jasperthetenderhearted‌:
This was why he’d avoided speaking to Gisela’s family for so long. The look on Delilah’s face when she’d said she didn’t have many photos of her sister. How could someone do that to a person they loved, just cut them out of their life so completely when they were right there? Jasper knew that part of it came from being adopted, even if he barely remembered anything of his birth parents. When the Dunbars had told him, things had changed no matter how much he did his best to pretend otherwise.Â
“I have more. Photos, of Sela. If you’d like some?” He could part with a few more, just to see that look on Delilah’s face again. Jas had so many stories and memories of Sela that it seemed selfish not to share them. When people had surplus they spread it around, right? He had a surplus of happiness with Sela. He could spread that around if Delilah needed it.
Sela hadn’t talked about her family much, not her immediate family anyways. Andy hadn’t either and so Jasper hadn’t pushed. It had never really occurred to him that the way he prattled on about Juniper and all their adventures might hurt his friends whose sisters so often felt like foreign nations. What was it they always said about hindsight, it saw in 20/20? “I probably wasn’t always the best friend, either. But I think… I like to think we both mattered to her. She didn’t talk about home very much, but I never asked either. I only really talked about happy things when I could help it.” He shrugged. “No, this is exactly what I came to talk about, really. About Sela. It’s been so long since I have.”
Delilah looked down at the table for a moment. It was so strange to think about a stranger (well a stranger to her, not to Gisela) had so many photos and memories of her sister, when Delilah had been left with none. It wasn’t Jasper’s fault. No, he had done nothing wrong and she didn’t fault him. Really, she was grateful for the fact that he was bringing these pictures to her now. But Delilah couldn’t help but feel angry. Anger at her parents for encouraging her to be cruel to Gisela, anger at herself for following their line of thinking and not having a relationship with her sister. If she knew now what she knew...well there was no point to think about that. Gisela was gone, she couldn’t take it all back.
When he said that he had more, she looked up and offered him a small smile. “I would really like that,” she said softly. She bit down on her lip, a habit that she detested, but she was missing Gisela, and she just couldn’t help it. “If it’s not too much for you.”
“I’m sure that you were a wonderful friend to my sister,” she said kindly. She didn’t think that he should have to downplay his relationship with her sister for her sake. “I’m sure she didn’t talk about us very often. We were awful to her,” she admitted, looking down. “I wish I could take it back, you know? Go back and fix it,” she said. “But obviously...I can’t. I’m glad, though, that when she was with you, you talked about happy things with her. I like to think that she was happy,” she said, looking at Jasper. She looked down and nodded her head. “I’m glad that you came and found me, Jasper. It’s been a long time since I got to talk about her. And to someone who knew her. Can...you tell me about her? What she was like with you?”









