ATONEMENT: A story in the Divine Chronicles.

Chapter 4

As Jessica met Jason at the end of the driveway, she couldn't help but notice that she was the only one in the car with him. The absence of his sister and brother struck her as unusual.

"Where's your sister and brother?" Jessica inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Amanda's gone for a few days, and Jeremy is getting a ride from his new girlfriend," Jason replied, his tone carrying a hint of detachment.

Jessica nodded, a slight sense of unease settling within her. The car ride continued in silence, the only sound being the hum of the engine. Finally, unable to contain her thoughts any longer, she turned to Jason.

"Can I ask you something?" she ventured, her voice filled with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

"Sure," Jason responded, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly as he braced himself for what she was about to ask.

"When you said you were with someone a long time ago, how long ago was that?" Jessica asked, her voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

"A while," Jason replied, his answer vague and evasive.

"How long were you two together?" Jessica pressed, her desire for answers growing stronger.

Jason's response was cryptic, and Jessica could sense the weight of unspoken emotions behind his words. As he stopped the car on the bridge, a sense of stillness settled around them.

"It was a short time, we weren't supposed to be together, but it happened," Jason confessed, his voice carrying a mix of regret and longing. "Why do you ask?"

Jessica took a moment to gather her thoughts, her gaze fixed on the overcast sky outside the window. The heaviness of the atmosphere mirrored the weight of the conversation they were having.

"I ask because I feel a connection between us, something deeper than what we can comprehend," she replied, her voice filled with a mixture of vulnerability and curiosity. "I want to understand it, to understand you."

Jason remained silent, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The bridge seemed to hold a significance, a symbolic crossing between their past and their uncertain future. In the quietude of the moment.
As Jessica shared her experience of a dream where Jason was present, she noticed a subtle change in his expression. Jason stopped the engine and raised his eyebrows, showing genuine interest in what she had to say.

"Sounds interesting," Jason responded, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

Feeling a wave of cold wash over her, Jessica continued, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. The air around them seemed to grow more charged, as if the conversation was tapping into something beyond their understanding.

"But it wasn't me, but it was. I was in this room, and then you showed up. Am I making sense?" she rambled, her words tumbling out in an attempt to convey the complexity of her dream.

Jason managed to regain his composure, his eyes widening slightly as he processed her words. "Sounds like another stress dream," he offered, his tone attempting to rationalize the situation.

"No, Jason, I was awake," Jessica insisted, her voice filled with conviction.

A flicker of surprise crossed Jason's face before he quickly composed himself. "You're just tired, stressed, or something. It sounds crazy," he replied, his words attempting to dismiss her experience.

Jessica felt a mix of frustration and confusion. The connection she felt with Jason, the strange occurrences, and now her vivid dream, all seemed to point to something beyond mere coincidence. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to their story than either of them could comprehend.