One
Nick Stevens stood in his office overlooking a small playground where his two girls played. His wife Olivia sat on a bench with a content smile on her face as the girls chased each other around.
The sight should bring him happiness and in a way it did but the connection he had with his wife had been dwindling. He was working a lot and spending less and less time with her.
It was something he was meaning to change and show her that he still loved her. He did and he always had. In high school he was head over heels in love with her, but her heart belonged to his best friend Jason.
All through high school he pined over her even though he knew that she belonged to Jay. When they all graduated they had to make life choices and Jay chose to go to college out of town.
Texas had been their home for their entire lives but Jay wanted out and so he went to school in Chicago and left everything behind, including Olivia.
Olivia had fallen into a dark depression after he went away and had many dark nights. It was Nick who was there for her and eventually they began to care for one another.
Nick stood there staring out the window thinking about how they'd fallen in love and how lucky he was to have her in his life. She and his two girls were their whole world and his work was starting to get in the way.
Nick was a lawyer for Hamilton and Dunn firm where he took fraud cases. This took a lot of his time and had little time to spend with his family.
As he stood there thinking about his schedule for the remainder of the week a knock caused him to turn around.
"Hey Nick, I need a minute." His boss Stanley Stewart walked in with a crisp suit and stiff stance. He was a touch intimidating but Nick had known him for years so the novelty seemed to wear off.
"Yeah, Stan What's up?" Stanley sat down and crossed his foot to his knee. "It seems that cases are starting to pick up and we need another lawyer to pick up the slack."
Nick sat and let out a breath, "I sure could use the help. Who did you have in mind?" An apprehensive expression plagued Stan's face and he wasn't sure how to present the news.
"Well it's someone from your past, I'm sure you'd work well together." Nick seemed confused and wasn't exactly sure who he'd be talking about.
"Alright, who?" Stan sat up straight and adjusted his coat looking out the window, "Jason Harper will be the new lawyer working at the firm."
Nick's face lit up with delight as it was his best friend, but there was also a tinge of disappointment. "Great. So when does he start?"
Stan stood up and said, "He'll be here tomorrow. The office across the hall will be his and he'll need your help getting acclimated."
Nick nodded, "Sounds great. Thanks Stan." Stan walked out of his office and for the first time in the moments he found out about his friend coming to town, he frowned.
Although he'd kept in contact with his friend he glanced out the window at Olivia. It had been years since she and Jay had spoken.
He had to hope that him coming to town would be a positive thing and that they could hang out like old times. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his wife.
Olivia sat on the bench watching her girls playing on the playground outside of Nick's office. They were running and giggling as they all waited for Nick to join them for his break.
It seemed in the last few months that this was the only time they got together as a family during the day. The girls were on holiday from school so it was the perfect time before school starts to spend the afternoon with their father.
Nick walked to the bench and sat next to her pecking her cheek, "Hey, how were they today?"
"Fine, it seems the more we get ready for school the more content they are." Nick smiled to himself. "They are growing up so fast."
"They do that," a content smile spread across her face as he slipped his hand in hers. It was a simple gesture but one that she appreciated. Intimacy was something that they'd been lacking in the last few months.
Olivia glanced at his face to see him watching over the girls with a goofy grin on his face. It made her happy that he loved his children so much.
The last few months his job had dragged him away and had occupied most of his time. At night he'd come home and shower before sleeping.
The only moments they'd get were on this little park bench and Olivia tried to be okay with it. Intimacy was what she craved from her husband but the occasional sex she got wasn't enough for her.
Sex was nothing compared to the loving man that her husband used to be. Craving his attention and his love was all she wanted but she had to be content with the small gestures she'd get.
As she became comfortable in their moment he turned to her with a serious expression, "I have to tell you something."
Her eyes darted to the kids first and then to his, "What is it?" Nick took a deep breath and removed his hand from hers to rest it around her shoulders.
It was a gesture he didn't do often so she knew this had to be serious. "We have another lawyer coming to work for us tomorrow. I didn't even know he was in town until today."
Olivia tried to wrack her brain but nothing came to mind so she shrugged, "Who?" He turned his head and avoided her eyes when he said, "Jason."
He didn't see her expression but he felt her tense up under his arm so he glanced at her face. He was surprised to see that it didn't change, in fact her face seemed as content as she'd been before.
"Oh, so he's working with you?" Nick nodded, "I guess so. Last time I talked to him he didn't mention anything. I didn't know until Stan told me."
Her demeanor didn't change but her head and heart were screaming at the fact. The last time she'd seen Jason her heart broke.
"I guess it'll be good for the firm right? You keep saying that you need help." Nick looked at her and met her gaze, "You're not upset about this?"
A shrug escaped her and she stated, "Why would I be?" Nick took his arm from her and rested it in his lap not touching her.
"I mean there is history there, I don't want it to make you uncomfortable." Without giving away how she was truly feeling she replied, "Nick, that was 15 years ago. A lot has changed and we are not the same people."
Smiling he put his arm around her but rested it on the bench, "I just wanted to let you know." She placed a small kiss on his cheek, "Thanks for looking out for me."
Resting her head on his shoulder, her face was out of sight and her eyes drifted down to her hands. Her fingers were white as she pressed them firmly together.
Although her words convinced him that the news had no impact, it was a lie. In all the years she'd been apart from Jason, she was still heartbroken. A wound that was still open and she wasn't sure if it would close.
Olivia and Jason were an item in high school and seemed to be perfect for one another. They complimented each other well and it seemed they'd be together forever.
Life is never that simple because when graduation came, Jay wanted out of this small town. He didn't want to get trapped and he struggled with his decision.
Olivia thought about the last time she and Jay were together and he broke the news that he'd be leaving. He'd told her that he was going to college in Chicago. That he would keep in touch and that things wouldn't change.
After a few months of phone calls and letters, he stopped communicating with her and it saddened her. Her heart was broken and the last letter she received was him telling her that they were better off apart.
The last form of communication she received was a letter, so detached and impersonal. Anger, betrayal and hurt filled her for months after the letter.
It was something she never thought would happen and when it did it shattered her completely. It took Nick nearly two years to drag her out of a depression and she finally opened her heart to him.
As she sat on the park bench with her head on her husband's shoulder she couldn't help but let a few tears slip down her cheeks. Wiping them away she decided that it was in the past and that's where it would stay.
Fifteen years was a long time and her life was much different than it was before. Now she had a husband and children and responsibilities. For now, she tucked away her feelings and enjoyed the time with her family.
Jason Harper sat on the couch in his living room anxious for what was to come in the next few days. It had been years since he'd seen his best friend Nick. They'd talked often over the years quiet often, but hadn't seen one another since he'd left for college.
Jay had been in town for a few days but didn't have the guts to reach out and tell his friend. Mostly because he was busy moving and getting settled, but also because he was avoiding someone. Olivia.
Guilt was something he'd felt when thinking about her because he'd left her behind. He'd chosen to leave town because he didn't want to get trapped there. The irony of him moving back had him feeling horrible.
He was currently married to Rita who was in their bedroom avoiding him as per usual. The relationship between them had been rocky to say the least.
Moving here was supposed to give them a fresh start but neither was sure they really wanted it. They had only been married for 6 years but Jay had been unfaithful to her recently. Rita had enough resentment filling her.
Not to mention that Jay had never told his friend that he was married until a year ago, that made Rita feel insignificant and angry.
Rita was a sweet girl who worked for realtor company in Chicago. When they met Jay was a lawyer for the company and they hit it off. They dated a year before getting married.
Jay took a breath and picked up his phone dialing his friends number until he heard a voice, "Hello?"
"Hey man, did you hear the news?" Nick bit the inside of his cheek, "I did, but I'm surprised Stan was the one who had to tell me. Why didn't you just tell me you were moving back?"
Jay rubbed the back of his neck, "To be honest it was a last minute decision and I wanted to tell you first but I guess he beat me to it. You're not disappointed are you?"
Nick sighed, "Of course not. In fact, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner at my place tomorrow after work."
Jay's stomach tightened at the thought of being in their house but he missed his friend so he said, "Sure, you can finally meet Rita."
Nick smiled, "Ah the wife you've been keeping from us. Sounds good man. I'll see you in the morning."
Jay replied, "I'll see ya." After hanging up he felt a bit nervous but he knew it was what he wanted. Friends. He stood and walked into the bedroom seeing Rita writing on a notepad.
"Hey." She looked up and smiled politely, "Hey, was that Nick?" Jay chuckled, "Yeah it was, they invited us for dinner tomorrow, is that alright?"
Rita shrugged, "Yeah. I'm sure you'd like to see him and I can finally meet him. I'll be ready when you come home. Oh and I got that job offer."
"That realtor job? That's great. What did you say?" Rita sighed, "I said yes, but it's two hours away." His face dropped a little, "Oh. Well I mean it's a good job. I think you should do what you think is best."
Nodding she kept writing avoiding the look on his face. He walked out of the room and leaned against the hall door.
He put his hands to his face rubbing out the stress that lingered in his features, it was happening. They were falling apart and he didn't know if he wanted to stop it.
Rita sat at the desk and glanced in the hallway to see him standing there. She loved Jay but things between them had been rocky after the first few years. At first they were madly in love, but things changed recently when Jay cheated on her.
Rita was well aware that Jason had issues with commitment and he stated it when they first met. It didn't occur to her when he promised to make a life with her, that it would apply to her.
It was only a year or so ago that things started to feel different between them. Jay was working late hours and it didn't add up.
Rita had finally got the courage to ask what was going on and he admitted to having an affair with another lawyer in his firm.
It took some time for her to get over it and she truly wasn't but he ended the affair. Jay was always looking for something in her that he couldn't find. It drove her crazy that she wasn't enough for him.
It made her question his feelings for her but they'd talked and he promised that things would be better. They decided to move to Texas and start over, but the space between them was only growing.
Rita had two job offers and one was in town and the other was two hours away. She decided that she needed space so she took the out of town offer.
Space was what she needed to feel independent and the feeling was making her feel more herself than before. The separation was starting to be a comfort to her and she didn't worry about her marriage.
It was falling apart and she was accepting it more and more. Jay was searching for a feeling that Rita couldn't fill. What it was, she didn't know.
All she knew was that she needed to establish her own routine and at the moment it didn't exactly include Jay. The love she had for him was changed and tainted by his actions.
The more she spent with him the more betrayed and distant she felt with him. Mostly she wanted to get away from his touch. They didn't stray from sex but the way he touched her was different.
It made her insides crawl the way he'd touch her sometimes. It wasn't how it used to be and she knew that he thought of someone else in her embrace.
A new job would be the perfect excuse to get away and to figure out what she wanted in life. Was it with Jay? That she was unsure of.
Later that night Nick and Olivia were in the kitchen making dinner together for their girls. "I invited Jay for dinner tomorrow."
Olivia's face didn't change but she felt her chest tighten, "Okay." He noticed she was engrossed in her task and didn't seem to be bothered by it.
"He's bringing his wife, Rita." That had her looking up surprised, "He's married? Since when?"
Nick sighed, "Six years. I just found out recently, but we never talk about it so I didn't think to bring it up."
Olivia shrugged and threw the diced tomatoes in the bowl, "What should I make?" Nick thought for a moment, "I'm sure you'll come up with something." He leaned over and pecked her cheek.
Nick walked into the living room where the girls were watching a movie and stated, "Alright, dinner is almost ready." Shelly was 12 and Bailey was 8.
"Why don't you take your sister upstairs and wash up?" Shelly took her sister's hand and walked her up the stairs. A smile plastered on his face at the sight of his family. They were so close and he enjoyed watching them grow.
Nick was family oriented and it was something he shared with Olivia, what seemed to bond them together.
He turned back to the kitchen and walked up behind Olivia and rested his hands on her hips, kissing her cheek, "I love you."
Olivia is surprised by the gesture and turns to face him, she reached up and wraps him in her arms and kisses him more enthusiastically.
Shelly and Bailey walk into the kitchen a few minutes later and both turn up their noses, "Gross." Nick pulls away and they drop their hands from each other.
Olivia chuckles, "Set the table please." The girls grab the place mats and utensils and walk into the dining room and she turns to Nick. "I love you, too."
As Nick goes to help the girls she smiles to herself and finishes tossing the salad. Her family was after all, the most important thing to her.