Chapter 3
"You know, I may be out of town, but I do have eyes in my head." Jay grumbled good naturally and Bobby smiled a little.
"What do you mean?"
"I may not know this mall, but I can tell that we've been going around in circles for the last ten minutes."
Bobby paused. "I need to do something but to tell you the truth; I don't wanna do it very much…" He trailed off, his hand moving to his pocket and tracing the small box that was nestled inside.
Jay bit her lips. "Alright, let's make another round."
Bobby smiled gratefully and they walked around the mall for a few more minutes. When he woke up that morning, after very few hours of sleep, he convinced himself that it was about time to move on, Darcy's words still echoing in his ears. He faked indifference when they talked on the phone, congratulating her and encouraging, pretending he already moved on and didn't wait for her. But in reality, he received a heavy blow to his heart, not to mention his ego; his former girlfriend admitting without saying out loud that he wasn't good enough for her.
Jay watched curiously at the range of expressions his features showed, wondering at the sudden pain she saw in his eyes before a resolution seemed to surface and he pulled her after him to one of the jewelry stores. He immediately walked towards one of the salesman and handed him the small box he carried. "I would like to return it please." The salesman opened the small box and examined the ring that was nestled inside, he asked for Bobby's receipt before disappearing in the back room, promising he would only be a moment.
Jay peered from behind him. "It's a beautiful ring, Bobby."
"Thanks." He replied absentmindedly, tracing the delicate white gold ring with his finger. "I never got the chance to actually propose, she left before I had the chance."
Jay laid her hand on his shoulder, the touch strangely comforting him. "It was really stupid of her to leave."
He eyed her with sad eyes. "You think?"
Her eyes twinkled with mischief and he smiled without even trying too hard. "A tall, green eyed Aussie with an excellent taste in both clothes and jewelry…" She trailed off, making a show of waving her hand over her face. "Normal women would have swooned at your feet by now."
"Yeah, don't you forget that I'm extremely handsome as well." Laughing when she rolled her eyes at him.
The salesman returned and Bobby handed him his credit card, feeling an odd sense of relief now that he finally returned the small object that seemed to weigh on his heart. They walked out of the store and Bobby leaned against the rail, watching passers by as they walked around the packed mall. He was all too aware of her presence beside him watching him. "Thanks for coming with me." He mumbled.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I've been dumped all over again." He mused slowly. "I really thought I got over her."
She squeezed his shoulder. "You know, I have the perfect thing to get your mind off her. Trust me, I've been dumped too many times already and this guy I really liked told me this morning he wanted to pursue a relationship with another woman."
"Ouch." Bobby sympathized and then smiled when she pulled him after her towards the food section, seating him next to one of the tables and handing him her shopping bags and the small duffle bag she carried.
"Don't move." She ordered playfully and he watched her walking over to one of the ice cream stands, peering over the selections before pointing at something. Bobby found himself eyeing her appreciatively, smiling when she grinned at the salesman and accepted a huge cup from him before nodding her head and obviously asking for another one. Her long skirt hugged her curves and he marveled at the way she paused to gather her hair in a complicated knot, strands of hair falling and tracing the sides of her face. She soon returned towards the table and he faked interest in the wood patterns on the table, raising his head when she presented him with the biggest chocolate ice cream portion he'd ever seen. He glanced at her with alarm. "You can finish it all by yourself?"
"Of course I can." She snorted. "Not that I'm very proud of it, mind you, but…" She trailed off when he slowly eased the spoon to his mouth, surprised by her reaction to the simple gesture.
"This is heavenly." He mumbled with his mouth full.
"Men's cure for a broken heart." She said, lowering her eyes to her own portion of ice cream. "Not only it's chocolate ice cream but it also has chocolate chips inside."
"I'm warning you, I'm hyper on too much sugar." He waved the spoon in front of her eyes before taking another mouthful of ice cream.
Jay shrugged her shoulders. "I'll be hyper too, so we should get along just fine."
They lapsed into silence and Jay shook her head, wondering why she even assumed that he would want to keep on spending his time with her, he probably had better things to do then spend Independence Day at the mall with a stranger he only just met. She cleared her throat, pushing the ice cream away as it suddenly lost its taste. "So, you know any decent motels around? I should probably start looking for a place to spend the night in."
"What would you do in a hotel all day long?" He wondered, finishing his ice cream.
"Well, I might catch a movie before." She pointed at the large sign behind him. "A marathon of animation film, Ice Age two is starting soon."
"Oh…" He pondered for a moment. "We could watch it together."
"Bobby, you don't have to stay with me, I already forgot about the coffee incident. I'm sure you have better things to do then hang around with me all day." She bit her lips, wondering why she was pushing him away.
"The truth is that I had absolutely no plans for today and I don't feel like going home." He shrugged his shoulder. "Watching a fun movie sounds like a good idea but we don't have to sit together if you don't want to."
"I just don't want you to feel any obligation towards me."
"I don't feel anything like that…I think we're even, so let's go and watch a movie." He eyed her bowl of ice cream. "Are you going to eat that?"
"Of course I am." She pulled the bowl towards her. "You already got your share…"
Water was surely one of the universe's magical instruments, sustaining body and soul, animals and plants, clear as crystal and beautiful as the sun glowed above it. Jack watched with rapt attention as the water rolled down her back, her hair slightly wet. He followed a drop of water that slowly slid down her shoulder blade and headed southwards, stopping at the line of her swimming suit. Jack smiled and slowly walked towards her, receiving her attention by waving his hand.
"The water is good." Sue smiled at him. "You were right; it's not even that hot."
Jack grinned. "I'm glad you approve."
She stumbled a little when the first waves hit them and he reached out for her, pulling her after him towards the edge of the pool where they could also hold the rail. "I'm not very fond of high waves." He heard her saying.
Not deep. Me hold you. He responded in sign, making sure to stop in a place where she could still stand on her feet.
She moved closer to him as the waves grew higher and Jack grabbed the rail in one hand while wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her even closer. He heard her laughing against his ear and he smiled, watching as a few people started swimming against the waves. Another wave hit his back and he stumbled, swallowing a mouthful of water while trying to achieve his balance. He felt Sue's grasp tightening as she stabled him and he coughed loudly.
"Jack, are you okay?" Her grin turned wicked. "Do you need CPR?"
He coughed harder, now trying to contain his laughter at her mischievous gaze. "If I'll ever need CPR, would you perform it?" He questioned, his hand moving to her hair and tangling a strand around his finger.
She grinned. "I might…" Her smile faltered as she slowly watched his eyes turning a darker shade of brown as he leaned closer. "Jack…" She placed a hand on his chest, her heart thumping in response to his closeness and the touch of his body under the water. He half turned and she lost her grip on the rail, holding onto his shoulders, his hand holding her tightly while the other one, untangled the strand of hair and moved to caress her cheek.
Someone bumped into them and suddenly, Jack found that the moment was broken, Sue averting her eyes from him and adjusting her swimsuit. He smiled a little and grasped her hand. "Wanna go out? We could have some ice cream and I really think we both need some sun screen before we'd turn red."
"I could do with some ice cream." She smiled, relieved that the tension eased between them and on the same time regretting not acting with her instincts.
"And sun screen." He reminded her, his mind taking him to various interesting scenarios. "But most definitely something cold first…" He mumbled, following her outside. She gave him a knowing smile and he walked faster to catch up, enjoying when she reached out for his hand and they walked towards the ice cream stand in the corner.