Jayce's Commitment

Tuli

“Jayce, what’s that?”

He lowered the textbook and gave me a sheepish look. “What’s what?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nice try. Let me see it, please.”

I walked over to him and took his hand. I pulled back his sleeve to reveal the paw print tattoo again. He cleared his throat.

“Your friend called me and told me. I decided to do the same, so I asked her to send me the paw print picture.”

“But why?” Those were the only words I could think to ask, as I was mostly speechless.

He gently held my face in his hands and tilted my head up to look at him.

“Because I care about you. You’re the only woman for me. Your pain is my pain. If it means getting a tattoo of your pet’s paw on my wrist, then so be it. I’d rather help you get through your sadness than be with anyone else.”

His words touched me deeply. I couldn’t hold back the tears that filled my eyes and started to roll down my cheeks.

Jayce brushed his thumbs across them, catching my tears. “You can cry all you want, Tuli,” he said softly. “I’m here for you.”

He pulled me into his chest as I sobbed, holding me tightly. I cried into his chest until I couldn’t anymore. Eventually I sat up and looked at him.

“I was pushing you away. Just like you said. I’m scared, Jayce. You’re the first person I’ve ever been in a real relationship with, and it terrifies me. I’m afraid to trust you, but I can’t stop my feelings. You’re only making them stronger. Why do you have to be this romantic jerk all the time?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a jerk. I thought you’d like a little romance.”

I laughed through my tears and lightly smacked his chest. “There you go again.”

He chuckled and pulled me to him. “It’s okay to be scared. I’m scared, too. But I’d rather be scared than not be with you.”

I wiped my wet face on his shirt. “Me too.”

We stood and hugged for what felt like hours. Jayce finally pulled away.

“So, I know yesterday was your birthday. Your friend, again,” he added when he saw the suspicious look I gave him. “I want to do something nice for you—how about this Friday?”

I nodded. “Okay. What time?”

He smiled. “Meet me in my office after you’re done. I only have one class on Fridays, and I can wait for you.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

He gave me a quick kiss before pulling away. “Alright, go to class now. I’ll text you.”

I nodded before leaving his office.

Megan

I got home from work about an hour ago and was looking at old photos of Tuli and me with Mr. Biggle.

The sadness brought out bouts of nostalgia for me, so I couldn’t help but want to look at our old photos.

I remember the day Tuli’s dad brought him home. He was a tiny little thing, and so freaking adorable.

We were both going to miss him dearly.

I called up Jayce yesterday. Being friends with Tuli for so long brought out this sisterly instinct. I had this feeling in my gut.

I dialed her boyfriend/lover/professor with benefits/whatever he was to her, and I was surprised by how personal he got with me. He spoke to me as if I was wise beyond my years.

“Since that fight we had, she keeps pushing me away,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t know how to convince her to trust me.”

“The only advice I can give you is to have patience. I know that before you met Tuli you were a notorious womanizer. She told me. I understand why she has such a hard time.

“You also have to understand that you’re her first actual boyfriend. The last time she fell in love, the guy left and she was heartbroken. They never had anything beyond a friendship, but they were incredibly close.”

There was a pause on the other end. I didn’t know what it was, but I waited patiently for him to speak.

“I get it,” he said sadly.

“Don’t give up on her. If she’s the one for you, you need to keep fighting for her. I know she loves you.”

“Thank you, Megan,” he murmured, and I knew he was being sincere. “Actually, I wanted to ask you what she did with the paw print the nurse gave her yesterday.”

“She has it hanging up on our living room wall, but in case we ever lose it, we decided to get tattoos. We just got them today.”

There was another pause for a moment.

“This probably sounds weird, but can I ask where on her body she got it?”

My eyebrows furrowed. “It’s on her left wrist. Why?”

“Can I borrow the picture?”

I frowned. “Only if you answer my question.”

“Well, call me crazy, but—I’m going to get the print tattooed on my right wrist.”

I could feel my eyes widen. “Are you insane? What if you two break up?”

He chuckled. “Don’t tell me you already forgot what you told me? I need to keep fighting for her. I know what I’m doing, Megan.”

I smiled. “Alright, Romeo, I get it. Can I fax it to you?”

“That works for me,” he replied. “I’ll text you the number.”

“Cool. I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you, Megan. It means a lot to me.”

“Sure,” I answered, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.” The phone went dead.

The sound of our front door opening brought me back to reality and I looked up to see a handsome face.

“Meg, have you been crying?” Daniel’s voice was filled with concern.

I swiped at my cheeks, surprised to find them wet. “Yeah, I guess I have,” I admitted softly.

“You’re looking at those photos again,” he observed, a worried expression on his face.

I shrugged it off. “They just made me cry happy tears, that’s all. Just thinking about the good times we had.”

“Ah, I see,” Daniel murmured, reaching out to take my hand and pulling me into his arms.

We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other. Then he gently pulled back, lifting my chin so our eyes met.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, managing a small smile. “I miss our little furball.”

Daniel nodded in understanding. “Yeah. I remember how Dad felt guilty because after you graduated, Tuli didn’t have any other friends to play with. We were both so caught up with college, we couldn’t give her the attention she needed.”

I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant.

“But now she’s got Jayce. Maybe he can help her feel better.”

“I’m still not sure I trust him…”

I gave his arm a comforting pat. “Try to trust your sister. Things have been strange, but... I think Jayce reminds me of Adam.”

Daniel made a face. “If he's anything like Adam, I might still have to kick his ass.”