Chapter 16
Arianna had always been patient and forgiving, so she just shook her head and let the whole dinner. disaster go without another word.
On the drive home, they got stuck in a massive DUI checkpoint that had traffic crawling. A cop approached their window with a breathalyzer, his expression all business.
“Evening, folks. Need you to roll down the window for a quick sobriety test.”
Jayden immediately complied, leaning forward to blow into the device. Clean result, as expected. He shifted back in his seat, assuming the officer would want to test Arianna too.
But the cop just moved on to the next car without a second glance.
“Guess you still look like you’re sixteen,” Jayden said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood after the
restaurant nightmare. “Poor guy probably thought I was giving some high schooler a ride home.”
That actually got a genuine smile out of Arianna, and he felt some of the tension finally leave his
shoulders.
The next morning, Jayden woke up to his phone buzzing with texts from his mom.
Mom: Harris said you two grabbed dinner last night! So nice that you’re reconnecting with old friends.
Mom: Charles is still in Burlington for that psychology conference. Perfect timing for you to pop in and
see him.
Mom: I got your latest screening results from Mount Sinai yesterday – everything looks normal, but I’d feel so much better if Charles took a look. You know how I worry about these things.
འ འ
Ever since his mom’s breakdown two years ago, she’d become completely obsessed with monitoring Jayden’s mental health. She insisted on regular psychiatric evaluations, therapy check–ins, the whole nine yards. Probably because she blamed herself for not getting help sooner and was terrified he’d end up like
she had.
Jayden never argued about it because these appointments gave her peace of mind, and honestly, after everything they’d been through as a family, a little extra mental health maintenance wasn’t the worst
idea.
Arianna was still asleep when he got dressed, so he left a note on the kitchen counter.
A- Running a quick errand. Back in a couple hours. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. – J
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Chapter 36
Uncle Charles–Dr. Charles Morrison—had been his dad’s college roommate and best man at his parents‘ wedding. He’d built a successful psychiatric practice and had basically been family for as long as Jayden could remember.
When Jayden arrived at the medical center, Uncle Charles was just wrapping up with a patient. His warm smile was exactly the same as when Jayden was a kid.
“There’s my boy,” he said, pulling Jayden into a quick hug. “Your mother said you’d be stopping by. How are you holding up, kiddo?”
Jayden wanted to make this quick–he didn’t like leaving Arianna alone for too long, especially after the weirdness with Harris last night.
“Actually, really good,” Jayden said, and was surprised to realize he meant it. “Better than I’ve been in years, if I’m being honest.”
Uncle Charles gestured for him to sit down, his psychiatrist brain probably already cataloging Jayden’s mood and body language.
“That’s wonderful to hear. What’s changed?”
Jayden felt his cheeks go warm like he was still a teenager asking permission to date. “I’m… seeing someone. Someone really important to me.”
“Oh?” Uncle Charles’s eyebrows went up with interest. “Anyone I know?”
“Arianna Carter.” The name felt like a confession. “I know how that sounds, given everything that happened, but—”
“When did this start?” Uncle Charles’s tone was carefully neutral, but Jayden could see the concern
creeping into his expression.
“A few days ago. Everyone told me she died ten years ago, right after graduation. I believed it for a
decade. But she’s alive, Charles. She’s here, and we’re together, and I’ve never been happier.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Uncle Charles was studying him with that clinical intensity that
made Jayden feel like a specimen under a microscope.
“If you’re happy, then I’m glad for you,” he said finally, but something in his voice made Jayden’s stomach clench. “Though I have to say, you look exhausted. When’s the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”
“I’ve been sleeping fine,” Jayden lied. The truth was he’d barely slept since finding Arianna, too afraid she’d disappear if he closed his eyes for too long.
Uncle Charles scribbled something on a prescription pad. “Just some supplements to help with stress and sleep. You’ve been through a lot lately.”
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Chapter 16
Jayden pocketed the prescription without looking at it, eager to get home. There were other patients waiting, and he was anxious to get back to Arianna.
“Thanks, Charles. Give my love to Sarah.”
That evening, Jayden found Arianna curled up on his couch, fast asleep with a book splayed open on her chest. The sight hit him like a punch to the heart–she looked so peaceful, so perfectly at home in his space, like she belonged there.
Like she’d always belonged there.
He went to the kitchen to take whatever Uncle Charles had prescribed. The pills were small and white–probably just vitamins or mild anti–anxiety meds. He swallowed them dry and hid the bottle. behind the cereal boxes, not wanting Arianna to worry about his family’s complicated relationship with
mental health.
When he came back to the living room, she was just stirring awake, blinking up at him with sleepy, unfocused eyes.
“Hey, you,” she said softly, her voice still thick with sleep. “How was your thing?”
“Quick and boring,” he said, settling carefully on the opposite end of the couch. Every instinct was screaming at him to reach for her, to pull her close, but he forced himself to keep his distance. She’d made it clear yesterday that she needed space, needed time to get comfortable with physical contact again.
He could be patient. He could wait as long as she needed.
But then Arianna surprised the hell out of him.,
She reached for his hand and tugged gently, pulling him toward her until there was no space left
between them.
And then, without a word, she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
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