Loin des Mots Non Dits

The next morning, Grace stood by the window of their hotel room, gazing out at the Parisian skyline. The city, so beautiful and full of life, seemed distant to her now. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, heartbreak, anger—but most of all, an overwhelming sense of loss.

She hadn't slept much the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jax's face, the way he looked at her with that look of regret in his eyes, but still unwilling to say the words she so desperately needed to hear. It was as if he wanted to keep her at arm's length, and no matter how hard she tried to understand why, the answer eluded her.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she didn't need to check it. She already knew who it was. It was Jax, probably another apology, another attempt to make things right. But the truth was, she was exhausted. Exhausted from the constant back and forth, from trying to bridge a gap that seemed to be growing wider by the day.

She walked to her suitcase, pulling out the clothes she had carefully packed for this trip, now seemingly pointless. She was leaving. There was no other choice.

As she zipped up her suitcase, she couldn't help but feel the weight of the decision pressing down on her chest. This wasn't how she had imagined things would turn out. She had come to Paris with hope—hope that this trip would bring them closer, that they would find a way to work through the distance that had been growing between them. Instead, it had only solidified what she had feared the most: that their relationship wasn't as solid as she had believed.

The door creaked open behind her, and she didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Grace..." Jax's voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if he were afraid of what he might find. She didn't respond at first, though she felt his presence behind her, felt his gaze on her back. It made her want to turn around, to see him one last time, but she couldn't. She had to leave. She had to do this for herself.

"I... I thought you'd still be here," he continued, his voice breaking slightly. "I wanted to talk. We can fix this, Grace. I promise you."

Grace finally turned, her gaze meeting his. The words caught in her throat for a moment as she took him in—his tired eyes, the slump of his shoulders, the way he seemed smaller, like the weight of his own emotions was dragging him down. But despite all of it, the damage had been done. And she couldn't undo what had already been said, what had already been broken.

"I don't know if we can fix this, Jax," she said, her voice steady but her heart aching. "I don't know if there's anything left to fix."

His eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face. "Grace, please don't say that. You know I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for it to get like this."

"I know you didn't," she replied, her tone softening slightly, but only slightly. "But you did. And I can't keep pretending that everything is okay when it's not. I can't keep trying when it feels like you're pushing me away every time I get close."

Jax took a step forward, his hands outstretched, as if he wanted to hold her, to make it right. But Grace stepped back, her heart racing in her chest, her walls going up higher than ever before.

"I need space, Jax. I need to figure things out on my own. I need to go home."

The words hit him like a punch. Home. The one place she felt safe, away from all the confusion, away from the pain. The one place where she could heal.

Jax's face fell, the despair in his eyes palpable. "Grace, don't do this. Don't leave. I... I don't want to lose you."

Grace could feel the tears threatening to spill over, but she held them back, refusing to let them fall. "I don't want to lose you either, Jax. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep waiting for you to let me in."

The silence stretched between them again, thick with all the unsaid words, all the emotions that neither of them were ready to deal with. Grace's gaze flicked down to the floor, and she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

"I'll be okay," she said quietly, more to herself than to him. "I need to do this for me."

Without waiting for him to say anything else, she grabbed her suitcase and walked toward the door. The sound of her footsteps felt too loud in the stillness of the room, each one echoing in her ears like a reminder of the finality of the decision she had just made.

Jax didn't move. He just stood there, watching her, helpless. His hands were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight, but he didn't try to stop her. He knew she needed this, even if it hurt him more than anything.

As she reached for the door handle, she paused for a moment, looking back at him one last time. There was so much left unsaid, so much she still wanted to know, but the time for explanations was over. There was no going back now.

"I hope one day... you'll understand," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

And with that, she stepped out of the room, leaving Jax standing alone in the silence, the weight of everything between them pressing down on his chest like an unbearable weight.

Grace walked away, the last remnants of Paris fading into the distance as she made her way to the airport.

As Grace stepped out of the taxi and made her way into the house, the familiar feeling of the place hit her hard. The tension between her and Jax still lingered, but something felt different now. The weight on her chest seemed to lessen, and she could feel her heart softening, even if she was still hurt.

Jax was standing in the living room, his eyes locked onto her as she walked in. He didn't say anything at first; instead, he just stood there, waiting for her to make the first move.

Grace paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before walking up to him. She had already made up her mind—she wasn't leaving. But there was still so much to process, so much to fix. She wanted to believe in them again, to let go of the anger and hurt that had built up over the past few days.

"Grace..." Jax started, his voice a little shaky, his eyes pleading with her. "I don't want to lose you."

She bit her lip, her emotions swirling, but she could feel her walls slowly starting to break down. The walls she had built around herself because of everything that had happened. The sadness, the confusion, the fear of getting hurt again. But she wasn't ready to give up on them, on what they had.

"I'm still angry," Grace admitted softly, her eyes meeting his. "But I want to try. I want to make it work, Jax. I don't want us to end like this."

Jax's face softened, and he stepped closer to her. Without saying another word, he gently scooped her up, lifting her effortlessly in his arms. His hands supported her under her back and legs, holding her close. For a moment, Grace was caught off guard, her breath hitching as she looked at him in surprise.

"Jax... what are you doing?" she whispered, her eyes wide.

He smiled softly at her, his face filled with sincerity. "I want to remind you how much you mean to me, Grace. I don't want you to feel like you're carrying all the weight of everything on your own. Not anymore."

And with that, he spun around gently, lifting her higher in his arms. Her dress swirled beautifully around her, the fabric catching the air and floating like magic. The soft sound of her favorite song filled the room—an old, familiar tune that always made her smile. The song that had been with her through the good times and the hard times, and now, it was playing as they danced together.

Grace couldn't help but laugh, the joy bubbling up from her chest as the world around her seemed to fade away. She felt light, almost weightless, in his arms. The music, the rhythm, and Jax's gentle hold made everything feel right again, as if the broken pieces of their relationship were slowly coming back together.

"Jax..." she murmured, her voice full of emotion, "this feels so... perfect."

He grinned at her, his eyes full of warmth. "I'm not letting you go again, Grace. Not without doing everything I can to make things right."

As they danced, Grace's heart slowly began to heal. She could feel the love in his touch, in the way he held her, in the way he spun her around so gently, making her feel cherished. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the moment—savoring him.

In that moment, everything seemed to fall into place. The brokenness, the misunderstandings, the pain—it all melted away. There was only this: the two of them, dancing together in the quiet of the night, their hearts finally finding their way back to each other.

And for the first time in days, Grace let herself believe. Let herself feel the possibility of a future with him.