Hello there! First of all, thanks to all of you that gave me reviews. I really appreciate them and keep in mind all your comments.
Second of all, I'm posting only on Mondays because this story is not as long as they usually are, and I don't want it to run out that quickly. Think of it as a TV show ;)
Thanks for sticking around. Keep reading and please let me know what you think! Enjoy...
Chapter 5
A little before 6:00 am, Kate woke up startled with the sound of the front door. Jack was back. She rubbed her eyes, looking around confused. He was confused too, frowning and finding weird that she was lying on the couch. He walked to her and she quickly got up.
— God, Jack! Are you okay?! What happened?! —she asked frantic, scanning him from head to toe to see if he was actually fine. He was wearing the navy suit, but he wasn't wearing the tie, and his hair was kind of messy. He also seemed a little sleep-deprived.
He remained static. — Nothing happened. —he replied casual, almost nonchalant.
Seeing his lack of concern, she lost it. — What you mean nothing happened?! Do you know what time it is? I haven't heard from you in ages! —she yelled.
He had a look of disbelief in his eyes. He found her outburst almost amusing and threw her a "You've got to be kidding me" look.
She wasn't familiar with that cynical attitude he was showing. Yet she got the message and cooled it out a little. — Listen, I know I'm just a guest here, and I'm aware I have no right to ask you for any explanations about your life. It's just… I thought something had happened to you and I was worried... —she said looking down, her voice almost breaking.
He nodded, knowing she was indeed right. It was thoughtless of him to disappear just like that. He sat on the couch, giving her an inviting look to join him. She sat beside him. —You're right —he said— I should've let you know. I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry…
She was still waiting for the so expected explanation, but he wasn't saying anything else, so she asked. — Where were you?
He sighed. — Kate… I'm seeing someone… I saw her last night and I stayed over, that's all. —he announced with a sympathetic look, calm in his voice.
She felt the world crash into dust. She went pale and froze. Her eyes filled with tears and she had to look away. He noticed, but when he was about to speak, she snapped. — Well, I'm glad you were having fun —then she stood up and turned her back on him—Don't you have to work? —she asked emotionless.
He stood up too. — Yeah, I better hurry…
— Yeah, and I better get some sleep, now that I know you didn't die or anything. —she said with a scathing voice.
He didn't say a word. She headed to the room and he soon followed her. Before she walked in it, she turned around and spoke. — I'm going out later, how do I get back in if you're not here?
— I'll leave you the keys…
— Good. Oh, and Claire was here this morning. But I guess you've heard… —she said with resentment in her voice.
— Yeah, I've heard…
— Fine, see you Jack…
With that, she walked in the room and slammed the door behind her. Then she locked herself in the bathroom and cried her eyes out, as quietly as she could. She couldn't believe it. He had just said it like that: "I'm seeing someone". And he had stayed over, which meant she wasn't just seeing someone, but he was also screwing someone. She cried inconsolably after that thought. Picturing him having sex with another woman made her feel as if her skin was being torn off piece by piece.
When assimilating it, she went through all the stages. First she went into denial. It sure was a one night stand, it had to be. But then it hit her. He made it crystal: he said he was seeing someone, which meant they were serious, at least serious enough for him to stay over.
Who the hell she was? When had he met her? What was she like? Then she went to the wrath stage. That bitch, she sure was the one who kept calling him nonstop. Jealousy actually made her temperature rise. If he was so excited with that girl, why the fuck did he let her in his house? Payback, it had to be payback. No, she thought, that was ridiculous. There was no way he could've expected her to leave everything behind and come back to look for him.
That's when the sad stage arrived. How stupid she was. Did she really expect he would be waiting for her after all that time? Of course he had moved on. He was a great man, the best there was, it was no surprise he had someone who cared about him, who loved him, just as she did. No, no one, nobody will ever love him as I do…
She was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't hear when he left, about an hour and a half after their encounter. She left the bathroom and went out. She walked in his room and sat on his bed, which of course was made, intact. She threw herself on it and embraced his pillow. She couldn't stop crying. Why? Damn it! Why? I've lost him…
The lack of sleep and her endless crying made her eyes close. She woke up sixteen minutes after 1:00 pm. She didn't know what to do. The best she could think of was actually finding a place and a job. She took a shower in Jack's very bathroom. She remained paralyzed, sitting on the floor, the hot water pouring on her body. She stayed like that for almost half hour, until she finally started washing her hair and body.
Once out of the shower she went to Claire's room and got dressed. Soon after, she found herself wandering the streets of Jack's fine neighborhood with no direction. There were some properties on rent around, but of course she couldn't afford them, even though she had some savings.
As she walked to the next bus stop, which was quite far from Jack's street, his words kept replaying in her head, tormenting her. I'm seeing someone… She started crying again, making the pedestrians turn their heads to look at her, wondering what made that defenseless woman so sad.
She took the bus and headed downtown. She got off at the neighborhood where she used to live before she moved back to Iowa. There was a diner down the street with an ad on the door that read "Help wanted". She went in and even filled an application. She wrote down Jack's address and phone number for them to contact her, in case they were interested.
She left the diner and kept walking, until she ran into her former building. She looked up and found out her former department was on rent. How ironic. It seemed she was meant to end up there after all. The building had a new landlord, not the one it used to be when she lived there. He seemed to be a nice man. She asked him for information. Later on she asked him to show her the apartment.
It was totally different from the one she had left. It had different drapes and now it had carpets on every floor. She didn't like carpets, unless they were in the bedrooms. That was the way it was at Jack's place. She smiled wryly. Even there she couldn't stop thinking about him.
She walked into the main room where she once slept in. From all the place, that room was the one that had remained intact. It still had the same rug, drapes and wallpaper, now falling into pieces. The landlord told her he would take care of that, in case she decided to take the apartment. She wished her place in Jack's heart had remained as static as that room. But then it came to her. She was exactly like that wallpaper: no matter how good it had been, it was finally broken because nobody ever took care of it, just like the feelings Jack once had for her.
She felt defeated again. It had been crazy to leave everything behind and dream of getting him back. It was too late. She could hear the voice of the landlord telling her other things about the ceilings, the floors and so on, but she wasn't paying attention. Then she ran into what had been her reading room. The first thing she noticed was the front wall covered in graffiti. It had all sorts of crazy drawings, but among all she could distinguish the traces of perfect "J" letters. She felt shivers running through her spine.
— Oh, this was Katie's room, you know, the teenage daughter. She was obsessed with some boyfriend… Jack was his name, I think… but I'll take care of that too, don't you worry… —the landlord assured before her stunned eyes.
That was definitely an epiphany. No, this time she wasn't running away. She wasn't giving in. After all, she always got what she wanted. She'd got rid of her own father, for God's sake, and she had robbed a bank only to get a toy airplane back. She could win Jack back for sure. She wouldn't give up, no way. She put herself together and told the landlord she'd think about it, just to be polite. Then she left almost in a rush.
Back on the street, she tried to eat something. She bought a sandwich, but soon she felt nauseous and couldn't finish it. She noticed the daylight started to fade away. The night was about to arrive. She didn't know what time it was, she never used a watch. But it sure wasn't earlier than 6:00 pm or so. She was ready to go back to him.
It took almost an hour to get back to Jack's tower. As she greeted the doorman, who was now familiar with her, she prayed for Jack was already home. As the elevator went up, her heart beat faster. She pictured him sitting on the floor, his back against the locked door, his face showing annoyance for not being able to enter his own house because he had left her his keys. Please… But when she got to the 8th floor, he wasn't there. Maybe he was inside, he sure had copies of his own keys.
That wasn't the case. He wasn't there yet. Tears rolled uncontrollably over her cheeks again. She rubbed her face in despair. Was he staying over with that girl again? It couldn't be. The whole weekend it'd seemed like she didn't exist and all of the sudden he was staying over every damn day? That sickened her, because it might be a sign that maybe, just maybe, he was in love with her. The sole idea made her stomach revolt.
She took a deep breath and then remembered the locked drawer. She felt an urge to go opening it. She rushed to the studio and sat on his armchair. She took in her shaky hands a couple of clips and reshaped them. Yes, just like she had imagined, picking the lock had been piece of cake. She looked inside. The first she found were phone and credit card bills, as well as some receipts she didn't pay attention to. With desperation she opened the drawer to the point it almost fell off the desk, to have a wide vision of its contents. She spotted an address book. She grabbed it quickly and carelessly, and then a bunch of papers scattered all over the floor.
As she picked them up, she noticed they were pictures of him. Sure Claire had taken all of them, she thought. She started looking at them one by one. It seemed they had been taken without him noticing, so they showed him in really spontaneous ways. She smiled at his beautiful eyes on the pictures. In some they showed defenselessness, in others that classic intensity of his. Another one showed a really sweet, almost childish expression. In a couple of others he was smiling widely, almost laughing. She sighed, reaffirming with every picture why she was so deeply in love with him.
But the last picture she saw broke her heart. It was the only one where he was with someone. He was with her. She was holding him from behind, her face resting on his shoulder, her cheek resting on his. She hated to admit it, but the girl was indeed pretty. She had black hair, it seemed, but she couldn't tell if it was wavy or straight, long or short, since it was apparently in a pony tail. She had big expressive green eyes and a beautiful smile. She seemed honest.
He, on the other hand, was smiling at the camera too, and seemed too very comfortable. I thought you hated to be in pictures… At the back she could see a tennis court. In fact, the little of her shoulders the picture showed revealed she was actually wearing something than looked like a tennis shirt. So the bitch was sporty. Perfect… She couldn't take it anymore and she placed it on the desk, upside down to not look at it.
Then she ran into some postcards. She didn't know the places they showed. She turned one around and began reading. Her blood literally boiled when she found out they were from her. They all had been sent from Barcelona. That brat was actually good at expressing her feelings, and in every card she wrote, she made clear she "loved him madly", she "missed him like hell" and she "wished he was there". She even sent hugs and kisses. Her cheesiness almost made her throw up.
One of the postcards called her attention. Its message closed with this sentence: "Hope you write more. Love you, S." So, her name began with an "S", and he didn't write that much to her. That made her smile. She checked the date on each card. "S" had been in Barcelona for the last five months.
She chuckled. Jack had a long-distance girlfriend. That made a lot of sense. She almost felt sorry for the poor girl. Her soul came back to her body and she felt strong again. Hell yes, she was winning him back for sure, specially since "S" lived, well, a whole ocean away from him. She couldn't help but laugh in spite she knew it was evil.
She decided to lock back the drawer before he got home and caught her. She tried to leave everything the way she'd found it, and carefully placed the pictures and postcards back in the address book. Then she put it at the end of the drawer where it was before, and then she closed it.
She was determined to seduce Jack, no mattered what it took. She went to Claire's room and sat at the dressing table. She brushed her hair and put gloss on her lips. She wanted to look pretty for him. But then another hour went by and he didn't arrive. She was going to be really sick if he didn't come home again.
The night before, when she didn't know where he was, she was able to stay put thinking he was maybe in the middle of an emergency or something. Then in the morning, when he'd told her he was seeing someone, that someone was faceless. But now she had seen her face, and that made it even worse.
She went to his room again. That was the only place where she could feel comforted by his presence. She wanted to cry again, but she didn't allow herself. She wasn't giving in to some spoiled, airhead, tennis-player bitch. She rested on his bed and turned on the TV, trying to make the wait less miserable.
About 30 minutes later, she finally heard the noise of the front door. Startled, she got up and turned off the TV in the blink of an eye, since she wasn't supposed to be in his bedroom. Then she went out to finally meet him.
She found him in the kitchen, looking around with a puzzled look, a paper bag in his hand. — Hey… —she said softly.
He turned around. — Hey… I thought you were not here.
She noticed he was all fresh, as if he'd just got out of the shower. She felt mad in jealousy. — I thought you'd be hungry… —he said with a short smile, handing her the paper bag.
She stared at it and read the letters that revealed the name of a nice L.A. Italian restaurant. She took it from his hand and smiled wryly. — Leftovers… thanks…
His look hardened. — They're not leftovers Kate, I got it specially for you… —he said emotionless.
She looked away, but she was still pissed. — Well, I don't have dinner this late, but thanks anyway… —she replied, placing the bag on the counter. Then she walked away before his incredulous eyes.
But as she walked to Claire's room, she realized her little scene had been a clumsy move. She needed to be closer to him, not to push him away. She went out to the living room again, loosing another button of her already revealing tight top. Her eyes sought for him and she noticed he was in the terrace.
He was leaning on the balcony, his gaze lost in the night lights of the skyline. He seemed thoughtful. She walked to him and stood beside him. He glanced at her but didn't speak, turning his eyes back to the horizon.
— I didn't mean to be rude… I just had a bad day, I'm sorry… —she said softly, her eyes longing.
He looked at her. — What happened?
— I was out all day, but all I couldn't find were crappy apartments and underpaid job offers, and it's kind of getting on my nerves… —she made up. But then she said from the bottom of her heart: — I feel… desperate…
— You better take it easy Kate. You've only been here for few days, you won't find anything worth it unless you're patient…
Her eyes went longing. — I'm trying to be patient, believe me… —she stated, regarding the situation she was dealing with.
— You'll find something anytime soon, you'll see… —he said throwing her a warm and reassuring look.
Every time Jack talked like that, the universe stopped. It didn't matter how awful things were, how dark reality turned, because it started going better the second he said everything was going to be fine. It was as if he made it happen just by saying it.
She smiled. — So what's in the bag?
— Lasagna…
— I don't eat meat…
— I know. It's vegetarian…
Her eyes glinted. — Really? You remembered?
— How can I forget? —he replied immediately, not looking at her.
She bit her lip. — So you had dinner out, huh?
— Yeah…
— Wine and candles?
— No wine…
She frowned. — Why?
— I don't drink anymore…
She took a breath, ready to throw the question. — What's her name?
He looked at her puzzled. — What?
— Your girlfriend. I guess you had dinner with her…
He didn't know why, but he tensed a little. — Scarlett…
— Why didn't you mention her before? —she asked looking at him right in the eye.
He didn't look away. — Because with all you're going through, I thought it wasn't a good idea to talk about that…
— How long you've been together?
— 23 months…
She swallowed and looked away. That didn't make any sense. — That's quite some time…
— Yeah…
— How did you meet?
— She's Claire's best friend…
— Is she a photographer too?
— Yes…
— They work together?
— No…
She was trying hard to not lose her patience with his short answers. — Why you didn't see her on the weekend? —she asked curious.
— Because she wasn't here. She just came back from Barcelona…
— Barcelona? Business or pleasure?
— No, she lived there for the past 5 months. She was working on this National Geographic project, but she got here yesterday at last…
Her stomach convulsed. She was not a long distance girlfriend then. — I see… How could you deal with the long distance thing all those months?
He smiled. — Well, she came to the city every time she had a chance, and I took a vacation in the summer to visit her…
— You took a vacation? Wow… —she said, more indignant than surprised.
— Yeah, how about that… —he said, chuckling.
She forced a smile, but then kept going with her endless interrogatory. — She knows I'm here? —she asked directly.
He looked at her, frowning. — Why wouldn't she know?
She tried to sound casual, but her voice revealed a slight trace of venom. — I don't know, I mean, if you were my boyfriend I wouldn't be comfortable with another woman living in your house…
He shook his head. That was exactly what he feared about the conversation. — Well, it sure sounds awful if you say it like that Kate, but you're not another woman…
— She doesn't know that. —she replied immediately.
His look hardened. She was being evidently spiteful. — Yes she does. You're a good friend of mine that needs to get back on track, and that's exactly what I told her.
— And she believes you… —she said ironic.
— Yes Kate, she believes me because she knows I'd never do anything to hurt her. —he snapped, his tone flat and almost scathing.
She tried to stay calmed. The conversation was definitely heating up. She tried to cool it. — Do you love her? —she asked softly, and then sought for his eyes.
He was stunned with the question. — Why you're asking me this Kate, all of these?
— Because I want to know… That's what friendship's all about after all, isn't it?
He tried to read her look, but couldn't. He didn't want to break her heart, but he had no choice but to answer her question. — Yes, Kate, I do.
She felt she was going to drop dead right in front of him. But she kept herself together and just looked away. She smiled painfully. — I'm glad for you Jack… If there's someone in this world that deserves to be happy, that's you… —she affirmed, looking back at him, sorrow in her eyes.
— I don't know if I deserve it, but I'm trying…
She had to hold her breath to not cry. — No wonder why Claire was so upset of seeing me here… —she finally said.
He sighed. — She wasn't upset, it just got her by surprise. She got home a day in advance and I didn't have the chance to tell her…
— She wasn't precisely surprised…
— Why you say that?
— She seemed more disgusted than surprised… I think she hates me…
— Of course she doesn't hate you, it's just… —he thought for a moment, as if he wanted to tell her something, but he reconsidered— it hasn't been easy for her, you know…
— What you mean?
— Well, she's a single mom with a euthanized mother, an absent dead father and a sudden brother with too many issues. That's got to be tough… Sometimes I think she hasn't even got over Charlie yet… —he said with sorrow, his gaze lost in the horizon again.
She kept silent. — What about you Kate? How you're doing? —he asked, breaking the silence.
She took a deep breath. That was quite a question. She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth right there. But that wasn't the idea. — It's okay if you don't want to tell me about it, I understand… —he stated, noticing her hesitation.
But she ignored that last comment. — I've been running away all my life Jack, and I've made horrible mistakes in the way… It took me forever, but now I know what I want. This time I just want to make it right… I don't want to run anymore… —she affirmed softly, looking intently to the skyline.
At that moment, that was the most honest answer she was able to give him. Listening to herself, standing beside her true and only love was too much for her and she finally burst into tears. He grabbed her shoulder softly to meet her eyes. — Hey, it's okay Kate… You'll get there… —he assured, his eyes full of concern. Even to that day, it broke his heart to see Kate crying.
Following her heart, she threw herself in his arms for him to hold her, and for her relief he did. She needed him so much it physically hurt. As for him, holding her reminded him again how deeply he had loved her not so long ago. The scent of her hair, her warm body against his chest and her cold tears on his shoulder made him feel overwhelmed. If only she hadn't left him behind, if she had stayed by his side, things could've been so very different… But now it was too late. He remembered how hard it had been and felt sorry for himself, for her, for them and for that love that never happened. He couldn't take it anymore and let her go.
— Yeah, I know… —she replied at last after that meaningful moment— I'm working hard to get there… —she assured, wiping the tears from her eyes.
He just nodded. — I better go to bed, I'm leaving early tomorrow… —she announced. — Thank you Jack, for being there for me… —she said, running her hand through his cheek tenderly.
Speechless, he just watched her walking away from the terrace, heading to Claire's room.
The next morning he got up early as usual to get ready for the hospital. He put a towel around his waist after finishing the shower and walked to the mirror to shave. He was almost done when Kate walked in wearing nothing but her underwear. Stunned, he paralyzed. — Morning… —she said casual with all naturalness.
He couldn't utter a word and just tried to keep his eyes on the reflection of her face. But soon she bent over the sink and started brushing her teeth right in front of him. Not capable of fighting his nature, he couldn't help to check her out. She was wearing tiny white spandex boxers that perfectly fitted her hips. Her white push-up bra with sexy lacy straps emphasized her cleavage, which was becoming harder to not look at. She was definitely curvier and womanly than ever. Her still damped hair fell beside her face, releasing the fresh scent of sweet citric fruits.
When she was done, she moved in his direction to the point he had to step back to avoid making contact with her body. She squatted, her arched back rubbing slightly his knees, and then she took the hairdryer from the cabinet. She stood up, noticing his astonished look in the mirror. She turned around and before walking away, she smiled seductively at him.
He remained there motionless, still mute, thinking what the hell that had been about. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the image of those tight boxers around her buttocks that kept replaying in his mind in slow motion.
About 20 minutes later he went to the kitchen to grab a bite only to run into her, again in those damn boxers. He smiled impishly and shook his head. Sensing his presence, she turned around. — I made you breakfast. —she said motioning to the table, which already had his place carefully set with a plate of pancakes, black coffee and a glass of orange juice.
He bit his lip and kept smiling, nervous. — Kate… I don't think should be walking around like that…
She threw a disconcerted look, playing naïve, but as he traveled his eyes through her barely covered body, she looked at herself and spoke. — Come on Jack, haven't you seen a woman in her underwear before? —she asked mischievously.
— I certainly have, but…
She cut him off. — It's not different from a swim suit, if you think about it. —she said shrugging, nonchalant.
He chuckled and looked away, shaking his head again. — It's way different, believe me…
She smiled, her eyes teasing. — Do I make you nervous Jack?
He rubbed his hair and laughed. — No Kate, it's not like that, it's just… I don't think it is appropriate…
— Oh… I'll go get dressed, then… —she stated. Then she approached and stood right in front of him — We're out of toothpaste in Claire's bathroom… —she announced as she adjusted his tie. — Have a nice day Jack… —she said, and then she ventured even further and kissed him softly on the cheek, almost touching the corner of his lips.
He was out of words and just nodded, abashed by the sensation she was making him feel and not daring to turn around and watch her walking away.
After he left, she decided to go out just to see the sunshine outside. She couldn't stop smiling. She went shopping for new clothes and make-up. She was very happy. Even though he had just told her the night before he loved the infamous Scarlett, she didn't believe him a shit. When he held her, when he looked at her and every time she got closer, she could feel she wasn't indifferent to him at all. He even had made her a copy of the keys. This was going to be piece of cake, she was positive.
She had lunch between stores and little after noon she went back to the apartment. When she got to the 8th floor, she noticed the door was open and a whole crew was coming in and out of the place. She stood at the doorframe and saw Claire inside. She walked to the living room and placed her shopping bags on the couch, waiting for Claire to make the first move. But she just ignored her at first, busy with the orders she was giving to the crew about catering, furniture and decorations.
Standing there, Kate began watching Claire attentively. She was bossing around big time, with a little too much attitude. Then Kate realized something. It was as if Claire had absorbed the on-island Jack's personality and given him all of her kindness and sweetness instead. Now Claire was some sort of Jack's mini-me. It was almost disturbing.
— Hello Kate… —Claire finally said after the last crew member left the apartment. She was smiling, but the bitchy attitude towards her was still there.
— Hello Claire…
— We're having a party on Friday, hope you don't mind… —Claire told her, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
Kate's eyes went wider. — Really? What's the occasion?
— We're throwing a birthday party for Jack's girlfriend…
It was evident that Claire was dying to break the news for Kate. She wanted to see her jaw dropping and the disgusting look of shock on her face. Kate smiled widely instead. — It's Scarlett's birthday? That's great…
Claire's face went blank. — He told you about her?
— Of course he did. Is there anything I can help with?
Now Claire was the surprised one. — Just be here and try to have fun… —she said with a fake smile. Then she took a box from the coffee table and opened it. It had a big photo frame. Claire took it and placed it on the mantelpiece. — Finally it's ready! Jack kept asking me all the time… —Claire said proud, referring to it. — Now that you mention it Kate, there's something you can do…
— Sure…
— It's a surprise party and we're taking Scarlett out for dinner, so the guests can get here in advance. You think you can be here to receive them? —Claire asked, a challenging look in her eyes. — But if you have other plans or anything, I understand… —Claire completed.
— No, not at all, I'll do it. —Kate replied determined.
— That's so kind of you, thanks! Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to pick up Aaron from school… I'll see you on Friday Kate…
With that, Claire finally left. Curious, Kate went to see the picture in the photo frame Claire had just placed on the mantelpiece. It was a picture of Scarlett. She felt her blood boil. — I'll see you on Friday Claire, all of you… —she said out loud, turning the picture against the wall to keep it from being seen.