Seven Twenty-Eight

13.

The mere thought of the end of her relationship with Jackson daunted Elisa. It was three equal parts terrifying, disheartening and relieving. It caused her to pace— Back and forth in her room with her breathing heavy, ragged. She'd bite her fingernails, a nasty habit she had since she was a child, to channel her nerves away from her thoughts.

She jumped when a knock bumped at her door, ultimately halting in place to stare in a daze. She took a deep breath, wiping her hands against her tights as she walked forward.

"Hi, gorgeous," Jackson smiled, cooly leaning his body against the door frame.

She smiled weakly when he held his arm out, surrendering into his warmth. She inhaled deeply as she tucked her head into his chest, soaking up the sweet scent of his cologne.

"You okay?" He asked in a soft voice, gently brushing his hand over the back of her head.

She hesitated, keeping her mouth shut as he pet his hand through her hair, feeling the warmth of his other on the small of her back. Finally, she pulled away to look at him, a subtle crease in between her eyebrows as she frowned at him. "We need to talk," She found herself blurting out, stepping away from him.

His eyes flickered back and forth between hers in a panic, but he kept his general expression and voice calm. "Okay," He might as well have shrugged, "What about?"

She turned around slowly, keeping her head faced down as she mumbled out, "It's stupid, really."

He bit the corner of his mouth, hesitantly walking closer. "I'm sure it isn't," He told her, actually shrugging his shoulders, "Talk to me."

Elisa sighed as she walked backward to sit on her bed, throwing herself down dramatically. "Have you-" She paused, shaking her head, "Did you-" She trailed off then, pressing her lips together.

"Did I what?" He asked with a weak smile, moving to sit beside her. He pulled her hand into his lap, squeezing it gently, then frowned when she pulled it away.

"Do I just rip the bandaid off?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

He hesitantly shrugged, tilting his head slightly. "I-I don't know," He told her honestly, bringing his foot up to cross onto his knee, "Do you?"

She looked away from him, staring down at the ground with the eerie feeling of his eyes on her causing an eruption of nerves in her stomach. As if she wasn't nervous enough.

She cleared her throat, shrugging her shoulders to herself in defeat. "Okay," She said slowly, turning her body toward him, "Did you sleep with someone else while you were home for Christmas?"

His face unchanged, he tilted his head slightly, biting back his surprise. "What?" He calmly asked, leaning his elbows on his knees.

She stared back at him, leaving herself room for another moment of hesitation, slightly confused by his lack of response. "I think you heard me," She told him with a shrug, instantly pressing her lips together after.

His eyebrows furrowed, stunned by her tone more so than the accusation itself. He sat up, uncrossing his legs as he turned toward her. "Why would you ask me that?" He frowned.

"Is that a no?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest defensively.

He blinked, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked away.

She took a deep inhale through her nose, focusing her mind on her breathing, as opposed to the tears that so desperately wanted to fall. "Can you look at me please?" She suggested in a small voice, afraid if she'd speak too loud, it would break.