Find Her, Keep Her (CFTM Sequel)

Chapter 16 (Part 1)

*NOTE: Click the Youtube link above to check out the Audiobook version of this chapter voiced by kaelking12 (Kristen M.)! Featuring music by Peace, All The Luck In The World, Andrew Belle, and The Foo Fighters.

Elias

Jersey's in pieces by the time I finish. She's got her hands over her eyes like it'll keep me from seeing her fall apart.

But I see everything.

The unsteady rise and fall of her chest. Her broken breathing. The tears slipping through her fingers.

I should say something.

Anything.

But all the things I could and should say suffocate in the silence before I can speak.

I wanna tell her everything. Every gritty detail about what happened during those 365 days I spent without her.

But not when she's like this.

I don't wanna be the guy who hides his intentions behind somebody else's buzz.

Dan taught me better than that.

And I'm gonna be better than that.

I'll talk to Jersey when she'll remember everything.

When she's ready to hear everything.

But she clearly isn't.

So I close my mouth and swallow a conversation we're not ready to have.

Not yet.

Maybe not anytime soon.

"Can I ask you to do something for me, Jersey?"

She wipes the mascara stains away from her eyes and nods up towards me.

"Just forget that I read that, okay? It was stupid and now you're upset so...just--"

She reaches up, places her hand on my shoulder, and stares straight through me.

"Why would I want to forget that, Elias? It was like, so beautiful. And the way you read it was so intense that it felt like it was--"

She snorts a glob of snot back into her nose which immediately makes me realize why girls don't want anyone to see them cry. I don't mind her messy though. That's how she got my attention in the first place.

"--real."

"Yeah, well who knows. Maybe it is. Anyway, we should get going. Roxy's probably pissed that we're not at Social Night right now."

Jersey sits up and rolls her eyes as soon as I mention Roxy. This is another one of the thousands of reasons why I like this girl. We hate the same people.

"Screw Social Night. Roxy's a fake-nail-wearing, trash-talking, grade A bit---"

I reach over and cover her mouth before she can let out anymore surprise nicknames for our new favorite RA.

"Do you kiss your madre with that mouth, Jersey? Geeze. Easy on the obscene-ni-trees."

She furrows her eyebrows and play punches me in the arm. It kinda stings, but I play off the pain like a pro.

"It's obscenities, Elias. And what are you, my dad? I can talk dirty to you if I want."

Immediate turn on.