June 1997
"Schemer!" She called, chasing after him.
He looked up from his car. "Yes Ms. Jones?" He asked.
"Don't call me that, please. You know I'm just Stacy to you." She said, realizing how upset he was.
"Do I?" He quirked an eyebrow and wore a mirthless smile.
"Schemer, please. I need you to know that nothing has happened between Ned and I. He just got here, from out of nowhere. I couldn't do something like that to you." Stacy gently said.
He looked her in the eyes briefly before looking away. Despite the short eye contact, she could still see the hurt in his eyes. "I know." He said softly. "You're too good to do something like that."
"My feelings for you haven't changed-" She began but he cut her off.
"And neither have your feelings for him."
She sighed. "No, that's not true. It's been a long time since I last saw him and a lot has happened since then. But it's hard… I guess, I guess I never got any real closure the last time. I never got a chance to speak to him or anything. But none of that matters anymore, I need you to trust me. I'm with you now Schemer, I still want to go on another date with you." She tried to convince him.
He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "So you're not ending things with me, but you've pretty much just confirmed that you still have feelings for him." He said with defeat in his voice.
"No that's not what…. I don't exactly reciprocate the feelings he has for me anymore. He travelled all this way just to find me, he never moved on. He said that he would wait a lifetime for me and that he wasn't going to just give me up without a fight. It's been overwhelming." She tried to explain, feeling like she was just getting more and more tangled up.
He looked unimpressed. "That's sweet." He said sarcastically. "I'm sorry to see that you're under so much pressure from his affections."
"Schemer I already said that I was with you!" She pleaded, feeling like she was losing this conversation badly.
"Yes! You're with me, you said that! But you're only staying with me to put your own guilt at ease. You still have feelings for him and they're not just going to go away! You say he won't give you up without a fight? What do you want me to do? Are you expecting me to challenge him to competition? May the best man win your fair hand? No, Stacy. I've fought for you for a long time and I would fight for you again. But not when your heart isn't in it. Not when you expect me re-win your feelings. If you're that confused, how do you expect us to be together? I love you but I won't be Ned's placeholder!" He wasn't shouting, but his voice was raised. Stacy cringed at the anger and hurt in his voice. The last thing she had wanted to do was upset him.
"Schemer it's not like that!"
"Then what is it like?" He sounded subdued again. "I don't know what to do Stacy. I can't spend the rest of my life wondering whether or not you love him as well. If you're only here because you feel like you owe me something then don't waste your time. You can't have it both ways."
They spent what seemed like a long time staring each other down, the air between them was emotionally charged. Finally Stacy broke the silence.
"I don't think I can promise you what you want me to promise you." She confessed, he had nailed the guilty feeling, that's exactly what oozed through her voice.
"I don't want it anymore. I've made my choice, and I don't need you to make me feel like you did me a favour by cutting me loose." He spat bitterly before throwing himself into the car and roaring away, leaving her standing behind, staring at his tracks much longer than she had intended.
Vance Joy - Riptide
