Tangled Love

Chapter 40: Milkshakes and Reunions.

Three Years ago.

Jace's POV.

Growing up, my mum made Milkshakes a solution to everyone's sadness, other parents would take their kids out for ice cream but she always thought milkshakes were better than ice cream.

I'm not exactly sad, but I'm also not not sad. It's been two weeks since Olivia's parents showed up in town, two weeks since she and I had a fight over her moving around with her ex, two weeks since she assured me that he was nothing and I meant everything.

I left it alone and we moved on but I barely see her, she calls me and we text all night but it's not enough. I wanna hear her laugh and kiss her while she's smiling at me.

Anyway....

I haven't been to Shake n' Sip since.... I don't even remember, well, I guess since Reign graduated, she brought the fun and humor to the place and I just couldn't see myself walking into the shop and not hearing a sarcastic remark from her.

And yet here I am, drinking milkshakes on the counter, kinda like the same way a grown man with problems would drink whiskey at a bar.

It's 7PM and I know I should be heading home to help my mum move the boxes to the basement just like I promised but, my mind's not in the right place, the quietness is actually helping.

"Hey, dude, weren't you friends with that guy?" Peter leans on the counter and whispers to me, pointing his finger in a certain direction.

I twist my head to look at the guy he's talking about, I can't exactly see his face cause he's wearing a hoodie and he's looking down at his phone.

"Who?" I glance back at peter.

"Mason Kress. you know, former captain of the football team, handsome devil with the heart of an angel?" He says dramatically.

"Dude, you would have mentioned that earlier," I collect my stuff from the counter and I stride to Mason's table.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the legend himself." I say as I sit across from him, he looks up from the screen and he widens his eyes.

"Yo, what?!" He exclaims, placing his phone on the table.

"Hey, man," I extend my fist and he bumps it with his.

"You're still alive? I swear Rei told me you passed away a few months ago," he points at me, I laugh.

"I feel like she'd seriously say something like that," I nod off.

"She actually didn't but she did tell me that you weren't playing ball anymore," his voice changes from playful to serious.

"Yeah, yeah, it's whatever." I wave a hand, slurping my drink.

"It's not whatever, bro, I'd die without football in my life, I can't even begin to imagine," he shakes his head.

Funny how I used to think the same thing but here I am, still alive and kicking.

"Yeah, it sucked at first but I accepted it." I say honestly, "How's college?" I change the subject.

"College is a lot of pressure. They make us train like animals and then we do all these freaking assignments and then show up to every lecture and then attend every party at the end of the week and I'm fucking tired all the time." He explains in frustration.

"That sounds like a lot," I chuckle.

"It is," he says.

"So what brings you here?" I look around the empty shop.