Twenty One

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Jocelyn sat motionless, staring blankly at the blinking bar heading her unwritten email. Between sobbing into her pillow and angrily throwing things, it'd been a restless night for her.

She couldn't get herself to accept the truth. Miles was going to die soon and she could only be there to make it as peaceful as possible. The thought of it alone had her throat closing and tears filling her eyes.

"Jocelyn," came a soft voice to her left, "these came for you." Lauren stood in her doorway holding a bouquet of flowers.

If she hadn't exhausted her tear ducts already, tears would have filled her dry eyes at the asymmetrical display. No more flowers.

"Thanks." She muttered taking them, her hands holding the vase tightly to her chest for comfort. An unconscious smile crossed her face as she realized just how sentimental Miles was regardless of what happened.

Pulling the card out, she noticed her hands shook as it reflected the light from her desk lamp.

'Wish I could see your beautiful smile right now'

The neatly written words caused her throat to close and she pulled the card to her chest. Her eyes attempted to produce tears but a dry, sorrow filled croak was all the emotion she could display.

Laying her head on her desk, she tried to pull herself together for her upcoming appointment. She had a new intake and the last thing they needed was to see her so distressed.
...

By the time 10pm rolled around, Jocelyn felt as if her body had been filled with cement. She was exhausted physically and emotionally.

"Night." She muttered to the security guards as always.

As she sat in her car waiting for it to warm up, she closed her eyes as she remained unable to withstand the heavy lids and dryness. A sense of helplessness had been rooted in her spine that absorbed any positive thought she tried to conjure about the situation.

Pulling her phone out, she realized she hadn't checked the device all day hence why she hadn't noticed it had been dead the whole time. She plugged it into her car charger before waiting for it to turn on.

A slew of notifications rattled off as it finally turned on. Regret filled her as she realized Miles had been trying to contact her all day. The messages filled with apologies broke her heart as she realized she'd made him feel as if he were in the wrong.

Jocelyn knew better yet didn't do better. It felt horrible to know she'd made the situation about her own feelings instead of the reality. Pulling from the parking lot, she headed to Miles' building.

It was nearly 11 by the time she pulled up yet a man stood outside waiting to take her car. "Thanks."

Approaching the receptionist, Jocelyn noticed the woman's smile drop slightly as they made eye contact. "Hello, Ms. Major. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jocelyn chuckled softly before smoothing a hand over the bags under her eyes, "just a bit of a rough night. Thank you."

"I'm sorry it's been that way for you. If there is anything we can do to help you, do not be afraid to ask. Here you are." She passed Jocelyn the visitor card to scan for the elevator.

Jocelyn immediately pulled her bag open to begin applying makeup to brighten her appearance once the elevator doors closed. It felt foolish considering Miles surely already knew what she was going through but she wanted to ease his worries.

The doors opened and Miles stood before her. His black shirt was covered in smears of red paint that splattered up along his forearms, neck, and chin. The pajama pants remained clear of paint.

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