Page 129 of Memories By the Shore
When I was sent to live with Helen, I was a lonely young girl lacking a sense of belonging and authentic love. It might be difficult for someone who didn’t grow up how I did to understand a story like mine or why I decided to marry a guyI barely knew at only eighteen years old. But I wasn’t living for anyone else. I was finally living for myself.
A loud silence fills the narrow streets as I walk up to his doorstep. Knocking on the door a few times, I’m surprised I still haven’t been hit with nervous energy. My limbs are all relaxed. They move smoothly.
As most eighteen-year-olds, Jasper and I were impulsive and stupidly in love. The hurt that I experienced that summer was unlike anything I’d ever want someone to feel. Or maybe if they had, they would have made different choices. Maybe someone else would have accepted Jasper for his flaws or knew how to handle them. But I didn’t grow up with healthy role models, people who cared or took the time to educate me on the world. I was born into a life where I was at no fault of my own.
I deserve a life of love and trust. I don’t know what the future holds, but what I do know is that it has Jasper in it. There is no world without him. I don’t exist in any universe without the boy who taught me what unconditional love is, a boy who only wanted the best for me, a boy who stole my heart and refused to give it back. A boy who became a man which I desperately want to call my own forever.
After a few minutes without an answer, I decided to walk around the back. As I walk past the back patio, I glimpse the space next to the back door, where his surfboard is usually propped against the wall.He is on the water. I know him so well.
My eyes make a full rotation around and quickly spot Jasper with his surfboard tucked under his arm, walking through the sand toward his house. His wet hair drips in front of his face while his head is angled toward the sand at his feet.
My pulse quickens, causing my heart to skip a beat. It only takes him a few steps until he sees me. I gulp.Will he be happy to see me or turn me away?
He approaches with a puzzled yet hardened expression.
“I already signed the papers.” He walks past me, avoiding eye contact.
“Jasper?” I say, turning on my heels to face him.
Water drips down Jasper’s defined shoulders as he pauses. “There’s nothing else left,” he mumbles, then takes the steps two at a time on the back patio.
“Jasper.” His name rolls off my tongue like I’m begging for a basic need. I follow, right on his heels. “Would you please talk to me?”
He stops, then turns to face me with his jaw clenched, a million emotions painted on his face.He still loves me.“I have nothing to say to you. It’s over. It’s done. I gave you what you wanted. We’re all good. You can move on with your fucking life. And your fiancé, which I saw you so happy with yesterday.”
He saw me yesterday? How?Suddenly, what I had to say could wait. I need an explanation of what he’s referring to.
“What are you talking about?” My eyebrows pinch together with confusion. “What do you mean yousaw me yesterday?”
Jasper forcefully tilts his board against the wall. “I flew to Phoenix, Avery. I went to your house to say that I’m sorry for never coming after you.”
“You came to my house yesterday?” I repeat in disbelief. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah, you should probably get your camera fixed if you didn’t even know,” he snaps.
“When did you see me?”
“I ran into a woman in your building who knew you. She said she saw you and your fiancé at the pizza place down the street,” he exclaims in frustration.
“You saw me with Dave?”
His eyes lower. “I don’t need to know his name.”
“Jasper,” I say softly. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“You two looked pretty cozy.” His eyes flick to mine before he opens the backdoor. “You shattered my heart once again. I gave you what you wanted. Now leave me alone.”
I can’t help the smile that pulls at the corner of my lips. “I didn’t sign the papers.”
Jasper’s body stiffens. “What?”
“I didn’t sign the divorce papers.” I rush up the steps to him.
His face is weary but curious. The dusk glow highlights every curve, including his defined jawline. “What do you mean?”
“I got a call from my lawyer a few days ago. He told me I sent them in without my own signature.”
“And?”
