"Always" (Sequel to "Only You")
"What are you doing here?" Jeff asked in disbelief.
"I...Can I come in?" Beth said softly. Jeff raised his brows, then moved to the side of the door.
"I've been wanting to talk to you..." Beth said as she sat down on the couch.
"What about?" Jeff interrupted.
"Well you know...me and you."
"Really? Beth, it's been two years. As far as I'm concerned there was never any you and me." Jeff said brusquely standing up from the couch.
"Jeff, I know it didn't end well with you and me."
"Didn't end well? Beth I'm not stupid, I may have been for stayed with you for three years but frankly I'm not one to make the same mistake twice. So what did you want to talk about exactly?" Jeff said angrily.
"Jeff please...give me a chance to explain." She said hesitantly.
"Give you a chance? Beth, do you know what I did when you left me? I followed you...I know you went to Jerry's house. I also know that you had been going there for almost a year before you finally ended our engagement. What else do you want to talk about?"
Beth stopped. She had come here because she thought Jeff would listen to her and comfort as he had done in the past.
"I just...I wanted to be your friend."
"Why?"
"Because...Jerry left me." She admitted honestly.
"Wow, that's the first honest..." Jeff paused when he realized that she was probably feeling the same thing he was. He looked at one of the open boxes and saw one of their pictures smiling back at him.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"Thanks." She said softly. Then looked up to find him staring inside a box. For the first time she noticed the boxes scattered around the room.
"Are you...moving somewhere?" She asked incredulously knowing how much Jeff loved his house.
"No...my girlfriend just left."
"Your girlfriend?"
"Yes...she moved to London." Jeff gulped down another beer.
"Umm..." Beth paused as he finished the can, "Why did she move there?"
"Why? Because she has a job...that's more important that me apparently." Jeff said, then shook his head. "Listen I have to finish packing so is there anything else you need?"
"Um...I was wondering if I could crash here for the night. I just...I have nowhere else to go." Jeff peered at her. For the first time he noticed the haggardness in her appearance.
"I'll just stay here on the couch, if that's alright with you."
"You can stay in the guest room..." Jeff paused again since he remembered that he had put Corinne's clothes in there. "Actually..."
"Jeff it's fine, I'll just stay here."
"Fine..." Jeff said standing up and picking up a box.
"Wait, could you...make a fire?" Beth said. Jeff looked at her...it had always been one of their traditions for him to make a fire every time he came home from the road. She never could light it alone.
"Please?"
"Uh...okay. Let me go get some wood." He said putting the box down and went out the door.
Beth got up and walked to the basket where they used to keep the newspapers and saw the letter on top of the basket. She opened it and read the contents quickly...tears filling her eyes as she read how he thought of her. She jumped when Jeff entered the house again.
"I can't promise you much of a fire, the woods all wet." He said shaking the water out of his hair. She quickly folded the letter and inserted it in the envelope.
"Umm...I found this was the basket." She said handing it to him.
"Oh...thanks. Listen I have to finish packing so I'm gonna have to stay down here anyways. Why don't you go sleep upstairs..."
"Okay Jeff. Thanks." She said as she walked slowly up the stairs.
Jeff looked at the letter he held in his hands. Carefully he packed the rest of Corinne's things in the box and then placed the letter on top before closing the box. Taking out another six pack of beer, he proceeded to drink himself into a blessed numbness he knew he would need in order to sleep tonight.
Upstairs Beth changed into her pajamas still thinking about the letter she had read. Was it really possible that Jeff hadn't loved her all those years? She wiped the tears angrily away from her face as she opened a letter she had received from the doctor earlier that week. It was there, clear as crystal...she was pregnant. She knew what she had planned on doing when she had come to Jeff. What she hadn't known was that he had fallen I love with someone else...someone who would never know how much he loved her. Beth smirked. Jeff would love her again...and if not just for her, then for the baby that he was going to believe was his...
"What are you doing here?" Jeff asked in disbelief.
"I...Can I come in?" Beth said softly. Jeff raised his brows, then moved to the side of the door.
"I've been wanting to talk to you..." Beth said as she sat down on the couch.
"What about?" Jeff interrupted.
"Well you know...me and you."
"Really? Beth, it's been two years. As far as I'm concerned there was never any you and me." Jeff said brusquely standing up from the couch.
"Jeff, I know it didn't end well with you and me."
"Didn't end well? Beth I'm not stupid, I may have been for stayed with you for three years but frankly I'm not one to make the same mistake twice. So what did you want to talk about exactly?" Jeff said angrily.
"Jeff please...give me a chance to explain." She said hesitantly.
"Give you a chance? Beth, do you know what I did when you left me? I followed you...I know you went to Jerry's house. I also know that you had been going there for almost a year before you finally ended our engagement. What else do you want to talk about?"
Beth stopped. She had come here because she thought Jeff would listen to her and comfort as he had done in the past.
"I just...I wanted to be your friend."
"Why?"
"Because...Jerry left me." She admitted honestly.
"Wow, that's the first honest..." Jeff paused when he realized that she was probably feeling the same thing he was. He looked at one of the open boxes and saw one of their pictures smiling back at him.
"I'm sorry." He said.
"Thanks." She said softly. Then looked up to find him staring inside a box. For the first time she noticed the boxes scattered around the room.
"Are you...moving somewhere?" She asked incredulously knowing how much Jeff loved his house.
"No...my girlfriend just left."
"Your girlfriend?"
"Yes...she moved to London." Jeff gulped down another beer.
"Umm..." Beth paused as he finished the can, "Why did she move there?"
"Why? Because she has a job...that's more important that me apparently." Jeff said, then shook his head. "Listen I have to finish packing so is there anything else you need?"
"Um...I was wondering if I could crash here for the night. I just...I have nowhere else to go." Jeff peered at her. For the first time he noticed the haggardness in her appearance.
"I'll just stay here on the couch, if that's alright with you."
"You can stay in the guest room..." Jeff paused again since he remembered that he had put Corinne's clothes in there. "Actually..."
"Jeff it's fine, I'll just stay here."
"Fine..." Jeff said standing up and picking up a box.
"Wait, could you...make a fire?" Beth said. Jeff looked at her...it had always been one of their traditions for him to make a fire every time he came home from the road. She never could light it alone.
"Please?"
"Uh...okay. Let me go get some wood." He said putting the box down and went out the door.
Beth got up and walked to the basket where they used to keep the newspapers and saw the letter on top of the basket. She opened it and read the contents quickly...tears filling her eyes as she read how he thought of her. She jumped when Jeff entered the house again.
"I can't promise you much of a fire, the woods all wet." He said shaking the water out of his hair. She quickly folded the letter and inserted it in the envelope.
"Umm...I found this was the basket." She said handing it to him.
"Oh...thanks. Listen I have to finish packing so I'm gonna have to stay down here anyways. Why don't you go sleep upstairs..."
"Okay Jeff. Thanks." She said as she walked slowly up the stairs.
Jeff looked at the letter he held in his hands. Carefully he packed the rest of Corinne's things in the box and then placed the letter on top before closing the box. Taking out another six pack of beer, he proceeded to drink himself into a blessed numbness he knew he would need in order to sleep tonight.
Upstairs Beth changed into her pajamas still thinking about the letter she had read. Was it really possible that Jeff hadn't loved her all those years? She wiped the tears angrily away from her face as she opened a letter she had received from the doctor earlier that week. It was there, clear as crystal...she was pregnant. She knew what she had planned on doing when she had come to Jeff. What she hadn't known was that he had fallen I love with someone else...someone who would never know how much he loved her. Beth smirked. Jeff would love her again...and if not just for her, then for the baby that he was going to believe was his...