Free Wake Up Call by Victoria Ashley

smiled as I played with my food. “So Avery, do you have any family close by?”
           My whole body stiffened, hand shaking, as I fought to keep in control. No one had ever asked me about my family and I wasn’t prepared to talk about them. “No,” I blurted. “I mean…I haven’t seen them in over a year.” My gaze set down on my plate of food as I spooned my mashed potatoes. Why is he doing this?
           The room stayed silent as Jace studied me with a serious face. I was trying hard to keep my eyes away from his, but I found it to be impossible. Finally, he pushed his food away clearing his throat. “How old are you, Avery?” he questioned, in all seriousness.
          I looked up, nose flared, as I fought to hold back the tears. I didn't want to talk about my life and it angered me. “I just turned nineteen last month.” I shoved a bite of potatoes in my mouth and slowly chewed. “Why? Why do you need to ask me these questions?”
          Jace looked surprised as he tilted his head in thought. “I just want to know about you. This is me getting to know you,” he paused. “Or at least trying.”
          I bit my bottom lip and averted my eyes away from his stare. His eyes were making me want to surrender and tell him more than what I wanted to. “Well I just don’t like too many questions.”
          Jace took a few bites of his chicken before leaning in next to me and smiling. “So, you have a fake I.D?” he questioned amused.
          I looked up and nodded my head, happy to change the mood. "Yup!" The room went silent again. "What about you, Jace? How old are you? You own a diner and have a great house. You really have yourself together."
          "I just turned twenty three a few months ago. The diner was my fathers before he ran off." His smile faded as he looked up at me and leaned back in his seat. "Why haven't you seen your parents in so long? Where are-"
          “I don’t want to talk about it.” I stammered, thinking that I was already in the clear, when clearly I wasn't.
          Jace swallowed hard and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well do you have anyone close by? Like maybe a friend or a boyfriend?”
          I looked away, eyes watering, as I dropped my fork. “No.” I swallowed hard forcing back the lump in my throat. “I’ve never had a boyfriend and I don’t have any friends.” I instantly felt stupid for telling him things so personal about myself. I felt weak. “I think that I’m just going to head to bed.” I stood up and pushed my chair away. “Thank you for dinner.”
          A look of hurt crossed Jace’s face as he jumped up from his seat and reached for my hand. His grip was firm. He pulled me in for a hug but I backed away from his pull. “Avery,” he whispered. “It’s okay to talk about things.”
          I let out a deep breath and relaxed into his strong arms, burying my face into his chest like a child crying to their father. Feeling his moist shirt against my cheek made me feel silly. I felt like a silly child that had lost. It made me angry. I didn’t understand why I was allowing myself to let this happen.
          He gently rubbed the back of my head and then ran a finger along my cheek. “There, do you feel better?” He pulled away from me looking me in the eye. “It’s okay to cry. The strong ones always do.” Somehow I doubted that.
            I let out a half sob, half laugh when realizing that I did feel a bit better than before. He didn't know much, but he knew more about me than anyone else did. It was a start. "Yes. Thank you," I whispered. “I actually do feel a bit better.”
          Jace smiled and brushed the hair from out of my face. “Good, now let’s go watch this movie.” He stared me in the eye for a moment before he walked away and started cleaning up our dinner mess. He wrapped up the chicken box before throwing the plates into the double