A half hour later Jane lay on the guest bed, on the fresh sheets Lovejoy had so kindly put on the mattress. The afternoon sun shone through the window and caressed her skin. She was exhausted, but her mind was still racing and she couldn't seem to drift off very easily. There was just too much going on in her head.
In the living room Lovejoy was rummaging about trying to figure out where he had put his car keys when he came in earlier. He had been so preoccupied with Jane that he just threw them down somewhere. Jane… what were the odds? Just that morning he had been trying to forget her, and now here she was…
Lovejoy scanned the living room over again. They had to be around here somewhere… he absentmindedly picked up the two tea cups that still rested on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen. There they were. Right on the counter, next to the fridge. He picked the keys up and pocketed them, and then proceeded to open the fridge door, merely out of habit. Jane was probably going to be hungry when she got up… he looked over the contents of the refrigerator. A half gallon of milk, an unopened jar of pickles and a pitiful plate of week old fish fingers.
Lovejoy issued a dissatisfied grunt and closed the fridge door. Perhaps I'll go find my take-out menus…
Jane had fallen into a fitful sleep. Memories were flooding back to her in her dreams. Once more she was arguing with Robert about wedding invitations.
"All I want to do is set a date, or is that asking too much?" she asked in a strained, frustrated voice,
"Jane dear, I really don't have time right now," replied Robert shortly as he pulled his coat on and began to walk to the door.
"Robert, do you not want to marry me anymore? Is that why you won't set a date?" Jane asked her fiancé's back.
Robert paused, his hand on the doorknob.
"I'm right aren't I?" Jane asked. He turned to face her.
"Jane, don't take this the wrong way. Please-"
"Well how the hell am I supposed to take it?" She shouted, her voice shrill,
"Come here." he said simply.
Reluctantly she took a few steps towards him. Robert quickly closed the space between them and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She allowed it, but would not deepen it. Not until he gave her an explanation.
He pulled back after a moment and cupped her face in his hands.
"Jane," he said, holding her gaze, "I love you, but marriage just isn't my style."
"Then why did you ask me to marry you?" she asked confused,
"Because," he said with a sigh, "I knew that you wouldn't move on in our relationship unless we were engaged. I wanted you living with me, like we were married, but I don't want the full blown deal."
"I wish you had at least told me." Jane said, stepping away, feeling let down,
"Well, I did want to be set up to marry you, if we had to, due to certain circumstances…" Robert replied, his voice trailing off,
That sparked Jane's interest. "Oh?" she asked curiously, "What circumstances?"
"Well," Robert rubbed the back of his neck, "Say, if you were to get pregnant. I would marry you for the kid's sake."
"But not mine?"
The scene changed. Jane was sitting in her range rover, parked outside the theater. She was waiting to pick Robert up from a meeting. After a few minutes he came stumbling out of the building, laughing about something, his arm thrown over the shoulder of a tall, blonde woman.
Jane honked the horn to get his attention. He looked up and waved at her. Jane waved back and smiled halfheartedly at him.
The woman whispered something in Robert's ear, which must have been hysterical because he burst into another fit of laughter. The woman giggled daintily at her own joke and whispered something else in his ear, then gave him a peck on the cheek and walked off.
Robert watched her swaying hips retreat a few paces before he walked to the car. He was still grinning as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Who was that?" Jane asked him nonchalantly,
"Just a friend Jane dear," he replied, "Just a friend…"
The scene changed again, Robert had just come home from work and found her packing her bags.
"Jane, what are you doing?" Robert asked, staring dumbfounded at the various suitcases and travel bags,
"I thought that would be obvious." she answered flatly, folding a shirt to put in one of her many suitcases.
"But what is this about my dear?" he asked, watching her place the shirt carefully in the case,
"I left you a letter." she stated, tears beginning to form in her eyes, she refused to look at him. She didn't want him to see how much pain she was in.
"I know." he said, Jane's head snapped up and she watched as he pulled the cream colored envelope out of his jacket pocket. She stared guiltily at the ripped edge of the envelope.
"Don't leave me Jane." he said, looking straight into her eyes, "I love you too much."
She wasn't about to let him win though.
"You told me yourself last week, you didn't want to marry me." she said, resuming packing.
Robert pondered for a moment, watching her take a dress out of the closet,
"That didn't mean I didn't want you in my life." he said after a moment. Jane didn't respond, but continued to pack. "Damn it Jane!" Robert shouted, throwing his hands in the air, "If it means that much to you I'll marry you."
Jane looked up at his strained face. "That's all I wanted to hear."
The scene changed again. Jane was driving like a madwoman down the highway. She had managed to shake Robert off a few miles back. The sodding bastard. She had rung her cousin on her mobile a short while ago to tell her what happened and her cousin, Emily had generously invited her to stay at her home until everything was "sorted out." Suddenly the mobile rang. Thinking it might be Emily she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Jane, please just listen-" Came Robert's voice, Jane hung up.
Not a minute had passed when it rang again. Jane tried to ignore it. When it had stopped Jane gave a small sigh of relief, only for it to be interrupted by the mobile again. Trying to watch traffic at the same time Jane picked up the mobile and attempted to turn it off. It didn't want to corporate. In a foolish moment of rage Jane decided to simply bang it against the dashboard. Although it made her feel better to let her anger out on something, and it successfully silenced the phone, she now had a rather good sized dent in her dashboard and her mobile was now in two pieces.
Again the scene changed. Jane was sobbing uncontrollably into Lovejoy's shoulder. He rubbed her back and whispered words of comfort to her. She heard a small voice in the back of her head questioning why she every left Lovejoy. Why had she been so foolish? In the dream, Lovejoy kissed her forehead lovingly. She looked up into his sparkling green eyes.
"I love you." he whispered, and then began to lean towards her. She felt his lips brush hers.
Jane's eyes fluttered open as she awoke from the dream. The real Lovejoy was kneeing by her bedside.
"Have a good rest?" he asked cheerfully,
Jane shook herself mentally and smiled up at him,
"Yes… lovely."
