"Where is it that you're going again?" Jenna asks as Jade checks her hair in the mirror of her hotel bathroom
"A party." Jade reminds her "Just a small get together with some high school friends. It won't be wild and out of control or anything like that, I promise. I'll be back by midnight."
"I'm not your mom, I'm not giving you a curfew." Jenna chuckles "Just remember that the pilot wants wheels up at 7 am tomorrow so we can be back in time for your dinner with Wilmer."
Jade's husband hadn't been thrilled to hear that she was extending her Los Angeles trip by a day, let alone so that she could see friends from high school. He couldn't shake the image from his mind of young men doing keg-stands and bikini-clad young women cheering them on as they did so...with his own wife being one of them. Jade reminded him that everyone she went to high school with is either twenty-seven or twenty-eight now, and that they're close enough to thirty to refrain from such juvenile behavior these days. She assured him that it was just a relaxed dinner party, and that nothing ridiculous would come of it. She also reminded him that he had been the one to flake out on the trip, that he could be here with her going to the same event, and it had been his own choice to stay behind. Wilmer couldn't really argue with that, and okayed the extension so long as they could have dinner together the following night when she returned home to New York.
Of course, she hadn't been entirely honest in the details that she had given him...and that makes her feel a bit guilty. The 'friends from high school' that she's meeting up with are in reality, just one friend. He's not just any friend either, he's her exboyfriend. Jade knows Wilmer would demand she skip the party if he knew the truth, insisting that she return home on Wednesday morning like she was originally supposed to. His jealous side can become quite wicked if left unchecked, and she doesn't want to set it off. There's nothing wrong with meeting up with Beck, she tells herself. Especially because so much time had passed since their high school relationship, and she's married to a man that she loves. It's all friendly, and it's all harmless.
"Noted." Jade smirks as she touches up her mascara "I might sleep the whole way back, but I'll be on the plane."
"Good." Jenna laughs "But um, hey...speaking of moms...did you find time to see your's while we've been here?"
"Uh, no...unfortunately not." Jade shakes her head as she replaces the cap on her mascara and tosses it into her makeup bag "I reached out to see if she wanted to get lunch while I was here, but she said she couldn't get off work."
"Dinner?"
"No, busy every night apparently." Jade sighs "I even clarified that I was here alone and Wilmer wouldn't be joining us but...she's still dodging me."
"What about your dad?"
"Same thing."
Jade's parents had never supported her relationship with Wilmer. Not only was he significantly older than their daughter, but he was significantly older than both of them as well. They had been very young parents, having Jade when they were only twenty years old and still in college...Wilmer had already directed his first feature film at that time as was nominated for an Oscar. Neither Jade's mother, Kaitlyn, nor her father, John, could get behind the idea of their daughter twenty-two year-old daughter marrying a fifty-something year-old man who was twice divorced. While they had both attended the wedding, the communication between Jade and her parents had steadily decreased over the years...now becoming next to no communication at all.
"I'm sorry, Jade."
"S'okay." Jade assures her "It's my life. I'm happy, that's all that matters."
"Sure..."
"Well." Jade changes her tone, suddenly more up-beat "I'm off. I'll see you in the morning?"
"See you in the morning." Jenna nods "Have fun tonight."
"Thanks."
Jade grabs her purse and heads for the door, her heels clicking against the suite's hardwood floor as she does so. Her driver, or at least the driver that she had hired for the week, is waiting for her downstairs. She gives him the address Beck had texted her, and they leave. Jade finds herself reminiscing as she watches downtown Los Angeles pass by outside the car's windows; she had grown up here, this place was her entire childhood. By the time they reach Beck's house, she's longing for the warm weather and palm trees that she hasn't even left yet.
"Thank you." She says to the driver as she climbs out of the car "I'll text you when I'm ready?"
"Sounds good." The driver nods "Have fun, Mrs. Gordon."
"West-Gordon..." Jade mumbles as she closes the door and starts walking up the driveway
She had hyphenated her name because she didn't want to erase the person she had been before she married Wilmer, it bothers her when people don't acknowledge that.
As Jade makes her way up Beck's driveway, maneuvering around the dozens of cars that are parked upon it, she can't help but marvel at the size of it. She knows Beck is successful, but she didn't realize he was this successful. Then again, she really has no way of gauging what money can buy in LA in terms of houses. Her husband had purchased their LA home with his second wife decades before Jade had been in the picture, she has no idea what he paid for it or continues to pay to maintain it when they're not in LA...which is almost always.
Approaching the door, Jade isn't sure if she should just walk in or ring the bell. Beck had said it was a small, casual, get together...but she still doesn't want to be rude. She reaches for the bell, waiting patiently as she hears it sound inside the house. A few seconds later the door in front of her opens, revealing Beck on the other side of it.
"Hey." He grins "Come on in."
He steps to the side and gestures for her to enter and she does, handing him the bottle of wine she had brought along as a hosting gift. She isn't sure how long he's owned the house, but figured since it's the first time she's ever visited that she owes him some kind of housewarming present.
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know." She shrugs "I wanted to though."
"I'm glad you decided to come." Beck admits as he closes the door "I was afraid you might still head back to New York this morning."
"Why would I do that?"
"You miss your husband? I dunno."
"I do miss him." Jade assures him "But...I'm also rarely in LA. He understood completely when I said I wanted to stay an extra day and catch up with some old friends."
A lie.
"That's very considerate of him."
"He's a very considerate person."
She's not sure why she feels the need to defend Wilmer to Beck, he's never given her any reason to insinuate that she has to. It's almost like she does it out of habit any time anyone brings him up, she's been trying to defend and justify their age gap for so long that its become an instinct.
"The house is nice..." Jade says, quickly changing the subject "How long have you lived here?"
"Couple years now." Beck shrugs "Do...would you like a tour?"
"Sure." Jade nods "I'd love one. Lead the way."
They head to the kitchen first so Beck can drop off the bottle of wine. They pass numerous other people along the way, and Jade slowly begins to realize that this 'small get together' is going to be anything but small. She isn't sure how she feels about that. She had thought tonight was going to be a chance for she and Beck to catch up, now she has to worry about dodging any mutual friends of her husband who might ask questions about where Wilmer is or what her connection is to Beck.
They head upstairs first. Seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, and they tour each one. Jade can't even begin to fathom what need a single, childless man has for seven bedrooms...but she will admit that the size of the home is impressive. The main floor, which is filled with people, has a very open concept with lots of high ceilings...perfect for entertaining, Jade will admit. His basement is basically a game room, with billiards, dart boards, ping pong, foosball, several different video game systems hooked up to a projection screen, and a built-in bar. The backyard is the most intriguing part of the tour for Jade though. There's a pool but that isn't that special, almost every home in LA has a pool. No, the best part is the view. From Beck's backyard they can see almost all of the valley and the city below, she can only imagine what it will look like in a few hours when the dusk turns to night and all of the lights are shining brightly.
"I wouldn't mind this view..." Jade sighs "S'beautiful."
"Yeah, it's my favorite part." Beck admits with a smile "I'm sure New York has it's perks too though, right?"
"It does, yeah." Jade nods "We have a great view of Central Park from our place."
"Well there you go!"
"What's that?" Jade asks, gesturing to a building nearby "Is that on your property?"
"It is, yeah." Beck tells her "That's the garage."
"You have a separate garage?" Jade can't help but laugh "And a game room? This is a bachelor pad if I've ever seen one."
"Well, I am a bachelor." Beck smirks, nodding towards the garage "Come on, it's actually pretty cool. I'll show you."
They walk across the grass, around the pool, and over to the building structure. Jade can't help but roll her eyes as Beck punches in a key code to unlock the door, then has to use a second key for secondary security. When they enter the garage however, she sees why. All of the cars within it look foreign and expensive, she guesses that the contents of the building easily surpass a value of over three million dollars.
"I...can't say I'm surprised." She laughs "How many do you have in here?"
"It holds up to ten, but there's only six in here right now." He tells her "Well...seven, but-"
"Is one in the shop?" Jade jokes
"No." Beck smirks "The seventh is back here. Come take a look."
There's a row of cars on either side of the garage, and Beck and Jade walk down the middle between them. They pass a Bugatti, a Lamborghini, and a Porsche, just to name a few. But towards the back of the building, a mystery vehicle lays sitting under a tarp. When Beck reaches out and uncovers it, Jade can't stop herself from gasping.
"Is...is that?"
"Sure is." Beck nods "Can you believe it?"
It's his old truck from high school. A red F-150 with a white stripe around the middle. Or at least it had been red at one point, the colors have faded with time. When she says old, she means old too. The year is escaping her mind, but she knows that it outdates them both. The truck had been used when he and his father purchased it, Jade remembers they spent quite a lot of time fixing it up too.
"1987." Beck reminds her, almost as if he could read her mind "Still runs like it's brand new though."
"I can't believe you've hung onto it for this long." Jade admits as she walks around the truck "I mean...it can't be worth anything at this point, can it?"
"No." Beck shrugs "But...my dad and I fixed it up together. We all drove it to the beach dozens of times, we used it to move Andre into his first apartment, you and I...you know. There's memories attached to it. Memories that are too valuable to just let someone scrap it for parts."
"That's..." Jade hesitates "That's really sweet actually. Do you mind if I...?"
"No, go ahead."
She un-does the tailgate and gently guides it down, then carefully climbs up into the bed. One memory sticks out more than any other as she does so; Fourth of July their junior year. Their whole group of friends, she and Beck and Cat and Robbie and Tori and Andre, had all driven out to the Santa Monica Pier and parked, sitting in the truck bed to watch the fireworks while they passed around stolen beers that Andre had nabbed from his uncle's garage.
"Mind if I join you?" Beck asks
"S'your truck." Jade shrugs "Come on up."
Beck climbs up with her and the two of them sit down side-by-side, their backs against the cab.
"Do you remember-" Beck starts to say, but Jade interrupts him
"Yeah." Jade cuts him off "I do."
"I didn't even clarify which memory I was talking about..." Beck laughs
"I know..." Jade shrugs "But I remember everything we ever did with this truck. There's...there's a lot of happy memories here."
"Yeah." Beck agrees "There sure are."
"Do you remember when we got stranded in the school parking lot after the Full Moon Jam that one time?" Jade asks, looking over to him "When Sikowitz-"
"The jumper cables, yeah." Beck laughs "How could I forget?"
They had climbed into the truck, exhausted after a night full of fun, only to find that the battery had died. Most of the parking lot had emptied out and not many people were left to help them, so the young couple had wandered back into the school hoping to find an adult to help them. Thankfully their favorite teacher, Mr. Sikowitz, happened to still be around, and happened to have a set of jumper cables in the back of his van. Trying to get the whole set-up put together had been quite eventful, given the nature of the situation and the older man's eccentric personality, but eventually the truck started and Beck was able to drop Jade off at home.
"What a night, right?" Jade smirks
"I...I kind of miss those days." Beck admits "Don't you?"
"High school?"
"Yeah..." Beck nods with a smile "The good 'ole days."
"You sound old when you say that." Jade smirks
"I know." He chuckles a bit "We're old now though. Or older at least. We're pushing thirty."
"Don't remind me." Jade rolls her eyes "Ten years goes by pretty fast, doesn't it?"
"Sure does." Beck agrees
They're both quiet then, the only sound coming from the buzzing of the overhead lights above them. This is the inevitable lapse in conversation that they knew was bound to come. Sure, they haven't seen each other in ten years, but now they've talked about everything there really is to talk about.
"I'm sorry." Jade is finally the one to break the silence
"For what?"
"For breaking up with you over the phone." She sighs "You were going to be home for Thanksgiving in less than a month. I should have waited and done it in person. I should've given you the closure."
"Water under the bridge." Beck assures her "It was a long time ago."
"Still doesn't make it right."
"Not much we can do about it now though, is there?"
"No...I guess not."
"I'm sorry too." He tells her
"What are you sorry for?"
"For not staying in touch after we broke up."
"You were away at college." Jade shrugs "S'what happens when people go out of state. They meet new people, they fall out of touch with their old friends."
"I found a way to stay in touch with Andre." Beck reminds her "I could have found a way to stay in touch with you too."
"Water under the bridge." Jade repeats his own words to him
Beck knows that he shouldn't, but he can't stop himself from reaching out and letting his hand rest upon her knee. It was something he had done regularly when they were dating, a way of reassuring them both almost. He does it out of habit, without even really thinking about it. It's muscle memory, one might argue.
The gesture takes Jade a bit by surprise. That's certainly not somewhere someone who isn't Wilmer should be touching her, but as she looks up at Beck for some kind of explanation...she finds the comfort and familiarity of his touch rushing back to her. Their eyes meet, a knowing sense between the two of them of what is about to happen. It's her who leans in first, their lips meeting in the middle as they share their first kiss in more than a decade.
Beck pushes her backward and then they're lying down in the bed of the truck, making out, despite the risk of someone from the party venturing outside to look for Beck and catching them. Even with that risk...they don't care. They don't care in the slightest, at least not right now. All they want is each other. The weight of Beck's body on top of her's is incredible, Jade decides. She is able to feel him pressed against her, and she inhales his cologne, his shampoo, and that extra scent that's just...him. The familiar smell she would have never imagined being so comforting to her still after all this time.
She wants to breathe him, eat him, drink him, absorb him. His lips taste like the beer he had without a doubt been drinking before she arrived. His face has the slightest bit of stubble and it rubs her skin but she doesn't care. He feels familiar. He feels wonderful. His hands are everywhere, and it doesn't matter that his mouth is already on top of her's, she wants him closer...closer...
"Jade, wait." Beck stops her "You're-"
"I know."
She's married, and not to him. This is cheating, she's cheating on her husband...but she doesn't want to stop.
"We shouldn't..."
"I think we both know that we're going to though."
It's inevitable. They've started something that they have no choice but to finish, there's too much sexual tension between them. Even though she knows that it's wrong, for some reason...Jade just can't resist.
"Just this once." She continues "Okay? Just one time and then we never speak of it ever again."
"Sounds okay to me."
Beck kisses her again, pulling her back into the oasis they had just disappeared into. He moves from kissing her lips, to gently kissing her neck, and then her collarbone. Jade tells herself over and over that she needs to tell him to stop, that she should think of her husband waiting for her at home...but she just can't bring herself to. Instead, she finds herself wishing that he'd move his kisses lower.
"Beck...I'm serious..." She gasps as his hand finds its way beneath her shirt "We can't ever tell anyone, do you understand? If this ever gets out...I'll...we'll..."
"I completely understand." Beck assures her "I'll never tell a soul."
Jade's stomach is churning with guilt as she boards the private jet the next morning. She had slept with someone who wasn't her husband, while assuring her husband that the party she was attending was nothing but harmless. Jenna notices that Jade is behaving differently but doesn't think anything of it, assuming her boss is just hungover from the festivities of the night before. She had been asleep when she returned from the party, and neither one of them are really morning people, so they hadn't discussed how the evening had gone. Not that Jade would be honest with her though, she's vowed to never tell anyone what had happened in the bed of Beck's old truck the night before.
She doesn't know why she feels so guilty. Wilmer has cheated on her a few times before, at least that she's aware of. There's probably been more instances, but she's never confronted him about it over the fear of the argument it could cause. He's more or less responsible for her entire career. She had gotten himself casted in the first movie they worked on together, but he's the reason she had gotten cast in every project after that. If he were to become upset with her for any reason, whether it be because she accuses him of cheating or because he finds out that she herself cheated on him, he could have her blacklisted in the industry in a second. No one would ever cast her again, she'd never be able to find work. Her husband has entirely too much power over her...but she had never really considered that to be a bad thing until now.
This was a blip, she tells herself. A momentary lapse in judgement. It will never happen again. She'll never even think of Beck Oliver again, let alone see him or sleep with him. All easier said than done though...because when the plane lands and she turns her phone back on, she has seven text messages from him and two voicemails.
"Hey..." The first one says as she raises the phone to her ear "It's me. Look, I know that what we did last night was wrong. You're married, and I should've stopped even when you told me to keep going. I understand if you never want to see me again, but I need you to know...I can't stop thinking about you Jade..."
She removes the phone from her ear, deleting both voicemails without listening to the second...along with all of the text messages as well. Zero evidence of anything. Wilmer would never go through her phone, hell he barely uses his own, but she doesn't want there to be any kind of trace at all. There can't be anything linking her to Beck.
Wilmer is waiting on the tarmac when Jade and Jenna stop off of the plane. He's dressed in a suit and dress shirt, which makes Jade feel inadequate because she herself is in a hoodie and leggings. It had been an early morning, she tells him when he asks about her outfit, she cared more about getting to the jet on time than what she was wearing. He laughs and assures her that they'll have plenty of time for her to go home and change before their dinner reservation.
"By the way..." Wilmer takes Jade in his arms and presses a kiss to her lips "I've missed you, I'm glad that you're home."
"Yeah..." Jade agrees "Me too."
"Are you okay?" He asks her "You seem...off."
"I'm fine." She assures him "I'm just tired. Late night last night, early night this morning, slept like shit on the plane...you know how it goes."
"We'll go to bed early tonight." Wilmer smiles "But not before your 'Welcome Home' dinner."
Jade's phone begins buzzing on her bedside table, the sound of the vibration of the phone against the wood startling her awake.
She and Wilmer had gone to bed early as he had promised her, both of them fast asleep by 10:30 pm. Now at just after midnight, Jade swipes the phone off of the table next to her and can't help but groan as she sees Beck's name lighting up the screen. Wilmer is a heavy sleeper, he always has been, so she's able to slide out of bed without him noticing and pad down the hallway to the main living area to answer the call just before the last ring.
"I was afraid you weren't going to pick up." Beck says when she does so "I'm sorry, I know it's late there, but-"
"You can't call me when I'm in bed with my husband." Jade reminds him "That's a surefire way to get caught."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Beck apologizes "But Jade, I-"
"Look, what we did was fun and everything, but it was wrong." Jade tells him sternly "I don't know what came over me last night, but I should have never suggested that we do what we did. I knew it was wrong, and I let it happen. I let myself lead you on, so this is on me. But we're done, okay? It's never going to happen again. I'm married, I have a husband. We're happy, I can't keep-"
"Are you?" Beck cuts her off "Are you happy, Jade? Because in my experience...happy people don't cheat."
"How dare you!" Jade gasps "You don't know anything about my marriage!"
"Maybe not." Beck sighs "But I know you haven't been able to stop thinking about last night since it happened. Right?"
"Because I feel guilty." Jade's voice is low, not wanting to risk waking her husband sleeping down the hall "Not because I think this is some kind of divine intervention or anything like that."
"I never said that is was..." Beck can't help but laugh a little bit "Look, Jade. I don't think that last night happened by accident, and I certainly don't think that what we did was a mistake. It might've been wrong, but it wasn't a mistake."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Beck?"
She cringes, knowing that saying his name out loud increases their chances of being found out.
"It means that I'm going to be in New York at the end of the month for a few meetings." Beck tells her "I'll be staying at the St. Regis. I'll text you the room number once I'm all checked in, and I'll let you decide what to do from there. I hope to see you."
"Hey, wai-"
He ends the call before she has the chance to tell him that there's no way in hell that she'll be visiting him, that he needs to lose her number and never try to contact her again. Instead she's left standing in the dark, holding her phone, unsure of what to do next. The only thing she can do, she supposes, is go back to bed. Back to bed, back to her husband, like the phone call had never happened. Like the past thirty-six hours in general never happened.