ODAAT: Volume 2, Chapter 10

 

Picture Perfect

Madeline stayed for a while after her pancake dinner. We played a few rounds of poker over a bottle of scotch. She needed to nurse a hang over and I never need an excuse to drink. It's my night off, after all. I figured I would take advantage of it. It's been a few hours since she took off, heading back to her boyfriend. Jared has been telling me about his night, working for Reggie. He's got a beer in his hand, while I'm finishing off the bottle of scotch.

“He wants me to work on occasion.” Jared announces. I nod.

“It's been a while since you worked in the service industry, it's quite a change.” I warn. He nods, pulling at the label of his bottle.

“Yeah, but, I'm helping out a friend, right?” He counters. I nod again.

“This is true. He loves having you around too.” I agree. He laughs.

“He loves having anyone around.” He observes. I laugh.

“Yeah, he's a social butterfly.” I agree, briefly looking at the couch.

“So, I never asked.” I start, pausing for effect. He raises his eyebrow.

“What?” He asks, baiting me to continue my thought. I bite the side of my lip, watching him fidget.

“What brought you to town?” I ask. I don't tell him about the unfinished business Madeline mentioned. I don't tell him that Frankie told me about their phone call. I have a whole new advantage on him. This game is becoming more and more in my favor and I couldn't be happier. I've been the last to know everything since mid-December. It's taken until the middle of March to gain the upper hand. But, it's better late than never as the saying goes. He's quiet, but makes eye contact before answering.

“You.” He replies, sounding nervous but confident. I nod, looking at the space between us on the couch. I don't know if he means that, or if he doesn't want to address Frankie. I can't exactly call him on that. I can't tell him I already know. When I got home from New York, I told him I never got the chance to see Frankie. I said I got held up with my own issues and that he was too busy to make time for me. I don't know if he believed me, since I didn't hesitate accosting his lips the second I got home. But, whether he believed me or not, he never called me on it. Smart. Although, if he had suspicions, we're starting this relationship off on a bad note.

We talked about that too. At lengths. It wasn't recent, but a few weeks back. One of the bands asked when the engagement party was. They thought Jared was the musician I was engaged to. Neither of us bothered to correct the guy, but it sparked a conversation among us. We talked about how different things might have played out. He asked if things would have been different if he had ever asked me to marry him. I assured him it wouldn't make a difference. All he had to do was ask me to stay. Then we talked about taking another chance, seeing if we could get it right. We were finally on the same page and maybe that meant we could move forward. We do what we can to avoid talking about the past. It can't be changed, so there's no point dwelling on it. Crystal was right when she said it's time to move on. It's important for your future to let go of what anchors you to the past. When I left Hunter, I only missed him because it was everything I had known. I didn't miss laying in the same bed, but being in different worlds. I missed my comfort zone. But I let go.

I lean forward, taking the bottle out of his hand. I put it down on the table beside us and move closer. Slowly. Enough to build the anticipation. I lean in, almost nervously. His lips meet mine halfway to their destination. He moves both of his hands to my sides and lifts me onto his lap. I wasn't expecting such a bold movement, but I won't complain either. One of his arms wraps around my back, holding my body tightly to his. The other presses into the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair. He grabs a lock and forces my lips back to his. He shifts his position and I can feel the effect I'm having on him. I moan into his lips and slowly pull back. It doesn't last. He pulls me right back to him and before I know it, we're laying down on the couch. He has me on my back and he's pressing against me. I can't deny I love this pent up side of him. I've never seen him so assertive. It's fucking sexy.

My thoughts are interrupted by the phone vibrating beside me. I only briefly look over as Jared's lips move to my neck. But I recognize the number that's popping up. I softly push him back, much to his displeasure, moving out from underneath him.

“I have to take this.” I apologize. He looks at the gold watch on his wrist. It's a couple hours before midnight, so there's no logical reason to answer the phone. But he nods, running his hand through his hair. The other tugs at his jeans to adjust. They are probably too tight now anyway. I fake a smile, grabbing the phone off the table. I answer it only after I'm out of earshot. The phone call is brief. I hang up quickly and head back into the living room. He's sitting with his elbow against the back of the couch, leaning his head against his palm. The other hand is in his lap, likely to distract from the bulge. I throw my phone down on the table and sit back down beside him.

“That was fast.” He observes, motioning to the phone. I nod.

“Yeah well it was a yes or no thing.” I lie. I lean forward and press my lips back to his. I climb back into his lap and he adjusts underneath me. Both of my arms wrap around his neck and my lips press back into his. This time, he moans and I press my body into his.

“So, I was thinking.” I whisper, moving my lips to his ears. He nods quickly, kissing the words from my mouth.

“One step ahead of you.” He exhales, sliding out from under me. He holds out his hand with a coy smile on his face. I bite the side of my lip as I take his hand. We're halfway down the hallway when I hear the front door open behind us. I let go of Jared's hand abruptly and turn around. Jared hasn't heard the door. The blood isn't going to his ears at the moment. Of course, he's not expecting company either. He turns around when I let go of his hand. I start walking towards the front door, but Jared is frozen in position. I meet Frankie half way to the kitchen and throw my arms around his neck. He kisses me softly, putting a brown paper bag down on the counter.

“I brought dinner.” He announces. I nod, as if to say thank you, then look over to where Jared is. He follows my stare, nodding as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Hi, Jared.” He greets, but Jared remains frozen, Frankie lets his arms drop and walks towards Jared. I watch as they both hesitate, finally standing in front of each other. Jared lightly shakes his head.

“Hi Frankie.” He chokes out. It looks like Frankie is reaching for a hug, but changes his mind last minute. His hand lands on the back of Jared's head and pulls him into a kiss. Jared stumbles back, trying to catch his breath. They both hesitate again. I watch as I pull out the tinfoil containers in the paper bag. Jared doesn't say anything, but his lips find their way back to Frankie's. When he steps back, Frankie pulls Jared into his arms and holds him tightly.

“I've missed you.” I hear Frankie mumble. I smile to myself, trying not to eavesdrop. But, it's not like it's a secret. Frankie already told me how he feels about Jared. But, it's all about the delivery, right? He told me how he planned this moment. It's not going the way he envisioned. But, then again, it never really does.

You can't expect a perfect movie-scene out of any confrontation. Reality isn't perfect, even when you rehearse every single line. Because you can't pause and pick up when you regain your composure. You have to run with your mistakes. You have to improvise. You have to find a way to make an impact.

I look over my shoulder after pulling plates out of the cupboards. The two of them are just standing in the hallway, holding each other close. Neither of them are trying to speak, because the words would fall short. They always do for moments like this.