Chapter Four: In Which the Truth is Revealed
"Wait!" Stewart interrupts, holding his hand up.
"What?" I ask, turning to him impatiently. "Whatever you say isn't going to stop me from finishing the story."
He holds his hands up defensively. "I know that. I just wanted to make it clear that I really thought I was doing the best thing for you, for us."
The two of us lock gazes in a battle for…well, I'm not quite sure. We're distracted by Isobel smacking her gum. I tear my stare from Stewart's grey eyes and refocus on Isobel who is twirling a lock of hair, looking bored.
"Anyway," I continue. "Five years ago, the year I graduated from college, I moved back to Concord to be near my parents—and figure out what I was going to with myself. Stewart already had a job in Boston."
"Not a job," Stewart corrects me. "I was a temp who made approximately zero dollars a year."
"We made it work," I tell Isobel, ignoring his comment. "We'd gone to college five hundred miles apart so Concord to Boston was a piece of cake. But then, one day, I called Stewart to see if he wanted to go to dinner and a movie. Imagine my surprise when he says he can't because he's currently unpacking his apartment in New York City."
Isobel leans forward, looking intrigued for the first time. "What'd you mean?"
"What I mean," I reply cuttingly, "is that Stewart was offered and accepted a job at the Wall Street Journal. He also managed to find an apartment and move without telling me."
"I don't get it," Isobel says, shooting a glance at Stewart.
I give a wry smile. "I didn't either. In fact, I still don't."
And that's what annoys me. My relationship with Stewart has so many loose ends, I feel as though I can't truly move on. It's like a loose tooth; it hurts to run your tongue over it, but you do it anyway because you can't help it. Add to the fact that it was incredibly embarrassing to find your longtime boyfriend moved to a different city without informing you, I've never moved past it. I never even told my parents or brother the truth; I lied through my teeth and said we broke up before his move because of the distance.
"Look," Stewart says with a sigh, placing his palms flat on the table. "I knew that if I told you—"
"We'd be able to talk it out?" I cut in, my voice mocking.
"No. I knew that you'd put up a fuss about long distance relationships further apart than Boston and Concord. Like I said, temping doesn't really bring in much of an income. I was offered a job at the Wall Street Journal. Do you know how big that is, especially for someone my age?"
"I do!" I reply loudly, feeling an angry flush on my cheeks. "I do! That's why if you'd told me and actually talked about it, I would've told you that you should go, that we'd make it work somehow!"
"Wow, this is intense," Isobel deadpans, back to her usual self.
"I didn't want to take the chance," Stewart fires back, just as loudly.
"The chance of what?" I ask sharply.
"Of not being able to pay off the ring—the engagement ring," he snaps.
The wind is taken out of my sails. An engagement ring? I sink into my chair, the words running through my head. But a moment later, I've recovered and am up again, ready to continue my showdown with Stewart. Only I don't have a chance to.
"Excuse me," says the waiter, standing over us, water jug in hand. He looks horribly embarrassed at having to interrupt us. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to quiet down or leave."
My mouth opens and then closes. I become aware that quite a few people have stopped their conversations and are staring at Stewart and me intently. I blush furiously and nod. "Of course, I'm so sorry."
"So sorry," Stewart echoes. "I think we'll take the check now…"
"Here you are, sir," I say, handing Hobson the final draft of our report.
Stewart and I are standing in Hobson's office, giving him our article so he can see how his "dream team" is working out.
"Hmmm…" he says, flipping quickly through the stapled papers. "Hmmm…" he says again when he reaches the end.
"Is it alright, sir?" Stewart asks, looking slightly anxious.
Hobson looks up and suddenly he's beaming. "It looks fantastic. I knew hiring you would be a good choice, Chadwick."
Stewart smiles politely while I try to obscure the scowl that's on my face.
Putting the article on desk, Hobson leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest, staring contemplatively at the two of us. "So how was it working together?"
I glance sideways at Stewart at the same moment he looks at me and our eyes meet before darting away awkwardly. The walk back from the restaurant was quiet and tense. Back at the office, it was even worse. We were forced to hold stilted conversations about how to complete the article and made sure any accidental glances or touches weren't loading with meaning. To sum it up; it was a complete disaster.
But I'm not about to tell Hobson that; he'll just accuse me of not trying hard enough. So instead, I muster a bright smile. "It was great. I think that we'll be a very effective team."
Stewart gapes at me before catching on and snapping his mouth shut. He turns to Hobson with an equally bright expression. "Of course; I'm sure you'll be pleased with our future work."
Hobson nods. "Great work, you two. You're free to go."
The two of us nod goodbye to him and return to our cubicle where I begin to prepare to leave. Slipping on my jacket, I notice Stewart is sitting at his desk, hunched over some papers with a pen. I frown: is he planning to leave anytime soon? I'm tempted to ask him, but remind myself sternly that it's none of my business. So I leave, still glancing over my shoulder at him.
As I'm boarding my bus home, my phone rings loudly. An old lady sitting near the front shoots me a dirty glance and I fumble to answer it.
"Hawthorne speaking," I say as quietly as I can.
"Hey, Em," says the person on the other side.
"Jess!" I exclaim in delight. I receive another scathing glance from the old lady and lower my voice again. "How are you?"
"Fine, thanks," she answers. "I was just calling because I figured you'd be getting out of work and it feels as though I haven't talked to you in ages!"
"We haven't!" I agree. "Anyway, what's up with you?"
She laughs. "Not much. Just trying to keep afloat, you know?"
Everyone assumed Jess would end up being some sort of scientist and we were all proved right. She decided to become a biochemist engineer. At one point, she tried to explain what she did but all it did was give me a headache. All I know is that it's very difficult and I probably wouldn't be able to do it.
"Tell me about it," I give a rueful laugh.
"Talking of work," she says. "The last time we talked, you were all excited over getting a new partner. What're they like?"
"Oh!" I gasp. "Yeah, I'll give you three guesses who it is."
Jess laughs. "You know I hate guessing games, Em."
"Fine," I relent. "It's Stewart."
I hear a kind of strangled gasp. "Stewart Chadwick? As in the Stewart Chadwick who took a job in New York and left without telling you?"
I wince. "Um, yeah, thanks for the reminder. But yeah, it's him. He claims he didn't know I worked for the Seattle Times. As if," I scoff.
"Maybe it was a coincidence," Jess says, but she sounds doubtful.
"Anyway," I continue, "we went to lunch today to get a witness statement and it kind of turned into a wreck."
I fill her in about the fiasco at lunch and the resulting awkwardness. When I get to the part about why Stewart moved, she gives a little gasp, and when I tell her about Stewart staying late, she makes a funny little sympathetic noise.
"I can't believe he was going to propose to you," she says, lowering her voice at the last part.
"I know. It's crazy," I reply. "And I have no idea how we're going to do it—work together, I mean. Can we really be within twenty feet of each other and not be at each other's throats?"
Jess sighs. I can imagine her, sitting on her couch at home, twirling her braid around her finger, a crease in between her eyebrows as she thinks. "I'm not sure. The fact you never had closure with him makes it difficult. Today, you found out the real reason he moved, but you had five years to assume the worst."
"Maybe you should've become a therapist instead of a scientist," I joke, trying to take my mind off my next question.
"Maybe," she laughs slightly.
"So, I'm wondering if I should tell David who Stewart is."
"I figured you wouldn't have told him," Jess remarks. "But I think you definitely should."
I gulp. I knew that was what she was going to say, but I'm still dreading the prospect of telling David.
"It'll be fine, Em," Jess reassures me. "It's better you do it now rather than have him assume you're keeping secrets.
"Right," I say firmly. "I'll tell him next time we're alone." I realize the bus has pulled up to my stop. "Listen, Jess, I've got to go. I'll call you soon."
"Bye," she says and then the line is dead.
"Are you okay?" David, who is sitting on my couch as I pace in front of him, looks concerned.
The two of us are at my apartment after drinks with Janelle and Gabe. I'm determined to keep my promise and tell David about Stewart, but I'm nervous since I'm not sure how he'll react.
I nod quickly. "Yeah, totally. I'm definitely fine. Nothing's wrong," I reply too quickly.
He laughs, the worry lines disappearing. "You're a terrible liar, Em. Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath. I join him on the couch, angling myself so my knees are touching his. "So, you know how I got a new partner at work?"
He nods. "Yeah, you said he was a hard worker, right?"
"He is. And the thing is, I know that because we grew up together. I've known him since I was like ten."
"Then isn't that a good thing?" David asks, smiling slightly. "An old friend—that's good, right? Since not many people you know live in Seattle?"
I muster a weak smile, hoping he'll be as accepting when I tell him the next part. "It is. The thing is, he's actually my, well, um, we used to date."
David's eyebrows shoot up. I don't blame him; I haven't exactly been forthcoming with details about my life before I moved to Seattle.
"Oh, um, that's fine?" says David, sounding slightly confused.
"It was a long time ago," I rush to reassure him. "I just wanted to tell you to clear the air."
He nods slowly, still looking deep in thought before turning to look at me, his face serious. "And it's over? No spark, no anything?"
I frown. The truth is, I'm not sure. There could potentially be something, but I've got an awesome boyfriend. Why would I want anything else?"
So, I say, "Nope. No nothing. It was a long time ago."
"Good." David leans in and kisses me. When he pulls away, he smiles at me. "You know I love you, right?"
I smile back. "I love you, too."
"So, I've been thinking. We've been together for three years and I think it's time for the next step. Emma, will you move in with me?"
A/N: I am SO sorry for the lack of updates! I've been working overtime at school, but hopefully I'll manage to make some time for writing. Anyway, I've been trying to plot out how the story is going to move along and I'm thinking around 15-20 chapters.
What did you all think about why they broke up? I had a really difficult time coming up with a good reason, but I hope you all like it.
Guest: Nope, no cheating in this story I've played out that plot in Returning Home!
Guest: I know! I've been dying to update but unfortunately there's just been no time!
Guest: Thanks! It's reviews like yours that give me motivation to keep going!
Guest: I'm flattered, and I agree: Heather Vogel Frederick is the best!
Dess4ever: Thanks, as always, for your reviews and suggestions!
Guest: I do actually want to be an author when I grow up, but like you, I'm only 14 so it probably won't be happening for a while!
Guest: I did consider making it a pregnancy scare, but I wasn't sure that's the direction I wanted the story to go in.
Guest: Thank you! I've been trying to keep the sappiness to a minimum, but eventually there will probably be some. I'll keep Cassidy and Tristan in consideration!
Obsessedchick44: Thank you!
Guest: Thanks! I ended up using your idea but putting my own twist on it!
Thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming!