Hope | ✔

Chapter 18: Falling tears

"I think one of the saddest sounds is when you hear the crack in a person's voice when they're about to cry."

Fabian turned around in his seat and almost hopped over the table when he saw Jaimie-mae standing a few feet away, looking completely stunned for some odd reason.

He just about kicked Malakai in the face when he agiley lifted himself up and over the booth table.

God, did he need to see her.

He kind of hated himself for what he had so stupidly done. And he hated himself even more when she didn't text or call. He'd wait for a call at the same time everyday as when she first called him, just hoping to hear her sweet voice.

It all sounded crazy when he recalled all the things he did for her even if she hadn't talked to him for nearly two weeks. He had researched more on PTSD and drawn things that she might have liked. But as he got into drawing he realized he didn't really know much about the things she liked and disliked.

So he made a plan that he'd get to know her.

He had never really been this invested in a person before in his life. But he knew it wasn't because he liked her. It was because she saved his life, right?

Fabian slowly neared her but frowned a little when he saw her up close and personal.

She looked like... well death. To put it bluntly.

She looked skinnier, paler, tireder. Were those even words? Fabian didn't know and he didn't care either.

What he did care about though, was Jaimie-mae. But not because he liked her. It was because they were friends and that's what friends are for. For caring.

Fabian came to a complete stop, towering over Jaimie-mae's small frame.

She looked at him straight in the eyes. Gazing quietly. And now he realized just how dangerous this was. He shouldn't have looked her directly in the eyes. He really shouldn't have.

But he did. And all of his "i don't like her" shit went out the window.

He did like her. A lot.

He couldn't help it. He'd dug a hole deeper than he intended to. And now he couldn't climb back out. Now all he could do was dig a little deeper and see what he'd find on the way.

"Jaimie, are you okay?"

He looked down and watched as Jaimie-mae hesitantly grabbed his hand and held it in her small, velvety soft one. He looked back up at her face and looked at her closed eyes. She took a deep shaky breath and immediately the strings around his heart were pulled and tightened.

She opened her blue eyes and they were glistening with tears.

Fabian, out of purely instinct, pulled her into his bear hug and she immediately responded. She wrapped her small arms around his torso and buried her face into his chest. Her hands tightly clutched the back of his shirt, the fabric stretching a little, but he didn't mind. Even if he really did like that long-sleeved shirt.

He pulled her tighter against him when he felt some of the tears soak through to his chest.

"Jaimie-baby." He cringed slightly at the nickname that had just floated out of his mouth like a leaf fluttering slowly to the ground in the wind. So easy.

Jaimie-mae didn't seem to have any complaints though, she just shifted her head slightly in his chest, probably to breathe better.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he placed a kiss on her hair.

He heard a mumbled "whipped" mixed with a cough come from behind him. He knew exactly who it was. It was Malakai.

Malakai knew Fabian well enough to know he never found apologizing the easiest thing in the world. But with Jaimie-mae, the word 'sorry' just tumbled out.

Back in the hospital he had said sorry more times than he did in a whole year. He wanted to face-palm and choke himself at the same time because he wished it came that easy when he was in actual trouble. It was stupid.

He was stupid. For Jaimie-mae.

Jaimie-mae was just about hanging off of him now. Clinging to him like a lifeline. Once again, he didn't mind. But his neck was starting to feel a bit strained now.

"Do you maybe wanna go somewhere and talk with me?" Fabian asked quietly in her ear.

She shook her head and sniffled. Still not letting go.

He felt sort of rejected but he tried again. "How about we go somewhere, just you and me?"

At this Jaimie-mae nodded and somehow gripped around his neck a little tighter.

He coughed. "Ugh, J-jaimie, you're kinda c-choking me."

She didn't loosen up her death grip, instead she let out a little sob into his chest. His heart lurched and he almost forgot that he could die of suffocation.

It would be a weird way to die. 'Fabian Sharp; dies of suffocation from over affection.'

He kind of preferred dying that way instead of dying from being smacked down by a car. It wasn't the manliest way out, but at least he spent his last few minutes in the arms of a person he cared about and hopefully a person who cared about him just as much.

When she showed no signs of letting go and he showed more signs of lack of air, Fabian slowly brought his hands down to her torso, then they slowly trailed down her sides and all the way to her waist and then her thighs. He made sure to not even brush her butt because he didn't want her feeling too uncomfortable.

He easily lifted her up and cringed when he noticed how light she felt.

He had gotten his casts off and he was already back in somewhat of a good shape. The car had suprisingly not did as much damage as they thought it did. He still had a little soreness in his ribs though.

Jaimie-mae simply rested her head in the crook of his neck and wrapped her legs easily around his waist. He tried to keep the thoughts of her out of his mind and just focused on the fact that she was hurting. And if he could do anything about it, he would.

She clung to him like a little child and he almost chuckled at how at ease she felt. He could still hear her sniffles and hiccups in his ear though.

He didn't even think about the fact that they were in a public cafè and how much this could mess with his reputation.

He turned to the group of friends who were staring intently at the scene in front of them. The girls awing didn't go un-noticed by Fabian but he quickly brushed it off, not letting it get to him.

"I'm gonna take my car. Malakai catch a ride with Arabella please."

Malakai smirked but nodded. He knew better than to open his stupid mouth at a moment like this.

"Don't hurt her," Kano said with a glare.

"No way man," Fabian said. He would never hurt her. Especially when she was already like this.

"Take care of her okay," Kacey said quietly.

He nodded than left the cafe with Jaimie-mae still held tightly in his arms.