Chapter Three

JADE'S POV

I felt cold. Goosebumps rose on the skin of both my arms and my body shook in a slight shiver.

I didn't notice the tears pooling in my eyes until they were running down my reddened face and I tasted the salty wetness.

This right here is a reason to be alarmed, scared shitless and a whole lot of other things that wasn't anger but that was all I felt.  Deep rooted anger at whoever was behind this.

I dashed the heel of my left palm under my eyes, wiping off the annoying tears.

"Fucking hell." I hear Caden curse, coming to stand next to me, and for once I didn't not feel the reeling impact and longing it usually caused my strung body.

"I'm sorry, Jay." The tears came faster at his voice laden with caring concern.

It's been a while since I heard that. It felt good.

"Are you okay, baby girl." My cheeks flushed at that as he wrapped my tiny body in his big muscled one, soothing me by holding my jerking body pressed to his in a warm, comforting hug just the way he knew I liked being held.

I shouldn't have, it's all kinds of wrong but I let him hold me, basking in his warmth and drawing in his sweet soothing smell that was musky spice and Caden.

I might regret this moment next minute, next hour or even tomorrow but right here in this moment I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight.

I missed him.

I missed this, us.

When I was done bawling the anger out and was totally spent,  he wordlessly shepherd's me to his car and helps me inside it.

He rounds the hood of the car and takes his seat behind the wheel.

He didn't ask me anything, just fired up and drove us out of the lot.

I knew he was giving me my space, allowing me to decide if I wanted to talk about what happened yet or not. Just like the old times.

I let my heavy lids droop close and try to will away the note  that still sat unopened in my locker, my slashed tyres and the person pulling all these shit on me.

I wished they'd all disappear without trace, just like it never happened.

I realized a while later that we've been on the road for a good part of half an hour. Getting to my house never takes that long.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Caden driving us into his garage.

"I thought you were taking me home?" I queried, my voice just as tense and angry as everything else about me right now.

"Jesus, calm down Jay." He tries. 

"You know, after that sick shit with your car, I figured we should talk. This deserves a you and me time, don't you think?"

Like he cared. I mentally roll my eyes.

"It's not like it means anything to you. And we could have done that at my house."

He ignored the first part of that retort and to the second part he muttered an almost inaudible,

"So you can lock me out the front door, nice try."

I only heard that because I'm so 

attuned to everything that is Caden.

He got out of the car first and I scurried out right after him before he could get around to opening my door for me.

The first thing I did as soon as I got into the house after him was to text my mum that I'd be home late cause I'm over at Caden's place. I even took a picture of my self in his sitting room and sent it along with the text just in case she gets one of those her old fashioned distrust spell, I won't have to spend hours then convincing her of my whereabout.

Though it's been months since I last visited this grand structure that's the Jones' home, everything still looked the same. Well, except you counted the new  aquarium that graced one corner of the room, balanced on its on platform.

I quietly followed him up the stairs to his room, too tired and annoyed to give in and go check out the adorable little fishes I'd spied swimming around in there.

As we entered his room, I was surprised to find that the small changes that had come from me in his room over the years still remained.

That fifth grade picture of him where he looked like he'd just downed a glass of overly glorified but very disgusting herbal tea, with my cute little self holding him and smiling like I'd just won the lottery, still hung on his wall right over his headboard  where I'd stuck it years ago.

Even that one side of his wall I'd insisted he painted my favorite shade of purple last year just because I stayed over so much at his place, and I'd argued extensively that he gift me that one side for all my stuffs I left over, still remained purple. 

He'd provided the paint and though he'd repainted the other walls of his room himself, he'd adamantly refused to help me out.

Between my amateur painting skills and my determination, I'd done a suprisingly nice but messy job.

None of my stuffs hung  on it anymore but he'd still left it the same. 

I settled on one end of the bed, my back rested against the wall and my eyes shut from exhaustion.

I felt his close presence even before he plopped down next to me and the mattress dipped from his weight.

Why did he have to sit so close to me.

My skin prickled, craving his touch as the delicious smell that was all him enveloped me, filling my nostrils and playing a seducing tease.

It brought with it a deep spiralling ache to my starving body.

It was hard pretending indifference to having him so close to me but it was harder not to throw caution to the wind and reach out to touch him, make sure he's real.

I might find out I'm only delusional and only curled in my own bed at home.

I didn't reach out because I didn't want to break this, I wanted to be really here with him.

His big hand slid to and entwined with mine.

My body jolted from the electric tingles that spread through me from that contact.

My heart thudded in excitement as his thumb caressed the back of my hand.

Tears pricked my lids, trying to escape down my face. I knew this was out of pity and not because he felt the tiniest bit of the feelings coursing through me for him.

I didn't want it this way.

I hate that I'm this helpless with him. I let him hold me like this in the silence of his room.

How much more hurt can you take Jade before you learn.

That voice in my head made me jerk my hand out of his.

He said we were only going to talk, he never mentioned this excruciating torture he was putting me through.

His hand covered mine again, more firmly this time and he tugged me forward in his direction and off the cold comfort of his wall.

My eyes flash open and I look into his cloudy, unreadable green orbs.

Talk about mesmerizing.

I open my mouth to say something, anything to jolt him out of this but he hushed me.

"Come here, Jay."

Maybe it was the calm, low voice he said it in, or the sweet, warm comfort that lay promised in his words, hell it could be because I've madly missed him and I craved contact with him so much I couldn't bear to say no, but I climbed into his waiting arms and laid against his  warm solid body, no questions asked.

'How much more of this sweet torture can I take before I learned to stop?'

Dear God! 

CADEN'S POV

She looked so fragile sitting on my bed with her back leaning against the wall.

The need to hold her and soothe away the pain marring her beautiful face and making her perfect brows draw together ate at me raw. 

I reached out and twined my fingers with hers knowing she would remove it immediately.

She'd be justified because without any explanation I'd started distancing myself from her first. 

My best friend.

I was pleasantly surprised when she didn't push me away. It didn't last long though because she got over whatever spell had held her and she jerked her hand out of mine.

I swallowed the hurt it stirred in me because I had no right to be hurting now. I should expect this reaction at the least, I'd started this after all.

I was glad for her closed eyes because it meant she couldn't see the emotion burning in mine.

The end of her long lashes glistened and I knew she was trying not to cry.

Crying doesn't suit her, it always made her look older than my nineteen years.

I slid my fingers into hers, more firmly this time, and tugged her in my direction.

She resisted but I'm not one to give up easily.

I needed to hold her.

I need this, her.

"Come here Jade." My voice must have conveyed my raw need for her because that seemed to work the magic and just like that she crawled into my arms, no questions asked.

Can a guy get any luckier?

There was a rightness about this that should scare me but it didn't. 

In this moment, here in my room, I can pretend that everything is okay.

The minutes drew out before I finally decided to ask her about that incident back at school.

What business does anybody have slashing her tyres?

"Jay," I try, "are you having issues with anyone at school?"

She turned over in my arms.

Her body pressed down on my already hard cock with that movement.

It was almost painful having it get any harder without any promise of relief.

I bite back a groan and pray she doesn't feel my hardness. 

"What do you care, Caden?" I knew that tone she was using. The slight quiver, the careless break, she was trying to bluff this and change points.

"I do care, Jay. If you are having issues you should tell me. For fucks sake we were best friends."

I knew immediately the words left my mouth that there couldn't have been any more worse choice.

She tensed up and before I could stop her, she pushed out of my hold. I missed her soft warmth immediately.

"I can't even stand your gut saying that to me. 'Were', it's good you said it out loud yourself Caden because that is the key word here. We were in the past, not anymore. You suddenly clam up and shut me out of your life with no explanation. Suddenly I had no best friend because you were aiming better at making strangers out of a decade plus friendship. You don't have any right whatsoever to throw that at me!"

Her eyes were bright with tears and her face red with anger.

She flinched when I reached for her.

I didn't have anything to say in my defence except a miserable, "I'm sorry, Jay."

I was tempted to lay it out right here for her, tell her why I'd ran but she would only pity me and I hated that.

It made me weak and I hated showing any weakness.

"I'm sorry, Jay." I muttered again.

"I didn't want things to be like this but I had to do this. Call me selfish but I needed it before I ruined us."

The silence stretched between us after that. Hanging heavy in my room.

I couldn't bear her tears. I tried to leave my eyes trained on the part of my room wall she'd made her own.

But they kept going back to her anyways. 

"I don't know who's doing this but I've been getting these notes that creep me out." She said much later. She sounded tired, exhausted and my ears pricked at her words.

Someone was playing games with my girl.

My girl.

It sounded good, natural.

"They know where I am, what I do, who I see and they write it in the next one. I'm scared shitless but there's no one I can tell. My car is the first real attack I've gotten. They even know when I don't read the note. I'm so scared.........Caden."

Her voice broke at the end and I almost exploded with anger at the little fuck behind this and myself for letting her go through this alone.

I didn't realise I'd gotten on my feet and was pacing like a feral animal.

I sit back down right in front of her and cupped her cheek. I wiped her tears and I knew it then that I'll really give my life for this beautiful, strong fireball that was mine.

I swear to God, she'll be.

Mine. 

JADE'S POV

His hand.

His touch.

His eyes piercing into mine.

If only this could last forever.

"I'll get them Jay. I promise you. Nobody hurts you and gets awaywith it. You get that right?"

I nodded. I don't know why but I believed him. I trusted this same person that had hurt me.

"I'll make them pay. All you have to do baby girl is obey my commands and I'll hand you their roasted ass."

I agreed to that!

I agreed to obey his commands, to be bound by his words but it didn't matter because this was Caden.

My Caden.