point.
Jake parked in the gravel drive, an enormous grin plastered to his handsome face. It was so large and so genuine I couldn’t help but smile, too. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks.”
I felt like I knew him better now that he’d given me free reign to quiz him, but it didn’t do anything to dispel the frantic nervous fear racing through my veins. It just confused me more. This new and improved Jake was amazing. He was sweet and cocky and confident. He seemed like the world was at his feet.
He seemed safe and inviting, a man I could trust and allow to see all the screwed up parts of me without judgment. But I felt that way about the old Jake and look what he had done to me.
The difference, I realized, was the man himself. The new Jake was, at his core, seemingly unflappable. That unwavering strength was the difference. If Jake really had become strong from the inside out, then he was really and truly someone I could learn to trust again.
But I wasn’t convinced. And that was the problem. I didn’t know what it would take to convince me or even if I could be convinced. That level of trust may be a one-time thing, once it’s gone it can never be recovered.
Jennie and Andrew pulled up behind us and if it was possible, they looked even more in love than they did last night. They were falling hard and fast, there were no two ways about that.
I felt a pang of jealousy watching them. They were falling in love so effortlessly. There wasn’t a dreadful childhood to overcome or the pain of betrayal to work through.
They were simply two people falling in love. What would Jake and I look like if we had only just met? Would we be falling in love just as effortlessly? Would I be able to simply love him for the man he was now and not the man who left me?
His lips were at my ear, “Don’t.”
I looked up at him with surprise. He couldn’t possibly know what I was thinking, and yet when I looked up at him and saw the depth of regret in his eyes, I knew that he was feeling the same longing I was. “Don’t what?”
His eyes bored into me, “Don’t wonder. We aren’t them and we never will be. It won’t make it hurt any less.”
He turned and followed the path down to the guesthouses leaving me behind with my thoughts.
Regret, I realized, was a powerful thing.
Rum drinks and beer were out and being consumed in record time, as were the appetizer plates we found in the outdoor fridge. Once the sound system came on and the next car arrived, the party really took off.
There was the expected excitement as Jake caught up with everyone. He was the center of everything and I was glad. It gave me a chance to hide on the edges.
It also gave me an opportunity to observe.
I was a truly excellent eavesdropper. I’d used my powers to gather all kinds of useful information over the years.
I couldn’t help myself; there was just so much I needed to learn about this man.
He was sitting around the empty fire pit laughing with Sylvia and Ricardo, drinks in their hands, relaxing. All three of them looked different. We were at that age… life was stressful. Jobs were demanding more and more and I knew from some quiet, intimate conversations with Sylvia that the struggle to have children was straining her relationship with Ricardo. Even the happiest couples had troubles.
It was really nice to see them all smiling.
“What the hell have you been doing for ten years, man?” Ricardo asked.
Jake shook his head and took a long drag of his drink. The muscles in his arm tensed and his jaw locked in place. He didn’t like having to constantly answer that question.
“Learning.”
“I’ve heard. You are making quite the splash in town.”
Jake cocked his head, “Really?”
“Really. Apparently, you’re a badass. Everyone’s talking.” He leaned and hunched his shoulders together and made his voice three octaves higher so that he sounded like a silly girl, “He’s hot and rich and fantastic!”
“Now here I thought
Jake parked in the gravel drive, an enormous grin plastered to his handsome face. It was so large and so genuine I couldn’t help but smile, too. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks.”
I felt like I knew him better now that he’d given me free reign to quiz him, but it didn’t do anything to dispel the frantic nervous fear racing through my veins. It just confused me more. This new and improved Jake was amazing. He was sweet and cocky and confident. He seemed like the world was at his feet.
He seemed safe and inviting, a man I could trust and allow to see all the screwed up parts of me without judgment. But I felt that way about the old Jake and look what he had done to me.
The difference, I realized, was the man himself. The new Jake was, at his core, seemingly unflappable. That unwavering strength was the difference. If Jake really had become strong from the inside out, then he was really and truly someone I could learn to trust again.
But I wasn’t convinced. And that was the problem. I didn’t know what it would take to convince me or even if I could be convinced. That level of trust may be a one-time thing, once it’s gone it can never be recovered.
Jennie and Andrew pulled up behind us and if it was possible, they looked even more in love than they did last night. They were falling hard and fast, there were no two ways about that.
I felt a pang of jealousy watching them. They were falling in love so effortlessly. There wasn’t a dreadful childhood to overcome or the pain of betrayal to work through.
They were simply two people falling in love. What would Jake and I look like if we had only just met? Would we be falling in love just as effortlessly? Would I be able to simply love him for the man he was now and not the man who left me?
His lips were at my ear, “Don’t.”
I looked up at him with surprise. He couldn’t possibly know what I was thinking, and yet when I looked up at him and saw the depth of regret in his eyes, I knew that he was feeling the same longing I was. “Don’t what?”
His eyes bored into me, “Don’t wonder. We aren’t them and we never will be. It won’t make it hurt any less.”
He turned and followed the path down to the guesthouses leaving me behind with my thoughts.
Regret, I realized, was a powerful thing.
Rum drinks and beer were out and being consumed in record time, as were the appetizer plates we found in the outdoor fridge. Once the sound system came on and the next car arrived, the party really took off.
There was the expected excitement as Jake caught up with everyone. He was the center of everything and I was glad. It gave me a chance to hide on the edges.
It also gave me an opportunity to observe.
I was a truly excellent eavesdropper. I’d used my powers to gather all kinds of useful information over the years.
I couldn’t help myself; there was just so much I needed to learn about this man.
He was sitting around the empty fire pit laughing with Sylvia and Ricardo, drinks in their hands, relaxing. All three of them looked different. We were at that age… life was stressful. Jobs were demanding more and more and I knew from some quiet, intimate conversations with Sylvia that the struggle to have children was straining her relationship with Ricardo. Even the happiest couples had troubles.
It was really nice to see them all smiling.
“What the hell have you been doing for ten years, man?” Ricardo asked.
Jake shook his head and took a long drag of his drink. The muscles in his arm tensed and his jaw locked in place. He didn’t like having to constantly answer that question.
“Learning.”
“I’ve heard. You are making quite the splash in town.”
Jake cocked his head, “Really?”
“Really. Apparently, you’re a badass. Everyone’s talking.” He leaned and hunched his shoulders together and made his voice three octaves higher so that he sounded like a silly girl, “He’s hot and rich and fantastic!”
“Now here I thought
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