Chapter 70 No Need For Jealously
Chapter 70 No Need For Jealously
Jasmine
Noah and I were happily catching up, and you'd never guess we hadn't seen each other since childhood.
"How about you and Cody? Are you still friends?”
“We are more than friends. We are together.”
Noah chuckles. “That doesn’t surprise me. You two were inseparable. Let me guess, you’ve been together for years?”
“No, we only got together in our senior year. We stopped being friends for a while, from age twelve to eighteen. His dad left, and he turned into someone I didn’t know any more. The older he got, the worse he got. He was getting into trouble all the time. Drinking, partying, doing drugs and screwing around, treating the girls like crap. I hated him for a while. He hated me.”
His eyes widen in shock. “Seriously? I never expected that to happen between you two.”
“Yes, many things changed over time. Fortunately, we matured and rediscovered our connection. I never imagined we'd be in a relationship. Everyone always said we would end up together, but none of us truly believed it until it actually happened.”
“Sometimes, two people just need time apart to reconnect and understand their true feelings for each other.”
“Maybe. What about you? Are you with someone? What are you doing with your life? Are you at college?”
“No, I was seeing someone, but we recently broke up because we wanted different things. I am not in college now; I plan to start next year after taking a gap year. Currently, I am just working.”
“I am sorry about your break-up.”
“It is okay. We parted on good terms. Where is Cody?”
“He is in California. I returned to help my mom and hope to go back soon since I attend college there. Cody works, so he couldn’t stay here with me.”
“I am glad your dad and little sister are going to be okay after the accident.”
“Thanks. Me too.” I smile.
My cell ringing interrupts the conversation. I look down and see Cody calling.
“Sorry, I have to respond to this,” I say.
Noah nods and smiles. I answer quickly. “Hello, my love.”
“Hey, beautiful. I am at lunch and wanted to check in to see how you were.”
We talk back and forth. It is nice to hear his voice. I really do miss him like crazy. I need to get back to him soon. It is hard being apart from him.
“You will never guess who I am having coffee with,” I say.
“Who? Have you replaced me already?” Cody chuckles.
I laugh. “No, of course not. I could never replace you, my love. I am with Noah.”
Cody falls silent for a moment. “Wait, as in Noah Adair?”
“Yes. I came out for coffee and ran into him.”
“You are having coffee, just the two of you?” he asks.
I can sense jealousy in his voice, but there's no reason for him to feel that way. "Don’t be jealous. You have no reason to be," I say with a laugh.
Noah chuckles, shaking his head. “Some things never change.”
He is referring to when we were kids. Yes, we were all friends, but even back then, Cody got jealous if I paid too much attention to Noah or played with him more. I snicker and nod in agreement, knowing what he means.
“I am not jealous because you’re with someone else. I am jealous because he gets to spend time with you, and I can’t. Tell him I said hello.” He sighs.
I told Noah that Cody says hello, and he says it back.
“I know, handsome. It isn’t easy, but we’ll be back together in no time.”
“I hope you are right. Could we video call later?”
“Of course. I should probably get off the call. I don’t want to be rude.”
“Okay. I will talk to you later. I love you.”
“I love you too, Cody,” I reply and hang up.
Sighing, I set my cell down.
"Having difficulty with long-distance?” Noah inquires.
“Yes, it’s not easy, but we’ll be alright. We always manage."
He nods, and I shift the conversation to avoid getting upset. I knew being apart would be tough, but neither of us fully realized how hard it would really be.
We finish our coffee, order a second cup, and reflect on our lives over the past eight years.
“I should head back to make sure everything is okay. I have studying to do.”
“I will walk you home,” he smiles.
We gather our things and stroll towards my house. Noah takes in the place. You can tell he has missed it since he left. Arriving outside, I turn to him.
“Thank you for walking me home and for the coffee. It was really nice seeing you.”
“Yes, you do. Maybe we could grab coffee again before we leave? Only if you are up for it.”
“Sure, that sounds nice. It would be great to have the company of someone my age instead of only my parents and little sister.” I laugh.
We exchange numbers and share a hug before I walk inside. I didn’t anticipate being gone this long, but if my mom needed me, she would have called. I trust that everything is fine. It was refreshing to take a break for a while. My mom will be out picking up Lily.
I head upstairs to my parents’ bedroom, peeking in to check on my dad. He is sound asleep in bed. The medication he is on makes him sleepy. Quietly, I close the door behind me, not wanting to wake him, and go back downstairs. I can start dinner so my mom doesn’t have to when she comes back. I will go back to studying after dinner. We sometimes eat downstairs, Lily, me, and Mom, but other times we have dinner in the room with my dad. It isn’t easy for him to get up and down the stairs, but some nights he can manage. It depends on how he is feeling and what his pain level is. We try to have dinner as a family as much as we can, keeping things as normal as possible for Lily’s sake. It is nice when we do. It is something else I have missed, not being home.
Yes, I am eager to return to California, but at the same time, I will be sad leaving here again because I won’t be back until Thanksgiving or even Christmas. It depends on workloads and money. It will be hard saying goodbye to them again.