Sorry for the long wait, I spent a long freakin time on this one, and I'm still not satisfied with it! Oh well x.x This one is a sequel to the previous chapter "There's things I've done I can't Erase." This time, I've written in Jackson's POV (and I must say, getting into the mind of Jackson Rippner is HARD...and I'm sure I screwed it up somehow and made him OOC).

And just to soften the blow, I'll steal all of your kisses;
And sew them up in the creases of our hearts.

Jackson sighed; he feels weary. He's been seeing Lisa for months and, although she thinks otherwise, he does care very deeply for her. The source of his problem is that he doesn't know how to express himself, not in words at least. Realistically, he's not much of a talker, not unless he's being manipulative and wants something, and he wants nothing from her. The only thing he does want...is just her. He can't have her through manipulation, no, not like that. He needs her to understand, but she just doesn't get it.

He thinks that being affectionate would be the answer; that by walking on eggshells around her would fix their fractured relationship. The thing is, the nicer he was, the sadder she became. The sadder she became, the more distressed he would grow. The more distressed he would grow, he becomes even nicer; which makes her become increasingly suspicious because, even he had to admit, it wasn't like him. What a vicious cycle; but what else could he do?

Now, she started to stop talking to him. He doesn't really know what to say to her, but he makes an effort to start a conversation anyway. She would rebuff him with one word answers or just answer him with the most heartbreaking smile. She's suffering, he could tell. He hasn't seen her really smile in a long time.

Is he doing this to her? Is he the cause of her anguish?

Is that why she gets so sad when she looks at him?

Would it be better if he left? Would she be happier if he's gone?

God damn it. He doesn't want to go.

She started to stop looking at him too. He'd try to catch her eye, walk into her view or tilt her head to face him; force her to see the sincerity in his crystal blues. She'd barely look at him for a few seconds before she would turn away again.

Well, he doesn't think she wants him to leave, not really. If anything, the way she acts when she thinks he's asleep is proof of that. He could feel her watching him, touching him, cling to him possessively – trying everything she could to keep him by her side only when she thinks he doesn't know about it. But when he's awake, she'd grow colder towards him with each passing day. It's as if she's afraid of the sight of him...or maybe afraid that if she stared at him long enough, he would just disappear right in front of her; now that would be scary (not to mention, pretty devastating). Yea, he figured it out. He's not stupid. Took him a while though, but he got it.

He reassures her in his own way, but, of course, she doesn't catch on. He's always touching her in some way or another – fingers running through her hair, lips brushing against her temple, hands holding hers, arms encircled around her shoulders. He would cling to her just as tightly as she does to him, even tighter perhaps. He'd hold her a little longer each time he embraces her, hoping that maybe, maybe, she would understand. She's not the only one who's afraid to let go. He will never leave her as long as she wants him. As long as she wants him, he'd stay forever. There aren't enough words in the world to express how he feels...so he'll show her; he'll show it to her in the only way he knows how. "Come back to bed," he pleaded.

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