We Fell In Love In October

Session 12.2

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renegade | big red machine ft. taylor swift
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I HUNG MY WET CARDIGAN on the hanger to dry and asked for Jayce's coat and scarf which were soaked as well. I put them on the stand and then weaved through my wet hair, untangling the clumps in it.

"I'll get you a towel," I said and rushed into my room. While crossing my mirror, I found myself with my red hair sticking onto my skin, skin flushed from the cold and black eyes darker than before. I grabbed two towels and just when I was about to close the door, I spotted Leo curled up in the nest of the clothes I had dumped into the closet. He must have felt cold in the living room and found warmth under a bunch of my clothes. I smiled and wrapped his favourite scarf around him, scratching his neck gently. He opened his eyes and then shut them back again, realising it was only me.

I walked back into the living room and plopped down next to Jayce on the couch. He was engrossed in his phone and didn't look up when I gave him the towel. His hair was dripping wet and he didn't bother to dry them. I stared at him for a second then, stood up and went around to the back of the couch. I pulled Jayce's shoulders so it hit the back of the couch and he looked up from the phone, startled. Using the towel, I started to dry his hair.

He laughed. "Asterin, I am perfectly capable of drying my hair."

"But you like being pampered, don't you?"

"I can't say no to that. But seriously, give me the towel," he said, reaching for my hands to stop what I was doing. I kept patting his hair and drying it, feeling the soft locks with my hands. After a couple more gentle rubbing on his hair, I weaved my fingers through the strands slowly.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, peering at his phone from behind. My face was right beside his.

"Haze has asked to meet me and said he wants to talk. I asked him if it was about the wedding but he simply replied with a No. Should I be concerned?" he asked. I frowned and dropped the towel around his neck before joining him on the couch.

"It could be..." I thought of the talk Stacey and I had with him about the pregnancy thing. Haze was clearly disturbed after I explained all of it and Stacey complained yesterday that Haze wasn't his usual. He acted distant and lost in his own thoughts. She was worried about him but I knew Haze wouldn't call off the wedding. It was something else that was bothering him.

"You should go, Jayce. I think he needs someone to talk to," I said.

"You know something and you're not telling me. What is it?" he asked, turning towards me. I bit my lip, wondering if I could tell him about it but he was now a part of our circle. He was going to know about it one way or the other.

Jayce took my towel from my hands and shifted me around by my shoulders so that he could dry my hair. I didn't fight him because I was deep in thought about the soon-to-be wedded couple. What if this issue caused a rift between them? Maybe I shouldn't have discussed it with Haze before the wedding. I bit my lip as Jayce slowly patted my wet hair, trying to absorb the water with the towel. "Jayce, I think I messed up," I said bluntly, turning around.

He paused and pulled the towel from my hair. "What do you mean?"

I told him everything about it, including how I discussed it with Haze and how his reaction had been. "That bright smile on his face just vanished from his face and he looked...disappointed."

"I am scared. What if I caused them to split?" I whispered, suddenly scared. If I knew Haze well from all the years I've known him, he wouldn't call off the wedding. But his expression made me second-guess my instincts.