Brief Encounters_The Encounters Series

by Scarlett Hopper

We spend the next few minutes in a comfortable silence as we finally approach Collette’s. I can see the back of Anna as we approach the door, and I give Jess a nudge.

  “That’s her,” I say as I nod toward Anna. “Now you will finally understand what I’ve been dealing with,” I whisper with a hushed laugh.

  Jess lets out a low chuckle as he slides his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “No one would dare mess with my girl, because if—” He cuts himself off midsentence as all the color drains from his complexion. He has stopped walking in the middle of Collette’s and seems to be frozen in place.

  “Jess?” I say warily, having no clue what’s just happened. I let my gaze travel to where his has landed, and knots instantly form in my stomach. Anna, who has now turned around, has the same expression as Jess on her face.

  Complete and utter shock.

  Shit. I really hope these two haven’t slept together.

  “Jess?” she says slowly as she takes a step closer to him. My possessive instincts kick in, and I tighten the hold I have on Jess’s arms. He doesn’t hold me back, instead still stares straight ahead at Anna, causing my fears to worsen.

  Finally, after what feels like years of awkward silence, Jess speaks. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York.”

  New York? How the hell do these two know each other?

  This is the question I ask myself over and over for the next few moments of awkward silence before it finally hits me.

  Anna is Annalise.

  “I’m taking this year off,” she says cautiously as she looks around the room. “I thought I’d see what all the craze is about here.”

  Cambridge is a small college town; there is no craze. I think she means she thought she would come to see Jess. Her demeanor is completely different from what I’ve been dealing with for weeks, and I’m starting to think she might have known my connection to Jess all along.

  “Cambridge?” Jess says, unconvinced. Clearly, I’m not the only one who doubts her reasons for being here.

  As if suddenly remembering I’m here, Jess tightens his grip on me. “Well, I guess you already know my girlfriend, Eleanor.” Jess’s tone is far from welcoming, and I can’t help but notice my introduction is more of a point to be made rather than a genuine declaration.

  I can’t tell what bothers me more—the initial lack of acknowledgment or the acknowledgement itself. It seems as if I’m not the only one bothered. If the look on Anna’s face is telling me anything, it’s that she wasn’t expecting such a cold welcome from Jess.

  “I better get going. I’ve got a lot to do today.” Jess’s tone is frosty at best as he speaks to Anna and turns around to face me. He plants a quick kiss on my head and exits Collette’s, not even bothering to say goodbye.

  What the hell did this girl do to him?

  As I turn back to Anna, a scowl has overtaken her features and she’s giving me a look that says, I hate you. She lets out her signature huff, then storms off into the back room.

  I, on the other hand, am left standing in the middle of the store, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. The only thing I know for sure is that I need to talk to Jess, sooner rather than later.

  Attempting to focus on my job for the rest of the day has been tedious to say the least. My mind is occupied with thousands of thoughts and questions concerning Jess and Anna, none of which I have the answers to. The two times I’ve attempted to call him, I’ve been on the receiving end of his voicemail.

  Aside from greeting the occasional customer, Anna has stayed in the back doing inventory and avoiding me like the plague. I, on the other hand, still haven’t really grasped what the hell I witnessed between the two of them this morning. My emotions are all over the place, and I can’t seem to rid myself of the unease that’s settled in the pit of my stomach.

  No matter how many times I tell myself this isn’t a big deal, I can’t seem to shake these feelings of uncertainty. The only person I know will give me solid insight is Viv.

  I wait until my shift is over to call her, because the last thing I need is Anna hearing. Viv, being Viv, picks up on the third ring, and her cheery demeanor automatically makes me feel a bit better.

  “Ellie! Are you still at work? I was thinking of coming by Collette’s to do a little indulging.”

  “Sorry, Viv, just left. I’m actually on my way home. You around?” I pull my coat close to me but lack the warmth I felt this morning with Jess.

  “Yeah, I’m home. I’ve just made a batch of chocolate-chip cookies and I added mini marshmallows to try something new!” Viv’s excitement over her cookies makes me laugh and wish this walk home would be over already.

  “Viv, something weird happened today, something I’m not really sure how to process.”

  “What is it?” Viv asks quickly in a panic-laced tone.

  “It’s nothing bad; don’t worry,” I rush to reassure her. “Well, actually, it might be bad, but I’m not sure. You remember Anna from work?”

  “Who could forget Umbridge?” Viv giggles.

  “Well, I kinda found out today that Anna is short for Annalise.”

  “Okay?” Viv says in a confused voice, clearly needing more of an explanation.

  “Jess’s ex-girlfriend’s name is Annalise. Our Umbridge is his Annalise.” I can’t hide the wariness in my voice as I say it.

  There’s momentary silence on the other end of the line before Viv speaks again.

  “Holy shit,” she whispers.

  Shit. For Viv to be swearing means it is indeed a big deal.

  I spend the rest of my walk home filling Viv in on everything that’s happened in the past couple of hours, from the huge revelation that Anna is Jess’s Annalise to the fact that he won’t return my calls.

  By the time I reach our apartment, I’m exhausted from just talking about everything that’s gone down today. The only thing I want is to head to bed, but Viv has other plans.

  As soon as I open the door, I spot the mountain of chocolate-chip cookies and three glasses of red wine on the table.

  “Are we expecting someone?” I ask, motioning to the extra glass.

  “Agh, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting forever!” Viv whines as she pats the empty couch cushion, waiting for me to sit down. I don’t miss the fact that she says we instead of I, and I curiously glance around the room for any indication of who the other person joining us is.

  “I only called you fifteen minutes ago! You couldn’t have been waiting that long.” I laugh as I pull off my scarf and throw it onto a pile with my coat and bag. “Anyway, who is this we? I didn’t know we were expecting someone else.”

  “I invited Claudia along. I figured she might have good insight because of how long she’s known Jess and stuff.” She looks up at me cautiously, and I can tell she’s asking if I’m mad, which may I say, I’m not.

  I always knew Viv wanted to add new additions to our friend group, specifically girls, and I can’t deny Claudia is a good addition at that. Also, knowing Viv, I know that she’s equally cautious about who she brings in, especially around me. I never meant for the walls I built to keep everyone out to lock Vivian in as well, but in hindsight, I guess they did.

  “I think inviting her was a great idea.” I sit down on the cushion next to her. Viv’s face is overtaken by a warm smile, and I know she can read between the lines. Both of us wanting Claudia to be here today is so much more than just the three of us hanging out. It’s Viv and me finally opening the gates for another person. Opening up our family from two to three.

  “Sorry that took so long. Wren can’t seem to find his hockey jersey,” Claudia says as she walks through our front door.

  “No problem,” Viv says, pouring us glasses of red wine. She grins. “We’re just getting started.”

  Although I may have wanted to hop into bed ten minutes ago, I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing right now than talking my day out with my girlfriends. I spend the next fifteen minutes recapping ev
erything that happened today to Claudia and explaining to both of them what I know about Annalise.

  For the most part, Claudia stays quiet and appears to be in deep thought as I talk on. Viv, on the other hand, supplies us with enough oohs and ahhs for a lifetime.

  After finally recapping everything I can think of, I pull my gaze off of the cheap throw I’ve tucked around myself and look up at the girls for advice, both of whom seem to be processing everything I’ve just said.

  “Okay,” Claudia says as she lets out a breath. “This is only going to be as bad as you let it.”

  Viv and I both look at her, urging her to continue.

  “Well, while Jess’s behavior this afternoon hasn’t been ideal, understand that he has just seen someone who must have held a huge part of his past. It’s unnerved him. Understandably, he’s taken back, especially because they were linked romantically. I mean, imagine if you ran into someone you once loved and hadn’t seen for years on the street. How would you feel?”

  I know it’s a rhetorical question, but I can’t help internally answering it. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would react if I ran into Winona on the street. I know I’d for sure freak out.

  “Anyway,” Claudia continues, “he’s probably just processing. He hasn’t seen this girl for years, and suddenly his ex-girlfriend is working with his current girlfriend. What are the odds! Give him time, Ellie. Go to him and let him explain. It’s the only way you will find peace in all this. Jumping to conclusions will only make you feel worse and affect your relationship with Jess.”

  “Wow,” Viv mutters. “You really know how to put things into perspective, Claudia.”

  I nod because I can’t help but agree. Listening to Claudia has made me realize how much this has probably impacted Jess, and the one thing he needs right now is support. I can give him that.

  “I wonder what she did to him,” Viv says as she refills our wineglasses. “I mean, to mess up Jess Parker that badly, it must have been something bad.” Her words are somber. We all silently agree because her words are truthful. As far as I know, Jess hasn’t wanted a committed relationship since whatever happened with Annalise, and I think that’s what scares me the most.

  “I just need to talk to him. I need to understand,” I say, finally breaking my silence. The girls nod in agreement, and then Viv decides we need a movie night, just the three of us.

  As Viv begins listing off tonight’s potential movies, I can’t help but smile about the fact that the three of us have each other in this moment.

  Here the three of us sit, an extremely lovable Vivian who is outgoing yet sensitive, a newly added Claudia who’s reserved yet opinionated, and me, a girl who pretends to be tough as nails yet is riddled with insecurities. But if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t have us any other way. I’ve never been so happy to have a big family.

  I decided to give Jess the night, knowing he had a lot on his mind, but that didn’t stop my mind from racing. He texted me back later in the night, telling me that he was fine and hanging with the boys, so I took comfort in the fact he wasn’t alone.

  Now, as I wait for him in Stein’s class, my stomach yet again feels the dread of having to ask him about yesterday, but I know it has to happen. I don’t know what exactly I’m afraid of—is it his past with Anna, or their potential future now that she’s back in the picture?

  “Hey.” Jess’s voice breaks me out of my unwanted thoughts, and I turn to face him as he sits next to me.

  “Hi,” I say, moderately cheery as I lean over to give him a quick kiss. He seems to have other plans, as he pulls me closer and deepens the kiss. He knots his hands into my hair as he pulls me closer to him, almost desperately. As much as I enjoy his spurts of affection, I can’t help questioning if there are ulterior motives behind this kiss.

  “Okay,” I say breathlessly as I pull away, “remember we’re in public.” I laugh awkwardly.

  Jess is smiling back at me, but I can’t help noticing the lack of his signature smirk, alerting me something is off.

  “Sorry. I just missed you is all.” He shrugs with a smile as he pulls out his notebook.

  Now is my chance. Ask him now, Eleanor!

  “So, Jess,” I say cautiously, “about yesterday.” His shoulders stiffen and I see that he’s now intently studying his blank notebook.

  “Are you okay? I mean, I figure it was a lot seeing her yesterday, so I just wanted to know what you’re thinking.” My voice is shaky, as I’m unable to contain my nerves. It doesn’t help that he won’t even look at me.

  After what feels like eons of silence, he finally turns to me. Instead of the warm Jess Parker I’m used to, he’s attempting to be void of emotions.

  “I’m fine, Els. There really isn’t anything to talk about,” he states, making it clear he wants no more questions on the topic. Too bad for him that isn’t going to fly with me.

  “Well, I think there’s everything to talk about, Jess,” I snap at him. “You ran into your ex-girlfriend of lord knows how many years yesterday, whom you apparently thought was in New York. And she happens to be working with me, your current girlfriend! And to top it all off, you won’t even mention her name around me or tell me what happened between you two, so yes, there is stuff to talk about!” I’ve raised my voice and am getting the unwanted attention of those around us.

  Jess thrusts his hands through his hair in frustration and lets out a huff. I can tell my mini explosion has pissed him off, but I honestly don’t care. I tried taking the path that Claudia suggested, but he completely shut me down. Our relationship can’t be one sided.

  “I’m asking you to drop this, Eleanor. Please.” He turns to face me, and I can see all sorts of torment in his features. His please is pleading, and I know there’s something eating away at him.

  “Fine,” I lie. My response is short and clipped because in actual fact, there’s no way I’m going to be dropping this. I simply can’t. But right here, right now, this isn’t the time for Jess and me to get into our first argument when the whole class and Stein can hear. So I agree to his pleas, but only for the time being.

  Last Night

  It’s been two days since Jess and I had our talk in Stein’s class, or lack thereof. Talk of anything Anna-related has been minimal, with Jess completely cutting me off before I even have a chance to ask a question. His bad mood hasn’t exactly picked up, but I’m trying to be the understanding girlfriend.

  It’s really hard.

  Luckily for me, Anna and I haven’t had any shifts together since the incident, and I’ve been with Ash the past two days. Unluckily for me, tomorrow happens to be November twenty-second. My birthday.

  I was really hoping things would have been better with Jess and me before then, but we can’t always get what we want. I’m so unsure of how to handle this new side of him, this moody person I’ve never witnessed before. He constantly seems to be on edge and is always on his phone. If I didn’t know about his disdain for Anna, I would assume it was her he is texting.

  Viv and Claudia have both been understanding, but I think they’re just as confused as I am. Viv’s taken me to get my nails and hair done today to get my mind off of everything. I wish I could say it helped. In actual fact, sitting in a chair for hours has just given me more and more time to let this all fester.

  Now, as we walk up the stairs to our apartment, I can’t help the loneliness that’s creeping in. The one person I wanted to spend today and tomorrow locked inside my bedroom with hasn’t texted me back all day.

  “I’m sure he’s just been busy,” Viv says, gently squeezing my shoulder.

  “Am I that obvious?”

  Viv gives me a small reassuring smile that I weakly return before continuing up our flight of stairs.

  I let out an exasperated breath as I place my key into the door and turn it. Opening the apartment door, I fumble in the darkness as I look for the light switch.

  “SURPRISE!” everyone yells as soon as the room is illuminated. I jump back
from the large amount of people crowding my living room and try to catch the breath that has just run away from me.

  Everyone is here and then some, including Wren, Nick, Wolf, Claudia, and Will, and right in the middle of the room with a huge grin on his face is Jess Parker. I feel a nudge from behind and turn to see Viv with a proud smile on her face. “I told you he’s been busy,” she says with a laugh.

  The stress of the past few days begins to dissipate, and I make my way over to Jess and throw my arms around him.

  “You surprised?” he whispers into my ear before planting soft kisses all over my face.

  “You have no idea,” I reply as I lean into him.

  “So, do you like it?” Viv’s now tucked into Will’s side with a smile on her face that could go for miles.

  “You definitely surprised me.” I laugh. “A lot makes sense now. I can see why I’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s voicemail today.” I nudge Jess with my side as he gives me an apologetic shrug.

  “Sorry, babe. I couldn’t risk ruining the surprise for you. Viv would have absolutely killed me.”

  “He’s got that right! Well, I’m going to go make sure everyone is having an amazing time.” She blows me an air kiss and parts the crowd as she begins to check on each guest.

  Jess makes his way to the front of me and pulls me into his arms, arms I can finally take some comfort in after the week I’ve had.

  “So,” he says as he brings a hand to my face, “is this a good surprise or not?”

  “Good,” I say as I nuzzle my head into the crevice of his arm and breathe him in. “Definitely good.”

  We spend the next few moments in silence, holding on to one another. The room may be filled to the brim with people, but in this moment, it’s just us: Jess and Eleanor.

  Jess breaks free from our embrace and takes my hand in his. “I was going to wait to give you your gift, but I think we can spare a few moments now.”

  He leads me into my bedroom and closes the door behind us. There, on my bed, is a small square wrapped in hot-pink wrapping paper with a green bow.