Part 3
New York, Tuesday 11:30 a.m.
"Will over here!" Scout shouted as he waved an arm in the air signaling his location. The restaurant, which was located on the 38th floor of the Empire State Building, was especially crowded today for some unknown reason. Will caught sight of him, strode over, and sat down in front of his old friend.
"Hey man. I'm glad you could meet me."
Scout concurred, "Yeah, well it's just a half hour early. But you sounded kind of…perplexed. I dunno you just sounded strange on the phone. Didn't want to leave you hanging."
"Yeah I am a little strange today. I didn't get a lot of sleep." It was the truth. He had been up nearly all night plagued with troubled thoughts.
"Sorry man. So what's up? Where's the birthday girl?" Scout asked. He was worried. Will had lost sleep plenty of times, yet he had never seen him so unsettled.
"It's just , Hamilton called last night." Scout looked surprised. He looked at Will and nodded for him to go on.
"He's coming back. I mean, I have no idea why that would bother me…considering the fact that he hasn't been here two years. I guess because…well…"
Scout interjected, "Because you think he's coming back…for Jake. To be with Jake."
"Yeah," he said softly. His tone suddenly changed, "Damn! Why is this so hard? Wasn't I the one who decided that I wasn't going to tell her how I felt? To save our friendship?"
"But, Will you didn't think you had a chance. So you did what was best for you."
Will was angry now. "Look what that got me. Nothing! Scout, you know how long I've loved Jake. I've betrayed my heart for so long—even when there were chances to make a go for it." He looked away, his eyes watering. "I never told her because I always though they'd end up together. There was always that 'meant-for-each-other' vibe. When he left, I didn't think he'd be gone this long. I thought that they would've worked things out. But they didn't. So here we are…exactly where we started. Me in love with Jake."
Scout just looked at him. He could understand what Will was feeling. He knew what it was like to bottle up your feelings and pretend not to have them. That's how it had been with Bella, even after they learned they weren't related. By the time they figured it out, too much time had passed and Bella didn't feel the same as she did before. She didn't love him the way he loved her. He went to Princeton and wrote to her once in awhile, but he hadn't seen her since he was eighteen years old.
"Will," Scout began, "Just because Ham's coming back doesn't mean that you have to give up hope. How do you know Jake will even take him back? It's been two years."
He shot him a pained looked. "No Scout. She still loves him. I thought, maybe she was over him. But after the way she acted last night…there's no way. Believe me."
"Look, I know you think that. But how do you know for sure? Sure, she still cares about him, but love him? After what he put her though? I don't know man."
"That's just it, Scout. If you really love someone, you can overcome anything. Fights, distance, years apart, broken hearts—it doesn't matter. If you're meant to be with someone, if your love is true, sincere, and real…in the end you'll be together."
A waitress came up to the table and asked to take their order, but Scout and Will did not notice. She snickered at them and walked away.
"She came to my room, obviously upset, shaken up…got into my bed and was just bawling. I couldn't stand seeing her that way. I held her…I wanted to make her stop…I wanted to tell her that she didn't deserve this…that he wasn't worth it…that I loved her and that I would anything to erase the hurt inside of her. But, I didn't. I just lay there, holding her in my arms, giving her a friend to cry to. Her good, reliable, understanding friend Will as I always have been. And probably always will be."
The look in his eyes was one of despair and frustration. For years, Will had loved Jake. Though he denied his feelings at first, soon they were hard to ignore. They were seniors at Rawley when Will finally acknowledged how he felt. For months, he told no one. He thought that maybe it was just some sort of phase—one of confusion or loneliness—that was causing him to feel this way about one of his best friends. Will had always been the person Jake turned to when there was a problem—mostly with Hamilton. While Bella and her were close, it was Will she went to give her advice or comfort. They had some kind of special connection. It was as if he always knew what to do or say to make her feel better or give her the strength and patience she needed to deal with Hamilton. All the while, he kept quiet about how he felt. Never letting on that he thought of Jake as more than just a friend. He knew that he couldn't have her—after all, she and Hamilton were inseparable. So, he settled for the next best thing…being her best friend.
Lost in his thoughts, Will completely forgot that Scout was sitting right in front of him. "Will! Hey Will!" snapping his fingers in front of his face.
"Oh sorry man. I was just thinking about…"
"Her."
"Pretty much."
"You know, there is only one thing left to do."
"What's that?"
"You know exactly what. You have to tell Jake…"
They were so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't even noticed that Jake had arrived. She stood at the table and asked "Tell Jake what?"
Will and Scout just stared at each other. "Hello? What's up guys? You're freaking me out!"
"Nothing," Scout interjected. "Just that you…you look absolutely gorgeous!"
"Riiiiggghhtt. Good one." Will thought to himself.
Jake was unconvinced, but let it go. "All right. I'll take a compliment when I can get one." She sat down in between them, noting the awkwardness in the air.
"Is something wrong?" directing her inquiry to Scout.
"Uhh…no. It's just that I uhh…didn't give you your birthday hug yet. Happy Birthday!" as he leaned forward and drew her closer to him.
A laughing Jake returned the gesture by moving in. "Thanks Calhoun."