So Far:
After losing two games in a row, Jacob finally gave up and led her to the table for dinner. She had a feeling it would be the same thing they had eaten every time they had gone out when they were in school. And just as she had expected, the table was laden with a few different varieties of pizza and pasta. They grabbed a plate full of what they wanted and settled down in front of the TV. Jacob had managed to get a hold of a copy of one of the older sci-fi films from their school days and it was easy enough to settle there with him and watch the movie. It almost felt like coming home. Anna felt like she could finally relax after a long long time.
Chapter: 12
By the time the movie came to an end, Anna was fast asleep, her head resting on Jacob’s shoulder. When she woke up the next morning, she was nestled into bed, her bedsheet snuggled around her. And for the first time in a while, Matt wasn’t the first thought on her mind when she woke up. Instead, she felt like herself.
When she finally walked into the living room, Jacob was on the couch on his laptop. He was in his usual home clothes, that worn out t-shirt and his favorite shorts. He hadn’t seen her walk out of her room yet, but she could see that he was concentrating hard on whatever he was working on. The way he was sitting there brought back one of her fondest memories of the two of them growing up.
When they had been kids, Jacob had been the one person she had always counted on to be there for her. And he always had. It had never been about anything else with them. They could be themselves and know that they would be accepted for who they are with each other. And while all of their friends had always believed that there was something romantic going on between them, it had never been like that. For her, Jacob had always been a friend and an amazing one at that. It had been perfect for the most part, until…
Anna shook her head trying to rid herself of those memories that she knew would follow. It had been a hard period for her when they had grown apart, and in many ways, she still hadn’t forgiven him for what he had done. But he had all but made up to her for it in the last month. After all, she had always known that no matter what, he would always be there for her.
“You’re thinking about Ellis, aren’t you?” Jacob asked, shaking her out of her reprieve. “Your face always got like that when you thought about her…”
She smiled a half smile and turned away. She couldn’t see how discussing the past would change anything, it was all in the past now.
She felt Jacob step beside her and take her hand. He pulled her towards the couch and sat down beside her. “An..”
“I’m not, I’m not thinking about Ellis, I was just remembering how you used to look when you finally decided to study.”
“Please just let me explain An…”
“Explain what? It’s all in the past Jacob, and no matter what, you’re always going to be my best friend, let’s just leave it that.”
“I can’t An. I need to apologize for the way I behaved. Especially when you needed me the most.”
Anna turned to face him. She had never been able to ignore him when he was being sincere. And she could see that he was today. He wanted to explain. And if that was what he wanted, she would listen to him, even if she knew it wouldn’t make a difference to her. But maybe, just maybe, this way, they could finally put it all behind them.
To be continued…
A Different Take 
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