| Chapter 29 ******* Their eyes locked and Margot�s heart broke for JC. He looked utterly and completely miserable. From that one look, she knew she didn�t have to tell him why she was leaving. He already knew. He already knew that she couldn�t handle his feeling for her, and just like she was expected to, she was going to run. Run from her friends, run from the place she�d grown to call home, and run from love. Real love. The kind of love she hadn�t experienced since before her family died. The kind of love JC was willing to give her. He still had no idea how he fell so fast. JC�d been talking to himself for weeks now, trying to tell himself that he would not fall for another girl and have his heart broken again. Somehow none of this talking to himself got through and he fell, just like he knew he would. And of course he had to fall for a girl who had been feeling the exact same hurt as he. Of course he had to fall for a girl who didn�t want to fall for anyone, and especially not for him. It was the only way, it was just his luck. And now he had to simply stand by and watch as she got on a plane and ran from him. It might have been his luck, but it just wasn�t fair. Margot, although not showing it on the outside, was fighting an internal war with herself. Should she go? Should she stay? She�d made her decision earlier by that fork in the road. But now that she was face to face with this beautiful, beautiful man, she had no idea what to do. She had hoped that it wouldn�t happen. Not again. And especially not so soon. She had hoped that she wouldn�t be so susceptible to those same lines, to those same gestures. She hoped that, but somehow, his lines, and his gestures were completely different than those of any of other person she�d encountered in her life. Every word he said, every move he made, everything that was him, was of a totally different quality. Everything he was was simply great. He was genuine. And that�s what she appreciated most about him. Even in this stressful time they were both facing. Even during this tense moment in which not a word was spoken and they both stared at each other, he didn�t bother trying to be fake. He didn�t bother trying to hide anything from her. And this is what made Margot stay in that seat longer than she�d planned. Margot felt her eyes sting when she saw a tear fall down his cheek. She felt weak and had to lean her head in her hand. She closed her eyes and almost lost it, �JC, I�m so-� �Margot, don�t.� he interrupted. He�d already known what she was going to say. She shook her head when the tears started to fall. When he saw the first droplet, he had to hold onto the chair�s armrests to keep himself from running to her and wiping her face. Her body trembled from the wave of some contentious emotion she felt flowing through her. Some mix of fearfulness, uncertainty, love, sadness, and hope rushed her brain and her heart until she felt it was almost too much. JC pushed away his tears and waited for her to look at him again. When she finally did, she saw him pull a worn notebook from underneath his chair and place it in the middle of the table. She knew what it was. �I want you to take this,� when he saw her open her mouth to protest, he interrupted, �Don�t say no. You have to have this. Everything I�ve written in here? Pertains to you. It�s all about you. I know you don�t want to hear this, but Margot, you are everything to me. I don�t understand how it grew to this, but it did. And I can�t change that. I know you never wanted anything to grow to that ever again, but it has. With me. And I don�t regret it at all. I don�t regret writing endless songs about you. I don�t regret trying to get you to come home with me that first day. I don�t regret making you tell me your most hidden secrets. And I don�t regret what I feel for you, Margot. I don�t regret that at all. And I don�t know how anyone could ever regret loving you. Because I love you and I can�t imagine ever not loving you again.� Margot simply stared at the old booklet in the table. She reached out a tremulous hand and pulled back the notebook with it. She nodded and looked up at JC once more. She whispered a quick goodbye and allowed one last tear to roll down her cheek before she got up from her seat. JC�s eyes followed her every move and with every step of her foot, his heart sank more and more. And it was only after he heard the click of the door being closed behind her did he let himself go. |