Lina's POV

One entire day has passed since I have talked to Jason, and I know he will be super angry with me as I haven't answered any of his calls or messages. Honestly, it was not my intention to ignore his messages for long, I just needed some time to gather myself together. However, I accidentally dropped my phone and since then it was not working, so I didn't have any other way to respond to him other than meeting him.

Yesterday I didn't feel like going out of my room and nearly slept all day as I was emotionally drained, with everything that had happened, and needed some rest to lift up my spirits. So today after getting up in the morning I thought I should give Jason a visit.

I don't know why but I am feeling a little bit anxious when I think about meeting him. Maybe it is because now I am aware of my feelings for him, even though I will never accept them.

I find Jason standing behind the counter as he is busying entering data into the system while a frown is resting on his face. Taking a deep breath, I get inside the shop and walk to him.

"Jason." I lightly tap the counter in front of him to get his attention.

Instantly, his eyes snap to mine and I watch different emotions flashing in his eyes.

Quickly, getting around the counter and pulls me into a hug completely shocking the hell out of me.

"God, you scared me, Lina." He lowers his head and rests it against the crook of my neck while his hold tightens on me. "I don't know why I felt something was wrong with you. And when you didn't answer my calls or messages I got so worried."

Pulling back slightly he looks at my face, on which I am sure he will find nothing but a shocked expression.

No one has ever been so much worried about me, after my mother. Honestly, no one really cared about me, even Chris who at one point claimed to love me has hardly shown any kind of worry for me. I never even thought much about it at that time, because from a very young age I have learned to take care of myself since I never had anyone to whom my wellness mattered.

So seeing Jason's worry for me has really surprised me. At the same time, it has filled my heart with so many emotions that it nearly brings tears to my eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like an idiot?" He narrows his eyes when I silently keep glancing at him.

It is not been even a month since he knows me and even then he's so much concerned about me. On the other hand, people who are my so-called family will not even care even if I die.

My throat constricts, while a sweet pain sears my heart as I watch this beautiful man in front of me. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hug him allowing myself to feel comforted to have him with me even if it is for a few moments.

"Hey, what happened?" He softly asks while gently stroking my hair with his fingers.

Closing my eyes I shake my head, trying to memorize this feeling of having him with me.

"Why are you so good?" I whisper while my heart hurts with the realization that I will never have someone like him in my life, he is kind of a dream, which I know, will never turn into reality yet I keep dreaming about it, "You don't how you are making things difficult for me... this was not supposed to happen, I should not be having all these feelings for you, Jason."

Suddenly, his body stills, and my heart nearly stops with fear that he has heard what I have said. But then I relax knowing that it can't be possible.

Still keeping his one arm around me, he leans back and glances at me.

"What did you say?" He asks as his eyes roam over my face.

"Nothing." I quickly shake my head and step away from him, and clasp my hands behind my back. "I was just saying thank you..." I sign with a small smile.

"Thank you for what?" He looks at me like he doesn't believe my words, while there is even a trace of confusion in his expression.

"Uhm..." I look around not knowing how can I tell him that even though it was for a moment he let me feel that even I can matter to someone. My one answer will raise many other questions, whose answers I can't give him.

"I meant to say sorry..." I sign with a laugh hoping he will buy my lie. "For worrying you."

He keeps staring at my face like can clearly see through my pretense.

"Okay." He slowly nods his head, while chewing inside of his cheek as his gaze remains unreadable. "So, tell me what were you doing yesterday?"

"I was sleeping," I instantly answer.

"Sleeping?" He raises his eyebrows repeating my word, making me realize that I have forgotten to sign.

"Yes." I nod my head, not bothering to sign as I know he can read my lips, and when he can't understand any word he normally asks to repeat it.

"All day?" He tilts his head, questioningly.

Biting my lower lip, I nod my head suddenly feeling like I am being interrogated, which kind of I am, but still this is making me nervous even though when I am speaking the truth.

"Why?" He asks as he crosses his arms.

"What do you mean by, why?" I narrow my eyes at him, is he stupid to ask why I was sleeping?

"I mean to ask why you were sleeping all day?" He repeats his question.

"Because I wanted to sleep." I shrug.

"So, yesterday you were sleeping, but what were you doing the day before that when you didn't answer my calls or messages?" He continues to question.

"Jason, what has gotten into you?" I frown, "Why are you asking all these questions? I haven't asked what were you doing yesterday or the day before that, so what it is to you?" I am starting to feel frustrated with all his questioning.

His jaws tick when he lifts his eyes from his watch to look at me. But he closes his eyes and sighs.

"Yes, you are right..." He clenches his eyes momentarily before meeting my gaze again, "I forget that you are not answerable to me, I am sorry." He runs his fingers in his hair while shaking his head.

I extremely feeling bad for being a bitch, because I did over-reacted a bit. His questions made me feel like he is trying to dig up for truth from me, which I don't want him to know.

I can't tell him that I was trying to avoid him as I am developing feelings for me, or that my father left no stone unturned to tell me that how I can never be welcomed in his family. I can't tell him all this because I don't want him to remember me as a shattered person after I leave this town. I just want him to remember me as someone who tries to live each moment of their life, because that's what I am trying to do.

My life might not be ideal or happy, but even then I want to make the most of it.

"Jason, don't be mad." I reach for his hand, but he pulls back his hand making me slightly flinch, "Jason." I shake his arm but he turns his face away.

"Please, no fighting." Holding his face, I turn it towards me, "I don't like fighting... especially with you."

"And I don't like it when my friends hide things from me." He pushes my hand away.

Looking down, I swallow as this word 'friend' twists my heart painfully as again I am slapped with the reality that I will always be a friend to him maybe because his life already has someone else.

After experiencing the pain of being cheated, I can never become the cause of the same pain to someone else. For him, I am his friend, but my heart bears feelings that are more than friendship. Even though no one will ever know about this, but having feelings for a person who belongs to someone else is wrong.

"I am sorry, Jason." I glance at him and shrug, not knowing why I am saying sorry. Maybe I am asking for forgiveness for the mistake that unknowingly I committed by beginning to fall for him.

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Thank you for reading.