AUTHOR'S NOTE: The song that goes with this chapter is Keep Me In Mind by the Zac Brown Band
Lisa woke up in the morning and slowly got up. She got dressed and went to the kitchen to fix her breakfast. She busied herself cooking her food, trying not to think about Jackson. She soon realized that no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't make a difference. Time and time again she found herself going over the breakup in her head.
It was a nice day out, the sun was shining, it was pleasently warm, and a cool breeze adorned the salty air. Jackson and Lisa were sitting on a wooden bench, overlooking the ocean. Jackson looked over at Lisa to see her nearly crying. They had just finished eating lunch and everything seemed fine to Jackson.
He gently turned her face towards him and asked what was wrong. Lisa pulled his hand off her face and said "You."
Jackson didn't understand what she meant. He thought maybe he did something wrong, and he did. However he didn't go far enough back in his memory. "What do you mean?"
Lisa looked out into the ocean, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. "Do you remember how we met?" She asked, pain showing in her voice.
Jackson nodded slowly "We were at an airport, both headed here. Your grandmother Henrietta had just died."
Lisa looked at him without moving her head. He looked so innocent, his brilliant blue eyes mixed with worry and confusion, brown hair blown to the side in the wind. "You were gaining my trust so that you could use me in an assassination attempt." A painful expression came over Jackson's face as Lisa continued. "When you failed you tried to kill me." She paused and turned her head to Jackson, her eyes boring into Jackson. "For nearly a year I forgot about that. I think you did too but regardless it happened."
Jackson looked away from Lisa, out onto the beach. For several minutes they just sat there in silence. Jackson turned in surprise when he heard Lisa getting up. She grabbed her purse and said "Goodbye Jackson." Then she turned and walked off, tears running down her cheeks.
Jackson just sat there watching her walking off. Before she got to far he called after her "Keep me in mind." He hadn't meant it as a painful reminder of Red Eye, rather a sweet reminder of the good times they shared together.
Lisa looked back at him for a moment, heart wrenching sorrow in her eyes. It sent a pang of guilt through Jackson as she turned back around and kept walking.
Lisa sat down on her couch with her breakfast. She felt a warm tear roll down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away. She planned on going over to Cynthia's after she ate but when her phone started ringing those plans changed. She sighed and set her food down on the coffee table.
She stood from the couch and hurried over to the phone. She picked it up and said "Hello."
A shiver went down her spine when she heard Jackson's voice say "Hey Lisa. This is kinda embarrassing but can you come over? I locked my keys in my car and you're the only other person with a key."
Lisa stood there in shock for a moment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jackson, a guy who's always making sure everything is perfect, locked his keys in his car. "Um ya. Sure." She said, still amazed he would do that.
Jackson nodded to himself. "Thanks. I'm not sure how I managed something that reckless." He said with a slight laugh.
Lisa chuckled "I don't know either. You've always been a perfectionist." Lisa walked over to her food and grabbed it. "Well I'll be over there in a few minutes." She told him, sticking the food in her fridge.
"Peachy. I'll see you then." Jackson responded pleasently. Then hung up. Lisa put her phone in her jacket and went to her room to slide on shoes. In a few minutes she was ready to go and was headed out the door.
"Gosh its been a while since I did this." She muttered on her way out. She got in her car and set her purse in the passenger seat. She fumbled with her keys for a minute, trying to get them in the ignition. "Dang, why am I so nervous?" She asked herself as she started the car and exited the parking lot.
Lisa turned on the radio to distract herself. For a while it worked but when she was nearing Jackson's neighborhood the song Keep Me In Mind came on. Lisa groaned, frustrated by the radio's choice.
Keep me in mind. That's exactly what Jackson had said when she left him. Hearing that song, how many memories it brought back.
Memories of the day she left him. Lisa couldn't stop the tears of pain from forming in her eyes and spilling out. She wiped the tears away, partly because they were blurring her vison and partly because she was almost to Jackson. If he saw her crying then it would all go to pieces.
She turned the radio off as she turned onto Jackson's street. She flipped her sun visor down and checked her make up in the mirror. She frowned when she saw it was blurring around her eyes. She quickly tried to fix it, simultaneously keeping her eyes on the road. When her makeup was fixed to the best of what she could do she flicked the visor back up and focused on the road.
Jackson was leaning on the side of his car. He turned his head to Lisa as she pulled into the driveway. He smiled as she got out, paying special attention that she didn't leave her keys. She walked over to them. "Hey." She said shyly.
Jackson smiled polietly in greeting. "Hey. Sorry about making you come out here."
Lisa shook her head, putting the key in the lock. "Its fine. I didn't have anything going on." Jackson nodded. Lisa opened the door and put her keys in her pocket. "Well there ya go."
Jackson nodded to her "Thanks." They stood there in silence, both wanting to talk but neither sure how to. For a few minutes they both just stood there until Lisa spoke up. "About the other day, why did you come after me?"
Jackson ran his hand through his hair. "I um, don't really know. I just did. You okay?"
Lisa nodded. "I'm fine. Just confused." She said, looking around the area.
Jackson nodded. "You and me both." He muttered, quietly but loud enough for her to hear.
Lisa jerked her head to look at him. "What?"
Jackson glanced at Lisa. "I just wish I knew why I went after you. There's something about you Leese that I'm drawn to." Lisa looked away quickly, trying to hide the blush. Jackson dropped his head down slightly. "Did I just say that out loud?" Lisa nodded, still not looking at him. Jackson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Now that its out there, I guess we really need to talk."
Lisa nodded. "Yea we do. Now or later?"
Jackson looked at his watch. "For I think both our sakes now would be better." Lisa nodded in agreement. Jackson grabbed his keys from his car and lead Lisa inside.
Lisa woke up in the morning and slowly got up. She got dressed and went to the kitchen to fix her breakfast. She busied herself cooking her food, trying not to think about Jackson. She soon realized that no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't make a difference. Time and time again she found herself going over the breakup in her head.
It was a nice day out, the sun was shining, it was pleasently warm, and a cool breeze adorned the salty air. Jackson and Lisa were sitting on a wooden bench, overlooking the ocean. Jackson looked over at Lisa to see her nearly crying. They had just finished eating lunch and everything seemed fine to Jackson.
He gently turned her face towards him and asked what was wrong. Lisa pulled his hand off her face and said "You."
Jackson didn't understand what she meant. He thought maybe he did something wrong, and he did. However he didn't go far enough back in his memory. "What do you mean?"
Lisa looked out into the ocean, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. "Do you remember how we met?" She asked, pain showing in her voice.
Jackson nodded slowly "We were at an airport, both headed here. Your grandmother Henrietta had just died."
Lisa looked at him without moving her head. He looked so innocent, his brilliant blue eyes mixed with worry and confusion, brown hair blown to the side in the wind. "You were gaining my trust so that you could use me in an assassination attempt." A painful expression came over Jackson's face as Lisa continued. "When you failed you tried to kill me." She paused and turned her head to Jackson, her eyes boring into Jackson. "For nearly a year I forgot about that. I think you did too but regardless it happened."
Jackson looked away from Lisa, out onto the beach. For several minutes they just sat there in silence. Jackson turned in surprise when he heard Lisa getting up. She grabbed her purse and said "Goodbye Jackson." Then she turned and walked off, tears running down her cheeks.
Jackson just sat there watching her walking off. Before she got to far he called after her "Keep me in mind." He hadn't meant it as a painful reminder of Red Eye, rather a sweet reminder of the good times they shared together.
Lisa looked back at him for a moment, heart wrenching sorrow in her eyes. It sent a pang of guilt through Jackson as she turned back around and kept walking.
Lisa sat down on her couch with her breakfast. She felt a warm tear roll down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away. She planned on going over to Cynthia's after she ate but when her phone started ringing those plans changed. She sighed and set her food down on the coffee table.
She stood from the couch and hurried over to the phone. She picked it up and said "Hello."
A shiver went down her spine when she heard Jackson's voice say "Hey Lisa. This is kinda embarrassing but can you come over? I locked my keys in my car and you're the only other person with a key."
Lisa stood there in shock for a moment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jackson, a guy who's always making sure everything is perfect, locked his keys in his car. "Um ya. Sure." She said, still amazed he would do that.
Jackson nodded to himself. "Thanks. I'm not sure how I managed something that reckless." He said with a slight laugh.
Lisa chuckled "I don't know either. You've always been a perfectionist." Lisa walked over to her food and grabbed it. "Well I'll be over there in a few minutes." She told him, sticking the food in her fridge.
"Peachy. I'll see you then." Jackson responded pleasently. Then hung up. Lisa put her phone in her jacket and went to her room to slide on shoes. In a few minutes she was ready to go and was headed out the door.
"Gosh its been a while since I did this." She muttered on her way out. She got in her car and set her purse in the passenger seat. She fumbled with her keys for a minute, trying to get them in the ignition. "Dang, why am I so nervous?" She asked herself as she started the car and exited the parking lot.
Lisa turned on the radio to distract herself. For a while it worked but when she was nearing Jackson's neighborhood the song Keep Me In Mind came on. Lisa groaned, frustrated by the radio's choice.
Keep me in mind. That's exactly what Jackson had said when she left him. Hearing that song, how many memories it brought back.
Memories of the day she left him. Lisa couldn't stop the tears of pain from forming in her eyes and spilling out. She wiped the tears away, partly because they were blurring her vison and partly because she was almost to Jackson. If he saw her crying then it would all go to pieces.
She turned the radio off as she turned onto Jackson's street. She flipped her sun visor down and checked her make up in the mirror. She frowned when she saw it was blurring around her eyes. She quickly tried to fix it, simultaneously keeping her eyes on the road. When her makeup was fixed to the best of what she could do she flicked the visor back up and focused on the road.
Jackson was leaning on the side of his car. He turned his head to Lisa as she pulled into the driveway. He smiled as she got out, paying special attention that she didn't leave her keys. She walked over to them. "Hey." She said shyly.
Jackson smiled polietly in greeting. "Hey. Sorry about making you come out here."
Lisa shook her head, putting the key in the lock. "Its fine. I didn't have anything going on." Jackson nodded. Lisa opened the door and put her keys in her pocket. "Well there ya go."
Jackson nodded to her "Thanks." They stood there in silence, both wanting to talk but neither sure how to. For a few minutes they both just stood there until Lisa spoke up. "About the other day, why did you come after me?"
Jackson ran his hand through his hair. "I um, don't really know. I just did. You okay?"
Lisa nodded. "I'm fine. Just confused." She said, looking around the area.
Jackson nodded. "You and me both." He muttered, quietly but loud enough for her to hear.
Lisa jerked her head to look at him. "What?"
Jackson glanced at Lisa. "I just wish I knew why I went after you. There's something about you Leese that I'm drawn to." Lisa looked away quickly, trying to hide the blush. Jackson dropped his head down slightly. "Did I just say that out loud?" Lisa nodded, still not looking at him. Jackson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Now that its out there, I guess we really need to talk."
Lisa nodded. "Yea we do. Now or later?"
Jackson looked at his watch. "For I think both our sakes now would be better." Lisa nodded in agreement. Jackson grabbed his keys from his car and lead Lisa inside.
