“Night.” Jay smiled, hugged _____, brushed his lips against the crook of her neck. It took forever until their lips met. Even when they kissed, it was a short one. But they both didn't seem to mind. “I'll see you tomorrow.” He smiled and began to walk away.

“Hey Jay?” _____ bit the bottom of her lip. Tonight, she felt even more uneasy.

“Yeah?” He turned back around with a raised brow. He studied her face for a quick second. “Something wrong?” She smiled slightly at his improper grammar. She shook her head. “You sure?” She shook her head again. “You REALLY sure?” He had placed an emphasis on the word 'really'.

“Nope. Everything is fine.” She smirked. “You can say those words another day.” _____ watched Jay shrug and walk away. She had heard him say to himself: “What words?”

_____ sighed. “Why am I in love with that idiot?”

“You shouldn't be in love with him,” _____ heard someone say, in a harsh tone. She turned around to the source and saw Jung Ah.

“It's supposed to be ME who gets those kisses. It's supposed to be ME who gets those hugs.” Jung Ah pointed a finger to her chest.

“W-w-what do you mean?” The uneasiness that has been irking ______ was back.

“Jay was supposed to be mine!” Jung Ah shouted into the darkness. “But you...” She pointed an accusing finger at _____. “You took him away from me!” Jung Ah's eyes were glistening with angry tears. “I was close to getting him to finally take notice of me after ten years.” She wiped a tear off her cheek with swift movements. “I love him...”

____ rolled her eyes. “And you're getting worked up over one boy? No wonder Jay didn't want you.”

“Give him back...” Jung Ah whispered silently, ignoring _____'s previous words. “Give him back to me.” She looked up at ____ before focusing her attention at the deep lake behind _____.

“You can't force love.”

“He's just playing with your heart.” Jung Ah grinned evilly. “Like he does with every girl he sees!”

“How do you know? Have you ever even went out with him?” ____ retorted.

Jung Ah's grin turned into a smirk. “Then, let me ask you. Have you ever heard those three words come from the lips he kissed you with?”

“I-I-I....” _____'s shoulders drooped, realizing that Jung Ah was right.

“Exactly.” Jung Ah slowly walked towards _____ as ______ walked back. When Jung Ah saw that _____ was a few centimeters away from the lake, she shoved her.

“AHHHHHH!” _____ fell backwards into the water, causing a loud splash. She choked on water as she struggled to surface. Her arms flailed, knowing that she couldn't swim. “I-I-I c-can't...”

Silence.

“It's supposed to be me whose receiving the love...” Jung Ah whispered before walked away from the lake she had just pushed _____ into. “Me.” She smirked and turned back around. “I guess you wouldn't be hearing those three words after all. I will be the first to hear those words from him. Not you!”

▬
Fifteen Years Later;
▬

_____ peeked out the windows of her old bedroom at her aunt's house by the big lake. The house seemed vacant to passers ever since her aunt had passed away from a . But on the inside it was occupied by _____.

She saw a moving truck park in front of Jay's old house. A family of three had gotten out of the truck and entered the house. There was a mom, a dad, and a baby in its mother's arms. The mother had shiny, brown curls. The father had a black mo-hawk, very much like Jay's. _____'s lifeless heart started pounding. She placed a hand over her chest, feeling a familiar, steady beat. A beat that she hadn't felt in decades. A beat that had been dead ever since he had forgotten her.

“Babe, I'm going to visit a friend!” _____ had heard the father shout. Minutes later, she heard the front door rattling.

Puzzled, _____ quickly ran down the old and creaking stairs to peek out the window. Her heart had stopped again... And this time, it stopped because she was surprised. Right outside the door was Jay, a guy who looked like he was in his late twenties. She quickly ran up the stairs as she saw Jay approaching the window.

-

“Weird... I swore I saw someone peeking out of those curtains...” Jay inhaled a breath of air and sighed. He walked back, getting a full view of the house. He glanced upwards, looking in the direction of _____'s old bedroom window, only to see her claret, velvet curtains flutter at the slight breeze. Jay's lips formed into a tight line. He smiled slightly. “At least no one moved in, yet.”

-

_____ had finally gotten out of her room after she had witnessed Jay driving away. She sat on the wooden swings in the backyard, moving back and forth on her feet – not really swinging. She was minding herself, doodling in her old journal. The pages were yellow and crispy with age. She stopped sketching when she heard a rustle in the bushes. She blinked and went on with her doodling.

“Can I play with chu?” A toddler –about three– on his thumb. She smirked, realizing that it was Jay's kid. Jay and Jung Ah's kid...

She chewed the inside of her cheek for a while, pondering his question. She opened her notebook to a blank page and scribbled something on it. She smiled. “What's your name?”

“Mason.”

She smiled, seeing that Jay had named his son on a name they had both agreed on. “Nice to meet you, Mason. I'm...” _____ thought for a while, not wanting him to give away her real identity to his parents. “I'm Jane,” she said, thinking back to the old days where Jay would always call her 'Plain Jane'. _____ quickly ripped the scribbled on page out of her journal. “Give this to your mother and then I'll play with you.” Mason nodded, took the paper, and scurried off to find his mom.

-

“Mommy!” Mason walked into the room to find his mother, busy unpacking into their summer house.

“Yeah?” Jung Ah stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans.

“A girl named Jane gave me tis.” Mason handed Jung Ah the piece of paper that _____ had scribbled and ripped out of her notebook.

Jung Ah unfolded the piece of paper. Her eyes widened at the letter/message:

*It's supposed to be ME who gets those kisses. It's supposed to be ME who gets those hugs.... Tell the truth.*

Jung Ah bent down to Mason. “W-w-where did you get this?”

“I told you a girl named Jane gave it to me.”

“I don't want you to go near this Jane. Never.”

“But mum!”

“No buts! Go and take a nap!” Jung Ah was silent as she watched Mason stomp upstairs. 'She can't be back! She died fifteen years ago! I saw her drown with my very own eyes!' Jung Ah thought as she bit her thumb nail.

-

“I'm home.” Jay dropped his car keys onto the coffee table and saw a pouting Mason. “What's wrong?”

“Mommy won't lemme play with Jane!” Mason said with crossed arms.

'Jane...' The name was somewhat familiar to Jay... but he couldn't remember where he had heard it. He took hold of Mason's tiny hand. “Daddy will go with you to play with Jane, okay?” He smiled as Mason's face immediately brightened up. “Where's Mommy?”

“Mommy went out,” he pointed at the door.

-

“I just want you to tell the truth. That's all I'm asking for. I'm not going to steal Jay away from you...” _____ looked at her worn-out Converses. “Like you did to me...” She silently whispered as tears pricked her eyelids. Jung Ah was still speechless. She stared at _____ up and down, scared that she was just hallucinating. _____ looked up at Jung Ah once again.

“I wanted to live my life normally.” She tugged at a loose thread on her shorts. She could feel her eyes getting moist again, the tears had reached her eyelashes. “My aunt didn't care when I went missing, did she? Hell, she didn't even place flowers at my grave!” A tear rolled down her pale cheeks, where it used to be pink whenever she blushed. “No one cared. Jay definitely didn't care because he never even stopped by my aunt's house until today!” _____ glared at Jung Ah through her tears. “It was all because of you.” She inhaled deeply. “IF you don't tell the truth – I'll tell.”

Jay stood by the wall with Mason. He glanced at the still-fifteen-years-old _____. His heart raced. He felt a lump at the back of his throat. He slowly walked away from the wall. ______ and Jung Ah's heads quickly shot up and saw Jay. He glances back and forth between _____ and Jung Ah.

“You're wrong.” He managed to croak out, too afraid to cry. “I did care.”

_____ smirked at Jung Ah. “Isn't this great? You don't have to tell him the truth anymore.” More tears escaped her eyes. _____ stared at the horizon. The sun was setting and the lake was getting foggy, like it always did at sunset. “At least now, you know.” She disappeared.

-

That night, Jay took out _____'s old journal, flipping to the last entry – which was today. The entry read:

Everything was slowly beginning to make sense to me... She was right. You never said those three words to me... Never. I loved you so much... You probably didn't think the same way. But who was I to kid? I'm just a kid. While you grew up, I'm still a kid. Life is unfair. You got married, started your own family, and grew up... Those were the things I had wished for...

I had watched you get married right in front of me. I stood afar with tears in my eyes and my lips quivering like a little kid. I watched you say those three words to someone else. I watched you kiss her on the lips. I watched you move away... far away... My heart shattered at the sight of everything.

For these fifteen years, you had probably forgotten me, while I was in pain. I can see it in your eyes whenever someone mentions my name. Your eyes would be blank. _____, who? You would ask. Tell me why are you acting like this..... But no matter what you say....

...I had lived loving you... and died –still– loving you.

Jay, I love you...

......

A tear rolled down his cheek. "I love you, _____. I really do..."

▬▬▬▬▬▬
Corny ending... but...
I'M FINALLY DONE! *claps like an insane kid*
Thanks to all who read this short story ^^
Be on the lookout for my next short story... which will probably be on
/amiO3
When I make the account and come up with a plot...
Anywho~ Thanks!

Ciaozors for –who knows how long– Nowzors;
♥ Amy ; jan262O1O; 9:57PM