Chapter 4
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Abbey broke up with Ron. Jed told Abbey he wanted to be a priest, until he met her. Jed's friend Rick recognized Abbey as the girlfriend of his classmate Ron.
Summary: Jed is devastated when he thinks Abbey is still dating other guys.
When Abbey excused herself to run to the ladies room, Jed found the perfect opportunity to gauge Rick's reaction. Rick hesitated briefly, torn between being the one to break his friend's heart and allowing him to find out on his own, possibly multiplying the pain.
He took a deep breath, then made his decision. "How much do you know about her?" he asked.
"A lot."
"Everything?"
"Well, of course not," Jed scoffed. "We haven't known each other that long and we were apart most of the last four months, but I know enough."
"What does that mean?" Rick asked.
"It means that I know what kind of person she is. She has such a good heart, Rick."
Rick's stare fell to his fingers as he fumbled with the napkin under his glass. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Jed answered defensively. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Jed, you know I wouldn't lie to you…"
"What?" His husky tone lingered for a few minutes before Rick replied.
"I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you this, but she's taken. She has a boyfriend."
"That's ridiculous." Jed waved his hand in front of him, carelessly dismissing the accusation.
"His name is Ron Ehrlich and he's studying business law at Yale. Ask her about it."
This couldn't possibly be happening. Jed knew that Rick wouldn't fabricate a story like this, but he hoped that Rick was wrong, that somewhere, someone's wires got crossed and this was all a case of miscommunication. "Forget it. You've got her mixed up with someone else and there's no way I'm going to insult her by even implying that she would be dating someone else."
Jed quickly dropped the subject as Abbey approached the table. "Everything okay?" she asked, sensing the tension between the men as the conversation came to an abrupt halt."
"Great," Jed insisted, his eyes glued to Rick. "Are you finished with your lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's go. I need to get you home and take care of something." He left cash on the table and put his arm around Abbey's waist, leading her out of the restaurant without another word.
The car ride back to Abbey's house was a quiet one. She picked up on the tension and attempted to cloud it in meaningless conversation, but he didn't take the bait. Rick's words replayed aimlessly in his mind as he tried to adjust to the possibility that he had been right.
"So you're not going to tell me what's going on?" He didn't have to fight his impulse any longer. She broke the silence between them.
"Tell you what?"
"What you and Rick were talking about, what's got you all upset."
"I'm not upset." His play at innocence was easily dismissed as he jumped out of the driver's seat to meet her on the passenger's side of the car.
"Jed, something's different."
He didn't want to upset her, but he was losing the battle with his desire to know the truth. He reached for her hands and covered them in his, stroking them gently as he asked. "Who is Ron Ehrlich?"
The question caught her off-guard. "What?"
"Ron Ehrlich. Could he be…I mean, is he…the whole time we've known each other, were you going out with a student at Yale?"
"Jed..." She shifted her posture, slipping her hands out of his grasp, but he picked them up again, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"It's not a difficult question, Abbey. Just say no and we can drop it." He wanted to hear her denial. If she would just deny it, he'd believe her and move on.
But Abbey didn't deny it. "Did Rick tell you that?"
"Please answer the question."
She could see the uncertainty dancing in his sapphire eyes. She felt his fingers trembling the longer she waited. This was up to her now. She owed him the truth. "Yes. I was dating a guy named Ron at Yale. I was seeing him when we met and while we were getting to know one another."
"Oh God." He dropped her hands and turned away from her, unable to let her see the wave of hurt that splashed over him.
Abbey put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Jed, let me tell you what happened."
He whirled around. His hurt so clearly masked by anger that she took a step back before he lost his temper. "Save it!"
Abbey followed him as he sprinted towards the other side of the car. "Jed, don't! It's not what you think."
He stood up and faced her, the door shielding his frame. "You didn't tell me that you have another boyfriend?"
"I don't, not anymore. You're my only boyfriend!"
Jed vehemently shook his head to cut her off. "All this time, you've been dating someone else! What the hell kind of game are you playing?"
"I'm not! I swear!"
He let out a forced chuckle and sat back against his seat. "Right."
"Please don't go like this. Let me explain!"
"Save it!" he repeated as he turned the key and started the car.
Abbey stepped back, confused and alarmed at the same time. She watched him drive away without ever giving her the benefit of the doubt, a moment to argue her case. She had to admit she could understand his pain. She didn't blame him for his anger, for she was angry with herself for not being completely honest. But all she wanted now was an opportunity to assure him that she had broken up with Ron, that she hadn't lied about her feelings, that he really was the only man she wanted in her life.
The drive back to New Hampshire was a painful one for Jed. He wasn't a violent man, but when he heard Abbey's admission, his temper reached the boiling point, forcing him to leave as quickly as possible. He never would have raised a hand to Abbey, but he didn't want to lose control and break down in front of her either. That was something he chose to do alone.
Crying wasn't a common reaction, but soon, tears streamed down his cheeks as he realized what had just happened. Just a few hours earlier, he was falling in love with his dream girl and now, he wrapped himself in the misery that came from knowing she had been dating someone else. They never said they were exclusively dating. Hell, they never even officially said they were dating, but after the intimate conversations they shared, he assumed it went without saying.
Relationships were a mystical phenomenon to Jed. Sure, he had met girls he liked in prep school, but he never felt a deep connection, the connection his friends felt with their partners. He planned on devoting his life to God, but fate intervened when he met Abbey. For the first time, he understood the fire that raged inside a man's body. She caused his mind to stray. She distracted him, veered him off course. She sparked sensations he had only read about.
It made sense. Jed and Abbey. Abbey and Jed. It sounded so perfect before it disintegrated into a pile of rubble.
Part of him wanted to drive home and forget about Abbey. But the other part, the part created by John Bartlet's vengefulness, knew he couldn't do that. He wouldn't forget. But he could get even. Only then, he thought, could he repair his broken heart and give himself some kind of relief from the vulnerability she provoked.
Over the next several days, he ignored Abbey's calls. Every attempt to reach him was met with stubborn avoidance. It wasn't until the Memorial Day barbecue that she would finally see him again. Anxious to reconnect, Abbey prayed that he'd show up. And he did. He arrived with a manipulative grin on his face and another woman on his arm.
Abbey smiled when she saw him, but it was a short-lived reaction. Within seconds, she caught a glimpse of his date, emotionally crippling her as the air left her body and a stabbing pain punched her in the gut. On Jed's arm was her biggest rival, the woman who humiliated her in front of everyone - Veronica Wilson.
TBC