The Feeling's Mutual (Everett.)

[Jackson Haynes]

The last time Jackson had seen Kiara, he had almost fallen asleep on her. Not on purpose, he had just finished unpacking and she had stayed for hot chocolate and the aching tiredness of the whole thing had finally gotten to him. That being said, he hadn’t seen her in a while, and he was truly starting to miss her. Everything here was a mess, but that didn’t mean he was going to give up.

Jackson was totally unaware of Kiara’s love life, other than he was once a part of it. He would give his left leg to be a part of it again, but he wasn’t going to push her away again. Some things required finesse, and for Jackson that was asking a lot. For him, this would require more time than usual.

After dropping off Gabe at daycare, Jackson went to a local flower shop and spent more than ten minutes inside. The store manager had tried to help him, but there wasn’t a special bouquet for, ‘sorry I left without a trace’. But soon he was back in his Chevelle with a potted plant in the passenger seat on his way to surprise Kiara.

At the very least they could be friends. Without her, Jackson had no reason to stay in Pilot Ridge. As he stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk, he wondered if she had kept Shelby. Plant in hand, Jackson put his shades on and made a beeline for his destination. He was so intent on getting there, smile on his face, that he hardly noticed anyone else purposefully approaching him.

[Everett Lilien]

Everett had parked his black civic, or as he liked to call it, the batmobile. It had a large batman bumper sticker and Everett in no way regretted that decision. He and Kiara were on better terms now, and by that, Everett meant they were actually talking to each other and not everything was an awkward mes that he was fumbling around to clean up.

He was just dropping her off some more fish crackers he came across and some weird piece of clothing...a cardigan or a shawl or something, that she'd left at his apartment. However, upon stepping onto the sidewalk, he took notice of the guy in front of him carrying a rather large plant. He was never the best at recognizing people from the back of their heads, but when he finally figured out who it was, he wouldn't be happy about it. "Dude, what's with the plant?" he asked.

[Jackson Haynes]

Jackson looked around absently to see who was talking to him. Who else would be carrying around a big plant? “Oh, uh, it’s a present.” He smiled a little at the dude talking to him and then carried on his way. Jackson frowned to himself slightly. For some reason the guy looked familiar, but he knew they had never met before. Oh well.

Carrying on his way, Jackson had the feeling that he was being followed, or at least the guy who had asked about the plant was headed in the same direction. He didn’t chance looking back, because that would be really weird if he did. Maybe it just happened to be coincidence that they were headed in the same direction.

[Everett Lilien]

"You're giving someone a giant plant as a present?" Everett asked. Didn't really seem like a present he'd want to receive and he wondered if others actually enjoyed that sort of thing, being given a giant plant to take care of, to basically add another chore to your life. Did this guy know anything about gift giving? Apparently not.

And they were both heading in the same direction, towards the same apartment building. Well, that happened. Eventually they'd both reached the door. The guy with his big potted plant, and Everett with his fish crackers. Both meant for the same person.

[Jackson Haynes]

"Better than flowers, it will hopefully live beyond a week." Flowers were nice, but a plant well cared for could always have a chance to live quite a long time. Besides, it was supposed to flower, little purple ones the shop owner had said. Jackson for the life of him could not remember what the plant was called. Oh well.

Jackson slipped through the door that the blond had inadvertently opened for him. "Thanks," he said, even though it probably hadn't been a purposeful thing. The next awkward thing was that they were going to the same floor. Huh... Jackson mused to himself. Oh well, at least he didn't have to push another button.

[Everett Lilien]

"Yeah, hopefully," Everett mumbled, just loud enough for the other guy to hear. "Whose to say the girl you're giving it to will actually water it?" Not all women were into taking care of plants.

They were both in the same building now and walking towards the elevator and when the guy walked in, he pressed a button. "Same floor," he told the guy, watching as he'd finally lowered the plant from his face as the elevator doors closed. And that was when Everett realized there was something very familiar about that face. And it was that he didn't like it.

He stared straight ahead and took a deep breath. He was here to see his sister. This was Jackson. "When did you get back?" he asked, rather pointedly.

[Jackson Haynes]

Jackson gave a shrug at the question and a polite smile. "I guess that says enough." If Kiara didn't care or like it, the poor plant wasn't going to make it past a day.

Glancing at the other guy, Jackson looked rather stupefied. "Uh, do I know you?" Tilting his shades up and giving the guy a once over, something in Jackson's memory clicked.

"Oh right yeah, we went to high school together. You were a couple grades ahead of me." They had never really been close, but the face looked familiar if older. His probably did too. "Been back a couple months I guess."

The elevator signaled their arrival and Jackson stepped through the opening. "Well it was nice seeing you again man."

[Everett Lilien]

Really, there were so many other things to give a girl. Maybe flowers or a plant just weren't Everett's style. I mean, they both died. How depressing was that?

His initial reaction made Everett sort of annoyed, especially how he asked it, like Everett wasn't good enough to know him. And then his recollection of him wasn't what he'd expected. Yes, they went to high school together and Ev was a few years older than him, but seriously? Was he being a douche by pretending not to know him all that well or did he seriously not remember him? I mean, they hadn't met a lot of times, but Everett had met him once or twice when Kiara introduced him and such. His question was meant to point at the fact that he'd left Kiara, but Jackson didn't take it that way and instead offered a casual response.

When the elevator came to a stop and Jackson stepped out, Everett followed, even as he gave his parting greeting. "Actually, we're going to the same apartment," he said. "At least I believe you're bringing that horrid plant to my sister."

[Jackson Haynes]

It was a pity that people thought Jackson was arrogant or up on some high horse. Really he just didn't have the best people skills or memory. It just went to show that people assumed what they wanted to. Besides, Jackson didn't pay attention to much of anything, he was the epitome of oblivious.

The same apartment?

Jackson stopped in his tracks and looked at Everett. No wonder the blond was so annoyed. "Kiara?" He asked dumbly, his lips pursing together in a tight line. This wasn't a confrontation he wanted to have. He glanced at the plant then back to Everett. "I'll just let her decide what she wants to do with it."

Jackson wasn't sure how Kiara could be related to this dick, their personalities were nothing alike.

[Everett Lilien]

"Yes, Kiara," he confirmed. Did Jackson seriously not remember who he was until now? Did he even know now? "I'm not really so sure you should even give it to her," Everett told him, trying to think of how he was going to back that up when the statement flew out of his mouth seemingly without warning. He couldn't believe this guy was bringing his sister a plant after he'd ditched her.

"I mean, nothing says 'I'm sorry for ditching you like a plant that becomes a chore to take care of everyday.'" He was following him down the hall towards Kiara's apartment, hoping they never got there.

[Jackson Haynes]

Jackson prickled at the response. His eyes narrowed slightly and he just shook his head. Maybe this guy was her brother, but he wasn't her keeper. He didn't really know what was going on, so he didn't really need to say anything about it.

He gave a shrug. "If she doesn't want it, she doesn't have to keep it," Jackson said reasonably. And he would understood if she chose not to. But gifts were Jackson's love language, seeing as words weren't his strong suit.

"It's really up to her to decide," he added, taking longer strides so that once they did arrive at her door, he would be there first.

[Everett Lilien]

"Yeah, well she's already decided," Everett found himself blurting. Jackson was getting way too close to Kiara's apartment and he'd become desperate. So desperate, that he was about to make up something that he wasn't sure if he even agreed with the idea of yet. "She's got a boyfriend. So if you walk up to that door and bring her that...plant, then you're just going to mess things up for her. And why would you want to do that?"

Jackson had always shown Kiara how he felt through gifts and sure Everett wasn't the best at talking, but at least he tried. He didn't shove a plant in a girl's face.

[Jackson Haynes]

"She's already decided."

Something inside Jackson went numb. Perhaps his reptilian heart. It wasn't hard, but a comment like that could make a man in love do something really stupid. His first reaction was to believe Everett, but then came denial. If it was true, wouldn't he have said something about it in the first place? Or was he really that cruel that he wanted to watch Jackson squirm?

Either way, he wasn't planning on shoving the plant into Kiara's face. And he certainly hadn't been planning on shoving it into Everett's face either, but sometimes plans changed and it was worth a shot.

[Everett Lilien]

Jackson said nothing and Everett didn't exactly take back his words. What was he supposed to say? 'I'm just kidding'? He didn't want Jackson to bring Kiara that plant. But then again, this wasn't about what he wanted. It was about what Kiara wanted and did she want him to bring her that plant? Did she want to see him? Everett wasn't sure. Didn't he just apologize to her for a bunch of other things that he'd done? And yet...he wasn't sure if she'd moved on or not, but it seemed plausible. She had been eager to define her and Gabe's relationship as simply platonic...

"So?" he asked, wondering what Jackson would do. "Why don't you like leave it at her door with a note or something? That way...she will know it's from you, but she can also not be put on the spot?" It was a suggestion and not too bad of one.