Eighteen Days to Forget You
Eighteen days after giving up on Jarrett Sheppard, Alayna Dickerson cut off her waist-length hair and called her father, announcing her decision to move to California and attend the UC Berkeley College of Music.
Her father, Samuel Dickerson, surprised, asked about the sudden change, reminding her how she'd always insisted on staying with Jarrett. Alayna forced a laugh, revealing the painful truth: Jarrett was getting married, and she, his stepsister, could no longer cling to him.
That night, she tried to tell Jarrett about her college acceptance, but his fiancée, Kisha Prince, interrupted with a bubbly call, and Jarrett's tender words to Kisha twisted a knife in Alayna's heart. She remembered how his tenderness used to be hers alone, how he had given her her first harmonica when she was eight, becoming her musical mentor, and how she had poured out her heart to him in a love letter at seventeen, only for him to explode, tearing the letter and yelling, "I'm your brother!"
He had stormed out, leaving her to painstakingly tape the shredded pieces back together. Her love, however, didn't die, not even when he brought Kisha home and told her to call her "sister-in-law."
Now, she understood. She had to put that fire out herself. She had to dig Jarrett out of her heart.
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Chapter 10
The next evening, Jarrett Sheppard and Kisha Prince sat at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The table was covered in rose petals, and a bottle of expensive champagne sat in an ice bucket. It was meant to be a belated birthday celebration.
But the atmosphere was tense.
"You look tired," Kisha commented, taking a sip of her champagne. "You barely slept last night."
Jarrett didn't respond. He was staring at his phone, which sat face down on the table. He kept picking it up, checking the screen, then putting it back down.
Kisha sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Why don't you just call her?"
Jarrett looked up, his expression annoyed. "Call who?"
"Alayna, of course. It's been over a day. She hasn't wished you a happy birthday. I can see it's bothering you."
"It's not bothering me," he said defensively. "She's an adult. It's time she stopped depending on me for everything. I haven't interfered with her life at all lately."
Kisha raised an eyebrow. "You haven't, but I have. I've been sending her messages for you, remember? Pictures of us. Reminders that you're with me now." She let out a small, bitter laugh. "Honestly, it's getting a little tiring."
Jarrett's jaw tightened. "Did she reply?"
"No," Kisha said flatly. "Not a single word. She just leaves them on 'read'."
The information sent a sharp pain through Jarrett's head. He felt a sudden dizziness, a confusion that he couldn't shake. Why did her silence hurt so much?
"You know," Kisha said, her voice softening as she leaned forward, "Alayna is a very proud person. When she decides on something, she sticks to it. If you've hurt her, she won't come back easily. Maybe you should be the one to reach out."
"I know her better than you do," Jarrett snapped, his pride stung. "She's stubborn. She needs to face a bit of harsh reality to understand her place."
He believed that if he continued to show his life with Kisha, Alayna would eventually give up her foolish crush and come back to being his compliant little sister.
Kisha just looked at him, a knowing, almost pitying look in her eyes. She changed the subject.
"So, what about our wedding? The planner needs final decisions on the venue."
"We'll proceed as planned," Jarrett said, his voice firm. He stood up abruptly. "I have to go."
He left the restaurant without another word, leaving Kisha alone at the table surrounded by rose petals.