Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The London Years

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed learned he was a finalist for the research position

Summary: Jed gets an offer; the past meets the present

- - -

Present day - July 22, 1970

"I'm sure they'll both walk through that door soon, Abbey."

Lila's encouraging words didn't ease Abbey's mind as it got harder to control her emotions. "And what if Jed doesn't?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

Because he threatened not to, she thought to herself, not allowing her voice to betray her with the spoken words in a misguided attempt to fight fate.

- - -

July 20, 1970

Abbey flipped the pages of her book, skimming the passages randomly. Her reading glasses sat at the tip of her nose so her eyes could peer out over the top of the frames. She smiled with an audible breath as Jed rubbed his hands together furiously.

"What's wrong?"

He kept his fingers flexed back as he scrutinized the skin. "My hands are dry."

Abbey threw her glasses onto the nightstand, pushed back the comforter, and slid out of bed. "Here."

She held a bottle of lotion upside down and offered to squeeze.

"No way." His rejection was firm, followed by a quick sway of his body to keep his hands out of her reach.

"Why not?"

"Because as lovely as it is on you, I don't want to smell like lavender rose petals all night."

Abbey walked around him and grabbed his arms, urging him to reluctantly hold his hands out and present her with his palms. The ice cold cream jarred him as it hydrated his prickly skin. The next touch was hers. She placed her own warm hands over his and tenderly massaged the cream into his palms and through his fingers.

His gaze followed her arms up toward her face. She raised her head to see the deep stare that sent a tingle through her body and in an instant, husband and wife locked eyes.

"Is that better?" she asked softly and slowly, as if afraid to ruin the moment.

He nodded silently.

"Can I ask you something?" she continued.

Another nod.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being recognized at the student-faculty party tomorrow night?"

Jed closed his eyes and turned slightly away before speaking. "It's nothing major."

"That's not what Lila says. The journal articles you wrote are brilliant, Jed. It's about time you were rewarded for them." She saw the look of confusion on his face when he turned back around. "You sometimes leave them out. I read them."

"It's not an important award, Abbey."

She cupped his cheeks in her hand. "Don't say that. Any award that acknowledges the creativity and intellect of the man standing in front of me is incredibly significant."

He was touched that she had read his articles, touched that she believed they were brilliant. For the first time in a long time, Jed could actually feel Abbey's support. Her love for him seemed just as strong as it always had been and he fought to maintain his composure.

"Great, now I have cream on my face." He chuckled in an attempt to bring the conversation back to his comfort zone before she noticed how deeply her words affected him.

"I want to go to the party."

"I didn't think you'd be interested. I figured I could just pick up the plaque on Monday."

"No. I want to be there to see you presented with it. I want a picture so that we can show Lizzie when she's a little older. Besides, I need an excuse to buy the blue cocktail dress I saw the other day." She tried to interject her own humor into the conversation.

Jed returned her smile. "I'm sure you're going to look perfect in it."

"So then we'll go?"

"We'll go."

"Good."

She turned and walked back towards the bed. He joined her on his own side and propped himself up on his elbow. His fingertips felt like a lightweight feather running up and down her arms. "Thank you."

She shifted her body so her head was facing him. "For what?"

"For encouraging me."

He leaned towards her to press his lips into her neck. She kissed him back as she wrapped her fingers through his silky hair.

"Jed?" she whispered when he ducked his head to her ear.

"Yeah?" he replied

Abbey debated asking her question. She wanted so badly to just enjoy this night with her husband, but her curiosity got the better of her and she finally bit the bullet. "Is this award going to help you get the job?"

Jed immediately stilled. He lifted himself up and stared at her for a moment before answering truthfully, "I really don't know."

The hesitation in her face was obvious. It carried with it a reminder that despite the loving moments between them, things weren't back to normal. He couldn't remember the last time they made love without a cloud of tension looming over them. As Jed rolled to her side, Abbey slipped her hand into his, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For bringing it up. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He kissed her forehead, then turned to his back, securing the blanket around his body and pulling it tight over his chest.

Abbey watched him squirm to get comfortable before he reached up to turn off the light.

"Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he replied.

The next evening, Abbey rummaged through her collection of earrings, trying them on one by one while facing her dresser mirror. She held the phone up by her shoulder while she untangled the pair of silver chandeliers Jed had bought her for their second anniversary. Jed entered the bedroom and offered her a choice between two ties. Abbey pulled one out of his hands and returned it to him.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

She nodded as she continued her conversation. "Of course it's fine, Mill."

Jed paused on his way out of the room, catching the end of her phone call.

"I will," she continued. "I'm looking forward to it too. And tell Ron that the end of the week works better for me...Okay. I'll call you next week. Bye."

She returned the phone to its cradle and smoothed her hands over her upswept hair in the mirror, shaping a few dangling strands down over the earrings she had just clipped on. Jed's reflection was caught in the glass. She turned around to face him.

"Ron?" he asked.

"Yeah. He asked Millie if he could join us for lunch when I go home for Kate's graduation next month."

"And you said it was fine?"

"Yeah," she answered as she tightened the belt on her flower-print floor-length robe.

"It's not fine, Abbey. Not with me."

"Jed," she sighed while she laid out her dress.

"I was more than understanding when you saw him just before we got married..."

"That was you being understanding?"

He wasn't deterred by her interruption. "...but I'm putting my foot down this time."

Abbey laughed at the mere notion of him forbidding her. He knew her better than that, she thought. "You sound ridiculous."

"Thanks."

"Look..."

"I don't want you seeing him." It wasn't a suggestion.

"And I don't want you talking to me this way. Its lunch and it isn't like we're going to be alone. Millie and Steve will be there."

"Like a double date?"

"No! You're blowing it out of proportion."

"It's inappropriate, Abbey."

Under other circumstances, Abbey may have respected his wishes without further conversation. Seeing Ron again wasn't worth the hurt and anger it would bring Jed. But there was something about his accusatory tone that immediately offended her.

"There is nothing inappropriate about meeting an old friend for lunch at a public restaurant. It isn't like I'm going back to his apartment. He and I used to be good friends, so why are you so threatened by this?"

"I'm not threatened by it. It just doesn't look right."

"You're jealous, Jed. Why? Don't you trust me?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but changed direction at the last possible second. "Call Millie and cancel before she has a chance to call Ron."

"I asked you a question."

Jed evaded her again. "Call Millie."

His irrational attitude and heavy-handed order wasn't going to go over well. She thought about her response during the long pause that followed, then simply said, "No."

Abbey was challenging him and he knew it. "Abbey, don't do this. Don't meet him...not if you still want me here when you get back."

"You're not serious."

He took a few steps towards her. "Look at my face. Do I look serious?"

Abbey stood in front of him and folded her arms, indicating her unwillingness to change her plans. Jed shook his head and stormed out of the room, slamming his fist into the wall as he headed out the front door with Abbey not far behind.

"How dare you?" she shouted when they reached the front stoop.

"Can you blame me?"

"YES!"

"I'm not comfortable with you seeing him. I can't help how I feel."

"So is this how it's going to work now? I do something you don't like and you threaten to leave me?"

He lit his cigarette and took a puff before replying. "I take that part back."

"I didn't deserve that."

"I said I take it back."

"You're not this upset about just Ron, are you?" He didn't have to answer for her to know that she was right. "You know, if you had just come to me instead of pulling all this 'I'm putting my foot down' nonsense, I would have called Millie."

"I shouldn't have to come to you. You should know."

"A failure on my part," she replied quietly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And just so we're clear Jed, the next time you give me an ultimatum, I just may take you up on it."

She began to walk inside, but he stopped her. "It isn't you I don't trust. It's him. What if the situation was reversed? What if I was having dinner with a former girlfriend or any other girl, for that matter? How would you feel?"

Abbey threw her hands up in frustration and spun back around. "I imagine I'd feel the exact same way I did when I found out you were confiding in Lila about the research position instead of me!"

Her words surprised them both. Up until that very moment, the only anger she ever expressed was about his deception in applying for a position that would prolong their stay in London. Never had she communicated her feelings of betrayal that, for a short time, another woman had become her husband's confidante.

Jed didn't respond verbally. He threw his cigarette onto the concrete and smashed it with his shoe. The combination of shock, confusion, and exasperation that were visible in his actions made Abbey wish she could take back the past five minutes.

He finally broke the awkward pause that lingered between them. "We're going to be late."

"I just have to slip on my dress." He nodded as she turned away. "Jed, what I said just slipped out. It's not like I think you were conspiring with her against me or something." Her statement echoed in the air as her back was still facing him.

"Go get dressed," he simply said with his eyes glued to her as she vanished into the apartment.

Abbey reemerged moments later wearing the blue dress she had described to him earlier. The way it accentuated every curve of her body validated his opinion. She did look perfect, he thought to himself.

"Can you help me?" She presented her back to him so he could zip her up.

His hand looped around the crook of her arm to turn her back around when he finished. "You look amazing."

"So do you."

She took the tie that was loosely draped around his neck and secured it for him, patting his shirt when she was done to brush away any stray lint. Then, she slid her palm into his as they made their way to the party.

Though Abbey enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with his friends, the party was as boring as Jed had warned. The only highlight was proudly watching her husband honored by his professors.

Ever since he was a little boy, Jed was an overachiever. He consistently strived to be the best in every facet of his life, especially academics. He soon learned that no matter what he accomplished, it wouldn't earn him his father's love. But the trauma as a result of that realization didn't stop him. In fact, it was a motivating factor in the majority of his adult decisions.

It's why he married a smart, loving woman like Abbey, why he chose to become an academic scholar, why he aspired to become a research assistant. Abbey knew the immeasurable impact the position would have to his future success, but more importantly, she understood the real reason behind Jed's decision to cast away the promise he made her - he was desperate for the validation that came with the job.

Jed was unaware of the fact that Abbey had started looking into medical schools in London. She kept that from him out of fear of changing her mind and longing for a Harvard education. She still resented the fact that he purposely misled her, but she was seriously considering making another sacrifice if it meant Jed would realize his dreams.

"Abbey? Abbey?" Tom called, trying to get her attention.

"I'm sorry," she responded, barely pulling her eyes away from the scene across the room where Jed was talking with Professor Lynn.

"I'm just wondering if you'd like another drink."

"No, I'm fine."

"And so are you, Tom," Lila scolded. "You've had enough."

"I'll decide when I've had enough."

Oblivious to the bickering between the couple, Abbey interrupted. "Lila, is that Professor Lynn? The one who's hiring the research assistant?"

"Yeah, it is. I wonder what he's talking to Jed about."

Jed exchanged a quick glance with Abbey, then returned his attention to his own conversation.

"Are you sure?" Lynn asked.

He didn't miss a beat in his response. "Yes, I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly flattered...but as tempting an offer as it is, my wife will be starting medical school next Fall back in States."

"You do realize this job could lead to a faculty position in three years?"

"I do, but Abbey and I have already made our decision to move back to New England after I graduate."

From across the room, Abbey curiously stared at Jed, desperately trying to tune out Tom and Lila's argument. When Jed joined the threesome, he had an unmistakable look of pride on his face.

"What did the Professor want?" Abbey asked.

"He and Professor Harden made a decision. He offered me the job."

"Really?" It didn't go unnoticed that Tom showed more excitement than Abbey did.

"Yeah."

"Did you accept?" Abbey asked.

"We can discuss that after we settle your lunch date with Ron," he shot back smugly.

Jed didn't recognize the look on Abbey's face. It was a look of contempt and he wasn't sure he had ever seen it in the three years they had been married. Then again, she had never been as furious as she was that minute.

It was obvious he was harboring residual anger from their earlier disagreement, but a public party, right in front of their friends, wasn't the place to humiliate her. She set her glass down on a nearby table and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jed called out to her as he followed her out the building.

"Home!" she shouted back.

He took longer strides to catch up to her. "I'm not going to let you walk home alone, Abbey."

"Get away from me!" she snapped.

Jed grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Look..."

Abbey yanked her arm from his hold so hard that he instinctively took a step back. Her eyes pierced into his, smoldering with an anger he didn't recognize. "I really think you need to stay away from me right now."

He watched as she picked up her pace and waved down a cab. She slid into the back seat, refusing to meet the stare he threw at her from the sidewalk. She lowered her head in what he was sure was an attempt to fight back the tears until they had driven past him.

- - -

Present day - July 22, 1970

Abbey wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned to face Lila. "So now that you know the whole sordid story about me and Jed, how about you tell me why you left the party? And why were you and Tom arguing in the first place?"

Lila pulled away with the style of aversion that Abbey had perfected over the years. "Our marriage isn't as perfect as you think. Our fight began earlier in the evening as well. He was angry that an ex-boyfriend had called."

"Just like what happened between me and Jed."

"Not exactly."

Her cryptic final words were interrupted by the sound of jiggling keys outside the door. Suddenly, both women snapped their heads back towards the door. Abbey's arm stretched out as far as it could as she reached for the knob, but it eluded her just as the door swung open.

"Jed."

TBC