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The plan was to live in my hats and aviators. Beyond that, Meryl ordered me an ISHU scarf which in Laymen’s terms was a photo-repellent stylish accessory. It had a unique pattern on it and apparently, if someone took a flash picture of the person wearing it, the pattern effectively rendered the wearer unrecognizable. I had no idea such things existed, but when I googled it, there was a fair number of celebs that wore them when they’d venture out. Paris Hilton made it famous and everyone else followed suit.
As it turned out, it became quite apparent that Meryl was more than an assistant. She was half assistant and half publicist with a sprinkling of maternal goodness.
She wanted to get ahead of the media and beat them at their own game. So, the next evening I found myself role-playing. I was me (a part I was good at), and Jake and Meryl were reporters. They asked difficult questions, personal ones, uncomfortable ones and each time I was coached on how to handle the answers.
“Well, my dear,” Meryl addressed me, “I think you’ve got a good handle on things. You’re as ready as you’ll ever be.”
I tilted my head. “Thanks. It was oddly sort of fun,” I admitted.
“It’s fun until they invade your personal space,” she reminded me. “But remember, this isn’t about saying the wrong thing about Jake. This is about you and your safety.”
That had been apparent from the get go. Jake was adamant about my wellbeing, especially since he was leaving in the morning for Nevada. That information alone kept making its way to the surface of my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. I was going to miss him.
The circuit had turned into an adult summer camp of sorts. Except there weren’t chaperones (unless you counted E) and the daily activities like canoeing or making dream catchers was replaced with our jobs.
But there was that sense of a bubble, one where we were all basically cohabiting inside. And as long as we stayed within its walls, there was always a 100% chance of having Jake only an arm’s length away.
The fact that I found that comforting was odd to say the least. I wasn’t that girl that needed a man at my side. Dating was fun, not a commitment.
And I wasn’t too worried about everything he and Meryl had just prepared me for. I was more concerned with my mounting feelings toward him.
Jake had beengone for the last five days and wasn’t coming back for another three.
The morning that he left, the paparazzi was waiting outside the hotel entrance. Luckily, Jake slipped into a town car from one of the back entrances and evaded them.
He and I texted every day and he would call whenever he got the chance. I told him it wasn’t necessary; he was there to visit with his parents. They deserved his undivided attention while he was home.
E flew out two days ago for the next city and before that, she and I had been hanging out. She was nice enough to treat me to a manicure and pedicure at the hotel’s spa. We watched movies, slept in and ordered room service for the majority of the time.
By the time she had to leave, I could tell she was itching to get out. And for the first time, shegentlysuggested that I do the same.
“Lucy, I know what you’re doing, but you can’t stay locked in your room forever,” she reminded me. “You have to leave at some point to get to Boston, so maybe take baby steps and go out for a coffee. Do a little sightseeing?”
She had a good point. I really wasn’t afraid, but in retrospect, I was hiding. Perhaps not from the media, but from myself.
If I kept busy, kept my mind off things, then I wouldn’t think about Jake. I wouldn’t be reminded of how he would end his texts every night with an XOXO. Or how it was growing increasingly more difficult to not be reminded of him everywhere I looked.
Why was this break driving me crazy? And more importantly, how had he become so important to me in such a short amount of time?
If one thing was certain, I needed to clear my head. E was right; coffee solved a multitude of problems.
Donning my new scarf and yanking my hat on snugly, I stepped out. There was a small café down the block and I could smell the heavenly scent of roasted beans before I saw the sign. And the best news? I wasn’t recognized. I could totally do this.
The line was a little deep, but not terrible. Like airports, coffee shops were a great place to people watch. Almost every table was occupied with someone working on their laptop, where the oversized leather chairs had patrons reading the newspaper.
The line began to move when I recognized the group in front of me from my flight to Portland.
The woman pivoted and did a double take. “Oh hey! I almost didn’t recognize you in a non-plane setting.” The guys she was with turned around and each gave me a bro nod. She was standing next to the man that had been in front of her on the plane.
“I know right? Almost didn’t recognize you all since you weren’t debating Koil versus Captain America,” I laughed. “Are you guys enjoying the sights between cities?”
She dipped her head ambiguously. “Well, yes and no,” she answered.
“Uh oh. Chicago doesn’t do it for ya?”
“No, that’s the problem,” she countered, shuffling forward. “Chicago is perfect. Andy and I planned on eloping here—”
“Oh my god, that’s right!” I interjected. “You mentioned that. Congratulations!”
