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Now Jay knows why he never noticed the scar on her cheek. It was because of her constant smiling that hid what she's been going through for the past weeks.
Like what they say, the people who smile the most hide the biggest scars.
Her smile fades and the wrinkles doesn’t blend with her scar anymore. He sees her true form, scarred and broken but she was able to hold on to herself for the past weeks.
He didn’t even know she was hurting. Behind the smile she wore was a tear-stained face. How could he not notice?
“Hey, what’s wrong? I zoned out a bit.” You looked at Jay, not noticing the smile gone on your face. The city lights caught your attention again and the smile on your face returned but it won’t fool him anymore. If anything else, Jay’s observation skills are almost too perfect to be tricked twice. He sees you smiling, but so sadly.
He turns you around to face him and it caught you off guard, staring straight to your eyes like he just caught you red handed.
Shit.
“Uh..what are you..” Then he hugged you, tight. Really tight. It felt like you were being eaten by his whole body though it feels warm, so warm that you could feel his emotions.
“Jay..” You said with a shaky breath and you managed to lightly laugh. He pulled away, wiping the tear that slipped from your eye with his thumb, slowly dragging his finger to the scar on your cheek.
He wants you to explain.
You held his hand, wishing that it was enough of a reassurance to stop him from prying. You don’t need another person dragged in your mess and it’s not his to burden to carry.
“Oh, this? I grazed myself, don’t worry.”
That was bullcrap. He drags you over to the bed so you can have a proper talk. Of course, he won’t have any of your lying ass. How could you graze yourself that badly if he knows you’re the most careful person in the world?
“Okay. I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” You smiled. The scar still hurts you deeply but somehow, having him beside you made it hurt a little less.
“Well..It’s nothing deep. Maybe just a little.” It all started when your mom got into debt after losing in an underground bet. What’s worse is that the money she borrowed was from loan sharks you didn’t even know about until the thugs contacted you.
It all made sense to him now. The scar must’ve been from one of the debt collectors.
“Yeah. It’s the right hand man, I think. I was begging to have half the money paid by next week but when I came back, they said I have to pay with interest.”
The shock on your face when the man took the money from your hands and asked where the 20% of interest was sent the thug laughing. It was all part of their plan.
“When I told him that I don’t know what he’s talking about, he threatened to visit my mom in the hospital and that’s when one of his rings grazed me after he tried to hit my face.” Your cheeks were wet with tears again and they won’t stop. Jay got you though. He’s quick to reassure you that no matter what you’re going through now, you’re not alone. Not anymore.
How could a man hit a woman who doesn’t know anything? Of course you could fight them back. If it weren’t for the thugs threatening you with the situation of your mom, you could’ve aimed at them straight at their throats.
She got admitted to the hospital after losing the bet. It also made her lose in touch with reality and a bit of her memory, saying that she has to go betting again even though it happened the day before she got in the hospital. The fear of loan sharks coming after my mom is still haunting the back of her head.
Even after everything you said, Jay is still confused why you didn’t approach him and it hurt his feelings. But what bothered him the most is, why would you hide it if you know he could protect you. You also know he could easily give you that amount of money.
“I’m sorry, Jay.” You hugged him having bearing enough of the burden. Finally, it felt good to share something that has been hurting you for so long, “I didn’t want to give you any problems so–“
That’s bullshit.
You smiled, “You’re right. What do I do now? I still haven’t paid the half plus the interest on those.”
You didn’t have to tell him that, “Jay?” or to ask him what to do. He already has a plan way before you asked the question. All he did was to kiss you on your forehead, hugging you closer to comfort you.
It’s okay, he’s here.
“Okay.”
That same night you went home, Jay went to get help from some of his friends to settle the debt your mom has. He didn’t have to ask you, that’s what lovers do right? When one has their foot stuck, the other helps without asking.
You must’ve thought you were using him if you asked him for some money because you know Jay is rich. You didn’t want him to think that if your family has financial problems like debt, you’ll treat him as an ATM. All those worries that you had in mind, he didn’t even consider you doing those.
“She’s not coming, Jay?” Vasco asked him. The four of them are enough, Zack, Daniel, Vasco, and him. It’ll all be over before the sun rises and you and your mom will be free of the burden.
(BONUS)
“Holy– Oh shit.” You almost cried your eyes out. Your mom’s debt is paid and she’s doing well in the hospital as Jay said.
“Those guys weren’t playing nice. We handed money and they even wanted more than the interest!” Zack angrily said and Mira was quick to calm him down.
You smiled at Jay happily, not able to contain yourself from hugging him.
That’s the smile he wants to see on your face.
“Thank you guys. I owe you a lot for everything.”
The scar on your face doesn’t hurt that much and it seems to be healing well. Jay touches the scar on your cheek and you let him do so. You weren’t trying to hide it anymore, even in front if others and you learned that you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.
“Lunch on me guys!” You cheered, “Where do you want?”
And you spend the rest of the day with them, with having nothing to worry about anymore.