( open ) back to life

[jackson alexander evans]

Her request to take her home seemed reasonable enough. It was a simple request at least and something that he should have been able to do. Jackson gave a small laugh as he shook his head, looking down at the ground with his hands on his hips. “Lots changed since you’ve been gone,” he told her quietly. He was almost ashamed that he wasn’t able to take her home--almost. At the same time he knew he couldn’t really change the past.

“I can’t take you home,” he finally told her with a sigh. “I don’t have a car anymore. I take the bus.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his bus pass and waved it at her as a sign of proof. While he had to admit that it was a lot more affordable than when he had a car, it wasn’t the reason why he was stuck taking that method of transportation. The reason he had a bus pass was because his license had been revoked some time back for driving under the influence. No one had been hurt, thank goodness, but his car had been totaled and wrapped around a telephone pole.

That wasn’t something he was going to tell Lexy though. She was already a mess and he knew that would make her feel any better. The irony that she’d been the one to break his heart and he was the one standing here trying to make her feel better wasn’t lost on him.

“Sold it,” he told her--which wasn’t a complete lie. After the car was totaled he did sell it to a junk yard to use for spare parts and he got a bit of cash out of it--that he immediately used to buy more alcohol. Again, something he decided would be best to leave out. “We can take a walk to the bus stop though,” he suggested. It sounded lame, but it was pretty much the only thing he could do.

[alexandra noelle kingsley]

a confused look appeared on lexy's face as jackson began laughing, almost jovially, placing his hands on his hips like he was just having a grand old time. she listened to him tell her about how he had sold his car and was now taking the bus. it stung a little bit. that car, though old, had been a drawing point for jackson. lexy had absolutely loved the thing to pieces and adored riding shotgun in it while singing along to every song on the radio - she always changed the station to a country one, which she knew royally pissed jackson off. it was one of her favorite things on the weekends - to go out with jackson and just drive. they didn't have money to throw around at clubs or whatever, so this was the next best thing.

with a slight smile, lexy pulled the key to the rental car she was using for the time being from the pocket of her north face jacket. she had never been a fan of rental cars, preferring instead her old black chevy truck she had been driving before she left, but she had sold the thing to pay for her flight to boston and her living expenses while she was there, so it wasn't around any longer. so, until she found a new car that she was willing to spend a significant amount of time driving, she was stuck with the shiny silver sedan that had been the most bearable thing at the rental place."luckily for you," she said, doing her best to keep her voice flat, "i do have a car."

to be honest, this was probably a bad idea. as much trouble as lexy had been having a moment ago keeping herself from kissing him, she knew it would be that much more difficult when they were in what used to be their house. on top of that, it had been three months since lexy had seen the place. it was bound to be a mess and, if today was any indication, probably reeking of booze. lexy was determined she wouldn't start crying again, no matter how bad it was.

about to lead jackson out of the theater and in the direction of the rental car, she suddenly turned around, remembering how bad he was at doing household chores. "do we need to stop and get groceries?" she asked, as if this was any normal saturday and everything was perfectly alright.

[jackson alexander evans]

This had bad idea written all over it. Jackson stuffed his hands in his pocket as he looked at Lexy warily. While he wanted to voice his concerns, he was afraid of how she’d react to it. Lowering his head, he lifted his eyes at her and sighed. “Lucky,” he said though there wasn’t much enthusiasm in his voice.

Jackson followed after Lexy slowly. The closer they went to the door the smaller his footsteps became. When she stopped he was relieved. She must have noticed that this was a bad idea too. But when instead she asked if they needed to get food he frowned. It had been a simple question; it shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. Yeah, he needed food. Jackson lived on microwavable dinners, fast food, and delivery. But going grocery shopping?

Funny how such a simple question for such a mundane act as going to the store brought back a lot of painful memories. Jackson recalled how he’d push the cart for her when they went shopping. The question made it seem like they were just going to pick up where they left off. A part of him considered it. A part of him wanted to just say to hell with everything and take her back--just forget about what had happened.

But he couldn’t just forget about it. He may have loved her, but he had to admit that he didn’t trust her anymore.

“Lexy, I can’t take you home,” he repeated slowly. He gave her a sympathetic look, hoping that she’d understand that it wasn’t just about not having a car (though he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her once they were alone). “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come to my place. Not right now. Not until we‘ve talked.” He thought about a solution for a moment before he finally said, “There’s a Chinese restaurant next door. We can grab a bite and talk. Come on. My treat.”

He didn’t actually have the money to treat her, but he figured he’d take the overdraft fee on his bank account for this one.