmed down. Jayce wasn't completely healed, but enough to go home and be monitored from there. The main issue now was figuring out where home was.

Since I had moved to New York, Tessa moved out of her aunt and uncle's house and into an apartment. It was two bedroom, but she was temporarily sharing it with Jordyn. This left me to either stay with Ryan or Justin while Jayce fully recovered.

Though the answer seemed obvious, it wasn't. Ryan's apartment was big enough for two people, but not two people, a child, and what whatever nurses needed to visit Jayce throughout the week. Leaving me with Justin as an option. His house was more than big enough, maybe to the point that I wouldn't even have to see him, but the issue there was Hailey who had also been staying with him according to Tessa and Kylie.

Pushing the problem to the back of my mind, I focused on the Justin's entrance. He held multiple chipotle bags and divied out everyone's food, giving me mine last.

"Ran into the doctor on my way in, he has another patient to take care of first but then he's going to come discharge Jayce." There was a bright smile across his face that infected mmm mine.

"That's great." Jayce was entranced by Paw Patrol on the tv so I didn't try to get his attention but everyone else smiled at me.

I sent Dani an update in New York. She had to book it back to the bar since things were so hectic without us, so much so that they bumped up Ty to my position until further notice.

Looking around the room, my eyes caught an exhausted looking Hailey. I dragged my eyes away from her to look at Justin who was giving Jayce his food.

"Hailey okay?"

Justin looked back at her for a few seconds and then shrugged, "Tired I guess."

I nodded it off even though her exhaustion didn't look like the kind sleep could solve and refocused my thought to the issue at hand, "Have you thought about how this living situation is gonna go while Jayce is finishing recovery?"

"Um, I figured you guys could stay at my place until he's good and then we can look into getting you guys a place near me?"

I sent him a confused look, "Why would we do that?"

He returned the look, "Do what?"

"Get a place here?"

"Because you're staying here?"

"Um, no. Our home is-" I was cut off by Ryan's voice, who I didn't realize was standing behind Justin until now, "Hey, it's fine. We'll figure it out."

I guess I also didn't realize that my voice has raised, causing everyone to quietly watch us. I nodded and looked from Ryan to Justin, who sent me a look saying thus conversation wasn't over.

"Nadia, can I talk to you really quick?" I quickly got up and moved past Justin to follow Ryan out of the room and down the hall to the vending machines room.

"What's up?"

Ryan smiled and distracted himself with the contents of the vending machine.

"How are you and Justin?"

I shrugged, "Still figuring out how to coparent. We're doing good though, why?"

"Just wanted to ask."

I laughed to myself and shook my head, "It's never just asking."

"Are you guys gonna stay at my place or his?" He finally turned his look to me, searching my face for any hint as to how I was feeling before I answered.

I looked at the ground, knowing what I was leaning towards in my head, which was opposite of my heart, "Um, the smart thing to do is stay with Justin for Jayce's sake. He needs us both right now and not how we've been for the past few weeks, actually coparents this time."

That was my head, but my heart wanted to stay with Ryan because staying with Justin wasn't good for it. Staying with Ryan was.

Ryan nodded, "I get that. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but this isn't about me. It's about Jayce."

"Thank you." Ryan gave me a weak smile, "No problem, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about though."

Another conversation was interrupted, this time by Justin, "The doctor is in the room. They need you."

Ryan nodded for me to go and I followed Justin, but whatever Ryan had to say lingered in the back of my head while I filled out the doctors papers.

-------

Ryan and I drove silently to Justin's house with Jayce. I wanted to avoid fighting with Justin about mine and Jayce's future living situation at all cost, especially when we were doing good at the moment. I'd finally let my anger at him from this whole mess die down and now wasn't the time to start something else.

Ryan hummed along to the radio and I looked at him causing him to look at me out of the corner of his eyes, as to not take them off the road, to say I wasn't paranoid about Jayce being in a car again would be a lie. I was terrified, but I trusted Ryan.

He smiled at me, "What?"

"What were gonna say at the hospital before Justin came out?" He shook his head causing me to roll my eyes, "Ryan."

"Nadia."

I gave him my best puppy dog face at the last red light before Justin's street, "It wasn't anything. I swear."

"Fine, but you're lying." I let it go and looked at the window. I quietly pretended to be upset. Yes, it was manipulative but something told me I needed to know what he said.

Justin's house hadn't really changed since I'd last seen it. There might have been different plants outside but that about it. I slowly leaned forward and started to open my door until Ryan's voice caught me off guard, "Does any part of you want our relationship to be real?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

I had heard him, I was just shocked. It was clear that I had started to like Ryan but I hadn't put much thought into it since New York, I didn't have the time. But truthfully, Ryan meant a lot to me. He helped me with Jayce, helped me with Justin, and helped me with me and I was thankful for him these past few weeks.

"I'd be lying if I said no."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."