Break down that shield
Clearly hurt by his words Jenny responded with an, "Oh...I thought since they were red roses and tomorrow is my last day, that my hard work for the past week had paid off. Guess I was being naive huh." Followed with a sad smile.
Jason shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess so." Though he didn't want to say those words and could tell that Jenny had been hurt by his words, his mouth was moving on its own and he didn't know how to stop it from making matters worse. Even though time was running out, he kept saying stupid things. He used to be able to say kind words to her so easily before, why was everything that came out of his mouth now so cursed?
Though each of Jason's words felt like bullets to Jenny, who had mustered up all her courage and hope to have this conversation, she refused to give up. But she did need a minute to herself. Continuing now, when he refused to be honest with her was pointless. She needed to go hard or go home. Tomorrow would be her last day. She had told him that she would leave if she hadn't gotten a sign from him by then. So, she needed to save her energy for the ultimate confrontation. She was certain that he didn't mean the words he was saying. She could tell by looking at him. But she needed to break that defense mechanism of his that was using harsh words to keep her at a distance.
As she turned around and left without saying another word, she was preparing what to do in her mind. She told herself that she needed some kind of proof, a moment to catch him in the act of caring for her to confront him. She was sure that if she were to actually leave, he would stop her. Despite his actions, she could tell that he had warmed up to her. Why would he need to lock the door if he really didn't care if she left? It was because he knew that he was on the verge of breaking that he was activating all his defenses. Like a hedgehog putting up its spikes after being caught as a last defense mechanism. So, this was the time for her to pull back her sledgehammer before dropping it down even harder and break down that shield completely. If he wanted to play hard, then she would need to play hard as well.
Jason looked at Jenny as she left and as he did, all kinds of thoughts passed through his mind. Though he still held a sense of fear, he wasn't a coward. He had taken that leap once and he could do it again. He was convinced that she was earnest. Every fiber of her being seemed to scream 'Sorry!' and he could tell that she had realized she had made a mistake. Even when he kept shooting her down and talking to her harshly, she kept smiling at him, kept trying to get close. Just like she had been doing now. And ever since he had let out his true feelings, he had started noticing her actions, then and now, for what they truly were.
Despite what he had said up on the roof, he knew that she had loved him and still did. What she had done had been decided one-sidedly, but from the very start her intentions had been pure. She had been blinded by fear and insecurity, which had convinced her that she was trying to do something that was in his best interest. This was something he couldn't hold against her. If anything it just proved that they hadn't reassured her enough and hadn't prepared her well enough. He had grown up in this ugly world, but she had come from a simple world and had been handed over to the wolves without any means to defend herself. Even if she was a strong girl, that didn't mean she was invincible or had no weaknesses at all. He knew that, yet why was he still unable to let go?
Even if his own eyes had been deceiving him, his parents and friends who had been watching the two of them, were saying the same. Even his brothers-in-law had reached out to him as well as his mother-in-law. Telling him that they could understand if he wouldn't take her back, but that she was really sorry for what she had done. Saying that even if she did attempt to do something stupid like this again, they would be on his side and return her to his side tied up and gagged. That is why his behaviour right now was making no sense. But it appeared that something that wasn't started by sense, couldn't be stopped by sense either.
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During this week, Stephen and Susan hadn't joined Jenny and Jason for dinner. They wanted to give Jenny her best chance by staying out of their way and making sure that Jason would only have Jenny to turn to if he wanted to interact with anyone. They didn't only stay away themselves, they had also instructed the staff to leave after Jason came back from the office. Even their friends had used their exams as their fool proof excuse to steer clear from Westwood mansion. Leaving work as Jason's only mean of escape. So, once he had calmed down and he had grown hungry, he was forced to come down and prepare himself something to eat.
When he walked into the living room, he saw that Jenny had fallen asleep on the couch with her book on her stomach after their conversation upstairs. While juggling studying and thinking of her plan to bring down Jason's defenses she had dozed off on the comfy couch. Jason, who seemed to not be held back by his dishonest mouth when Jenny was asleep, walked over to her. He looked at her sleeping face and gently grazed over her cheeks that had turned a bit red. He chuckled as he remembered how Jenny was like a radiator when she slept. Cold as ice at first, but once she was warmed up, she would radiate heat. Warming up those around her. Now that she had no one to give that warmth to, it appeared that her body retained it. Her cheeks felt warm to the touch. Watching her so defensively he felt drawn to her and before he knew it his lips were touching hers once more. This was when Jenny opened her eyes.