The Summer We Met

14

Leah's POV:

...

I woke up still holding Jeremiah tight in my arms, he was still asleep and snoring. My phone buzzed and I turned over to grab it. Shit.

*15 missed calls from My Love*
*new messages from My Love:
*Leah what is going on?*
*babe are you ok?*
*hello??*
*fine, if you don't want to talk just say that.*
*Leah, you're scaring me.*

I got out of bed, careful not to wake Jeremiah, and I left the room to call Avery. He didn't answer the first time, so I walked out to the backyard to try again.

A: Leah, where are you?

L: I'm at the beach house.

A: and why didn't you answer you're phone? What the hell is wrong with you?

L: which question do you want me to answer first?

A: Leah, this is not a fucking joke.

L: I didn't answer because I was comforting Jeremiah. And nothing is wrong with me. Something is wrong with you if you think I'm not going to help find my best friend no matter what time it is Avery! So you know what good bye. I'll be home later to grab my bags for the summer. You can either come with me or stay home.

I didn't even give him a chance to say anything and hung up. I sat outside for a minute before deciding to go for a walk on the beach. I didn't have shoes on so I walked into the house and put on my slides, I wrote Jeremiah a note to tell him that I was going for a walk and left it on his his bed side table. I walked out of the house and down to the beach and just started walking, not paying attention to anything around me.

I had walked a long way and decided to turn around and go back.

Once I made it back to the house Jeremiah was up and cooking breakfast. A small smile crept onto my face as I watched him dance around the kitchen to a song playing from his phone. Seeing him the way he was last night hurt more than anything. But I know he'll make it through and all of us will help him. "Leah," his voice interrupted me from my thoughts. "Hey Jere. Are you doing ok?" I know it's probably not the right thing to ask but I didn't know what else to say. He looked down at the eggs in the skillet.

"Yeah I- I think I'll be fine. I just can't go home for a while." He stuttered as he spoke, he sounded small. I'm not letting him go back there even if that means he has to move into my apartment. I want him to be safe and he will not be safe there. "Jere, I have to go home today to grab my stuff for the summer. Do you want to come with so you're not alone?" I asked as we sat down to eat.

*time skip*

Jeremiah agreed to come home with me to grab my stuff and see if my boyfriend is coming. The drive to my house was mostly music, me yelling at the idiots on the road, and talking about our lives since last summer. Listening to what Jeremiah has gone through without anyone to help was killing me but I know he just needed someone to listen. As a trained therapist I was dying to find help for him or some kind of treatment that will help the trauma, but he just needs a friend right now and I'll respect that.

Once we arrived at my house I walked in with Jeremiah. He's never been to my house so I was going to give him a quick tour. "Where the fuck have you been?" Avery yelled as Jeremiah and I walked in. He looked exhausted, I understand he was worried but the yelling was unnecessary we are adults and can have a civil conversation. "Lower your tone. This isn't a time for yelling, I need you to understand that Jeremiah needed someone and I had to be there for him." I said in a calm tone. I looked over at Jeremiah who was fiddling with his fingers and then back at Avery who was fuming mad. I walked over to Avery and grabbed his hands. "Jere make yourself at home, I'm going to talk with Avery." I said before leafing Avery to our bedroom.

Once I closed the door I turned to look at Avery, he had tears in his eyes, his face was red, and his hair was a mess. I've never seen my boyfriend cry or be this upset about me. "I'm sorry, for not answering. I know it was wrong and I should've communicated but I love - no I mean I care about him, a lot." I almost slipped up and said I loved Jeremiah, which I do, but Avery wouldn't have took it in the way I intended. "Your not over him? Leah, come on its been forever since you guys broke up. Get over it and move on." I stood there for a minute shocked by what he just said. Get over it? I am over it, doesn't mean that I can't still love and care for him he's my best friend.

"Avery, that's not fair. When we first got together you were still hung up on Olivia, your first love, but I waited and stuck around because I knew we had something special. Jeremiah and me will always be close that's just us. You can't control who I'm friends with or who I want to help." I wasn't yelling but I definitely wasn't calm. My calm went away when he told me to get over it. We both stood there not saying anything. I know what's coming, I can feel it. It's that feeling before someone says something that burns your whole world down, it's like you know it's coming but you'll never be prepared for it. "I think we should go our separate ways. I love you, but I don't think I'm in love with you." Avery said, he didn't even look at me. Like the floor was the most interesting thing in the world.

I felt my heart drop

My eyes went cloudy

And he just walked out the door

Like it meant nothing

I slid down the wall covering my face with my hands.

Why do I mess things up?

Everything I touch dies

Everyone I love, leaves

Will I ever be enough?

A pair of warm hands wrapping me in a hug shook me from my thoughts. "It's going to be ok." Jeremiah whispered in my ear as I cried on his shoulder. I felt my eyes burn as I cried. Jeremiah mightve been my first young love, but Avery was my first adult love, the real kind where we didn't hide anything and actually supported eachother and weren't just in our relationship for shits and giggles. We loved eachother so much that the flame burned us both. This breakup was coming, we've been arguing for months over the little things.

I just didn't think it would end like this.

...

I literally don't know what I'm doing with this story anymore, so I might end it soon. But maybe I'll start another one with like Steven or Conrad as endgame.