Page 60 of Memories By the Shore
“Well, it’s had some upgrades in the last few years,” he replies. I follow Jasper to the door with my heart in a death grip. “Do you want to go in?”
I smile, my eyes stinging with moisture. “Yeah.”
His eyes meet mine. “Okay.”
When the door swings open, I can hardly take in a breath. The small cottage is set up exactly how we talked about it. The furniture is blue and white, with island theming throughout.
“Jasper, it’s beautiful,” I mumble, taking in this space that was once going to be our home. The kitchen is white, with light-colored wood and a small round table sits to the side.
“Remember we talked about how hard it would be to have all the guys over this small place at once?” he recalls, dreamily.
I smile, turning on my heels in the small living space. “I do.”
“It turned out well, didn’t it?” he boasts, sliding open thelarge glass doors on the opposite side of the living space. “There are two bedrooms and one bathroom. Want to check out the rest?”
I nod. Jasper clasps my hand with his and leads me into the bathroom first.
Rounding the corner into the bathroom, a chuckle bubbles in my chest.Pineapples.“Pineapples?”
“They’re your favorite, right?” he says, stepping into me. My back is against the door while Jasper’s body crowds me in this small space.
My breath quickens. “You remembered?”
“Of course.” His eyes drop to my lips. “And orange is the only color you like outside of black.”
A flush creeps up my neck. “You remembered that too?”
“Yes.”
My breathing picks up.Oh no.“You don’t live here anymore, do you?” I ask, quickly breaking the tension.
“No,” Jasper replies. Then he backs up and walks away.
I take a minute to control my breathing and slowly follow him. He stands in the living room with his back to me, looking at the water.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I lived here for a while after you left.”Oh god. Here it comes.“I fixed it up myself, well, with the help of my dad.” He turns to me with his hands inside the front pockets of his shorts. “Now I rent it out to people during tourist season.”
I cautiously sit on the soft white fabric of a wicker couch. “Now you live in your dad’s house?”
“When he got sick, I bought the housenext door to his so I could be closer.” His attitude has become somber. Talking about us and his dad can’t be easy. It isn’t for me.
“My aunt said he passed a few years ago.” My voice cracks with sadness. I haven’t seen Duke in years. He was an incredible guy and Jasper’s best friend. I can only imagine how hard the loss was on him.
“Yeah. It was rough.”
“How did you do?” I ask, wondering about his depression. Maybe it is out of line, but it feels natural.
He raises his eyebrows. “You mean with my depression?”
“Yeah, but I understand if you don’t want to talk to me about it. Bad habits die hard, you know?” I avoid his gaze, feeling ashamed that I brought it up. It’s not my place. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
Jasper sits beside me on the couch, his leg barely rubbing against mine. “It’s okay, Avery. I don’t mind talking about it.”
“Okay.”
“It was hard. But I’ve been on medication for the last few years, and things have been stable.” His lips part, and he continues, “I haven’t had a bad episode since I lost him three years ago.”
