The Things We Don't Say のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

After a couple more hours of listening to Anna bring up different possible reasons Jordan was nice to us, all reasons so far from the truth, by the way, over slices of pizza, I finally walked her out of my dorm.She was still yapping when she hugged me, and then reminded me of the flight ticket I had to purchase before running off into the dark. I didn't have enough money for the regular economy flights, and I had to go home for the holiday.My mom needed help at our little produce store back at home, and my older brother was gone for most of the holiday. He got a job at the golf club and was barely in to help. I was happy for him. The job was bound to help around the house.But it felt like he’d been looking for a way out. Or maybe that was just me overthinking everything. I was about to head back in when I got another message from the same number. I hadn't bothered saving it. I must have read his message a million times by now, so I knew both the words and the number.Yet, it didn

It was a romcom, but neither of us was laughing. Jordan didn’t touch the popcorn, leaving the bowl to me. But he drank a lot. I was grateful it wasn’t liquor. When the cast list finally rolled on the screen, I looked at him and saw that he was already asleep. Did he do this all the time? Fall asleep on people?I tried to nudge him awake with my elbow. He didn’t budge the first time, so I moved closer to him, watching him stir.“Jordan?” I whispered, touching his arms. “The movie is over. You should go into your room.”Silence.“Jordan?”“Yeah?” His eyes were too closed.“Okay,” I murmured. “I’ll find the guest room. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”But just as I made to get up, his large arms wrapped themselves around my waist suddenly, pulling me down to him. The heat from his skin touched mine as I fell back on his body. But Jordan still didn’t budge.Or wake up. Instead, he made himself more comfortable, scooting to the edge of the couch to give me more room in the crook of his ar

We were in the middle of breakfast when the elevator doors suddenly sprang open. Jordan looked at me like I would know who was at his door this early in the day. I was yet to get over his gay comment. I wished it affected how I saw him. But I had to be fooling myself because when he got on his feet, his muscles moving with him, I almost died inside.So I did the one thing I could to hide the heat on my face. I buried my eyes in the toast, munching so hard that it hurt my gums.I didn't know when Jordan left the room, but I knew when he returned, because there was someone else with him. A woman. She laughed out loud and called him a sweetheart.Lifting my head, I swallowed the last bit of toast in my mouth, just before they walked in, smiles on their faces. She was an older woman, with greying hair on the sides of her head and the most beautiful smile lines on her face.Jordan had one hand wrapped around her shoulders and was practically leaning into her. I had never seen him that clo

I checked every single inch of the hospital as far as my legs could take me, but Jordan was nowhere to be found. After reaching the parking lot and finding his car gone, I realized then that nothing had changed.I was still the stranger, and I was so foolish as to believe that things were anything else between us. The nurse was right. Two distinct circles. There was no way we were mixing up. And people always left me. It was a constant. The only friends I had in my life were the ones who stayed. Even my own brother got tired of me sometimes. I blew out a breath, trying to ease up my chest. It squeezed hard, restricting my breathing. A sharp pain shot through me, and I resisted the urge to wince. The sudden emptiness in the pit of my stomach had me turning around, heading to the gates. Limping. I flagged down a taxi, but realized I hadn’t brought out any cash when I made the spontaneous decision to go with Jordan last night. So, I called Anna.She appeared at the gates of the hospi

The only audible sound was the clink of silverware on plates. I wanted to be anywhere else but here, seated between Heather and my father. But unlike me, Heather was having the time of her life. Every inch of her frame was pressed into my side, and she had this grin on her face that made me feel like I’d missed the plot. It seemed like it was going to be a quiet dinner. Perhaps the silence was finally for my sister, who should have been here, seated right where Heather was.But I thought too soon because my father cleared his throat suddenly and scooted to the edge of his seat. “Heather,” he started without looking at her. “How’s school going?”“Great,” she said breathily, like she’d been waiting for the question all night. “I’m excited to have just two more years left. And design is great.”“You always wanted to go into that since you were a child,” my mother added, pleasantly.“I just think every child should be eager to take over their parent’s legacy, you know? My parents have