The Mechanic.

Chapter 21

Oh my! More that 2k views. Thank you guys so much! I'm slightly overwhelmed, so I'll just post the chapter and go.

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It was eight o'clock in the evening. It was dark outside and a particularly cold night. Not exactly the type of night to go for a walk. Inside Ella's kitchen, the time and weather didn't matter, just the smell of fresh pastry hanging in the air and the person making them.

Ella was in her happy place. Mixing a particular bowl of cake batter to put in the oven alongside the one already baking.

"Ooh, something smells nice," Jasmine said, walking into the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand. Ella spared her a quick glance and smiled. "So what's with the pastry bonanza on a Wednesday night? This only happens when you're really happy or really sad. Which is it?"

"Well, I think we both know that I'm not sad," Ella said with a small smile. "How many glasses of wine have you had?"

Jasmine giggled. "Haven't you heard that you should never count your glasses of wine? It's disrespectful to the wine god."

Ella chuckled.

Jasmine snapped her fingers. "Speaking of really happy, I heard that little 'I love you' at the end of your phone call with Jon. Is that where y'all are at now?"

Ella smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he first said it after that whole Caleb incident and I said it back."

"Is that how you really feel?" Jasmine asked with a small frown as she placed the glass of wine on the table beside her.

"Of course it is. Why would you think that it's not?"

"I don't think that it's not. It's just the time when it was said. You were both emotional and slightly afraid. Something huge had just happened and he was scared of losing you and you thought of him as your hero seeing as he saved you. It might have been inspired by all the excitement, Ella."

For the first time since the conversation had started, she looked at Jasmine seriously and really thought about what Jasmine was saying.

Could that be what had happened?

She shook her head. She thought back to times before the accident and how she had felt about Jon. She remembered that feeling of wholeness when he was around. How she found herself needing him by her side more and more, like with the Josh incident. If what she felt wasn't love. Then love didn't exist.

"Jasmine," Ella started. "Is this about Jon's job again?"

No it's not, Ella," her best friend said. "But you can't tell me that it doesn't bother you."

Ella groaned and put down the bowl of batter and gave Jasmine an exasperated look.

"I've told that it doesn't bother me. Why would it?"

"Ella," Jasmine said solemnly. "Have you ever thought about the possibility that..." she trailed off.

Ella sighed and picked up the bowl of batter and started to pour it into the pan. She finished and Jasmine still hadn't completed her sentence.

"The possibility that what?" she asked.

Jasmine looked uncomfortable with the entire conversation and that freaked Ella out. What exactly was she trying to say?

"The possibility that he could only want you for your money."

"Jasmine!" Ella said turning around sharply. "Why would you say a thing like that? What did Jon ever do to you?"

"Nothing, Ella," Jasmine replied. "Look, you haven't dated much. I have. And I've been hurt so many damn times that you could say I have trust issues. But everything is not always as it seems, so you might want to be more careful with trusting people."