It was late when Miles got back, and Jesse had already got back from work.
Miles went straight to Jesse's room, where his brother was reading some
book Miles had never heard of before.
"Why didn't you do anything this morning, you twit?" Miles demanded.
Jesse laughed bitterly, putting down his book. "And what do you think I could do? Go down on my knees and beg her? Or perhaps pull her in for a passionate kiss worthy of those trashy romance novels? Or maybe just marry her on the spot?"
"I wasn't expecting you to do anything drastic, but I was expecting you to do SOMETHING. For goodness sake, Jesse, you didn't even say goodbye! Just went about as if nothing unusual was happening, just getting ready to work as if that was the most important thing in your life when the woman you love was getting ready to leave! Jesse, I thought you had more sense."
Jesse interrupted Miles, obviously not want his brother to go on anymore. "And what makes you think she would want me to do anything? It's obvious that she can't wait to leave, so let me just grant her that wish! It's the least I could do anyway. And it's not like she tried to come talk to me, did she? That just shows how much she hates me, and not without reason, I must say. So maybe it would just be best to leave her alone, like she wants to!"
Miles gaped at his brother for what seemed the longest time. He couldn't believe that someone could be so stubborn and so. thick! Truly thick. His skull was probably so thick that no sense could ever penetrate it. In fact, maybe Jesse wasn't immortal, and the only reason he wouldn't die if you shot him in the head would be because his skull was too thick for the bullet to get through.
"Jesse. you are the biggest idiot I have ever seen," he said slowly, articulating every word carefully so that his little brother would have no way of not understanding. "Are you blind or something? Can't you see that Anaïs loves you? I mean, I understand that love is blind, but it can't be THAT blind, can it? Seriously, Jesse, you should think about this. Anaïs is probably on the plane now. She's not going to the North Island to have some big, fun, luxurious holiday. She's going back to Paris, spending the rest of her holidays at home, completely alone. Think about it, does it mean anything to you? I hate to tell you this, but I think you just lost the greatest thing you'll ever have." Miles sighed, and walked out of Jesse's room, leaving his brother staring after him.
***
Jesse stood staring at the door after Miles went out. Ana hadn't gone to the North Island? Why had she chosen to go back to Paris instead? Was what Miles said really true? If that was the case, it meant that Ana DID love him, probably as much as he did her. But why was she so indifferent to him this morning? What was going on?
He sat down at his desk, thinking. What had gone so wrong, that things would come to this? Why is it that things just never seemed to get any better? At first he had thought that his problems were solved, when he realised that he really did love Ana. This morning he had wanted to confess it all to her, but had changed his mind when he saw how indifferent she was to him, how it seemed like she didn't care at all.
He put his forehead on the desktop, feeling the coolness of the wood. He felt like he was getting a fever, but of course that was impossible. He felt like he was going crazy. Was that possible? Everything just seemed to get worse. Things had just totally snowballed, starting from that kiss. He wondered, if he had never kissed Ana, would any of these things happened?
He sat up, and on an impulse, took out some paper and a pen.
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF I NEVER KISS ANA I wouldn't be so confused. I would still think that Winnie betrayed me. I wouldn't know that Miles was so caring. I wouldn't realise that I was in love with Ana. Ana wouldn't have left. She wouldn't be confused. She wouldn't be confusing me. Everything would have been much simpler. I wouldn't know that I love Ana so much. I wouldn't believe that Ana could mean so much to me. I LOVE YOU ANA.
He threw the pen down on the desk in frustration, not caring to pick it up when it bounced off the desktop and onto the floor. He stood up so quickly that his chair flipped over, and then plopped down on his bed.
***
"Miles?"
Miles turned to see his father sitting next to the fireplace. "Yes, Dad?"
"Come here, Miles. I want to talk to you."
Miles started to think back, trying to remember anything that could have happened that would warrant such a rare, important occasion. He supposed that it would be about Jesse. He went to sit before his father. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.
"It's about Jesse. Something's happened to him again. I just know it. Before you came he was always moping around as he had been since he lost Winnie. Then he was back to normal again, that cheeky fellow, and then suddenly he's in a worse situation than before you came from France. Something's happened to him, and I know you know what it is. I don't want to ask him, I'll never get an answer. So, I was hoping you'd tell me."
Miles nodded. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk it over with his father. His father would probably figure out what to do about this. "It's Anaïs. Ana."
His father smiled. "Son, it's all right if you don't want to call her Ana. I understand."
Miles nodded again, this time in relief. Only his father would understand why he had never wanted to call Anaïs Ana. "All right. Anaïs. I'm sure you've noticed that she gets along very well with Jesse."
Tuck laughed softly. "So our boy has fallen in love again at last. He's faster on the rebound that you, Miles."
"He hasn't lost what I have."
"True, very true. And does Anaïs feel the same way about him?"
"Yes, I'm very sure of it. She tries to pretend, but I can see it. She didn't want to leave here, not at all. She stayed in the car for the longest time today at the airport, and I could just see it in her. She didn't want to leave at all, but she felt like she had to. And Jesse. Jesse. that idiot, did nothing to stop her. He believes that she hates him!"
"Well, we always make mistakes. Sometimes we can undo the trouble, sometimes we can't. It all depends on how far you're willing to go and what you're willing to do. That's something we can't force Jesse to do. You can't talk him through everything and you can't tell him what to do. There are things that he has to figure out for himself. And it's the figuring out part that is truly important."
"Why didn't you do anything this morning, you twit?" Miles demanded.
Jesse laughed bitterly, putting down his book. "And what do you think I could do? Go down on my knees and beg her? Or perhaps pull her in for a passionate kiss worthy of those trashy romance novels? Or maybe just marry her on the spot?"
"I wasn't expecting you to do anything drastic, but I was expecting you to do SOMETHING. For goodness sake, Jesse, you didn't even say goodbye! Just went about as if nothing unusual was happening, just getting ready to work as if that was the most important thing in your life when the woman you love was getting ready to leave! Jesse, I thought you had more sense."
Jesse interrupted Miles, obviously not want his brother to go on anymore. "And what makes you think she would want me to do anything? It's obvious that she can't wait to leave, so let me just grant her that wish! It's the least I could do anyway. And it's not like she tried to come talk to me, did she? That just shows how much she hates me, and not without reason, I must say. So maybe it would just be best to leave her alone, like she wants to!"
Miles gaped at his brother for what seemed the longest time. He couldn't believe that someone could be so stubborn and so. thick! Truly thick. His skull was probably so thick that no sense could ever penetrate it. In fact, maybe Jesse wasn't immortal, and the only reason he wouldn't die if you shot him in the head would be because his skull was too thick for the bullet to get through.
"Jesse. you are the biggest idiot I have ever seen," he said slowly, articulating every word carefully so that his little brother would have no way of not understanding. "Are you blind or something? Can't you see that Anaïs loves you? I mean, I understand that love is blind, but it can't be THAT blind, can it? Seriously, Jesse, you should think about this. Anaïs is probably on the plane now. She's not going to the North Island to have some big, fun, luxurious holiday. She's going back to Paris, spending the rest of her holidays at home, completely alone. Think about it, does it mean anything to you? I hate to tell you this, but I think you just lost the greatest thing you'll ever have." Miles sighed, and walked out of Jesse's room, leaving his brother staring after him.
***
Jesse stood staring at the door after Miles went out. Ana hadn't gone to the North Island? Why had she chosen to go back to Paris instead? Was what Miles said really true? If that was the case, it meant that Ana DID love him, probably as much as he did her. But why was she so indifferent to him this morning? What was going on?
He sat down at his desk, thinking. What had gone so wrong, that things would come to this? Why is it that things just never seemed to get any better? At first he had thought that his problems were solved, when he realised that he really did love Ana. This morning he had wanted to confess it all to her, but had changed his mind when he saw how indifferent she was to him, how it seemed like she didn't care at all.
He put his forehead on the desktop, feeling the coolness of the wood. He felt like he was getting a fever, but of course that was impossible. He felt like he was going crazy. Was that possible? Everything just seemed to get worse. Things had just totally snowballed, starting from that kiss. He wondered, if he had never kissed Ana, would any of these things happened?
He sat up, and on an impulse, took out some paper and a pen.
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF I NEVER KISS ANA I wouldn't be so confused. I would still think that Winnie betrayed me. I wouldn't know that Miles was so caring. I wouldn't realise that I was in love with Ana. Ana wouldn't have left. She wouldn't be confused. She wouldn't be confusing me. Everything would have been much simpler. I wouldn't know that I love Ana so much. I wouldn't believe that Ana could mean so much to me. I LOVE YOU ANA.
He threw the pen down on the desk in frustration, not caring to pick it up when it bounced off the desktop and onto the floor. He stood up so quickly that his chair flipped over, and then plopped down on his bed.
***
"Miles?"
Miles turned to see his father sitting next to the fireplace. "Yes, Dad?"
"Come here, Miles. I want to talk to you."
Miles started to think back, trying to remember anything that could have happened that would warrant such a rare, important occasion. He supposed that it would be about Jesse. He went to sit before his father. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.
"It's about Jesse. Something's happened to him again. I just know it. Before you came he was always moping around as he had been since he lost Winnie. Then he was back to normal again, that cheeky fellow, and then suddenly he's in a worse situation than before you came from France. Something's happened to him, and I know you know what it is. I don't want to ask him, I'll never get an answer. So, I was hoping you'd tell me."
Miles nodded. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk it over with his father. His father would probably figure out what to do about this. "It's Anaïs. Ana."
His father smiled. "Son, it's all right if you don't want to call her Ana. I understand."
Miles nodded again, this time in relief. Only his father would understand why he had never wanted to call Anaïs Ana. "All right. Anaïs. I'm sure you've noticed that she gets along very well with Jesse."
Tuck laughed softly. "So our boy has fallen in love again at last. He's faster on the rebound that you, Miles."
"He hasn't lost what I have."
"True, very true. And does Anaïs feel the same way about him?"
"Yes, I'm very sure of it. She tries to pretend, but I can see it. She didn't want to leave here, not at all. She stayed in the car for the longest time today at the airport, and I could just see it in her. She didn't want to leave at all, but she felt like she had to. And Jesse. Jesse. that idiot, did nothing to stop her. He believes that she hates him!"
"Well, we always make mistakes. Sometimes we can undo the trouble, sometimes we can't. It all depends on how far you're willing to go and what you're willing to do. That's something we can't force Jesse to do. You can't talk him through everything and you can't tell him what to do. There are things that he has to figure out for himself. And it's the figuring out part that is truly important."