The Bodyguard

27. (m)

author's note:
hi guysss i have so many plans for this story, like the whole plot is mapped out in my mind, it's just a matter of writing it lol.

im really thinking i want this story to be like 60+ chapters 😳 okay that may be a littleee excessive but there's so much character development I want to write like it's crazyyy

anyways, i hope you enjoy this chapter!! as always, leave a comment and vote :)

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Jasper wished he could've seen it coming. As a matter of fact, he did, but seeing it in actuality, before him, didn't compare.

Ace's ability to completely to completely devastate, leave him in ruins by nothing short of a mere touch was abominable.

How could he let this happen?

He had been so far removed from reality that he couldn't see how far Ace had dragged him under the surface, gasping for breath, until he realized what it felt like to be without him.

And now, he feared he was too far gone.

He knew that going back to before was incomprehensible. To waste what they'd curated would be like tearing apart that thinly perfected veil and burning it to ash.

Which is why when Ace first suggested it, Jasper was almost comfortless, but not so much that his anger didn't precede it.

"Is that what you want?" He'd ignored the way his heart depleted at the sound of Ace's word, exhaustion was still evident around the crescent of his eyes.

The morning had came quicker than Jasper could keep track of.

The last thing he remembered is Ace carrying him to bed, his own drunken body unable to hold himself up correctly.

In a string of drunken words, Jasper was sure he'd said stuff he didn't mean from a frown that overtook Ace's features. A look mixed with frustration, yet understanding.

He also remembers the way Ace touched his body with such gentleness.

No one had ever touched him like that before — like he was fragile.

So when the morning approached, he expected to awake to that same gentle touch tracing mindless shapes on his body.

When he was met with nothing but a cold, wrinkled sheet that lie in Ace's wake, as if it had never been slept in, he remembers that fading sense of dread.

He took a long shower instead, told himself it was to wash away the remnants of last night, and it was. But it was also to prolong the time until he had to face Ace. Something that must've been similar to guilt arose in him.

Much like he felt now, as Ace stood before him, posture stiff and eyes heavy with an unreadable expression.

Regret, maybe.

Jasper couldn't tell. All he could feel was the inconsolable sense of isolation at the prospect of their ending things, which had been what Ace suggested.

"I don't think — this was never a good idea, Jasper," Ace's voice carried through his apartment with unbridled attrition. "We should stop. Whatever this is, before someone gets hurt."

"Do you expect me to stand here and beg for you?" Jasper was brimming with a sadness that he would never left show — instead, he feigned carelessness.

"Fine. If that's what you want. I'll leave."

Ace was firm in his decision, at first.

He watched Jasper sleep comfortably through the night as if he hadn't completely eviscerated him hours prior with his words.