Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)

21.1|| Fall back in the arms of someone

Jerry had taken Jimmy's words to heart. His twin was right. He didn't have to put a label on what he felt for Sarah and he didn't have to stop seeing her if he didn't want to.

Leaving without telling her, without seeing her again felt wrong. So he would swallow his pride, suck it up and message her because he knew better than anyone that pride was a useless thing. If she didn't want to see him, it would be the end of that and he could suck it up and move on.

He politely texted her around four in the afternoon, three days before they were supposed to leave for Houston, asking if he could see her. She didn't text him back, so he focused on some of his luggage.

Two months of training, then two weeks in space. It was still hard to believe they were really going, but it would be a once in a lifetime experience. Jimmy seemed to need it and Jerry planned to dedicate more time to his brother once they were there, make sure he was handling his life without Jessie fine.

A tight knot formed in his chest at the thought of Jessie. He missed her; the positive energy she put out into the world, the way she kept them all grounded. How happy Jimmy was with her.

Let's try for happy thoughts, shall we? He was sick of sadness and depression, even if he was aware he was living with it. Ever since his father had left the house, it had all fallen apart more than ever.

He clutched the shirt he was holding in his hands and watched his half-filled suitcase. For once in his life, he didn't feel like packing. The light faded out his window, making him feel even more alone. His heart ached and it was for Sarah. It was her he wanted to see and make amends with before he left.

His phone chimed. Jerry pulled the shirt over his shoulder and picked up his cell. As if she'd felt his need, there was a text for Sarah.

I'm not going out, so if you want to talk, come over.

He only hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking for her address. It was maybe inappropriate, but he was so sick of doom and gloom, he was willing to break protocol for a distraction. He needed to feel better.

Once she gave him the address, he stepped outside into the scorching heat, got into his car and drove over. Even if it was late September, a wave of extreme temperatures had drenched the city in sweat for the past few days, and this was the hottest night yet, with temperatures breaching 80 at night.

He stopped the car outside her place and stared. This couldn't be right. He'd ended up in the higher end of the city where old, identical two-story condos lined the street. That neighborhood looked expensive and Sarah claimed she had no money.

And yet, there she was. He could see her through the window, on the first floor, dancing her way through a huge kitchen, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, a glass of wine in her hand. She had no curtains.

Feeling a little unnerved by the discovery, Jerry got out of the car, climbed the few steps to her front door and rang the doorbell. If he looked to his right, he could see her entire kitchen. She really needed to get curtains, even if the street was empty and quiet, the light from her place the only one casting a yellow square on the sidewalk.

Sarah opened the door, glass of wine still in hand, and gave him a small smile. Old rock chords filled the air around her and she seemed to have jumped out of an 80s music video. She wasn't wearing her glasses and her blue eyes stood out more than usual.

"Come in," she said and turned her back to him without waiting for an answer.

He followed her into the narrow hallway and closed the door behind him. The house was traitorous and looked much bigger from outside. A few feet from the door was a tiny staircase that led upstairs. The kitchen he'd seen from outside was to the right and there  seemed to be another room right in front, at the end of an even tinier hallway.