Author's note: With fan fiction being glitchy last weekend, it's possible you may have missed the notification about the last chapter. If so, you might want to go back and read that chapter before you read this one.
Aubrey has received some unsettling news, and now he has to decide how to handle the situation. Read on to find out how that works out.
Note: a bit of spice toward the end...just FYI.
Angela slowly pulled her van into the driveway on the side of the Hoover. Humming a Christmas carol, she tapped the steering wheel as she waited for Jessica. Finally she caught sight of her friend coming out of the building's side door.
Honking the horn slightly, Angela waved to get the young woman's attention. Shrugging tentatively as she waited for a car to pass, Jessica quickly walked over to the van and opened the door. After settling into her seat, she turned to the driver.
"Thanks for picking me up, Angela. Aubrey was busy…" Biting her lip, Jessica turned toward the passenger window. "We're going to Howard's at 15th and Delaware, just a couple of blocks up. I'm glad I have Triple A. All I had to do was call them, and they arranged for a tow to the shop. The man I talked to said they could get it fixed easily, although I have to buy four new tires because it's been 30,000 miles since I replaced them on my Jeep. Someone slashed the back two, and they can't be repaired."
"Wow, that's terrible." Angela glanced at her friend, wondering if she was getting the whole story. "Well, I don't mind giving you a ride over there. It's not like it's that far."
"Yeah." Jessica sighed audibly. "I probably could've taken a cab."
Pursing her lips slightly as she pulled her van out of traffic, Angela glanced at Jessica. "I suppose you stopped by the Hoover to see if Aubrey would take you over to the tire shop?"
"Yes..." Jessica rolled her eyes as she adjusted her seat belt "...but he said he was too busy to help me with my car. He had something he had to do..."
Hearing the sarcasm in Jessica's voice, Angela laughed softly. "Well, maybe he had an appointment of some sort, Sweetie. Special Agents in Charge have a lot on their plate, you know, with all the paperwork involved in the nuts and bolts of running the division, and then they have to work on cases, too. Sometimes they're not in a position to just drop everything to run an errand."
"I get that, and I knew he might be busy. That wasn't the problem, really. I mean, I guess I should've just called him first, but I wanted to see him...I wanted it to be kind of like a surprise for him...me showing up like that. I figured he'd be glad to have his girlfriend drop by." Jessica fidgeted with her hair, pushing a strand behind her ear. "He was acting really weird, though. It was like he didn't really want to see me...like he couldn't wait to get away from me. It almost felt like he was unhappy to see me. It really kind of hurt my feelings." Raking her teeth over her trembling lip, she tried to hide her agitation. "He wouldn't even look at me, Angela. Even that pig Steve Bower commented on how weird Aubrey was acting after he dashed out of the bullpen."
"I'm sure he didn't intend to hurt your feelings, Jessica.", Angela said. "He probably just has something on his mind…"
"We had such a good time together over Thanksgiving weekend...and this morning, too, but now he's giving me the brush off for some reason. I don't know what's going on with him…it's crazy..."
Angela reached over to pat Jessica's hand. "I think you may be overthinking this, Sweetie. I'm sure there's a logical explanation, okay? Listen, you know Aubrey loves you, right?" Seeing Jessica nod, the artist continued. "There are a lot of reasons he could be preoccupied, but that doesn't have anything to do with how he feels about you."
They sat at a stoplight, waiting for the signal to change. "When Hodgins is in the middle of hatching another batch of his dermestid beetles, he rarely has time to talk to me, except to say 'goodbye' in the morning and 'hello' in the evening, but I know he loves me. In Aubrey's situation, it's probably something to do with a case, and it might be that he can't tell you anything about it. Sometimes they have strict protocols about that."
"I guess you're right." Jessica nodded slightly as she turned to her friend. "I'll call Aubrey later and see what's going on. It's probably nothing…" Unconvinced, Jessica checked her messages to see if he'd called, but there were none. "I know he's been working on several different things, and Director Stark has been pushing him and Booth to do something about closing the Vacchio case. I guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt this time…"
"Good." Angela smiled at the younger woman. "Now tell me...do you really think someone deliberately slashed your back tires in the Jeffersonian's parking garage? Who would do that?"
Jessica's face twisted in disgust as she thought about the culprit. "I think it was probably Gerald Maxwell. He's had it in for me for quite awhile now, especially after what happened to him at the Gala. He'd just love to cause me some grief."
Angela shook her head in surprise. "That would be pretty stupid, though, right? Surely he knows that there are security cameras on all levels of the garage. The museum doubled up on them after Hodgins and Brennan were kidnapped by the Gravedigger. Why would he risk his internship?"
Jessica thought about last week's confrontation in the locker room, but decided that she didn't need to drag anyone else in her drama. "In case you haven't noticed, Angela, Gerald isn't the brightest guy in the world. Anyway, he probably thinks his dad can get him out of trouble even if he's been caught on tape."
"Well, Harold Maxwell may be a big wig, but he won't be able to fix it if his son is caught committing a crime against a fellow intern, okay? Anything that happens at the Jeffersonian is federal. If he tried interfering with his son's case...if there is one, that is...Caroline would just flick him away like a bug."
Pulling out her phone, Jessica looked at the pictures she'd taken of her tires. "It looks like 'whoever' did this damage used a box cutter of some sort."
"Maybe we should have the garage return at least one of the tires to you after they take them off of your car. I'm sure Hodgins won't be satisfied until he gets to look at one of them to see if he can figure out exactly what happened."
Jessica nodded as she checked her phone again, hoping to find a message from her boyfriend. "Yeah...that's a good idea. Howard's is up there on the right."
Oooooooooo
It was one o'clock on the dot when Aubrey knocked on Booth's office door. "Hey…"
"Oh, hey, Aubrey." Booth waved for his friend to come in. "I've only been back from lunch for a few minutes. Just checking my email." He leaned back in his desk chair. "What's up?"
"I...um…", Aubrey began nervously as he came into the office and sat down. "I got this note, and I wanted you to look at it...I want to know what you think." He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his jacket pocket and laid it on Booth's desk. Seeing the question in Booth's expression, he nodded."Go ahead...read it."
"Frowning slightly, Booth quickly perused the note. "Jesus…", he muttered softly "Not good…"
"Yeah." Aubrey rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "I mean, I always knew my old man was a cold, heartless bastard, but I never pegged him as someone who'd arrange a murder…"
Folding up the note, Booth grimaced slightly "So what are you gonna do? It seems like you might have to recuse yourself from the investigation of the Vacchio case if your father is involved."
"So you think maybe someone thinks I'm getting too close and they're trying to get me to let it go?" Aubrey drummed his fingers nervously on the desk. "I guess I need to go see him and get this straightened out…"
"Nope." Booth held up a finger to interrupt his friend's angry retort. "Listen, I know you wanna go charging in there, doing the interrogation so you can get at the truth, but that'll just complicate matters, okay? So here's what we're gonna do."
Booth pulled up a map on his computer monitor ."You're gonna turn the investigation of the Vacchio case completely over to my division on a temporary basis, just until we find out what's going on with your dad. The prison he's in is about a three hour drive from here, so tomorrow morning, I'll go over to West Virginia and interview him."
Aubrey sighed dejectedly. "C'mon, Booth. I don't want to give up on the Vacchio case just because my dad might be involved…"
"It'll only be until we find out for sure that he's involved. Anyway, I'll need to take someone with me in the morning. What do you think? Can Shaw go? We'll be back late, and she'll need to find someone to pick up her kid, so that might not work. What about Bower?"
"No way. I'm going with you in the morning." Aubrey sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can keep my cool when we see Phillip Aubrey…"
"You're gonna be able to keep your cool when we ask your dad whether or not he arranged to have Louis Vacchio killed? I don't think so…" Booth was grim as he stared at his friend. "You know that going with me is a bad idea, right? If you're involved in this investigation, and we figure your dad is involved...if his defense attorneys ever find out what's going on, our case against him will be totally fucked up…"
"Do you really think I'd let that jackass Bower go with you to talk to my dad?" Aubrey was livid. "That guy can't keep a secret to save his soul. Pretty soon this shit about my dad be all over the office…"
"And how do you think we'll keep it from Stark if I let you go with me? He'd have both our asses...we both might end up without a job." Booth sighed softly as he studied his friend's anguished expression. "Okay, listen...let's do it this way. You're gonna tell Shaw that she's going with me in the morning, right?Then, tomorrow morning, she's gonna tell me that she can't go, because some sort of problem came up with her kid, so I'm gonna have to get you to fill in for her on an emergency basis, okay? Stark might just buy that…at least I hope he does." Turning toward his computer, Booth pinched his lips together. "I swear, Aubrey, if you screw this up, there will be all sorts of Hell to pay..."
"No way I'd do that to you, Booth. Thanks...I appreciate it, you know?" Aubrey was visibly relieved as he leaned forward in his chair. "So we'll leave about 7:30 tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll call the pen and tell them we'll be over there between 10:30 and 11 to see the guy. We should be back tomorrow evening in time for dinner."
"Great. Thanks again, Booth…", Aubrey began. "It's great having a friend like you on my side…"
"Enough of that shit, okay?" He handed the folded note back to Aubrey. "Better get the techs to dust that note for prints." Seeing Aubrey's hesitation, Booth tried to reassure him. "They won't care what the note says, okay? Just tell them to run the normal tests on it. That's what they get paid for."
"Right." Aubrey stood up to leave. "I'll meet you here at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll even bring some of your favorite doughnuts."
"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow." Booth watched Aubrey leave, hoping that he wouldn't regret his decision to let the younger man go with him in the morning.
Oooooooooo
"I'm glad you waited for me, Angela." Jessica exhaled slowly as she got back into the minivan. "I can't get my Jeep back until later this week or even next Monday. Since it's an older model, they don't keep that tire size in stock. They'll have to order the tires from Atlanta."
"That sucks, Sweetie."
"Yeah, it does." Exasperated, Jessica tugged on her seatbelt and fastened it. "Howard said once they get the tires, it'll only take a couple of hours to put them on, but it may take some time to get them, especially since the weather is supposed to get bad over the next few days and with the holiday season starting soon. That prick's timing when he destroyed my tires couldn't have been worse."
"No problem, Sweetie. Do you want me to take you back to the Jeffersonian?" Angela started the van and put it in gear. "I don't mind."
Jessica checked the time on her phone. "It's three, and I had planned to stay until four. Actually, Angela, would you mind taking me home? I'm gonna text Dr. B and tell her that I'll be in early tomorrow to make up my time. Clark's gone to some sort of Viking seminar in Canada this week, so I was helping her by taking measurements in bone storage this morning."
"Of course I don't mind." As she pulled the van out into traffic, Angela winked at her passenger. "Maybe you'll have some extra time to call your favorite FBI agent…" Seeing Jessica's blush, Angela giggled. "Don't worry...I won't tell anybody you're playing hooky. Your secret's safe with me…"
"I just don't see any reason to go back to work for 45 minutes, that's all.", Jessica stammered. "Plus, I'd have to try to catch a cab, and…"
"I get it. I understand completely." Angela nodded as she checked her rear view mirror. "It makes perfect sense to me."
After a short drive, the minivan pulled into a parking place in front of Cho's Korean grocery store. "Here we are. Hey, do you want me to come pick you up in the morning? I'm sure Hodgins won't mind…"
"No, thanks. I need to get to work earlier than normal tomorrow, so I'll just take a cab or ride the Metro…" Jessica fished her keys out of her purse. "I appreciate the offer, though. Oh, here...let me give you some gas money…"
Angela chuckled as she shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Sweetie. Maybe you can buy me lunch one day. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." Giggling to herself, Jessica quickly walked up the three flights of stairs to her apartment, looking forward to the phone call she'd be making that evening.
Ooooooooooo
After leaving Booth's office, Aubrey dropped by Genny's office to explain the plan for her supposed 'trip' the next day before going into his office to clear his desk. There were reports to sign and files to examine, but he worked quickly through the stack of papers, and things were finally finished by 5:30.
The bullpen was deserted as he waited for the elevator that would take him down to the parking garage. Usually on an evening like this he'd be looking forward to spending some quality time with his girlfriend, but he figured tonight was going to be very different. He wondered if she was still angry with him for pretending that he had to leave in a hurry. He hadn't heard from her all day, and he knew that getting the silent treatment from his normally chatty redhead was not a good thing. He found himself wishing that she'd yell at him, just so things could get back to normal.
Back to normal...he shook his head as he pulled his SUV out of the Hoover's parking garage. Would things with Jessica ever be normal again? His beautiful anthropologist was an amazing woman, but would she be able to look past the fact that his father was a murderer?
Too tired to think straight, Aubrey stopped by one of his favorite Chinese restaurants on the way home. He dropped the takeout boxes off in the kitchen before quickly going upstairs to change into a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. He hurried back downstairs to fix a dish of food for Skinner before opening the moo goo gai pan and spooning some out on a plate, along with some fried rice, three egg rolls, a side of General Tso's chicken, and a large helping of sweet and sour pork.
"There we go. All set.
He picked up his bottle of beer and carried it and his plate into the family room, where he plopped down on the sofa. After taking a swig from his beer, he pointed the remote at his television, hoping to find some old movie to take his mind off his troubles.
"Jesus…really?" It seemed the only movie available on cable that evening was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. "Well, under the circumstances, that seems appropriate, doesn't it, Skinner?"
Skinner meowed as he sniffed the bite of food Aubrey offered. "The worst day of my life should end with the worst Star Trek movie ever made."
As Aubrey took another bite of his rice, he heard his ring. "Shit...of course it's in the kitchen, right?" He put his plate down and moved quickly to answer it, only to find that he'd missed a call. After checking his messages, he looked up just in time to see his cat steal a piece of meat from his plate. "Get outta there…"
Settling on the sofa again, he sighed. The call he'd missed had been from Jessica. He was torn, trying to decide if he should call her back, when the phone rang again, startling him out of his indecision. "Hello?"
"Hey, Superman. What's going on?" Jessica smiled as she imagined Aubrey scratching his belly while he took a sip of his beer. "What's for supper tonight?"
"I went by Hop Ling's and got the Happy Family sampler. You know, so that I'll have dinner tonight and then leftovers for lunch tomorrow." He cringed, mentally kicking himself as he mentioned lunch. He really didn't want to lie to his girlfriend, but…
"Hey, maybe I can come by and share some of it for my lunch. We haven't had Chinese in a long time. I think it's because someone I know would rather have spaghetti and meatballs."
"With good reason, right? Of course, with Chinese food, supposedly a guy's hungry again in few hours or so. I might like that schedule better."Aubrey laughed quietly as he took another sip of his beer.
"That might be fun.", Jessica said, laughing as she fixed a salad for her dinner."Although I'm not sure the FBI would be happy about you excusing yourself every three hours."
As she sat down to the table, she switched her phone to her other ear. "Anyway, I know it's kind of late, but I wondered if you'd want to come over here to spend the night so that you can give me a ride to work in the morning. My Jeep is in the shop."
Aubrey hesitated slightly as he thought over his options. On any other night, he'd be racing over to Jessica's apartment to make up for their earlier misunderstanding, but tonight...tonight he didn't know if he deserved her love and attention.
"You still there, Superman?"
He stared blindly at the television."Yeah... sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind right now. Like if you're gonna still want me when the truth comes out.
He cringed inwardly, wondering if this would be the last night he'd spend with Jessica. "I'll be there in an hour, okay? I need to do a couple of things here first."
"Okay." Jessica hesitated slightly before she continued. "Don't feel like you have to come over if you don't want to…"
"No, I want to. See you soon."
He quickly hung up the phone and sat back on the couch, turning the problem over in his mind for a few minutes, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Was he going to go visit the woman he loved or was he just using her to relieve some stress after a bad day?
"Maybe this is a bad idea.", he mumbled to himself. However, there was no way to back out of going now...not without making up another lame excuse.
He finally got up and scraped his dirty plate into the sink and put the leftover food in the refrigerator. Checking the time on the microwave, he shook his head. "I need to get going."
He went upstairs to his bedroom and quickly pulled a sweatshirt on over his tee shirt before taking his 'to go' garment bag from the closet. Checking to make sure he had a clean shirt to go with his suit and tie, he trotted down the stairs and out to his car, all the while trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing.
"Come on...what's the big deal...she loves me. She's expecting me. She's gonna be glad to see me…
When he got to Mr. Cho's grocery store, he quickly parked and then jogged up the three flights of stairs leading to her apartment. He knocked on the door, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for her to answer.
"Oh, there you are."Jessica wore a wide smile as she opened the door to let him in. "I wondered what was taking you…"
He threw his garment bag on the couch before interrupting her with a passionate kiss. "I told you I had things to do...but I'm here now. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Still breathless from the kiss, she nodded. "Yes...I was just surprised it took you so long to get here."
"Well, now that I am here, what I have in mind won't take very long at all. C'mere." He pulled her close, practically crushing her against his body. "God...I want you so bad…"
"She pushed away from him and looked into his eyes, startled by the ferocity she saw there. "Really? Because it sure didn't seem that way this afternoon when I came by the Hoover. It seemed like you couldn't wait to get away from me."
"What the fuck, Jess? I mean, did you drag me over here tonight just to start a goddamn argument? Because you could've done that over the phone."
Jessica was confused at her boyfriend's uncharacteristic bad attitude. "I…no...I mean, of course not..."
His eyes darkened with anger as he stroked her breasts. "I thought you had something else in mind...like having my hard cock between your legs."
"He dragged his fingers over her most sensitive areas, pleased to find that she wasn't wearing any panties under her sleep shirt. "C'mon...you're already so wet for me. Let's stop talking and get down to the business at hand." He nibbled her earlobe as she bucked her hips towards him. "You know you want me…"
"Yes...yes, I do." She pushed his sweatpants and boxers down over his bulging erection. "I do want you…"
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she clung to him as he picked her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist as he pushed her back against the wall, she thrust her hips against him as he quickly entered her. She pulled him closer as he repeatedly pushed into her, mewling with pleasure as she felt the raw power of each raging thrust. Finally, the wave of pleasure crested around her and she was carried away with the thrill.
"Oh my God…", she panted."That was...amazing."
She lay her head against his chest, expecting him to caress her gently as he usually did when they came down together. Instead, he backed away from her as he pulled up his sweatpants, avoiding eye contact with her as he ran his hand through his dark hair.
"Listen, I'm really tired, Jess. I know it's kind of early, but do you mind if we get some sleep? I've got a big day planned for tomorrow…"
Confused by the weird vibes she was getting from her boyfriend, Jessica nodded in agreement. "Sure, if that's what you want…" She reached out to take his hand, but he pulled away from her. "Is everything alright? You seem really jumpy, Aubrey…"
"I'm fine. Like I said, I've been busy, and I have a lot on my mind, okay? Don't worry about it." He moved toward her bedroom."Are you coming?"
"Yeah, let me lock up first. I'll wake you up about six, okay? So you can take me to the lab?"
"Yeah, that should work. See you in the morning."
After checking the door and turning off the lights, Jessica walked quietly into her bedroom, somewhat surprised to find Aubrey was already snoring softly under the sheets. Sighing to herself, she brushed her teeth and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed before joining him under the covers.
She stared at the darkened ceiling, wondering what was going on with James. He hadn't said good night...and he hadn't told her he loved her. Something was up, and she didn't like it one bit.
Oooooooooo
Panting heavily, Aubrey awoke with a start from a bad dream. He glanced at his phone...2 AM. Taking a few seconds to get his bearings, he remembered he was in Jessica's bedroom, and he felt sick to his stomach as he remembered how he'd treated her just a few hours before.
He rolled over, wanting to reach out and put his arms around her as she slept, but his guilt stopped him. He was disgusted with himself for using his girlfriend as if she was a sex toy. She deserved so much more than that from the man she was with…
The man she was with...would that still be him tomorrow? How much longer would she be willing to put up with his shit?
He rolled onto his back and crossed his arms over his chest tightly, staring at the ceiling. The thought that she might leave him and find someone else was almost enough to kill him. However, he'd closed himself off from her once again, so what choice had he left her? She needed someone who could give himself fully, and it seemed he was not going to be able to do that for her.
He brushed away a tear as he realized the awful truth. He'd become just like his father, using the people who loved him for his own selfish purposes. Aubrey had sworn to himself that he'd never be that man, and yet, that was exactly what he'd become. He was a goddamn no good bastard, just like his old man, and Jessica would be better off without him.
He turned away from Jessica, and tried to go back to sleep. It was going to be a busy day, and he needed to be on his toes if he was going to successfully deal with Philip Aubrey. Closing his eyes, he silently wept as he tried to come to grips with how he'd fucked up his life.
Oooooooooo
The phone's alarm sounded loudly from Jessica's nightstand. Groaning softly, she reached over to shut it off before turning toward her boyfriend, but he wasn't lying next to her, and the sheets were cool to her touch. She sat up in bed, trying to figure out where he was, when she heard sounds in her kitchen.
Stepping into her slippers, she tied her flannel robe around her sleep shirt before checking on her boyfriend. He wore his suit pants and a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up as he stood at the stove, stirring something in a skillet.
"Morning, Superman.", she began, trying to sound cheerful. "You're up early."
"Yeah." He grunted softly without looking at her. "I didn't sleep very well last night." Reaching for the plates on the counter, he spooned some scrambled eggs onto each of them."I was really restless for some reason." He bit his lip, knowing what that reason was, but not wanting to share it with his girlfriend yet. "I think the Vacchio case is getting to me."
"Jessica came into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I know you're frustrated, but I'm sure you and Booth will be able to clear it up soon." She lay her cheek against his back, listening as his heart hammered softly. "You're good at your job, James…"
"Tell that to Director Stark." He pulled away from her and carried the plates over to the table. "He's been busting my balls to get that case closed, but I literally don't have a clue about how to do that." Sitting down, he stabbed at the eggs angrily. "It seems like every time I get close, I run into a brick wall."
"Jessica poured two cups of coffee and sat down next to him. "What does Booth say about it?"
"Thoroughly irritated, Aubrey glared at her. "What the hell does that mean? Are you saying I don't know how to do my job? I do not need to run to Booth every time something gets difficult on a case, okay, Jess? I'm a good agent…"
"Okay...sorry." Jessica rolled her eyes at his outburst. "Someone's got his pants in a wad this morning." She tilted her head as she watched him eat his breakfast. "Seriously, James...what's going on? What's bothering you?"
"Nothing, okay? Just leave me alone." He took a long drink from his coffee cup before shrugging off her questions. "Look, I can give you a ride to the lab this morning if you want, but I'm gonna be tied up at work all day, probably until at least six or seven this evening, so you'll need to get a ride home from someone else.
Jessica puffed out an exasperated sigh. "Now you tell me...it would've been nice to know that little tidbit of information last night, okay? That way I could've made arrangements with Angela to get a ride home…" Seeing Aubrey's angry scowl, she rose from the table and put her plate in the sink. "Never mind. Don't worry about taking me to the lab. I don't want you to go to any more trouble for me." She pulled out her phone and made a call.
"What the hell are you doing now?", Aubrey demanded as she turned away from him.
"Calling a cab. Considering the shitty mood you're wearing this morning, I don't want to go anywhere with you. I'll get to work and back home on my own. I don't need your help."
"Well, that's just great. Of all the inconsiderate...I thought you wanted me to give you a ride to work this morning. That's why you asked me to come over last night, right? So I could help you get to work?" Aubrey raised his voice as he picked up his plate. "So I went to all this trouble to come over here, and now you don't need me?"
"I thought you'd want to come over to see me, but obviously I was mistaken. I'm sorry I wasted your time." Jessica stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she struggled to control her anger. Inhaling deeply, she spoke carefully. "I think you'd better leave...now. I need to get ready for work."
Jessica's chilly tone of voice was like a slap in the face to Aubrey, bringing him to his senses. "Listen, Jess...I'm sorry. I've just been under a lot of pressure lately…I didn't mean it...
"We both know that something else is going on, but for some reason you've chosen to hide things from me again instead of telling me the truth. If you don't trust me enough to tell me what's bothering you, then I have nothing more to say to you. You need to leave, Aubrey." Jessica held up her hand to interrupt his sputtering denial. "Go...now."
"Jessica…" He reached out to embrace her, but she pulled away from him.
"Don't." She turned to leave the tiny kitchen. "I assume you can see yourself out…"
"I'll call you this evening…" Aubrey picked up his jacket and got ready to leave. "Okay? As soon as I can after I get home, I'll call you."
"Don't bother...not unless you can tell me the truth." With that, Jessica marched into her bedroom and slammed the door.
Feeling thoroughly defeated, Aubrey sighed as he left the small apartment and walked down the stairs to where his SUV was parked. He climbed in and started the car, glancing up at the window of Jessica's apartment, wondering what she was thinking. He felt certain she'd never talk to him again.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he cursed his damned insecurities. Why couldn't he tell Jessica everything? Why did he insist on running away from the woman he loved? What was wrong with him?
And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. It was all about self preservation...about who was in control of things between them. He wasn't willing to give up having complete control over his life or his relationships. That was it, wasn't it? He'd picked a fight with Jessica so she'd be angry enough to end things with him...so that he wouldn't have to tell her about his father.
"Self destructive...that's what I am. I didn't trust her enough. I was afraid she'd hurt me, so I hurt her first…"
Groaning as he glanced at the dashboard clock, he fought to regain his composure as he pulled out of the grocery store's parking lot. A bad day was about to get much worse.
He was going to a federal penitentiary to visit his father.
Oooooooooo
Jessica sat on her bed and sobbed, wondering what she had done to cause her boyfriend to shut her out of his life once again. Sniffling as she wiped her eyes, she tried to calm down enough to get dressed for work. She felt certain that Aubrey wouldn't be calling her again anytime soon, but she would adapt, just like she always did.
She squared her shoulders as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She wasn't going to be the one to give in this time. Aubrey had been the one to shut her out, and he'd have to be the one to invite her back in. She wasn't going to beg him to come back to her. She didn't need him in her life. She could handle things on her own without him.
"If he wants to come clean, I'll listen, but until then...I'll have to get by on my own...
...without my best friend..."