Cursive - By Phoebe Lane Page 0,105

I was rushing here. I…I had to tell her about Christopher. I know it wasn't my story to tell, but she was really freaking out, and she deserved to know."

"You’re right," she said after a pause.

"She…she met me at the airport on her way back from Chicago," Jace said, and moved to the side. Aislynn heard the passenger door open and watched as Ellie stepped out with tears in her eyes.

Aislynn let go of Jace and rushed over to her, wanting to say so much, but not knowing where to begin.

"You look good in black," Aislynn said between tears.

"You say that about all the colors," Ellie responded, her own tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry for not telling you."

"I'm sorry you had to carry this on your own."

"That's my own damn fault," Aislynn said, her eyes closed tightly.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Ellie said, and they hugged each other. Leave it to Ellie to be brutally honest. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," Aislynn answered and hugged her again. "I'm so glad you're here."

After an early dinner of overpriced room service food, Ellie went to her room and left Jace and Aislynn to talk. She filled him in on what had happened with Christopher's parents, everything she had found out about his past, and how much it had changed her feelings about his suicide and her role in it.

"He was sick, and he didn't let anyone help him. This had happened before, and he was able to shut everyone else around him out, too. It may be horrible for me to say this, but I'm glad it wasn't just me. It makes it easier to bear."

"That's understandable," Jace said. "But I think you should also see how you have a tendency to do the same thing Christopher did to you. It's time for you to learn to let people in and get over the fear that you will be rejected or put down. You have to remember that your mom is the only one who does that."

Aislynn sat with that for a few seconds and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm supposed to be the insightful one here."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say—the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot," he said, and Aislynn chuckled.

"So, we’re here now. What about Pam? Are you going to go see her?" Jace asked softly.

"I thought about it, but I've realized that my relationship with her will never be a healthy one. She's set in her ways and she's not going to change. I'll make my peace with how things ended with her eventually. I don't think it's a good idea to stir that pot at this point."

A thought crept up into her mind at that moment, something that had been bothering her for a week or so, but she hadn't had the energy to address.

You don't have to do this alone anymore. Prove to him that you’re ready to do things differently.

"I need to go out for a few minutes. Can you wait for me here?" she asked.

"What is it, Aislynn?" he asked, a worry line showing up on his forehead.

"Everything's okay. I just need to get something, and I'll be right back to explain it to you," she said, caressing his face with her hand.

On her way out, Aislynn realized the hotel had a small convenience store on the lobby where they sold toiletries and other necessities. She was surprised to find the item she was looking for there, and was able to get back to her room within five minutes.

Jace was on the phone making arrangements for their flight home, so Aislynn went to take a shower. Jace was sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for her when she finally came out of the bathroom carrying a small plastic bag.

"I didn't exactly plan to tell you about this before, but I want to show you that I'm ready to do things differently from now on. I want to let you in," she said, sitting down next to him, their legs touching.

"Okay," Jace answered, his eyes moving from her face to the plastic bag.

"I haven't been feeling very well lately. I've been very nauseated, and tired, and…I'm late," Aislynn said, her voice soft and low. She heard Jace's breath hitch when it all settled in. "I don't really think I'm pregnant. This has happened to me before where I've skipped my period during times of stress, but I can't exactly explain the nausea, except to think it's also because of the stress."

Jace took