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 Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:44 am
"There's nothing you have to apologize for."
Instead of responding to her question, Jake slipped an arm around the back of her waist, pulling her closer, and with one hand still intertwined with hers, leaned in to give her a kiss.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:27 am
One kiss, one small, soft, bittersweet kiss, and Sherry ended it, shifting instead to rest her head against his. "Why? What changed?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:40 am
Part of him wondered if she was still doubting him, but when she leaned against him, he only sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder instead. He couldn't blame her for being skeptical, not after everything he put her through.
"I changed. I finally realized what I'm doing is only putting a strain of both of us, and I... I want to be by your side. I want to protect you. I'm sorry for what I put you through, both physically and emotionally."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:02 am
She shook her head in response. "But," Sherry began, one hand fidgeting with his shirt, "you... didn't want me. Not in the beginning." Even if what he said at the end was a lie, everything had started as a lie, hadn't it?
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:11 am
Jake wasn't sure how to interpret that head shake, but considering she hadn't pushed him away or yelled at him yet, he only hoped it meant she was still slowly digesting what he had told her.
He took her hand, and placed it on his chest.
"It's not that I didn't want you, but... well, in the beginning, I didn't know who you were. I admit from the start, I kind of just wanted your help, but I did want to give it a try. The whole... dating thing, I meant. I admit it made a little uncomfortable at first, since I wasn't used to all that touchy-feely stuff, but gradually, I did come to like you."
His gaze held hers, giving her an apologetic smile.
"When I saw I was pretending... it was a lie. The night before, I recalled a lot of things, including... what I just told you before. I was scared. I didn't want someone else to get hurt because of me, and so I foolishly thought... if I pushed you away..."
He sighed.
"I'm sorry I'm such an idiot."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:48 am
Her fingers still felt the need to fidget, so they pressed against his chest in light, nervous non-rhythm. "Yes you are," she agreed to the idiot statement, letting her head rest on his shoulder. She was tired. Tired and her chest still ached.
"You should have told me you were uncomfortable." Heck right then she was being rather touchy-feely... Sherry went rigid again and stopped leaning on him. "Sorry," she said, turning away and looking at the floor. "For then and now."
She swallowed a lump in her throat. "The lie hurt." It was a statement of fact, nothing more. "It's not the first time something's... happened. Not the first time you've pushed me away, or tried to be rid of me." He'd been honest with her, now it was her turn apparently. "I mean, I'm happy to hear you say you want to be with me, that you came to like me. But I'm scared, too." She smiled, and sniffed, and wiped away a tear. "I'm sorry."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:22 pm
"No, it's ok, really."
He never realized how much it would hurt to see her go rigid and pull away, and only realized this was what she must have felt every single time he flinched at her touch.
"... I know. And I'm sorry for putting you through all that. I know even now, what I say and do won't make up for all the hardships I put you through, and... I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore after all this, but... if I still have a chance, I won't stop trying. I meant it when I said I want to be with you, and I still do. I won't give you up so easily."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:12 pm
Sherry shifted, scooting farther away, and moving so that she was kneeling on her bed. With both hands, she took one of Jake's. "Don't stop trying. Please. No one but you has a ghost of a chance with me. Just please understand that I...I can't jump in like before. I mean, I want to, but..." She didn't know how to put it into words.
"And Armagnac won't like it." Not that it mattered a whole lot, but it was worth noting.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:36 pm
When he saw her scooting away, his face fell, but when she took his hand in hers, he gave a puzzled look.
Ghost of a chance? Did that mean, even then...
... oh, right, Armagnac. He almost forgot about her.
"So... what do you want me to do?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:52 pm
Sherry didn't even bother to hide her own puzzled look. "What do you want to do?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:59 pm
"I..."
He looked down at Sherry's hands, noting the scars, and then around the room, noticing stuff was already packed, and possibly... missing? She hadn't been moving stuff to her new room already, had she?
"Well, for starters, I'd like to help you move this stuff. Have you already decided which room you're moving into?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:35 pm
Sherry smiled, and it felt like a sad smile. It took her three moments too long to figure out why it was a sad smile. She wanted a hug. So, instead of replying, Sherry hugged Jake, squeezing his shoulders as she wrapped her arms around them.
"283." She'd hope she knew what room, since she was already moving stuff there. "Have you moved yet?" She was still hugging him.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:17 pm
The hug took him by surprise, but it was a pleasant one, and he returned the hug, squeezing her back gently to avoid hurting her.
"Not... yet. I haven't even finished packing yet, but I figured Chester went back to get the job done."
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:36 pm
A small, not exasperated, sigh escaped her lips. "Slow poke." Just what had he been up to all week? Shaking her head, she she moved away, sliding off the bed as she did so. "Are you sure you want to help me? I'll help you in any case, but if you want to get your stuff done before rental time is up..." Sherry let the sentence hang, the question evident in her voice. "I've probably got an hour and a half before Armagnac and I have to be back. Maybe less." She had no idea. "But I think... we're nearly done." She grabbed an armful of clothes from the wardrobe and dropped them in the basket near her feet. "Just a few trips for this, and that stuff over there, I think."
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Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:59 pm
Jake opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it.
Spending the past week fretting over how he was going to tell her the truth and how she would react to it didn't really seem like a good excuse.
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
He shook his head at her offer.
"I bet Chester's already done and is just lounging around until I get- wait. Armagnac's in a golem?"
He hadn't remembered the first time she was in a golem, considering all his memories containing Sherry had been wiped, but had he remembered, he probably should have been a lot more nervous than he currently was.
Temporarily pushing the thought out of his mind, he got up, taking the basket.
"We'll make it one trip to save time. I can get this stuff. Just take it easy."
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