Better Off As Lovers

Jaxin Kelly saved my life.

I haven't told anyone this, not even him. Nobody knew where I had gone that morning. I doubt if anyone had even noticed I was gone. There was a reason I took a walk over the New Jersey bridge at six seventeen on Saturday July 18th, 2009. 

It was already too late to make headlines of the morning paper but not too late to make the eight o'clock news. Nobody had jumped for months, which was a record for this bridge. 

A record I was ready to break. 

The morning air was chilly and I could see every shaky breath that passed my lips. The bridge was empty aside from the occasional jogger that paid no attention to their surroundings. I figured that that would be the least conspicuous time of day.

I trekked to the highest part of the bridge and looked over the ledge. It was a hell of a jump but I guess that's why people did it. I guess that's why I was going to do it.

I backed away and closed my eyes for a second, breathing in the salty air and allowed the freezing wind to wrap around me. This was it.

Opening my eyes, I noticed something, er.....someone, in my peripheral. He was sitting cross legged, back against the wall of the bridge, nose buried in a book. The wind was blowing his dark hair around his face and I couldn't deny that he was gorgeous. But where did he come from? He wasn't there a second ago, was he?

Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds and I look up, startled. I hadn't realized that it had risen. It had to be later than I realized. 

I had to get away from this stranger so I could do it. I didn't want to traumatize him. No, that would be counterproductive. I picked up my pace and started to walk past him. He looked up from his book and gave me a small smile.

A smile that reached his eyes. Those eyes saved my life. My pace quickly slowed and I stopped. I don't know why but it just didn't seem right anymore. I turned and stood directly in front of the stranger. 

"Can I....would it be alright if I just sat with you?" I asked, hands shoved deep within the pockets of my windbreaker. 

He smiled again and I realized that I made the right decision. "That'd be great." 

I lowered myself onto the pavement, careful not to knock over his bottle of Lipton's, and noticed the book in his hands. "The Garden, huh?"

"Yeah, it was my brother's favorite." He said somberly.

"Was?" I asked.

"He....jumped a year ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know." 

"How would you?" The stranger smiled. "I'm Jaxin, by the way. Jaxin Kelly."

"Giani Giordano." I replied, holding out my hand for him to shake. 

"So, what're you doing out here all alone?" Jaxin asked.

"Just....clearing my head. Figuring stuff out." I lied. "You?"

"Reading to my brother. Or with him. Either-Or." Jaxin lifted the bottle of tea to his lips and took a long sip. "He used to love it when I read to him." He stayed quiet for a while before turning to me suddenly. "Do you wanna go get breakfast with me?"

"Uh....I don't-"

"It's the least you could do after interrupting my reading." He grinned wickedly. 

I smiled back and agreed, following him off the bridge and into a cafe that was close by. We started talking about everything and nothing and by the end of that hour I'd made a new lifelong friend. Maybe even more than that. 

As we walked out of the cafe, everything was golden in the sky and Jaxin's eyes lit up beautifully. I could already tell that we were as different as the moon and the sun but I didn't care. 

I was in love with this amazing man whose eyes saved my life. I was barely hanging on but his eyes gave me the hope I needed.

Jaxin Kelly saved my life.

Now I just wish he'd let me save his.