A Gray Area Ch. 06

Caden absent mindedly stirred the vegetables in the skillet. She put her plastic spoon down and leaned against the fridge behind her.

'He's one of those changed people,' Deity had told her. The thought had stayed on her mind all day. She had flipped it, stirred it, and rearranged it in any way possible but it still came out the same. Jon was different. He had changed. From the things Collin had been telling her he didn't party that much anymore, he had stopped drinking; he had quite the drugs and the 7-beds-a-night fucking schedule.

Jon wasn't really Jon anymore.

He was what she had wanted to him be. A decent person.

Ironically enough, now he chose to be a decent person. After she had moved on and gotten her life started.

Jason's cologne wafted in the air and she realized that he was in the kitchen with her, taking pieces of broccoli from the skillet and popping them into his mouth.

"Hungry much?" She asked. He didn't turn to look at her but his large shoulders shrugged. He popped a few more in his mouth before turning to look at her. He moved a few pieces of broccoli in his mouth, the steam from them coming through his parted lips.

"Iss Ha," he said, then spit an un chewed piece into his hands. "It's hot," he repeated looking down at his hand.

"Thus the invention of the stove has served its purpose." Caden answered. She moved in front of him, grabbing with one hand some seasoning and with the other the plastic spoon. Jason popped the broccoli piece back into his mouth. She heard him brushing the remains of it on his designer jeans then his strong arms wrapped around her. He kissed her bare shoulder then her ear.

"Hello to you too," he whispered seductively. He pulled her hips back against him so her butt rubbed against the front of his jeans. "Aren't you gonna ask me how my day was?"

Caden wanted to say no but instead asked him a question that had been weighing against her as much as her thoughts of Jon had. "What was wrong with you last night?" She turned around. She could feel the heat from the stove right on her butt. Jason sighed. He patted her hips one time before turning to walk away.

"Where are you going? I just asked you something, J."

"Baby Cay, not now," Jason begged. When he looked at her she could tell he was tired. He looked it. But there was something else that she couldn't catch.

"Yes now, J. Why were acting like I was just a stranger in the car?"

"I don't now what you mean by that." He leaned on the counter.

Caden scoffed. "Tell me if this sounds familiar: 'You like my art, don't you baby?' 'It's okay.' Does that sound right to you?"

"I never said that"

"If you didn't say it then you said something along the lines of it. Why were you acting like that?"

Jason shrugged. She could tell by his eyes that he was fishing around in his head for something to say. He shrugged again.

Nothing.

Caden shook her head. "Don't do this to me."

Jason put his head in his hands and sighed. When he spoke he sounded annoyed. His hands dropped away. "Do what to you, Caden?"

She looked around the kitchen, her hands in her hair. She looked every where but at him because the tears were pressing to come out. Now it was her turn to find something to say. "This," she answered, sweeping her hands around her. "Whatever it is that you're not telling me. Don't. Keep your secrets because I've got mine. But just don't do this to me. Don't push me out."

"What are you implying, Caden?"

The gray eyed girl turned back to the stove and stirred the veggies before pressing the off button. She removed the skillet and poured the veggies into a nice plate then set the skillet in the sink, running water over it.

"Nothing, J," She said over the sizzling sound the skillet made when it touched cold water. "I'm not implying anything." She turned to him. "Dinner's done." She walked towards him in an attempt to get passed him to go to her room but he didn't move from her way, and instead pulled her into his arms.

The tears that had been pressing heavily against her eyes finally broke free from their chamber behind her eyes. The tears were heavy as they poured out to her and onto Jason's shirt. Her sobs were muffled by her face in his shirt. "What is wrong with you?" she heard him whisper. "Why are you crying? There is no reason to be crying." Despite what he was saying, she couldn't stop. "Look at me," he commanded softly. When she didn't he slipped his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Why are you doing this to yourself? You're stressing yourself out, baby Cay. So what if I was a little distant in the car. I'm sorry. But you know I love you."

Those words caught her attention.

She focused on him. "You swear you do?" She asked, her voice cracking

He gazed at her intently. There was that thing again. That thing in his eyes. That emotion. She couldn't figure out what emotion it was but it was there.

"You know I do, baby."