Chapter 28

I Wanna Hold You Hand

Jay purchased a ticket and hotel first-rate he saw in the area in an area close to Manny's house.

He got off the plane and got a taxi to Manny's apartment. When he got in he thanked the driver and gave him money and the address to Manny's. It turned out to be none other than, Steven. Same as Manny's cabby from the night before when she arrived home, had a small tryst, watched the sunrise over the balcony of her home in her enclosed conclave room and she turned him away was no romantic connection, and quite frankly, Manny would just love to forget the thing happened. She did it to feel better but she only felt worse.

Shooed him off, she cried, showered, dressed and revolving door before she got brazen and cut off all of her hair pretty much. She had her hair short before, but almost immediately regretted it. It just became much easier to say it never happened however she was enjoying the new coif. She blow dried it with a round brush and put on make up to feel better. She thought to exfoliate before and bathe for two hours in bubbles but she decided against it. She didn't want to sulk. She went into her gym, worked out did Pilates, ate a bit but then didn't feel up to finishing, wrapping up the omelet that her chef made her. She really didn't feel much up to much of anything. She went into her study, which is where she keeps her computer and various books of scripts and other books she had collected over time. Some by celebrities, classics, Shakespeare a small mini library with a huge desk and everything. She also has a television there where she watches Netflix or plays active video games, where she works out.

For her smaller estate, it was much smaller because it was by the beach. She spent collectively most of her time there. Her other house was mostly just for show, big banquets and bashes and perhaps if she wanted to have her parents come by or guests who were important like talking to directors and sometimes she takes it upon herself to invite them over and chit-chat. They mostly ask why Jay wasn't around, but she always says no comment. She doesn't want her love life splayed over US Weekly and OK Magazine. Manny liked her privacy while still being a public figure. She didn't want to wind up being closely watched, like the big household names. She'd love that status, but not where she's being watched like a hawk under a microscope like Lindsay. Manny could take her to church with what she went through in just high school alone, but honestly, she'd rather not let the world know. God knows someone would be looking for hot juicy gossip from home but it's doubtful that she feels that way.

As Jay got in he wasn't in the mood to talk about much. He was awkward with the silence so he made little noises, breaths and tried to remain silent. He played with his sleeves on his suit jacket. He decided to do it up, basic black. Just a blazer kind of deal. Truthfully, he had no want to dress up but Sean says, white shirt black jacket, and he went with it. No wrinkles, as long as he was wrinkle free he was fine.

Steven of course, started a conversation, "I've been to where you're going to before. The old neighbors, they were a nice couple. They held uh what I didn't know until of course, I went swinger parties. On Wednesdays at night, anytime after 11. They had a huge jacuzzi."

"Really?"

"I don't look like it, I know how to party." Steven said confidently, displaying a different attitude than the attitudes he expressed with Jay. He was still friendly of course, but much more omph in his personality. He has a sense of humor, he laughs and smiles. He was older, but he was funny. He tipped his hat, glancing back at Jay gesturing forward, "I even dropped off the young woman who lives there. Now what was her name?"

"Manuella?" Jay offered, "At least that's who I am seeing."

"That's right, Manny. Manny Santos, she's doing a television pilot. She's nervous about it. You can tell. Something was troubling her, matter of fact, your name came up. Jack?"

"Jay" He corrected before exclaiming, "Shut up!" Jay called out his mouth wide, "You dropped off Manny?"

"You're Jay." Steven smirked, satisfied in who he was speaking with, "Now what's the scoop? Together? Broken up?"

"Hopefully?" He wondered what sort of outcome he was hoping for himself. At the very least, he wanted to know where they stood romantically. If all works out, he'd be ecstatic. He wanted to be clear and straight with his intentions. Jay didn't know about what happened between them and Steven wasn't going to be the bearer of the news. Instead he just kept tight-lipped about it. Jay would shout his feelings to the rooftops.

"Sure. Details." He answered, "More the better."

"I hope we get back together, but yeah we were broken up for at least a week." Jay explained, while smiling, "but we spoke briefly before she left so things are now up in the air. Hence, why I'm here. Moped about for a while and then mustered up to do something elaborate." He lifted up his book with much pride and pleasure, "I'm going to read her a poem."

"Good luck." He sardonically replied unseen. Steven would long to be somebody like Jay, young in the world getting a Hollywood leading lady and having her as a permanent fixture in his romantic life. He would've killed to be somebody handsome like Jay so his discontent is justifiable. He should have known that Manny had no intent to starting anything permanent with him. She needed a friend and he was just the first person she saw. There was nothing there, and while he knew that he refused to believe it. He denied that. He just silently with bated breath listened to Jay gush on about how much he loves Manny and it only disgusted him.

"You mind if I have a smoke in here? I'm a little nervous. I kind of hopped with the first taxi I saw -"

"It's fine, Jay. Say no more." He replied letting down the electronically windows as Jay took out a pack and lit one up. Again, Jay almost always is seen smoking, especially when he's nervous. It makes his compulsive nature go through the roof. Jay inhaled some of his cigarette before exhaling out the window, extra careful not to make the cabby regret it.

Steven prayed that he'd drop the subject, the subject they had the most common in, for his own selfish reasons. He thought he had a chance, but even a bystander would know that wouldn't be true. Manny's wait staff side-eyed her for bringing someone risky like that in the house. Who knew who you could trust?

They turned the bend, the last turn toward Manny's community of homes, not far really from the airport at all. About a ten minute drive, Jay was filled with a sense of relief when they reached the winding driveway. Jay took one last drag of his lingering cigarette and he tossed it on the sidewalk, squashing it between his boots. He then walked over to the door, and the cab pulled out away, flashing his brights in the darkness. He was cigged, dressed, ready to go. He had the book. He was ready. He even unzipped his backpack threw his arm over his head and took out the roses. They were kept careful in a bag. He threw the bag in his backpack and rang the doorbell.

Manny had put out a glass of wine for herself when she heard a car door open, close and a cars headlights shine in a like-faced window and pull out of her driveway out of sight. And then, the doorbell. Who could it be? She wasn't expecting anyone. Manny had curlers in her hair and she had already taken off her sixties housewife-sex kitten makeup. She even put on a wig too that was Marilyn-esque. She took that off too, and settled for her curlers so that she had a nice wave with her extensions after the hack-job on her hair. Even the wig looked bad. All day long she was feeling sort of insecure about herself and her looks. So much for a brand-new start, it was no secret that Manny was always this way. She had contemplated surgery but she didn't go through with that, but it just goes to show how she feels about that

She was only in a robe at this point lotioned her hands and feet, waiting for her detailed herself a detailed manicure to dry. She however when she went to the kitchen she was wearing the flip-flops and the foam between her toes afterward, she did go ahead to take that warm bubblebath. Her feet hung out the side of the bath. Now that she's ready to go, of course that knock continued.

She had just opened the cork when she heard it again. Her cook emerged with a plate of cheese and grapes and sliced apples with caramel, he stuffy mannerly muttered impatiently as he groaned with displeasure to even question Manny's ignoring of the front door. "Miss, someone is at the door."

"It's probably some paparazzo." Manny reading an article in a magazine with one hand as her other hand gripped her glass. She took a sip before picking up a small part of the bushel of grapes taking one before setting her glass down, "Besides, if he wants in he has to knock down the door. He aint gonna come in, if he smart he should leave now."

"What if it's someone else?" He asked impatiently.

"Why would anyone visit me tonight? I cancelled all my meetings. I have to prepare for tomorrow morning." She scoffed shaking her head, "That'll be all Frank. Thank-you."

As Steven got on the road the car, he removed his cellphone from his pocket and called a phone number, "Phoebe from US Weekly? Yeah." He paused, "Blind item, that boyfriend of hers is now visiting Manny's house."

"Just answer the door." Manny's cook replied growing impatient, adding, "Directors sometimes make house calls if something is urgent enough."

"Well they'd call me first not just show up on my doorstep, with me looking like this." Manny pointed to herself as she added, "Sloppy looking. Washing off my bad decisions."

"That's on you, sis." He snickered, "I don't know what you were thinking?"

"Hey, shut up." She rolled her eyes settling toward the doorway. She looked at herself in the small mirror by the door. The cook gave her a stern look before she stamped her feet like a little kid to the door. She glumly opened the door, but then she looked confusedly her eyes widened, "Jay?"

He proudly stood smiling, puffing out his chest the book at his hands, "Jay Hogart at your service."

"What're you doing here?" She giggled, as a smile played on her lips, she was after all, happy to see him. Her dimples were more pronounced and suddenly looking good went out the window, and just feeling the moment was her concern. He was here and that's all that mattered, "Well, well it's a long way from Degrassi."

"I'm here to . . what's the word?" Jay asked quizzing, before putting on his glasses, raising his eyebrows, being comically serious, "Woo you."

Manny crossed her arms skeptically unable to wipe the smile off of her face, "Oh really?" She gestured for him to come inside the house.

"I'll tell you how I love you. All the ways." Jay says uncertain as he tried to remember the poem, but he was quickly losing his nerve. Afterall, he was in front of Manny, he was there and now he wanted to solidify his feelings.

"Jay . . " She advanced forward while she stroked the side of his face advancing closer to him, "I know you do. You don't have to do this." She softly smiled, "It's not easy either."

"You do? Is this good?" He asked, "Like is a smile a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Jay, I absolutely . . " She shook her head mesmerized, "Feel the same way." She said smiling, "I just - I can't believe you're here, three feet from my living room basically. I . . " She said taken back shaking her head, she bit her lip so she didn't cry, "You're actually here." She scoffed, looking down at herself, "And I'm under dressed and - just you being here, tonight - I could cry."

"Well don't because, you are much, most beautiful when you smile."

"I couldn't help it." She replied, "I won't cry, I promise."

"Yes I am, I'm here, now and- a-nd now I'm going to re-"

She flirtatious in nature put her finger to his lip before granting him a kiss, the they wrapped the arms around one another and traveled with their hands across their bodies, the kissing intensified but then they both pulled away. She shut the door behind him crashing against an empty wall beside the door, Manny took the lead before she pulled away, catching her breath their foreheads pressed up against one another.

"Read the poem." He finished whispering with determination to finish the sentence triumphant.

Manny sighed closing her eyes shaking her head, stroking his cheek with her hand, "I don't need the poem, I don't want you to do that."

"Aw, I thought it'd be romantic." Jay whined a bit before just going with it. He stuffed the book into his backpack and she made way for him to come inside her house.

"Well, it's not you and your words, that's a-okay. I don't like the tortured artist type, I like . . the smart, sensible, dependent, humble, mechanic man, Jay Hogart. I already had a tortured artist, and I don't want him. I can't, hear that, tell me something from, here." She pointed to his heart, "I love you, already, but I'd rather hear from your own words."

"Manny, then, I loved you the moment I really looked into your eyes." He started, "It was between when you had the bangs and then you had the Bette Page. I mean I always admired you from a far, you were always the pretty cheerleader and I was trouble. I didn't like talk to you, you didn't like me back then. Supposedly, and I believe for good reason, and I'm sure for a while there you still didn't like me because of what happened between me and Emma."

"Well of course." She answered, "A-about you and Emma. That Jay, for once had nothing to do with her. I fell for you on my merit."

"When we, dated right as I was taking you to your door, something in you came over me and I've been hooked ever since. When we broke up, I was so sad. When we fight, it breaks me into pieces because, we both care about everything too much to the point where we want it all. We say what we feel and we don't care who gets hurt, except when it happens to the person you love most of all, and then that hurt is replaced with regret. I shouldn't have let you go." He paused a second, "You were out the door, and I couldn't do shit. I felt like the light in my life was out and I had to get back to my normal everyday life without you. And I couldn't, I can't. I can't turn off my feelings for you, when the lights went out. It happened before and I never ever want it to happen again. I love you, Manny and fuck the poem. I can count the ways, you can sing, you can dance, you can make me happy in the heart place and in the hard place. Because you want to be an actress, because you can do anything you set your mind to, because you're beautiful, because you need to believe it for you - because you care about everyone more than anyone I know really well. You're my everything and I know things aren't ideal and that's okay, but if it's okay I'm going to love you forever." Jay sighed, "Even when I'm nothing but bones. It's you, Manny who makes the sun shine in my life. Will this do? So impromptu?" He sighed giving up, "I should've went with the poem."

"No, not at all." She managed before blushing.

"I really love you. I want us, we had a shitty part of our relationship I don't wanna say we gave up. I don't want that to end us."

"I don't want it to either." She whispered, seriously.

She smiled big showing off her dimples before walking forward, to pull him into a kiss to end all kisses. She had never had such a speech before, but he denied her quickly answering, "Wait! I'm not finished." He dug in his pocket and took out a box, and slid down to one knee, "Will you marry me? Make me the happiest man in the world?"

"Y-yes." She sputtered, flabbergasted and unable to speak, she barely uttered the word and she was just so surprised. She had no idea this was coming, she took notice to her hair all up in curlers. She covered her face with her hands, "Absolutely, yes." Full of happy tears and celebration, she tried so hard but the tears just went on. She pulled him into a hug and she kissed him once again.

He pulled away, "You mean it?"

"Uh huh." She said wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, sniffling, "What do we do now?"

"We uh plan the rest of our lives together." He sighed, "But first?" He asked lifting her up in his arms, as he walked toward the bedroom, whisking her off, "To the bedroom."

"I was hoping you'd say that." She replied as she clutched onto him as he raced up the stairs.

. . .

Spinner dressed in a suit came home to see Darcy sitting on the couch, he was home early it was around three o'clock. She was delighted and surprised to see him, she popped up and pulled him into a hug and gave him a modest and quick kiss, "How was your day?"

"It's my first payday." Spinner pulled out his money, "We're going to go out to dinner tonight. I always wanted to get a huge paycheck and get a dinner commemorating it."

"Sounds wonderful, let me get ready. Where at?" Darcy asked, peeling off her clothes and walking into the bedroom. Spinner followed her and watched her look for clothes draped in a towel. "Should I wear the blue dress?"

"Blue is a pretty color, better than brown or black. You look like a mime when you dress in black."

"I can't say horizontal stripes are a good look, at least while I'm still pregnant."

"Well, that's true." Spinner answered, as he touched her stomach, feeling around the curve. She wasn't showing much, she was still early in the pregnancy but it's definitely more pronounced now which makes her shirts seem to be ill-fitting. She seems to be less productive and mostly behaving like a couch potato due to some overwhelming back pain and stomach aches. It so happens the baby tends to dislike the majority of foods that she had long enjoyed. Instead, she eats the most unhealthiest diet when she isn't sticking to the old recipes. She's always snacking and eating ice cream sometimes with pickles and pretzels with mustard. She didn't eat much today, but that didn't mean she wasn't hunger. She had a few pretzel sticks and some ginger ale to calm her stomach and now she was starting to develop an appetite. By the time she got ready and on the road she'd be starving she knew her body well enough to see that hasn't changed much since the discovery of her pregnancy. She couldn't believe one night of meaningless sex, well perhaps it wasn't quite as meaningless there were feelings attached but it was mostly impulse driven. It simply isn't like her to sleep with someone so fast after knowing them, which is miles away from how she was back in high school, she wanted to be a virgin until she was married but unfortunately life had other plans. She met guys she was on the trip with and she had some relationships, her and Peter simply weren't going to be together forever, she thinks they both kind of knew it. Spinner and Darcy seemed to feel closer together since this new lease on their romantic relationship, they seem much happier and it feels more like a couple instead of one person being essentially the boss.

"We're going to Lana's."

"In town?" Darcy asked beaming.

"Why yes it is."

"I love you, Spinner." Darcy took her toiletries in along with her dress. She dried her hair and put on her blue dress and a pearl necklace for a nice piece of jewelry. She put on a blazer just to polish the look, she borrowed it from Clare who really didn't mind. When she was stricken with cancer, she lost some weight. She gained some back, but then she gained back too much weight and it no longer fit her and it went to Darcy. She could've sworn she had something like this back in high school but basically the jacket went full circle, "I'm so excited!"

"I knew you'd be." Spinner called to her through the closed bathroom door as she did her make up and hair.

"You're gonna love it. You've been?"

"No."

"It's crazy just two-three months ago I was as poor as a mouse."

"I know, you were homeless and now, you have a job. You're making money and you have a girlfriend who loves you." Darcy said as she opened up her lipstick and glided it onto her lips, she blended her lips together and then left the bathroom. She decided to pin her hair up with a poof and some natural looking curls before leaving the bedroom her hair in a sock bun. behind it. It was a nice up do and definitely right for the occasion. Spinner got his coat on and put Darcy's coat on before they walked out her dad's condo and out the door to Lana's.