by Lacey Legend
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. So you liked him? I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Not only do I like him – but I like him for you. You guys bring out a good side in one another. And Jas, I haven’t seen you that happy in a long time. That guy is completely smitten with you. He practically glowed every time you opened your mouth.”
Jasmine smiled. “Thank you. I really like him. He was actually super nervous to come out last night. I don’t know why, though. The guy is so confident.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it’s the people who seem the most confident who are not confident at all,” Allie said wisely.
“That’s true. But he said he felt very comfortable around the two of you. He said it was one of the best nights he’s had in a long time.”
“I thought so, too. Hey, did he sleep over?”
“No, we’re still trying to take things a bit slow. It’s hard in a way because we live right next door to each other, but I don’t think either of us want to just jump into anything too quickly.”
“That’s probably a smart move. But it’s obvious the two of you are super into each other.”
“Yeah, I guess we are. Flip, how did this happen so quickly? It was like just over two weeks ago that I was spying on him from my window.”
“I guess when things are meant to be, then there’s no messing around.”
“I’ll be honest, Allie – I’m too scared to let my mind go there.”
“I understand. Keep doing what you’re doing. Just take it easy and see how things go. I think you’re doing great.”
“Thanks, Allie.”
When Jasmine put the phone down, she decided to go for a walk. There was a café not too far away that made the most delicious smoothies. She was suddenly craving one and knew that it would probably sort out her hangover. Despite the headache, she didn’t actually feel all that bad, and she wondered if it was because the night had been so much fun. It actually made the hangover so much more worth it. There was a slight breeze that day, so she pulled on her jeans, a small vest, and a little cardigan in case the wind picked up more. When she got to the café, she placed her order and then decided that she would go to the park to enjoy it. She’d avoided the park since the day when she had discovered that Brendan was cheating on her, but now she felt desperate to go back. She was letting him win by not enjoying the things that she used to enjoy. She found a bench and drank her smoothie, smiling as the cool liquid went down her throat. She closed her eyes and allowed the sun to fall on her.
“Jasmine?”
She opened her eyes and almost dropped her smoothie when she saw Brendan standing in front of her. What was with this park? she thought. She hadn’t seen Brendan in a year, and it was strange to see him so close to her again. He had put on a bit of weight and had changed his hairstyle to something that did not suit him at all. But otherwise, he was just the same. She was pleased to note that she didn’t feel at all upset or angry by his presence. And she certainly hadn’t missed him.
“Brendan! Oh wow – it’s been a long time.”
“Uh… yeah. Wow. I can’t believe it. A year? Actually, isn’t it almost exactly a year?”
“I think so. But I’m not sure.”
She didn’t want him to know that she knew exactly how long it had been. She wouldn’t give him that sort of satisfaction. She wanted him to think that he was the last person on her mind – which at least lately had been true.
“Can I sit down?” he asked.
Jasmine looked at the empty space beside her and considered saying no, but then she simply smiled and said, “Sure. Go ahead. How are you?”
“I’m fine. You’re looking well. In fact, you look beautiful, Jasmine. But then again, you always did.”
That annoyed her. He wasn’t allowed to give her compliments. Not after everything that he had put her through. But she gritted her teeth.
“Thank you.”
She decided not to reply and tell him that he was looking good, too. Because the truth was that he wasn’t. He had looked better a year ago. That thought gave her a small shiver of pleasure.
“So, what have you been up to?” she asked.
She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know, but she felt as if she had to make some sort of conversation with him. She wondered if it had always been this strained between them.
“Oh, not much. Well, the same I guess. Same job. Same house. I mean, not all that much has changed other than the fact that you and I are not together anymore. It’s strange that we’ve never bumped into each other before after all this time. Unless you’ve moved?”
“Nope. Same house. Same old sofa.” She couldn’t help but add the last part in.
He smiled awkwardly. “Ah, the sofa. I hated that thing,” he admitted.
“I know you did. And I still love it. So, are you still seeing that girl that you work with? I never did find out her name.”
Brendan had the decency to look uncomfortable. He shifted on the bench and suddenly couldn’t look her in the eye. “Marilyn. Her name is Marilyn. Uh… no. That didn’t work out. Uh… Jasmine, I’m really sorry about what happened. I should never have gone behind your back like that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You want to know something funny?”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I actually thought you were acting strange because you were going to propose to me. I honestly thought that you were off buying a ring for me. I don’t even know where I got that idea from. I even told Allie about it. I was that sure that you would never actually do something to hurt me. If you were acting funny, then to me it could’ve only been because you were nervous about proposing. Can you believe what a fool I was?”
“You were never a fool, Jasmine,” he said, but she could see that her words had struck a chord with him.
She had never actually told him that. She’d been too ashamed at the time, but now she didn’t care anymore. She wanted him to know.
“Oh, yes, I was. But it’s good. I’m now a lot more skeptical about people. No more fooling me. So maybe in the end, you did me a service.”
“I was an idiot. I didn’t see how good I had it. You’re amazing, Jasmine. You always were. I don’t even know why I did that. I wasn’t even in love with Marilyn. I’ve been going out of my mind this past year. I thought that maybe I was in love with her – so I gave it a go. But I wasn’t. I haven’t stopped thinking about you and wishing that I could go back in time and fix things. I know that I can’t. But I’d like to make it up to you. Jas, please take me back. I promise that I won’t do that again. I thought that maybe I was over you, that I could live without you – but seeing you here now has made me realize just how much I want you back. Please take me back.”
Jasmine could not believe what she was hearing, nor did she feel sorry for him in the slightest. “You want me back? It’s been a year, Brendan.”
“I know. But I still miss you.”
“You cheated on me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I will always be sorry for that.”
Jasmine laughed slightly to herself and then smiled sadly at him. “Oh Brendan. Do you really think I’d take you back? After what you did to me? You might have fooled me once, but not again. Anyway, it’s a good thing. Because I was never in love with you. I thought I was… but I wasn’t. And seeing you again – it just makes me feel sad for you.”
“Oh, come on, Jasmine. Don’t be like that.”
“And anyway, I’ve met someone.”
That seemed to startle him. “What? You’ve met someone?”
“Why exactly is that so hard to believe?” she asked him.
“It’s not. It’s not at all, actually. I don’t know… I guess I just assumed that one day we’d be back together.”
“Well, you assumed wrong.”
“What’s he like?”
Jasmine smiled at the thought of Eric. “He’s wonderful.”
“Well, I’m happy for you. Anyway… should I let you drink
the rest of your smoothie in peace, then?” he asked, and she could tell that he was hoping she’d ask him to stay longer with her.
“I think that’s probably a good idea.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, it was good seeing you again, Jasmine. You really are looking beautiful.”
Jasmine smiled and looked away. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of any more of her time. When she looked back, she could see that he had walked away. His head was down, and he looked like someone who had just lost a battle. Jasmine felt a warmth spreading all over her, and once again, she closed her eyes and let the rays of the sun beam down on her. That was exactly what she’d needed to happen that day. No matter what happened between her and Eric, she knew that at least she was better off without Brendan.
“Thanks for cheating on me, Brendan. I dodged a bullet there,” she murmured happily to herself.
After another half-an-hour in the sun, she made her way back home and decided to pop in on Eric to say hello. She’d never been to his house because they’d either always met up at hers or they had gone out. And she was suddenly keen to see inside. She knocked on the door.
“Jasmine. This is a nice surprise.”
“I’m sorry to just barge in on you. I was on my way back from a walk in the park, and I thought I’d come over and say hello.”
“Well, come in. And… hello.” He leaned forward to kiss her, and she was glad that he didn’t seem to mind the intrusion.
“Hey, so I finally get to see your house.”
“You haven’t seen it yet? Oh yeah, I always come to your place. Well, you’ll see why I never invite you. Your place is a lot friendlier. I still have a long way to go to getting this set up nicely. Come on, let me take you on the grand tour.”
Eric took Jasmine around the house and showed her each room. It was a nice house with a similar layout to hers. But he was right – it didn’t show much personality, and he even still only had one or two boxes unpacked. It looked almost as if he was ready to leave at any moment. It just needed a bit of love and attention, but it wasn’t all that bad.
“It’s nice,” she said.
He laughed at that. “Ah, you’re being polite. It could do with a lot of work.”
“I’m being serious. It IS nice. Yeah, it needs some work – but you haven’t exactly been here very long. But I like it.”
“Sit down, let me get you a drink. Coffee?”
“Coffee sounds great. Thank you.”
She watched as he went into the kitchen to make them coffee, and she remembered him saying that he was good in the kitchen.
“So, when are you going to cook me that meal you promised? I must say, your kitchen is the only spot in the house that really looks like you’ve given attention to.”
“Yep, I told you I liked cooking. And I’m going to make something for you soon. I promise.”
“When did you learn how to cook?” she asked.
“It’s just something I busied myself with over the years. Nobody taught me. I guess it’s because my mom wasn’t around and my dad was not great in the kitchen. So if we were going to eat something nice, I had to pretty much figure it out on my own.”
“Wow. So it was learning by experience then.”
“Yeah, something like that. I’m not exactly up to the standards of a chef, but I’m not bad. I enjoy it.”
“Well, I enjoy eating.”
“The perfect match then.”
“Yeah,” she said and grinned as he handed her the coffee.
“You look different today.”
“I do?” She looked down. She was wearing the same clothes that she normally wore.
“Yeah, happier or something. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Did something happen?” he asked.
“Wow, you picked that up from looking at me? I’m impressed. Uh… actually… I bumped into my ex-boyfriend today.”
“Brendan?”
“The very same.”
“And?”
“And he begged me to take him back. Can you believe it? It’s been a year since we broke up.”
“Oh no. Are you here to tell me that you’ve said yes to him?”
She giggled. “Not at all. In fact, the opposite. And it was so good to see him again – not just to know that I’m not even angry at him anymore, but to know that I’m not sad anymore. In fact, he did me a favor.”
“Jasmine, what actually happened with him? I don’t know the full story.”
Jasmine launched into what had happened with Brendan – from how she’d thought he was going to propose to how she’d caught him cheating on her at the park. It was strange telling the story again. She had tried to avoid talking and even thinking about it. But telling the story again felt like she wasn’t even talking about herself anymore.
“Man, I’m so over it all. I let that get to me for so long. I thought all men were bad and that everyone was going to hurt me. But that was just Brendan. And I’m glad I found out before I went ahead and married him. I deserve more than that.”
“You do. And he’s an idiot for not realizing it.”
Jasmine smiled and took a big sip of her coffee.
“Jasmine…?”
“Yeah?” she replied, looking up.
“I’m really starting to fall for you. I know it’s early days, and I hope this is not going to freak you out. I was not looking to start a relationship. I’ll be honest – I only just ended things with my ex. But here I am – falling for you.”
“I feel the same,” Jasmine whispered back. Then she asked, “Your ex, did it end badly?”
“No, not at all. We weren’t meant to be together. We were never in love. It was like we were together to just pass the time until we found someone else. I broke up with her when I moved away. And it was fine. But I told myself not to get involved with anyone for a while. The last thing I expected was to find myself falling for you.”
“Especially a girl so boring.”
“You’re not boring. I’ve already told you, Jasmine – you’re not boring at all. In fact, I think you’re the most interesting girl that I’ve ever met in my life.”
“Wow, you must be easy to please.”
“Nope. I’m very hard to please. But you … you please me.”
“You please me, too.”
And it wasn’t long before they found themselves making love again. This time, they ended up in his bedroom, on his big double bed. It was slower than the last time and more deliberate. It was as if they both didn’t want the moment to end. As if they were holding onto something fragile. She wasn’t sure why or what made it this way, but even afterward, she held onto him and never wanted to let him go.
“Well, it’s not quite Mr. Couch, but at least we had more space,” she giggled.
“I think I could do that anywhere with you.”
“Hmm … the bath?”
“Oh, for sure. Easy.”
“The shower?”
“Again, easy. All things I plan on doing with you, by the way.”
“The kitchen counter?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you’re going to have to prove that to me.”
“Now, that I can do.” He leaned forward and kissed her again.
“Well, I better go. I actually have an article that needs to be written. I should’ve done it ages ago, but you know… distractions.”
“Are you saying that I’m a distraction?”
“You certainly are.”
“Ha! Weren’t you the one who came knocking on my door?” he teased.
“Well, yes, that was all me. But I only did that because otherwise I would’ve been staring out the window instead of working the whole night. Now, at least, I got that out my system.”
“Did you, though? Are you sure you don’t want to try it at least one more time? Just to get it completely out your system? Because I’m not sure that it’s totally out.”
She laughed. “Well, only if you think it’s necessary.”
When Jasmine did eventually get home, she found herself unable to stop smiling. Her day was gearing up to be much better than she had anticipated. She got out her laptop and settled herself onto the couch to start her work. But her phone rang before she had a chance to start anything.
“Hello, Jasmine speaking.”
“Jasmine, hello!”
“Oh, hey, mom.”
“Is this a bad time? I tried calling you earlier, but it just rang.”
“Oh, I was probably in the bath. Sorry about that,” Jasmine lied.
“I just thought I’d phone and say hello. I might be in the city sometime this week, so I was thinking of coming by and maybe meeting you and Allie for lunch.”
“That would be great, mom. Allie will be thrilled. Did you hear she has a new boyfriend?”
“She does? Who? Do I know him?” Jasmine’s mother asked, and she tried not to laugh. She loved nothing more than a bit of gossip, and Jasmine was glad to have some for her.
“Guess.”
“Guess? Hmm … is it that boy Robert?”
“Nope.”
“Charles? I think that was his name. He was at that barbeque that we went to.”
“Nope.”
“Oh, go on, tell me.”
“Marc.”
“Marc. Who’s Marc? Are you talking about Marc from back in the day? The same Marc we wanted her to get together with for so many years?”
“The very one.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Finally! Goodness that took a while. But it’s probably better this way. They’re both older and more mature. I sense a wedding will be on its way.”
“You and me both. I went out with them the other day, and they looked so happy together.”
“You went out with them? Just you and them?” her mother asked, obviously fishing for more gossip.
“Well, no. Me and Eric and them. Eric is my new neighbor.”
