A/N: Well here is another chapter:) Sorry if there was any delay. Please, Please don't forget to REVIEW!!
Disclaim: We don't owe what disney ect...own. If we did, there would be a kick butt, second season:) And we are not making any money. But we can dream, can't we. lol.
Binding Friendships
Val sat on her bed, looking through her photo album. She didn't know why, but she felt like looking through it.
She flipped through the pages, one by one and looked at the pictures. Most of them were of her family and friends. There were a lot of good memories. She stopped and looked at a picture of all six friends standing together, smiling.
She remembered that. It was their high school graduation. They all had their caps and gown and diplomas. Tyler had his arm around Val's waist. Jamie had his arm around Caitie's waist and Hank had his arm around Jasmine's waist. All of them were so happy that day.
Val looked at Jamie's picture. At first, she never expected to be friends with him. They worked together when they were teenagers but as time went on, their friendship emerged and grew. Val smiled as she remembered. Jamie was always the rebel. His black hair had always been worn spiked; even throughout college. But now he was a lawyer and had a professional image to maintain.
Val never envisioned Jamie as a lawyer. She was surprised when he decided to go to law school. A part of her felt it was because he wanted to get away from her. But somehow, they still kept their friendship together even after they had slept together their senior year of college.
Caitie and Tyler never found out about that. Val told Tyler that she had slept with some guy and her judgment was impaired because she was drunk. He eventually forgave her. And Val was scared shitless when she realized she might have been pregnant. She took a pregnancy test and when it was negative, she felt relived.
As Val thought back upon that, a part of her wished that she had been pregnant. She knew that would have altered where she was now in life. She and Jamie would have had to actually accept what had happened between them instead of pretending nothing had happened.
Val thought about that night a great deal lately. More, since she got engaged to Tyler two weeks ago. She wondered if she was making the right choice by marrying him. She loved him, she told herself over and over again. But she couldn't help questioning if he was indeed " the one". Ever since her engagement, she also found herself thinking more and more about Jamie. She hated doing that. She wasn't supposed to think about Jamie all the time. He was Caitie's fiancé, and she was engaged to Tyler. Val mentally scolded herself for thinking about Jamie like that.
Val heard her doorbell ring and she walked out of her room to answer the door. When she did, she found Caitie standing there, trying to hold in tears.
" What happened?" Val asked in a concerned tone. Caitie was silent. " Why don't you come inside and we'll talk about it," Val suggested. Caitie nodded and walked inside the apartment. They both walked over to the couch and sat down. Val got Caitie a few tissues and waited until she was ready to tell her what happened.
" We're not getting married," Caitie said sadly.
" What?"
" Jamie and me…we broke up."
" Why?" Val asked in shock. Caitie and Jamie had been together since Val could remember.
" We had a fight."
" Couples fight, Caitie. You guys have fought before."
" But this one was different."
" How?"
" He wasn't angry or anything. He just said that maybe…we shouldn't be together."
" Did he say why?"
Caitie shook her head no and more tears spilled down her face, " B-But I know why. He's cheating on me."
" Caitie, you don't know that."
" Yeah, I do. He's been so fucking distant since a long time now. He isolates me and doesn't include me in what's bothering him. I know he's seeing someone else."
" Caitie, you know that's not true."
" Now you're defending him."
" I'm not defending him, Caitie. I'm just trying to think rationally."
Both were silent for a few moments.
" I guess it's better this way…I-I was getting doubts about marrying him anyway. At a time we were in love…now we're just like friends living together."
" Caitie…"
" He's just trying to spare my feelings by being with me. He doesn't want to hurt me but I-I know he's not in love with me, Val. I can see it in his eyes."
" He loves you, you know he does."
" But he's not in love with me anymore, Val. I know that for a fact."
" I think you're just nervous. I think both of you are. I mean, I question if Tyler's ' the one' a lot. More so lately."
" But are we supposed to do that? Shouldn't you have no doubts about marrying him?"
" I don't know. No relationship is perfect. I mean we all have our doubts but in the end it all works out if it's meant to be."
" Then how do you know if it's meant to be? I mean for thirteen years, I've been with Jamie on and off. We've broken up and gotten back together."
" The point is you've made it through a lot of obstacles, Caitie."
" That's an understatement. I mean I've forgiven him for a lot of shit. Even cheating!"
Val slightly cringed when hearing that, knowing that she was the cause of that.
" But he always tells me that he regrets that stupid mistake more than anything."
Val didn't know what she felt when she heard those words. But she knew that hurt was an emotion she felt. But then again, why should she? They both had agreed that it was a big mistake that jeopardized their relationships with almost everybody close to them.
" Caitie, I know what he did was wrong but maybe you should let that go. I mean, it happened years ago. I know what Jamie feels like. One night I got drunk and slept with some guy. It took Tyler a while to forgive me but he knew I regretted it more than anything."
" He never forgot about it though."
" What?"
" Val, it still hurts him. I know it does. Even though it's been like seven years since it happened, you still betrayed him like Jamie betrayed me."
" But why can't you move on? Tyler hasn't even mentioned it; not even when we're fighting."
" Because Tyler trusts you. He knows you'll never cheat on him again. But I don't trust Jamie and that's why we can't be together."
" Caitie, he hasn't cheated on you lately. In seven years, he hasn't. And now you're getting married. It's called cold feet. You both are nervous and hell just like everybody who gets married are."
" But I don't want to be nervous. I want to be sure about this. Maybe we're not meant to get married. Maybe we don't belong together. I don't know…I just always thought that when I get married it would be because I'm positive it's the right choice. I always envisioned myself getting married to Jamie. But I don't know if he's the one. What does it matter now anyway? It's over."
Val hated seeing her best friend like this. She hated this. She put aside her mixed emotions for Jamie and told Caitie, " No it's not. Here, tell you what, I'll talk to him. Or I'll have Tyler talk to him. Which ever you want."
" C-Could you talk to him? Cuz Tyler wouldn't tell me everything he said. And I need to know, no matter what, Val. If he's cheating swear to me that you'll tell me."
" I swear, Caitie."
**************************************************************************************
Jamie heard a knock on his office door, " Come in."
Val walked in carrying some files. " Here are the McGregor files you asked for.
" Thanks, set them on the desk," Jamie said, not looking up.
Val sat them down and headed for the door. She hesitated as he hand was on the doorknob. She turned back around to face Jamie. " Jamie?"
" Yeah?" He asked, still not looking up.
" Can I talk to you about something?"
" I'm kinda busy right now," Jamie replied, shuffling through papers. " I gotta prepare for the Carlson case and the McGregor case."
" The Carlson case is next Monday and the McGregor case in next Wednesday. I think you can find five minutes to talk to me, Jamie."
Jamie sighed in defeat and said, " What do you want to talk about?"
Val sat in the chair across from him.
" I want to know why you broke up with Caitie."
" And I want to know how that's any of your business."
" You have to answer my question first."
" Why?"
" Because I asked first."
" And I asked second. Big deal."
" Jamie, just…please, talk to me. If you're not gonna talk then just listen. I don't get why you'd throw away your relationship with Caitie just because you're nervous about the wedding."
" I'm not nervous."
" Then what is it?"
" You would get it."
" Try me."
" Val, trust me, you wouldn't."
" Are you cheating on Caitie?" Val asked bluntly.
" No, I wouldn't do that again. I already made that mistake once."
" But then why did you break up with her? Jamie, you both are so perfect for each other."
" Yeah, that's the problem."
" What?"
" Val, for practically all our lives, everyone has said you belong with Tyler and I belong with Caitie. Don't you ever think that it's too perfect? We're too alike."
" You're not like Caitie. You're different, Jamie. I can see it."
" Yeah, well you're the only one that can. Just like I know that deep down, you aren't always SuperVal."
Val smiled. " There were times when I thought I could do everything but then you put me in my place and told me that it's alright to have help. I remember all those times in college. You were always there for me."
" And you were there for me. Especially when my mom died. I really need support then. The others tried to be there but it was you I called."
" I guess that's because we're both such good friends."
" Yeah."
" And as your friend, I'm telling you, don't be an idiot. If you're thinking about seeing someone else, ask yourself this, is it worth it to risk everything for something you know won't last? You love Caitie. You know you do. At least try and make this work." Val said, thinking the same thing herself. She needed to forget about her doubts and make things work with Tyler.
" Jamie, just talk to her."
" I'll talk to her, ok? Now can I get back to work?"
" You planning to work on your lunch hour?"
" Yes."
" You work too hard. You need a break so let's get some lunch."
" I think I'll pass. I have a lot of work to do. And I still have to meet with more clients later tonight so I have to get those files ready."
" Jamie…you're gonna have a heart attack with all the stress you're putting on yourself. Come on, its only lunch. You'll be gone forty-five minutes. You really look like shit and you need a break."
" Thanks. I just love to be told I look like shit."
" You know what I mean. You look…well tired and irritated….and stressed out. And I think I see shades of gray in that hair of yours," Val teased.
" Well, I guess a little break wouldn't hurt. I'm sick and tired of looking through this shit anyway." He got up and took his coat. They walked out of the office and he shut the lights and door in the office.
Later that evening, after his meeting with his clients, Jamie went to the apartment he shared with Caitie. They talked. He told her that he was an idiot for being nervous and doubting their relationship. Caitie forgave him after a long talk. That night, when Jamie went to bed, he saw Caitie lying next to him and couldn't help but wish his life was different. He knew that he should be grateful for what he had. It was all he ever wanted at one point. But lately, he realized that he this wasn't what he wanted at all. He didn't want to spend hours and hours looking through case files. He didn't want to defend his clients in court. He didn't want to be a lawyer although he was a damn good one. He wanted something else…something different. The only reason he even went into law was to prove to his family that he could be successful.
He didn't know why he cared so much about what they thought. He always knew his parents regarded him as the failure in his teen years. He wasn't like his " perfect" brother, Peter, back then. He was a rebel and a slacker. He didn't even expect to get into college. But then he got sick and tired of his parents' constant criticism and finally decided he would prove them wrong. That drove him to law school.
Jamie pushed all his thoughts aside and turned out the light. He realized that he did have it good and he shouldn't pick out every single thing that was wrong with his life. But he couldn't help feeling that something was missing from his life.
A/N: REVIEW!!
Disclaim: We don't owe what disney ect...own. If we did, there would be a kick butt, second season:) And we are not making any money. But we can dream, can't we. lol.
Binding Friendships
Val sat on her bed, looking through her photo album. She didn't know why, but she felt like looking through it.
She flipped through the pages, one by one and looked at the pictures. Most of them were of her family and friends. There were a lot of good memories. She stopped and looked at a picture of all six friends standing together, smiling.
She remembered that. It was their high school graduation. They all had their caps and gown and diplomas. Tyler had his arm around Val's waist. Jamie had his arm around Caitie's waist and Hank had his arm around Jasmine's waist. All of them were so happy that day.
Val looked at Jamie's picture. At first, she never expected to be friends with him. They worked together when they were teenagers but as time went on, their friendship emerged and grew. Val smiled as she remembered. Jamie was always the rebel. His black hair had always been worn spiked; even throughout college. But now he was a lawyer and had a professional image to maintain.
Val never envisioned Jamie as a lawyer. She was surprised when he decided to go to law school. A part of her felt it was because he wanted to get away from her. But somehow, they still kept their friendship together even after they had slept together their senior year of college.
Caitie and Tyler never found out about that. Val told Tyler that she had slept with some guy and her judgment was impaired because she was drunk. He eventually forgave her. And Val was scared shitless when she realized she might have been pregnant. She took a pregnancy test and when it was negative, she felt relived.
As Val thought back upon that, a part of her wished that she had been pregnant. She knew that would have altered where she was now in life. She and Jamie would have had to actually accept what had happened between them instead of pretending nothing had happened.
Val thought about that night a great deal lately. More, since she got engaged to Tyler two weeks ago. She wondered if she was making the right choice by marrying him. She loved him, she told herself over and over again. But she couldn't help questioning if he was indeed " the one". Ever since her engagement, she also found herself thinking more and more about Jamie. She hated doing that. She wasn't supposed to think about Jamie all the time. He was Caitie's fiancé, and she was engaged to Tyler. Val mentally scolded herself for thinking about Jamie like that.
Val heard her doorbell ring and she walked out of her room to answer the door. When she did, she found Caitie standing there, trying to hold in tears.
" What happened?" Val asked in a concerned tone. Caitie was silent. " Why don't you come inside and we'll talk about it," Val suggested. Caitie nodded and walked inside the apartment. They both walked over to the couch and sat down. Val got Caitie a few tissues and waited until she was ready to tell her what happened.
" We're not getting married," Caitie said sadly.
" What?"
" Jamie and me…we broke up."
" Why?" Val asked in shock. Caitie and Jamie had been together since Val could remember.
" We had a fight."
" Couples fight, Caitie. You guys have fought before."
" But this one was different."
" How?"
" He wasn't angry or anything. He just said that maybe…we shouldn't be together."
" Did he say why?"
Caitie shook her head no and more tears spilled down her face, " B-But I know why. He's cheating on me."
" Caitie, you don't know that."
" Yeah, I do. He's been so fucking distant since a long time now. He isolates me and doesn't include me in what's bothering him. I know he's seeing someone else."
" Caitie, you know that's not true."
" Now you're defending him."
" I'm not defending him, Caitie. I'm just trying to think rationally."
Both were silent for a few moments.
" I guess it's better this way…I-I was getting doubts about marrying him anyway. At a time we were in love…now we're just like friends living together."
" Caitie…"
" He's just trying to spare my feelings by being with me. He doesn't want to hurt me but I-I know he's not in love with me, Val. I can see it in his eyes."
" He loves you, you know he does."
" But he's not in love with me anymore, Val. I know that for a fact."
" I think you're just nervous. I think both of you are. I mean, I question if Tyler's ' the one' a lot. More so lately."
" But are we supposed to do that? Shouldn't you have no doubts about marrying him?"
" I don't know. No relationship is perfect. I mean we all have our doubts but in the end it all works out if it's meant to be."
" Then how do you know if it's meant to be? I mean for thirteen years, I've been with Jamie on and off. We've broken up and gotten back together."
" The point is you've made it through a lot of obstacles, Caitie."
" That's an understatement. I mean I've forgiven him for a lot of shit. Even cheating!"
Val slightly cringed when hearing that, knowing that she was the cause of that.
" But he always tells me that he regrets that stupid mistake more than anything."
Val didn't know what she felt when she heard those words. But she knew that hurt was an emotion she felt. But then again, why should she? They both had agreed that it was a big mistake that jeopardized their relationships with almost everybody close to them.
" Caitie, I know what he did was wrong but maybe you should let that go. I mean, it happened years ago. I know what Jamie feels like. One night I got drunk and slept with some guy. It took Tyler a while to forgive me but he knew I regretted it more than anything."
" He never forgot about it though."
" What?"
" Val, it still hurts him. I know it does. Even though it's been like seven years since it happened, you still betrayed him like Jamie betrayed me."
" But why can't you move on? Tyler hasn't even mentioned it; not even when we're fighting."
" Because Tyler trusts you. He knows you'll never cheat on him again. But I don't trust Jamie and that's why we can't be together."
" Caitie, he hasn't cheated on you lately. In seven years, he hasn't. And now you're getting married. It's called cold feet. You both are nervous and hell just like everybody who gets married are."
" But I don't want to be nervous. I want to be sure about this. Maybe we're not meant to get married. Maybe we don't belong together. I don't know…I just always thought that when I get married it would be because I'm positive it's the right choice. I always envisioned myself getting married to Jamie. But I don't know if he's the one. What does it matter now anyway? It's over."
Val hated seeing her best friend like this. She hated this. She put aside her mixed emotions for Jamie and told Caitie, " No it's not. Here, tell you what, I'll talk to him. Or I'll have Tyler talk to him. Which ever you want."
" C-Could you talk to him? Cuz Tyler wouldn't tell me everything he said. And I need to know, no matter what, Val. If he's cheating swear to me that you'll tell me."
" I swear, Caitie."
**************************************************************************************
Jamie heard a knock on his office door, " Come in."
Val walked in carrying some files. " Here are the McGregor files you asked for.
" Thanks, set them on the desk," Jamie said, not looking up.
Val sat them down and headed for the door. She hesitated as he hand was on the doorknob. She turned back around to face Jamie. " Jamie?"
" Yeah?" He asked, still not looking up.
" Can I talk to you about something?"
" I'm kinda busy right now," Jamie replied, shuffling through papers. " I gotta prepare for the Carlson case and the McGregor case."
" The Carlson case is next Monday and the McGregor case in next Wednesday. I think you can find five minutes to talk to me, Jamie."
Jamie sighed in defeat and said, " What do you want to talk about?"
Val sat in the chair across from him.
" I want to know why you broke up with Caitie."
" And I want to know how that's any of your business."
" You have to answer my question first."
" Why?"
" Because I asked first."
" And I asked second. Big deal."
" Jamie, just…please, talk to me. If you're not gonna talk then just listen. I don't get why you'd throw away your relationship with Caitie just because you're nervous about the wedding."
" I'm not nervous."
" Then what is it?"
" You would get it."
" Try me."
" Val, trust me, you wouldn't."
" Are you cheating on Caitie?" Val asked bluntly.
" No, I wouldn't do that again. I already made that mistake once."
" But then why did you break up with her? Jamie, you both are so perfect for each other."
" Yeah, that's the problem."
" What?"
" Val, for practically all our lives, everyone has said you belong with Tyler and I belong with Caitie. Don't you ever think that it's too perfect? We're too alike."
" You're not like Caitie. You're different, Jamie. I can see it."
" Yeah, well you're the only one that can. Just like I know that deep down, you aren't always SuperVal."
Val smiled. " There were times when I thought I could do everything but then you put me in my place and told me that it's alright to have help. I remember all those times in college. You were always there for me."
" And you were there for me. Especially when my mom died. I really need support then. The others tried to be there but it was you I called."
" I guess that's because we're both such good friends."
" Yeah."
" And as your friend, I'm telling you, don't be an idiot. If you're thinking about seeing someone else, ask yourself this, is it worth it to risk everything for something you know won't last? You love Caitie. You know you do. At least try and make this work." Val said, thinking the same thing herself. She needed to forget about her doubts and make things work with Tyler.
" Jamie, just talk to her."
" I'll talk to her, ok? Now can I get back to work?"
" You planning to work on your lunch hour?"
" Yes."
" You work too hard. You need a break so let's get some lunch."
" I think I'll pass. I have a lot of work to do. And I still have to meet with more clients later tonight so I have to get those files ready."
" Jamie…you're gonna have a heart attack with all the stress you're putting on yourself. Come on, its only lunch. You'll be gone forty-five minutes. You really look like shit and you need a break."
" Thanks. I just love to be told I look like shit."
" You know what I mean. You look…well tired and irritated….and stressed out. And I think I see shades of gray in that hair of yours," Val teased.
" Well, I guess a little break wouldn't hurt. I'm sick and tired of looking through this shit anyway." He got up and took his coat. They walked out of the office and he shut the lights and door in the office.
Later that evening, after his meeting with his clients, Jamie went to the apartment he shared with Caitie. They talked. He told her that he was an idiot for being nervous and doubting their relationship. Caitie forgave him after a long talk. That night, when Jamie went to bed, he saw Caitie lying next to him and couldn't help but wish his life was different. He knew that he should be grateful for what he had. It was all he ever wanted at one point. But lately, he realized that he this wasn't what he wanted at all. He didn't want to spend hours and hours looking through case files. He didn't want to defend his clients in court. He didn't want to be a lawyer although he was a damn good one. He wanted something else…something different. The only reason he even went into law was to prove to his family that he could be successful.
He didn't know why he cared so much about what they thought. He always knew his parents regarded him as the failure in his teen years. He wasn't like his " perfect" brother, Peter, back then. He was a rebel and a slacker. He didn't even expect to get into college. But then he got sick and tired of his parents' constant criticism and finally decided he would prove them wrong. That drove him to law school.
Jamie pushed all his thoughts aside and turned out the light. He realized that he did have it good and he shouldn't pick out every single thing that was wrong with his life. But he couldn't help feeling that something was missing from his life.
A/N: REVIEW!!