Three Years ago.

Jace's POV.

Growing up, my mum made Milkshakes a solution to everyone's sadness, other parents would take their kids out for ice cream but she always thought milkshakes were better than ice cream.

I'm not exactly sad, but I'm also not not sad. It's been two weeks since Olivia's parents showed up in town, two weeks since she and I had a fight over her moving around with her ex, two weeks since she assured me that he was nothing and I meant everything.

I left it alone and we moved on but I barely see her, she calls me and we text all night but it's not enough. I wanna hear her laugh and kiss her while she's smiling at me.

Anyway....

I haven't been to Shake n' Sip since.... I don't even remember, well, I guess since Reign graduated, she brought the fun and humor to the place and I just couldn't see myself walking into the shop and not hearing a sarcastic remark from her.

And yet here I am, drinking milkshakes on the counter, kinda like the same way a grown man with problems would drink whiskey at a bar.

It's 7PM and I know I should be heading home to help my mum move the boxes to the basement just like I promised but, my mind's not in the right place, the quietness is actually helping.

"Hey, dude, weren't you friends with that guy?" Peter leans on the counter and whispers to me, pointing his finger in a certain direction.

I twist my head to look at the guy he's talking about, I can't exactly see his face cause he's wearing a hoodie and he's looking down at his phone.

"Who?" I glance back at peter.

"Mason Kress. you know, former captain of the football team, handsome devil with the heart of an angel?" He says dramatically.

"Dude, you would have mentioned that earlier," I collect my stuff from the counter and I stride to Mason's table.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the legend himself." I say as I sit across from him, he looks up from the screen and he widens his eyes.

"Yo, what?!" He exclaims, placing his phone on the table.

"Hey, man," I extend my fist and he bumps it with his.

"You're still alive? I swear Rei told me you passed away a few months ago," he points at me, I laugh.

"I feel like she'd seriously say something like that," I nod off.

"She actually didn't but she did tell me that you weren't playing ball anymore," his voice changes from playful to serious.

"Yeah, yeah, it's whatever." I wave a hand, slurping my drink.

"It's not whatever, bro, I'd die without football in my life, I can't even begin to imagine," he shakes his head.

Funny how I used to think the same thing but here I am, still alive and kicking.

"Yeah, it sucked at first but I accepted it." I say honestly, "How's college?" I change the subject.

"College is a lot of pressure. They make us train like animals and then we do all these freaking assignments and then show up to every lecture and then attend every party at the end of the week and I'm fucking tired all the time." He explains in frustration.

"That sounds like a lot," I chuckle.

"It is," he says.

"So what brings you here?" I look around the empty shop.

"Oh, I'm meeting someone," he tells me.

"I don't mean the shop, I mean here, in town?" I clarify.

"Oh, I don't know, I guess I missed home," he shrugs.

My phone's screen lights up right beside my milkshake cup, Olivia's name flashes on the screen and I smile.

I pick up the phone from the table and I catch Mason's suspicious look.

"Hey, baby." I press the phone against my ear.

"Hey, hello, uh, I'm so sorry I didn't call earlier." She sounds excited and out of breath.

"Nah, it's cool, what's up? How are you?"

"I'm okay, I guess, you?"

"I'm good,"

"Where are you? Home?"

"Not exactly, I'm at Shake n' Sip, drinking milkshakes and passing time."

"Alone?"

"No, with Mason Kress, heard of him?" I wiggle my brows at Mason and he snickers to himself.

"Oh, the football guy that graduated?"

"Yes, the football guy that graduated." I laugh at Mason.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then,"  she says.

"See you tomorrow," I respond before hanging up.

"Sandra?" He asks.

"No, we broke up," I answer.

"You broke up with Sandra?" He sounds surprised and I don't blame him.

"I know but this girl I'm dating? She's the real deal, man, she's really special," I say proudly with an ear to ear smile.

"Good for you, man," he tells me then his eyes travel behind me when the bell above the door jiggles, "There she is!" He raises his hands in the air.

I twist my head to see who it is and fuck, I wish I hadn't.

Shit, shit, shit.

"That's who you were waiting for?" I whisper to him before she reaches the table.

"Yeah, why?" He senses my discomfort.

"Nothing," I grip the back of my neck, looking out the window.

Mason stands up and pulls Cass in for an embrace, he lifts her off the floor and smacks a kiss on her cheek which makes her laugh.

"Oh my God, dude, what's with all the muscles." She touches his arms once they pull away from each other.

"Whatchu talking about, I've always had muscles," he winks at her.

"Right," she giggles, turning her head to look down at me. As soon as our eyes meet, her smile immediately disappears.

"Hey," I shoot her an awkward wave.

"Hey," her tone is barely audible as she takes Mason's side of the booth and scoots over to leave room for him

"Oookay, I see you guys have already met," he looks at her then me as he sits down beside her.

"Where's Garrett?" She asks him, ignoring his previous statement.

"Kentucky, last I heard," he scratches his head like it was a tricky question.

"Luke told me you guys aren't as close with him anymore, why's that?" She leans forward and drags my milkshake cup to her side of the table, taking a sip with her eyes glued to Mason.

Yeah, sure, don't talk to me but go ahead and take my shit.

"You didn't hear?" Mason asks her.

"No, Luke never tells me anything," She twirls the straw in the cup.

"Ariana kissed Luke right after Reign told ari that she was into him, Luke turned her down then Garrett found out and dumbed Ari, Luke and Rei lived happily ever after but Garrett has been ghosting everyone ever since," he explains.

"I always knew Ariana was a real bitch, she always flirted with Luke," She says.

"Yeah, a part of me actually wanted Rei to punch her in the face," Mason mumbles.

"She didn't?" She chokes on my drink.

"No, said she wouldn't punch a girl in the face for a boy," he laughs.

"Sounds like Reign," I say, scoffing.

Mason looks at me and nods in agreement while Cass pulls out her phone and pretends I'm not here.

I lean back in my seat and I sigh.

The fact that she's ignoring me kinda sucks.

"So, what's up with you two?" Mason points his finger in between us.

"Nothing." She quickly responds while pressing her phone.

"Really? Cause I sense some really intense chemistry that's telling me that this is actually a milkshakes and reunions kind of thing," he bursts out laughing.

"Shut up," She punches his shoulder as he continues laughing.

"What? It's true," his eyes dart back and forth between us, his phone rings in his pocket and he pulls it out, "Oh, Fuck, be right back," he leaps out of the booth and leaves.

I watch as she keeps typing on her phone without looking my way, I know things didn't go well the last time we were in a room together.

My girlfriend slapped her, I blamed her without asking for details, I let her go and then I never apologized.

Honestly, if I were her, I wouldn't even be sitting there right now.

"So, how have you been?" I ask, my voice sounding pathetic.

Her eyes snap to my face, her expression holds no emotion, neither do her eyes, she just looks... blank.

"You don't have to, we could just sit in silence," She doesn't sound friendly.

I could just shut up but the guilt is eating me up and I grew up being liked by everyone so you could understand why her unfriendly tone bothers the shit out of me.

"I'm really sorry, Cass-"

"Jace..." She drops her phone on the table in annoyance.

"I know you don't want to talk to me but I keep thinking about how things went down between us and I'm a dick, okay? I suck and I shouldn't have treated you like that, you deserve better, you deserve someone that's going to crave for your soul," I blurt out in a hurried tone.

She laughs.

"What's funny?" I ask.

"Do you crave for Olivia's soul, Jace?" She questions me, narrowing her eyes at me.

"What?" The question catches me off guard.

"You heard me," she rolls her eyes.

"I guess," I lift a shoulder.

"You mean you don't," She states, "So why are you telling me something that you haven't even experienced yet?"

"Because I want you to experience it, Cass, why else?"

"Thank you very much, Jace but I'm done with all this love and relationship shit, I'm bad at it and I always end up hurt so I'll just stick to fucking different people every Saturday night," She picks up her phone again.

"I hurt you," I mutter more to myself.

"Don't flatter yourself," she doesn't look at me.

"I hurt you," I repeat.

She sighs, glancing out the window and pushing her blond hair behind her shoulder.

"Yeah, you did but I'm never letting anyone else do that to me ever again," she tells me before getting up and starts heading out.

"Cass?" I call behind her, bringing myself to my feet and staring at her back as she comes to a halt.

"Yeah?" She slowly turns around to face me.

"Do you forgive me?" I ask.

"Weirdly, I do," she nods and I have a feeling she means that.

I take three long strides towards her, closing the space between us and wrapping my arms around her.

"Thank you," I finally let out the breath of I was holding.

I feel her hands on my sides, slowly moving behind me. The action makes my stomach flutter and my heart race but she breaks it up quickly, almost like she got the same feeling.

"Take care of yourself, yeah?" She turns on her heel and hurries out of the shop.

"You too," I whisper, smiling to myself.