Getting To Know You
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed and Abbey got to know one another at a New Year's Eve party, but Abbey was reminded of her current boyfriend Ron when she went home that night.
Summary: Jed and Abbey grow closer over Spring Break, but the start of the summer may be a bit rocky when Jed introduces her to Rick.
By mid-January, Jed had returned to school and Abbey resumed her regular schedule at Boston University. Neither had gone a full day without thinking of the other. She had picked up the phone a dozen times to dial his number, she hung up each time. A friendship with Jed was nearly impossible because of the distance between them and she dreaded the romantic feelings their first meeting sparked.
In Indiana, Jed had become obsessed with thoughts of rejection. It had been two weeks and she hadn't called him. Why hadn't she called him? Initially, he wondered if she was just toying with him, pretending to be interested when she really wasn't. But he quickly dismissed that theory. To believe it would be to admit that Abbey was cold and manipulative, something he wasn't ready to consider.
He didn't get the phone call he was hoping for, but days later, he did get a letter.
"Dear Josiah,
Or is it Jed when you're not so nervous? I hope your trip back home was a good one and your return to school was uneventful. I'm enjoying the rest of my junior year at BU, but, every now and then, I catch myself wondering what it would be like if you were here with me, as if you could transfer schools and walk me to my classes, share lunch at noon, or any of things I've been thinking about since New Year's Eve. Silly, isn't it?
Hope to hear from you soon,
Abbey"
No, it wasn't silly. It wasn't silly at all, he whispered to himself. He folded the letter and pulled out a piece of paper to write her back. From that day on, it was an endless stream of letters passing between them.
The letters became more frequent as the weeks passed. One month faded into the next and the harsh New England winter began to subside into a milder, greener spring. The written word, while beautifully romantic, wasn't enough for Abbey. She longed to hear Jed's strong yet gentle voice, to hear that endearing laugh and the way he stuttered sweetly when he was nervous or overwhelmed.
She opened the cover of her journal and grabbed the small piece of paper she had tucked into the flap. As she dialed the numbers he had written down at the party, she held her breath, waiting for him to answer. "Hello?"
"Jed?"
"Yeah." Even after all this time, he would recognize that voice anywhere. "Abbey?"
"Yeah, it's Abbey."
"Hi!"
"I'm sorry I haven't called you sooner."
"It's okay," he lied, unwilling to admit how disappointed he was that she hadn't picked up the phone sooner. "Your letters always bring a smile to my face."
Suddenly, Abbey's nervousness was gone, replaced by the calm, secure feeling she felt the night they met. "Are you coming home to see your family for Easter break?"
"I think so."
She closed her eyes with a silent thank you. "That's great. Maybe we could get together?"
The suggestion provoked Jed's smile. His face beaming, he relaxed as he plopped down on his sofa. "I'd love that."
And with that, they began a six-hour marathon conversation, floating seamlessly from one subject to another as they discovered the intricacies that defined their individual personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, their trials and tribulations, and the relationship with their families. Abbey was honest, almost to a fault, but intimidated by the picture perfect childhood she painted, Jed held back. He simply listened and hoped she wouldn't ask him to share the details of the dysfunctional father/son bond that he worked so hard to escape.
The night soon became morning and Abbey's father, James, found his daughter still attached to the phone. He assumed she was talking to Ron. She didn't correct him.
But his assumption brought another thought out of the shadows of her lust for Jed. Now that he was returning to New England, she sensed their mutual attraction was blossoming. She wanted more. But before she could have it, there was an obstacle standing in the way, an obstacle named Ron.
When he came home from Yale for the weekend, she invited him to dinner. He could see the trepidation in her movements, could hear the hesitation in her tone. Something was wrong. She was anxious and a little scared. But she swallowed her apprehension and opened up to him.
"You know how I feel about you," she began. "I care about you so much and I cherish our friendship."
Ron guessed exactly where she was headed. He knew this moment was coming. Despite their deep concern for one another, there were no sparks between them. "I do too, Abbey. Our friendship isn't going to change, no matter what."
He stopped her with a finger to her lips, nodding in acknowledgment to put her at ease. He agreed they were better as friends than they ever were as romantic partners. With a platonic kiss to her cheek, he let her off the hook and erased her guilt almost immediately.
A few days later, Jed arrived back in New England. After the first night with his parents, he rushed to see Abbey. Unable to hold back, he lifted her into the air and spun her around her front stoop.
"Jed!" She clung to his neck, overjoyed by his reaction.
"I'm sorry I did that," he blurted out as he set her down. "I just missed you."
Abbey took his hand and led him to the car. "I have plans for us."
Jed stared at her quizzically, his suspicion visible in his drooping features as he sat in the passenger's seat as she drove to a local carnival, never realizing how much fun he was about to have. They rode the rides and ate the cotton candy, but nothing compared to sitting on a nearby bench and watching Abbey feeding the squirrels that scurried up and down the trees. It was her childlike spirit that electrified him, made him want to learn everything about her. He was more than smitten. He was starting to fall deeply in love.
Later, like a movie star transforming into her after-five attire, Abbey changed from her casual, carefree wardrobe into a beautiful red spring dress that wrapped around her neck and flowed around the waist into triangular hems just below her knees.
Smart, articulate, and beautiful. Jed began to realize that Abigail Barrington was the complete package.
As they strolled along the streets of Boston, he abruptly stopped and stepped in front of her. "Abbey."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I have to tell you something. I want to get it out in the open because I don't want it to come back and bite me in the ass someday."
"What is it?" Her eyes searched his for any clue.
"I lied to you the night we met." He licked his lips, fearful of continuing and dreading her reaction.
Abbey swallowed past a lump in her throat. She was afraid of this, afraid that Jed was too good to be true. "Lied about what?"
"You asked me what I want to do after I graduate. I told you I want to teach." It took several minutes for him to muster the courage to continue. "That isn't what I want."
"What do you want?"
"I don't know," he said plainly. "But at the time, I was studying to be a priest."
"A priest?" The revelation confused her. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was stupid. I was afraid I'd scare you off. I'm sorry."
She looked away and continued to walk, her small, calculated steps, keeping up with his. "So you've changed your mind?" Jed nodded. "Why?"
He put his hand in front of her to stop her. He wanted to stare into her emerald orbs as he said, "I met you."
She brushed off his admission. "Jed, be serious."
"I am serious," he insisted as he lifted her chin with his finger. "Abbey, I can't get you out of my mind. You're all I think about all the time and if I'm having these thoughts about you, then obviously preparing for the priesthood isn't what I should be doing."
Abbey felt a warm twinge creeping up her spine. All the emotions that had enveloped her since New Year's Eve had enveloped him as well. "But this isn't like you're just giving up any old career. It's the priesthood. I can't let you give that up for me."
"No, not for you. Because of you." He took her hands in his, his fingers gently massaging her knuckles. "I wasn't positive in the first place, but meeting you...it was like the sign I was waiting for. It made me see it so clearly."
"It's only been a few months."
"All I needed was a few hours."
She smiled as he invited her into an embrace. Her head nestled on his shoulder while his arm coiled her waist, they continued walking.
"If I broke things off now, would you become a priest?" She felt his head shaking with a resounding 'no.'
"If you broke things off, I'd be too heartbroken to consider anything. And once the sting wore off, I'd still know the priesthood wasn't in my future. It couldn't possibly be if I feel the way I do now."
She leaned into him, strengthening her hold on his arm and provoking him to tighten his grip on her waist as he pressed his lips into her hair and kissed the top of her head.
By the time Jed left her that night, he had trapped her under his spell all over again. Initially worried that his lie would have changed the dynamic of the relationship, he was relieved by her reaction. Abbey went home, secure in his feelings for her, and even more eager to pursue what was turning into more than just a romantic interlude.
She didn't think anything could deflate her mood, until she came face to face with her father.
"Abigail, do you know anyone in Indiana?" James Barrington asked.
"Yes," she mumbled, turning away from his prying eyes.
"Abbey, look at me. I asked you a question."
"Yes, I do. It's the guy I was out with tonight. Jed."
"Were you on the phone with him for SIX hours a few weeks ago?"
Abbey nodded. "I didn't realize it was that long."
"SIX HOURS? What the hell could you have been talking about for SIX HOURS?" James was a reasonable man, but at times, he did have a temper.
"Just…stuff. We were just talking and the time got away from me."
"I'll say it did." He turned his back to her to take a few calming breaths.
"I'll pay you back for the phone bill."
James spun around towards his daughter, regretting his outburst after seeing the remorse plastered on her face. "Don't worry about it. Just don't let it happen again, okay? I mean, an hour, I can deal with, but six is out of my budget."
"I promise. It won't happen again." She gave him a quick kiss, then ascended up the cherry wood staircase, heading to her room.
Abbey had a decent father in James. He was fair and forgiving. Jed wasn't quite as lucky. While her childhood was filled with laughter and warm, happy memories, Jed's was marred with arguments and fights that sometimes deteriorated into physical confrontations.
Even as an adult, Jed wallowed in his inability to please John Bartlet, his disappointment never more evident than it was the night John discovered a similar phone bill a few days later.
"That's absolutely ridiculous!" he yelled at his son. "There's nothing you could possibly be talking about for eight hours! There's nothing you could say that you couldn't write in a letter!"
"We tried writing letters."
"Did your fingers fall off? Did you run out of words? What?"
His condescending attitude only strengthened Jed's defenses. "You don't understand."
"No, I don't understand because when I was your age, I worked for my money. I worked to put myself through school! I didn't have everything handed to me at birth. You don't know what responsibility is all about."
"Fine." It was easier to surrender a fight than to fight back. He began to walk away, but was stopped by his father's tight hold on his upper arm.
"Don't turn your back on me, Josiah!"
"I'll pay for the phone bill."
"With what? You wouldn't have a dime to your name if not for me and your mother."
"I'll get the money and I'll pay you back. I'll do it myself. I don't need you to help me."
John laughed. God, how Jed hated that resentful laugh, so full of sarcasm and hate. "You're in school, Jed, a school I'm paying for by the way. You think you can go out and make it on your own in this world, as a priest, no less?"
"Good news, Dad. I'm not going to be a priest after all."
"What?" John was sure he misunderstood.
"I said I don't want to be a priest." His tone was firmer now, laced by an undeniable bit of anger. "You should be happy about that."
"Don't mistake my surprise for disappointment." This was an unexpected switch. "What is it you want to do?"
"I don't know yet."
"You don't know yet," John repeated, his voice dripping with disdain. "Another great answer from my brilliant son. Tell me, did you and this girl get joint lobotomies when you were out tonight?"
Jed let the comment slide just as he usually did when confronted with his father's smoldering temper. He left John's study and went up to his room before the argument escalated any further.
When he returned to school days later, it was back to daily trips to the post office. He and Abbey wrote letters at least once a day, usually not even waiting for a response to their previous correspondence before mailing a new one. It was a long five weeks until the end of the semester, but eventually, it came to an end and once it did, Jed hopped on a plane headed for New England for the entire summer.
Abbey didn't hide her enthusiasm. She had been counting down the days on a calendar, marking it with red ink as she waited impatiently to spend lazy weekend afternoons back in his arms. Not leaving much to spontaneity, she had planned portions of their itinerary for the next few months, highlighted by the annual Memorial Day weekend barbecue on the beach, the open-invitation Fourth of July celebration by the late, and finally, an end-of-the-summer cruise to Martha's Vineyard.
But before they could start checking off the plans on her list, Jed had a special introduction in mind. He took Abbey to a local restaurant for a meeting with his good friend Rick. A bit shy, but very intelligent, Abbey took an immediate liking to the Yale law student.
"Jed wrote about you in his letters," she told him.
"All good things, I hope," Rick replied.
"I haven't heard Jed say a bad word about anyone."
Rick stared at her curiously as she fiddled with the rim of her glass. He had seen her somewhere before. The auburn hair, the green eyes, the unique smile that was burned into his mind. She looked very familiar to him. And then, less than an hour later, it hit him. The woman of Jed's dreams was also his classmate's girlfriend. Rick hadn't spoken to Ron Ehrlich in months, but he would never forget the picture Ron kept in his wallet, the one he emphatically passed around campus while bragging about the gorgeous girl back home.
Jed may have thought this raving beauty was his one and only, but Rick believed she belonged to someone else. The thought that Jed would end up hurt, that his heart would shatter into a million pieces, disgusted him. As his friend, Rick realized he had to break the news.
TBC