Mourning and Acceptance

The cabin was silent when they returned, the weight of their discovery pressing down on them like a thick fog. No one spoke as they drifted off to their rooms, lost in their own thoughts. Jess barely registered the others murmuring their goodnights. Her feet carried her numbly into her room, her body moving on autopilot

She shut the door and slid down against it, curling up in the dark corner of the room. The moment she was alone, the tears came, silent at first, then in heaving sobs. It felt like she was mourning a lost relative—except that relative was herself. Jason was truly gone. Maybe he had been gone for a long time, but now there was no doubt.

She didn’t blame Leanna. Not really. She knew this might be the outcome. She had prepared herself for it, hadn't she? Then why did it hurt so much?

A soft knock came at the door, then it creaked open. Leanna stepped in hesitantly. "Jess?"

Jess didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She just kept staring at the floor, her breath shaky, her shoulders trembling. Leanna crossed the room without another word, sinking to the floor beside her. She didn’t try to fill the silence with empty words of comfort. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Jess and held her close.

At first, Jess stiffened, but then she melted into Leanna’s embrace, burying her face against her shoulder. The tears kept coming, but this time they weren’t as lonely. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, the weight of reality settling between them.

Jess's thoughts drifted to Ryan. What did this mean for her future? Would he still love her if she told him the truth? Did she even want to tell him? Or was it better to let Jason rest and fully become the person she was now?

Her sobs eventually quieted. Exhaustion crept in, dulling the sharp edges of her thoughts. Leanna tightened her hold on her, a silent promise that she wasn’t alone in this. Jess sighed, eyes fluttering shut. Sleep pulled at her, and she let it take her, still wrapped in Leanna’s warmth.

By the time morning came, they were still curled up together, Jess’s head resting on Leanna’s shoulder, their hands loosely entwined.