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“I’m not sure what I can do,” I broached, trying to get a read on the situation.
Jake exhaled forcefully like a man that was having chest pains. And maybe he was. “How…how is she?” he pleaded.
That was a loaded question if I’d ever heard one. Taking a sip of my drink, I leveled him with a serious look. A protective wave toward Lucy came over me, and as much as I’d like to have shielded her feelings for prosperity’s sake, I wanted to be honest with Jake. After everything, he deserved it.
“She’s absolutely miserable!” I blurted. His eyes shot to mine, disbelief showing on his face. “I’ll spare you the details, but trust me, she’s been better.”
At first, there was a lull. What do you say to something like that?Oh, that sucks,orYeah, me too…regardless, they were both hurting.
“I’ve been replaying everything over and over and I can’t understand what I did. Did I come on too strong? Was the circuit just too much for her? I thought things were going great.” For the first time, Jake took a sip of his iced tea.
I sighed, deciding on the best way to tell him. “So, again, without getting too into it all, I’m assuming Lucy never brought up our parents?” I’d start there and see where the conversation brought us.
“No, come to think about it, she never did,” he recalled vapidly. He scratched the back of his head and the gesture made him look child-like.
I steeled myself for the relay, and eventually the words flowed. “Growing up, our parents were the pillar of strength and love. They were the couple that everyone looked up to, but then one day, they decided to get divorced.”
Jake nodded, showing his attentiveness that I’d come to recognize as one of his amazing traits. “I’m really sorry,” he offered.
I smiled at him, but continued. “That’s not the worse part. They left us. Like, literally just left. There was no custody fight, not that we were really minors at that point, but still. I had just turned nineteen and Luce was seventeen. We had each other and that was it. I took on the role of mother and father. I had to. The abandonment really messed her up, Jake. Over the years, she’d date, but nothing really ever stuck. By that point, she was an adult and I was focused on my career, so it was easy to bury the idea that she could develop cold feet quickly in any relationship.” I paused to take a sip.
“I…see,” Jake muttered. “So, your parents’ failed marriage scarred her to the point of being a commitment-phobe. I can’t really say that I blame her, but I thought we were so happy…”
Poor guy; even in his agonized state, he was astute and sharp, but he’d relapse by questioning everything that had transpired between the two of them.
“That’s just it. You both were really happy. I’d never witnessed Luce the way she was when she was with you,” I admitted. “You were good for her.” I offered him a smile. “Look, I’m not telling you this to defend her—she made her bed and she’s lying in it. It’s filthy, but she’s in it regardless,” I muttered, thinking of the state of her bedroom. “All I’m trying to do is give you some background info so you can view the situation objectively.”
In a desperate rush, Jake’s hand shot across the table and covered mine. “Please,” he begged. “Tell me what to do. How do I get her back?”
I wished he hadn’t asked, but it was inevitable. “You can’t.” I tried to keep my delivery as gentle as possible while he sat there with his heart on his sleeve. “The more you pursue her, the farther she’ll run.”
His face blanched, clearly not expecting to hear what I laid out. “So, it’s over then?” Jake’s voice cracked on the last word. My breath caught in my throat at the sound.
This time I placed my hand over his, hoping to convey an ounce of hope. “It doesn’t have to be.” But before I could allow elation to play across his features, I added, “You just need to wait it out. If you’re willing.”
For the first time, a hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “I’m willing. Lucy is worth it.”
Mirroring his expression, I gushed, “I hoped you’d say that.”
Jake reluctantly clamberedinto his car when we got back to the condo. Once he was safe on the road and there was no sign of Lucy at the pool, I got back in my car and blasted the AC.
The Bluetooth speaker was too loud as my phone began to dial. Liam answered as I transferred the call to speaker phone.
“You know…booty calls are usually in the middle of the night and it’s not even, what—what time is it anyway?”
“Shut up. This is serious and I need you,” I rushed, immediately regretting my word choice.
“I thought you were too independent to need me, babe. Can’t say that I’m that surprised though, given—”
I cut him off. “Liam! Listen.” I was met with dead air for once, perhaps from the desperate tone in my voice. “I just met with Jake, and well…we need to intervene.” I told him about my conversation with his best friend and how I couldn’t stand the look in Jake’s eyes nor the babysitter role I was currently playing with Lucy.
“Yeah…not gonna lie…dude’s been torn up over your sis,” he stated obviously.
“Duh. So here’s what we’re going to do…” I began. I adjusted the air vent to blast against my face. “Is Jake working? Does he have anything lined up?”
“Actually,” Liam confirmed, “Chet got him an audition and he goes this afternoon. Said he needed to get his mind on something else. It’s for this action role and he’s been prepping for a few days; I guess the audition calls for an easy stunt which to anyone but Jake could be dangerous.”
This was perfect! “Excellent!” I proclaimed.
