1.1 Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True
2 Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth's heart jumped as she felt Jason's warm hand grasping hers. She felt his gaze on her. As she looked up to thank him, those intense blue eyes that seemed to bear into her soul met her eyes.
How much had she hurt this man? How many times had she hurt him?
Her mouth opened to say something, but before she knew it he had closed the car door and strolled towards the house. She was left standing there speechless. Elizabeth knew how much she had hurt him.
~~
Elizabeth had stayed up with Jason and Jaime as they sat in the living room and reminisced. Part of her was filled with an unexplained jealousy of the intimate laughs and stories they shared. Jaime tried to include her in the conversation, but she just couldn't seem to find anything to say.
Later on in the evening Elizabeth had excused herself and turned in. As she walked up the spiral staircase, she couldn't help but watch Jaime and Jason talk the way that she used to with Jason.
What did I end up losing after choosing Lucky?
***
"So, what's up with you and Elizabeth?" Jaime asked as she threw a right jab towards Jason. He countered and threw a left hook, which she blocked.
"What do you mean?" he huffed, his eyes watching the movement of her shoulders, concentrating on her next move.
She kicked low and then in towards his mid-section. He jumped back and out of the way. "I mean, why do you two not talk? I mean, you guys had plenty of chances tonight."
Her right hand went to block his left arm, while leaving her unprotected on her left side. He quickly countered and tagged her left side. "Oof! Good one!" she smiled, backing away and regrouping her strategy.
"We just didn't have anything to say to each other." He lunged forward with a flurry of jabs and punches.
As she gave him ground while he attacked, her body moved in time with his punches and her head bobbed and weaved down and around them. She finally made her move on one of his punches, grabbing his left forearm and she used his momentum to flip him. His body gave way with a thud. "Nice," he commented as he pushed off his hands above his head and kicked his body upright.
They were huffing and puffing as they faced each other. Both of them had grins as wide as the Cheshire cat. "Good workout!" she said, walking towards the bench against the wall and grabbing a towel to throw at him.
"Yeah. You've gotten better at reading me," he stated, wiping his sweaty brow with the towel. He flung the towel around his neck and walked towards the bench and sat down.
"I've been practising," she smiled, also sitting down on the bench.
"Jaime, what do you know about Lucky, Elizabeth and me?" he inquired.
"Not much. A lot of it I guessed. I mean, she didn't tell me she knew you, but I kind of guessed that when I introduced you guys. Plus what I know is what she told me about this friend of hers she would mention from time to time. She told me how you would come in and out of town and that Lucky got jealous every time you showed up. I know you guys were really close, I could tell how much by the way she talked about you. I know she missed you this past year, with what happened with Lucky and all." She wiped her face with a towel she had grabbed from the pile sitting on the bench.
Jason sighed, "I don't know. It's like things are different now. I used to be her escape and when Lucky got back she didn't need it anymore, except she really did. Not an escape, but a reason to see who Lucky was now, not then." He rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't think I did what she needed."
"Jason, do you care for Elizabeth?" Jaime asked cautiously. She didn't want to be nosy, but she needed to know the situation between Elizabeth and Jason so she would cause unwanted awkwardness.
"Yeah. Of course." His body leaned against the wall behind them and slumped over.
"And you told her?"
"Sort of," Jason replied his mind seemingly elsewhere.
"And…" Jaime asked. She already knew the answer, but Jaime felt he needed to say it out loud. She knew he wouldn't talk about this to anybody. He'd keep it to himself. He wouldn't even talk about how devastating it was even to himself, the man without emotions.
"She chose Lucky." He seemed restless and began fidgeting with the towel. "Look, it's done and over."
"Yes, it is," Jaime agreed, "But you don't want to accept that do you? I mean, what happened when you heard that they didn't get married?"
There was silence and then he replied, "Nothing," he stared blankly.
"Not nothing Jason. I know that even inside of you, you must have felt some twinge of hope." Jaime lifted up her left leg and rested it on the bench while turning to face Jason. She grabbed his arm and made him face her. "You still love her?"
He said nothing.
And Jaime knew that she had her answer. "Why don't you go talk to her?" she urged.
"Jaime, I can't talk about this right now," he spoke distantly, like he was deep in thought.
She watched him get up and walk towards the change room. He slowed as he neared the door, leaned his body into the room while his hands pushed against the doorframe, his head hanging down. He seemed to release his frustration as he slapped his hand against the wall and walked into the room.
Jaime slumped over on the bench and sighed.
Yup. He still loves her.
Part of her felt the sadness of her hopes of being the object of his affection fall away, but part of her couldn't help but smile. Jason in love? And with Elizabeth?
How God works in mysterious ways! Who knew He would use her to bring these two together? Or at least she hoped she could. They are both stubborn, she thought, and lie to themselves about what they feel inside. Elizabeth knew that Lucky wasn't the one Elizabeth needed to be with right now, but how was she ever going to convince Elizabeth that Jason was?
This was going to be quite a task, Jaime smiled to herself.
2 Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth's heart jumped as she felt Jason's warm hand grasping hers. She felt his gaze on her. As she looked up to thank him, those intense blue eyes that seemed to bear into her soul met her eyes.
How much had she hurt this man? How many times had she hurt him?
Her mouth opened to say something, but before she knew it he had closed the car door and strolled towards the house. She was left standing there speechless. Elizabeth knew how much she had hurt him.
~~
Elizabeth had stayed up with Jason and Jaime as they sat in the living room and reminisced. Part of her was filled with an unexplained jealousy of the intimate laughs and stories they shared. Jaime tried to include her in the conversation, but she just couldn't seem to find anything to say.
Later on in the evening Elizabeth had excused herself and turned in. As she walked up the spiral staircase, she couldn't help but watch Jaime and Jason talk the way that she used to with Jason.
What did I end up losing after choosing Lucky?
***
"So, what's up with you and Elizabeth?" Jaime asked as she threw a right jab towards Jason. He countered and threw a left hook, which she blocked.
"What do you mean?" he huffed, his eyes watching the movement of her shoulders, concentrating on her next move.
She kicked low and then in towards his mid-section. He jumped back and out of the way. "I mean, why do you two not talk? I mean, you guys had plenty of chances tonight."
Her right hand went to block his left arm, while leaving her unprotected on her left side. He quickly countered and tagged her left side. "Oof! Good one!" she smiled, backing away and regrouping her strategy.
"We just didn't have anything to say to each other." He lunged forward with a flurry of jabs and punches.
As she gave him ground while he attacked, her body moved in time with his punches and her head bobbed and weaved down and around them. She finally made her move on one of his punches, grabbing his left forearm and she used his momentum to flip him. His body gave way with a thud. "Nice," he commented as he pushed off his hands above his head and kicked his body upright.
They were huffing and puffing as they faced each other. Both of them had grins as wide as the Cheshire cat. "Good workout!" she said, walking towards the bench against the wall and grabbing a towel to throw at him.
"Yeah. You've gotten better at reading me," he stated, wiping his sweaty brow with the towel. He flung the towel around his neck and walked towards the bench and sat down.
"I've been practising," she smiled, also sitting down on the bench.
"Jaime, what do you know about Lucky, Elizabeth and me?" he inquired.
"Not much. A lot of it I guessed. I mean, she didn't tell me she knew you, but I kind of guessed that when I introduced you guys. Plus what I know is what she told me about this friend of hers she would mention from time to time. She told me how you would come in and out of town and that Lucky got jealous every time you showed up. I know you guys were really close, I could tell how much by the way she talked about you. I know she missed you this past year, with what happened with Lucky and all." She wiped her face with a towel she had grabbed from the pile sitting on the bench.
Jason sighed, "I don't know. It's like things are different now. I used to be her escape and when Lucky got back she didn't need it anymore, except she really did. Not an escape, but a reason to see who Lucky was now, not then." He rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't think I did what she needed."
"Jason, do you care for Elizabeth?" Jaime asked cautiously. She didn't want to be nosy, but she needed to know the situation between Elizabeth and Jason so she would cause unwanted awkwardness.
"Yeah. Of course." His body leaned against the wall behind them and slumped over.
"And you told her?"
"Sort of," Jason replied his mind seemingly elsewhere.
"And…" Jaime asked. She already knew the answer, but Jaime felt he needed to say it out loud. She knew he wouldn't talk about this to anybody. He'd keep it to himself. He wouldn't even talk about how devastating it was even to himself, the man without emotions.
"She chose Lucky." He seemed restless and began fidgeting with the towel. "Look, it's done and over."
"Yes, it is," Jaime agreed, "But you don't want to accept that do you? I mean, what happened when you heard that they didn't get married?"
There was silence and then he replied, "Nothing," he stared blankly.
"Not nothing Jason. I know that even inside of you, you must have felt some twinge of hope." Jaime lifted up her left leg and rested it on the bench while turning to face Jason. She grabbed his arm and made him face her. "You still love her?"
He said nothing.
And Jaime knew that she had her answer. "Why don't you go talk to her?" she urged.
"Jaime, I can't talk about this right now," he spoke distantly, like he was deep in thought.
She watched him get up and walk towards the change room. He slowed as he neared the door, leaned his body into the room while his hands pushed against the doorframe, his head hanging down. He seemed to release his frustration as he slapped his hand against the wall and walked into the room.
Jaime slumped over on the bench and sighed.
Yup. He still loves her.
Part of her felt the sadness of her hopes of being the object of his affection fall away, but part of her couldn't help but smile. Jason in love? And with Elizabeth?
How God works in mysterious ways! Who knew He would use her to bring these two together? Or at least she hoped she could. They are both stubborn, she thought, and lie to themselves about what they feel inside. Elizabeth knew that Lucky wasn't the one Elizabeth needed to be with right now, but how was she ever going to convince Elizabeth that Jason was?
This was going to be quite a task, Jaime smiled to herself.