Ignoring her outburst, Steve dropped the suitcase, lifted Hope in his arms, pulling her until she released the banister and marched her to the front door. Aviva sprang into action; she rushed him, shoe over her head, fully prepared to carry out her threat. Jason grabbed her before she reached the struggling couple, snatching the dangerous looking shoe out of her hand, he lifted Aviva clean off her feet.
Transferring Hope to one side of his body, Steve held her under one arm, opened the front door and deposited her outside, slamming the door shut in her astonished face. Spinning around, Steve picked up Hope’s suitcase, reopened the door and tossed it through not caring where it landed.
“Where we come from, that’s how we deal with the trash. Now get the hell away from this house and stay the hell away from me you lying bitch” Steve shouted through the closed door.
Hope could be heard banging on the door, calling Steve’s name. His anger had been so great he hadn’t realized he had acquired such a big audience. “What?” he yelled, “You people never seen the trash being put out before? Now I’m damn sure you all have something you should be doing other than standing around here minding my business.” The staff scattered like ants disappearing back to their duties.
A deathly silence was all that remained in the hall once Steve’s words had floated away. Turning, he looked over at Jason and Aviva. Jason, still holding Aviva at bay, slowly lowered her to her feet. Still in shock at what had just taken place, she swayed from side to side, attempting to gain her balance. Jason reached out a steadying hand, at her recoil he dropped it to his side, uncertainty and concern appearing on his face. Aviva stared at Steve and then at the door, Hope’s shouts still audible. “You don't believe her? Your fiancée tells you she has just been attacked, and you don't believe her, you just throw her out the house like she was a worthless piece of shit. What the hell kind of people are you!” Aviva ranted as she rushed towards the door, Steve blocked her path, grabbing hold of her arm. Wrenching out of his grasp, she tried to go around him madder than hell that he thought he had the right to touch her after the disgusting way he had just treated Hope.
“Aviva, she lied – it wasn’t true, all the things she said upstairs, they were all lies.” Steve said as he again took hold of Aviva’s arm. “She made it all up, Jason turned down her advances, so she made up the whole story.”
“You bloody liar; Hope wouldn’t do something like that. You’re just sticking up for him!” Aviva shouted as she threw a glance over her shoulder at Jason.
“It’s the truth Aviva, I heard the whole thing; I was standing outside on the patio the whole time. She lied to us both. Even when I told her that I had heard everything she kept denying it, saying that you could vouch for her, that you had seen everything that had happened.”
“But I didn’t.” Aviva whispered, more to herself than to the two men. She had known Hope for a long time, she knew she could be ruthless when she wanted something to go her way. She had seen her in action before. But this, this was pushing it even for Hope. Would she really be prepared to ruin a man’s life with such an outrageous lie? Was she really willing to sever Steve and Jason’s friendship in the way they were suggesting? She wasn’t prepared to believe that of Hope, or not to hear her out. How could she, to do so would be a betrayal of their friendship. Hope was still banging on the door, demanding entry so she could speak to Aviva.
“Steve.” Jason said, “Open the door.”
“What, no – hell no, she is not coming back in here.”
“Open the door.” Jason said again, “Now!”
Jason remained silent after his demand, a testament to his seriousness, knowing if they denied Aviva the chance of speaking with Hope she would leave and he very much doubted if he would see her again. Yes, Hope was a liar but, he had to believe he and Steve, with truth on their side could convince her of Hope's lies. The possibility of any other outcome was something he was unwilling to contemplate. Jason knew with a deep felt certainty that in Aviva he had found something he had subconsciously been searching for, someone good, and for those reasons he was now taking the biggest gamble of his life.
“Please open the door, Steve.”
Steve reluctantly opened the door as Hope fell forward into the entrance way, her eyes immediately searching out Aviva, tears of desperation running down her face. Throwing her arms around Aviva’s neck she clutched her body close, whispering in her ear. “You know me, we’ve been friends for so long, don’t believe what they say. They're just sticking together. They're liars, you saw what happened, tell Steve what you saw, what happened, he’ll believe you, it will be our word against Jason’s. Steve will believe you, he likes you, please, please for my sake, make him believe you, for my sake.”
Hope, in her desperation didn’t realize how her quickly spoken words damned her in Aviva’s eyes. By asking her to admit to seeing the deed, knowing that she had not, was in itself an admission of guilt. Aviva took a step back as she detached Hope’s arms from around her neck.
“Tell me what happened, Hope.” Aviva hoped her words would carry the strength to convince her that she spoke the truth. But in her heart she already knew that Hope had lied. She knew Steve loved Hope, and he would not have thrown her out of the house if there had been any substance to her accusations against Jason.
“I was in the office with him,” Hope began, pointing at Jason. “…and he attacked me. He kept staring at me and the next thing I knew; he had hold of me and started kissing me. I begged and pleaded with him to let me go, but he wouldn’t.”
“Why were you in his office?” Aviva asked softly.
Hope hesitated for a moment as she looked at Aviva. “I was there because he asked me to come and see him.” Hope finally said.
“What did he want to see you about?”
“He said …he said it had something to do with Steve and the wedding.”
“Did he say what that ‘something’ was when you got to the office?”
“I told you already; as soon as I got there he just pounced on me and started kissing me. You know how men are with me; you know the effect I have on them. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Seeing she had not yet convinced Aviva, Hope decided to elaborate on her story, play on Jason’s size. “I fought and fought, but he was just too strong.”
“Why did he stop – what made him stop, Hope?”
“I don’t know, maybe it finally dawned on him that I didn’t want him in that way, maybe he finally understood that I was marrying his best friend in a matter of hours. I don’t know why he stopped…what the hell does it matter why he stopped, all I know is he did, and I thank God he did.”
Aviva didn’t know who to believe. One moment she believed Hope, the next she was convinced she was lying. Who should she believe, the two men standing silently behind her or her friend with so much desperation written on her face?
Steve had had enough. “Hope, an hour ago I was ready to make you my wife, to spend the rest of my life with you. I thought in you, I had found the woman I could spend the rest of my life with. There are some facts you need to get into your delusional head: one, I know Jason and he would never hurt a woman the way you accused him of doing: two, I heard it all, you telling him you always wanted him, that this was his last chance of getting a piece of you because I had gone to the store and that Aviva was in the kitchen, speaking to the help, as you put it. You also said, once you were married to me, he couldn’t have you as you wouldn’t cheat on your husband, as though a ring somehow miraculously changes your concept of cheating. And Honey, this is really important, you are a beautiful woman, but not every man wants you. You are not irresistible.”
At Steve’s words, Aviva's internal battle to believe in Hope’s story was lost. How would Steve have known that she was in the kitchen and what he said about cheating was a conversation she had also had with Hope in the past. Hope had told her more than once that she would play the field until she had the ring on her finger, only then would she be faithful. Aviv
a recalled Hope’s philosophy on faithfulness within a relationship. “… I’m gonna have my cake and eat it too. Until that ring is on my finger, I’m gonna have what I want, when I want it. I’m too fine to do anything else.”
“How could you Hope, how could you tell such a repellent lie on anyone? That’s a man’s life and reputation you’re playing with. Women like you are the reason so many real victims of sexual attack are not believed and their perpetrators escape justice.”
“You’re taking their word against mine? What happened to the sisterhood?” Hope shouted. “Because he…” pointing at Jason “…pays you a bit of attention you think he wants you, hell even your own daddy didn’t want you, he gave you away. Look at you little miss nothing, little miss nobody, always hanging on to my shirt tails. Well if he didn’t want me what makes you think he’s gonna want you? When he’s finished with you, don’t even think about running back to me because I already forgot about you – all of you can kiss my ass, and you can take that to the bank!” Turning without a backwards glance, Hope glided through the front door leaving three people stunned in her wake.
Hope’s departure was met with an uneasy silence which left Aviva trembling and emotionally spent. Jason and Steve shared a glance of uncertainty as to how to deal with the havoc a departed Hope had caused to their lives. Jason slowly walked to the door and closed it before turning to Aviva, reaching out to touch her.
Pulling away before he could make contact, she shook her head looking around as though unsure of where she was or what she was doing there. Aviva shook her head again while backing away, her hands covering her mouth in an attempt to hold in the emotions on the verge of spilling from her lips. Turning abruptly she ran up the stairs needing to get away from the man she had so cruelly accused of attacking a woman and who now wanted to comfort her. She couldn’t stand it, so she ran.
Jason moved to follow, Steve grabbed hold of his arm holding him back. “Give her some time, man. If you go after her now she may completely shut you out.”
“You saw how she looked; you heard the things Hope said to her. The last thing she needs is to be alone.”
“I’m telling you, the last thing she needs right now is you going after her. Give her a while to get herself together. I know Aviva, she’ll do the right thing, just give her a while on her own.”
He was unconvinced. However, maybe Steve was right, he knew her better than he did, so he was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Okay, I’ll give her ten minutes, if she doesn’t come down by then, I’m going up.”
“Come on Jason, ten minutes, she’s gonna need longer than that!”
“Ten minutes Steve, then I’m going up there!”
~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting alone in her car, aware of the enormity of what had just taken place, Hope felt a profound sadness. She hadn’t meant most of the things she had said, feeling cornered she had reacted as she had been taught, come out fighting. In that moment it hadn’t mattered who she was hurting humiliated to have been caught in a lie she had felt the need to hurt those she saw as its cause. Hope recognized that her actions and hers alone, had severed relationships she held dear. Reaching for her cell she punched in a number and waited for her call to be answered.
“Daddy, the weddings off, I messed up bad this time…really, really bad.”
Chapter 8
Aviva rushed up the stairs as though the Hounds of Hell were nipping at her heals, determined to distance herself from what was one of the most distressing experiences of her life. Entering Jason’s bedroom, she fell across the bed. Her tears were for Hope and the two men who had been treated so appallingly.
For the most part a fair person, she was mortified at her treatment of Jason. In normal circumstances she would listen to both sides of a story before taking a side, but Hope was her friend, they had known each other for over a decade. By no means ignorant to Hope’s faults she had long ago come to terms with them. They were a part of Hope. From time to time Hope’s thought processes left her wide eyed with wonder at how an intelligent woman could possibly be so stupid. Hope’s narcissistic bent was the part of her personality that she found the most difficult to come to terms with. By virtue of her career as one of the world’s top black models, she understood Hope’s confidence. She had seen Hope in action on many occasions, there was the Hope who would give you the shirt off her back and there was the Hope that thought the world revolved around only her, and the rest of humanity merely extras in the life and times of Hope Richards. However, the stunt she had just pulled was too much, way too much, even for Hope. That she was prepared to destroy all their lives because she was unable to get her way was devastating to Aviva.
Burying her face in the pillow, Aviva cried for Steve and how Hope’s betrayal was affecting him on the day they were to take vows to spend the rest of their lives together. She hoped and prayed that one day he would find someone else to love, and who would love him in return, the way he deserved to be loved. Steve was a good man, the type of person who took care of others without a second thought. That type of selflessness deserved a reward. Life was so unfair, just when it seemed all the players were perfectly aligned a recalcitrant force had ripped through their lives, leaving a wreckage of their hopes and dreams.
So lost was she in thought, Aviva didn’t hear the door open as Jason enter the room. She only became aware of his presence when the side of the bed dipped to accommodate his weight. Curling up even tighter into the fetal position, she felt the heat of his body slowly penetrate her rigid form but remained still, reluctant to acknowledge his presence.
Reaching out his hand, Jason slowly, gently stroked Aviva’s back, moving with extreme care, not wanting to startle her with any sudden movements, unsure of her reaction to his presence. Maybe Steve was right, and she needed more time before she would be ready to accept comfort for what had transpired. Unable to wait the ten minutes he had promised, he had felt an overwhelming need to ensure Aviva realized that although Hope’s actions had been a blow to them all, she didn’t have to deal with the fall-out alone, nor did he blame her for taking Hopes' side.
Jason had little to no experience of dealing with crying women, in fact when confronted with a crying woman he would normally head in the opposite direction. Usually when women cried around him it was a tactic they employed to get him to do something contrary to his wants, it never worked. But the sight of Aviva’s tears was more than he could stand, somehow in one day this woman had managed to change him, wresting feelings from him the likes of which he had never before experienced. At a loss of how to deal with such obvious distress, he rubbed her back in the hope of giving comfort, but his gentle ministration seemed only to intensify her flow of tears. Jason’s hand stilled, maybe he was doing it wrong, maybe she needed verbal comfort, maybe Steve was right and she needed to be left alone. The uncertainty of how to deal with the situation gripped him so strongly he pulled away, unwilling, but ready to leave her alone in her grief.
“Don’t go, I…” Those three small words filled with so much uncertain hesitation propelled him into motion, not to leave but to reach out and pull her into his arms. As his strong arms surrounded her quivering body, pulling her taught against his, her sobs intensified, saturating his shirt. Kicking off his shoes Jason stretched his long body beside her on the bed. Holding her close, he muttered incoherent words of comfort.
His words were unimportant, to Aviva it was the sound of his voice, the feel of his body, cocooning her in warmth, soothing her into slowly believing that Hopes betrayal could somehow be borne. As they lay in silence, Jason offered comfort and Aviva unashamedly took all he had to give.
“I’m sorry… please forgive me?” Aviva spoke into the silence that had grown between them.
“Forgive you for what?”
“For not hearing your side of the story… for vilifying you…labeling you guilty.”
“Hope is your friend, I would expect nothing less of you. Of course you would take her side. I’ve bee
n involved in a lot of reprehensible things in my life, but Angel, please believe that I would never do anything that would deliberately hurt those I love. I have too few people that are close to me in my life, and their trust means everything to me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I understand… but you didn’t answer my question…do you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Aviva somehow felt that she needed the words, the words that would absolve her of the accusations she had spoken against him in anger.
“Jason, I…”
“Angel, there’s nothing you could say to me that I couldn't forgive – remember that, always remember that. No matter what happens between us, you will always have a place in my heart. Does that make you feel better?”
“Thank you and yes it does make me feel slightly better. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Aviva said moving her head back so she could look into his black eyes, eyes that were watching her with an intensity that took her breath away. Slowly his head descended, giving her a chance to pull away if that was her want. Aviva was hypnotized by his look and in that moment, she knew she was exactly where she wanted to be, his arms surrounding her in a nest of warmth, his lips descending towards hers. Her heart began a rapid tattoo, her breath sped up; she closed her eyes waiting for the first touch of his lips against hers.
His kiss was not placed against her lips as she subconsciously expected; instead Aviva felt a gentle brush against her forehead as Jason palmed one of her cheeks, tenderly moving her face to the right, and then the left as he placed feather light kisses against her soft skin. She held her breath in expectation, again feeling unknown emotions coursing through her body, emotions she only experienced when in Jason’s embrace. Then she felt the touch of his lips against hers, it wasn’t a demanding kiss, rather a caress that spoke of tenderness, a willingness to administer to her needs.
Abandoned but Not Alone Page 9
