by J. O Mantel
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem with ‘friends’ going to the movies together, should there?”
“You’re not going to drop this are you?”
“Nope!”
“If I agree to go to the movies with her as ‘friends’, will you be happy?”
“No, but it’s a start.”
“Ok, FINE!”
Sienna clapped her hands in excitement, she leaned forward and hugged Jake, “Oh and you’re forgiven, just promise me you’ll at least try to have good time.”
Jake was silent.
“Jake!!”
“Ok, Ok. I promise.”
Sienna kissed him on the cheek and turned towards her room.
“Goodnight,” she said, shutting the door behind her.
“Night,” Jake whispered, as he picked up his bag and headed to his own room.
Throwing the bag on the floor, he pulled off his top and pants. He lay on the floor on his stomach and began his one armed push-ups.
After finishing his exercises, he grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for ages, not saying a word as he watched the sweat pour from his face.
“You fucking pussy!” he finally said.
The weekend arrived much quicker than Jake would have liked. Although he had promised Sienna that he would take Ivy to the movies, he knew that nothing would ever come of it. He finished getting ready and walked out into the living room.
“You look great,” Sienna admired the casual brown jacket, white Tee and jeans he was wearing.
“Thanks!”
“What time are you picking up Ivy?”
“Oh, she's meeting me there actually,” he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“You two have fun,” Sienna called, as Jake closed the door behind him.
The cinema was crowded, there were people everywhere and the queue to the box office provided lengthy delays.
Jake looked around for Ivy, but he couldn't find her anywhere amongst the crowd.
“I'm at the box office, where are you?” he text. As he pressed send, he looked up and saw Ivy walking towards him.
“Oh, hey! I just sent you a text,” sure enough, Ivy's phone beeped as she leaned in and kissed
Jake on the cheek.
“Sorry, have you been waiting long?”
“No I just got here, actually.”
“So, how are you?” Ivy asked.
“Yeah, I'm good. You?”
“Not too bad, I must admit, I was a little surprised when Sienna text me and told me that you'd agreed to come out with me on a Saturday night. I thought you might be at band practice or something.”
Jake looked at her, even though he wasn't attracted to her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she actually looked standing before him. Her hair was in a neat pony tail, she wore a long black dress, leather boots and a denim jacket. He could also smell her perfume.
“Mariah Carey?”
“What?” Ivy looked confused.
“Your perfume, its Mariah Carey, isn't it?”
Ivy smiled, “Wow, Jake! A man who knows his fragrances, I'm impressed.”
“Have you forgotten that I live with a woman? Sienna's constantly spraying a new fragrance every day. You kind of get immune to it after a while.”
Ivy threw him a smile. The two of them looked at their watches and then at the growing ticket box queue.
“That line isn't getting any smaller,” Ivy said.
“No, it isn't.”
Standing in line, the two of them looked at the board and tried to decide what to watch.
“What are you in the mood for?” Jake asked.
“I don't really know, I know there's the new Ryan Reynolds action movie, and there's also that new chick flick as well.”
“A chick who likes action films, Ivy, you never cease to amaze me.”
In the end they both decided to go for the Ryan Reynolds movie, it was the only thing they could both mutually agree on.
The cinema was full of people, and all the good seats towards the back were taken. The only seats available were towards the front, so they sat down and made themselves comfortable.
The lighting in the cinema dimmed, and the screen lit up.
“So, you don't have band practice tonight?”
“No actually. The band and I are finally ready to start recording the album, soon.”
“That's great news, you all must feel relieved?” She said, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
“Yeah a little, it'll mean no late practices for a couple of months which is great.”
As they spoke, a familiar tune filled the cinema. Way Back Home was playing, Jake looked up at the screen and saw the advertisement for Dark Falkon's upcoming concert on April fifteen.
“They have been promoting the shit out of this concert for months now. Honestly, I don't know what you and Sienna see in them.”
“Jake, you're a guy-”
“I know, I just wouldn't get it. But I do. I get it. But seriously, what does Sienna see in Lukas Dark?
I mean, what does he have that I don't have?”
“Oh, Jake! For one thing, he's got the fame and not to mention, money. And I have to admit, he is kind of hot.”
“Pfft. He does nothing for me.”
“Well, I would hope not, because then we would have a serious problem.”
There was a bit of silence from the two of them as they sat there and watched the rest of the trailers.
“Ivy, I know we've been over this, but you know that we are just friends, right? I mean, I only agreed to go on this date because Sienna put me up to it. I know that sounds horrible, but-”
“Jake! Relax. I know. It doesn't make you an asshole, believe me, that's not what I'm thinking at all. I know how Sienna can be when she's determined about something. She never gives up, it's not in her nature.”
“Yep! I hear you, she can be fucking stubborn at times.”
The lights went out and there was pure darkness for a couple of seconds. There was complete silence all round, and the screen lit up as the feature started.
“I was actually quite surprised. That wasn't a bad movie,” Ivy said.
Jake didn't react, he sat in the chair and remained silent.
“Jake?” Ivy called again, snapping her fingers.
“Oh! Sorry, what did you say?”
“Where were you just now?”
“Sorry. Just thinking,” Jake replied.
They walked out of the theatre and Ivy looked at her watch; “It's still early, do you want to grab a coffee?”
“Um...yeah, sure,” Jake replied, half-heartedly.
The two of them slowly walked down the stairs and headed for the cafe. Jake remained silent, barely saying a word. Placing their orders at the counter, they then grabbed a table and sat down.
“Ok, Jake! What's going on?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You've barely said two words to me since the movie finished, Jake. Have I done something wrong?”
“No not at all.” He sighed and sat up straight in his chair. “I'm sorry, Ivy, I just have a lot on my mind. I didn't mean to ruin our evening.”
The waitress placed their coffees on the table, Ivy sat there, staring at Jake while he stirred his coffee.
“It's Sienna, isn't it? You can't stop thinking about her.”
Jake couldn't say anything, but Ivy knew too well that his silence said it all.
“Ok, Jake! This is fucking stupid. You need to get your shit together and tell her how you feel about her,” Ivy blurted out.
Jake stopped. He looked up at Ivy.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Jake asked.
“I'm sorry, Jake. But I'm sitting here trying to have a great night with a friend, and all he can do is think about someone else.”
She was right, he was being selfish. Ivy had made every effort to go out with Jake tonight, even though they both knew nothing wou
ld come of it. The least he could do was try and have a great night, he owed her that.
“Ivy, I'm sorry, really sorry. I've been an asshole all night. You don't deserve this.”
Ivy almost choked on her coffee, Jake had never referred to himself as an asshole before, this was definitely serious.
“I think that's going a little extreme, Jake. You're not an asshole. But seriously, lighten up a little. You need to do something about this, and soon. I warned you that if you let it go for too long, it would eat you up inside and that's exactly what it's done.”
Jake couldn't help but agree. She was right! Everything she said was right. He was pushing his friends away because of his selfishness. If anything, Ivy should be the one pushing him away after the way he just treated her.
“What did I ever do to deserve you, Ivy? If it was anyone else, they would have given me a good ass kicking right now. You're good to me, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know. Now can we please try and have a good time and enjoy the rest of our evening?”
She smiled.
“I'm scared, Ivy.”
She looked up from the cappuccino that she had been sipping on for the past twenty five minutes.
“Sorry? What?”
“I'm scared of losing her, Ivy.”
Ivy looked at him with confusion.
“Sienna! I'm scared if I tell her how I feel, she'll walk away,” Jake clarified.
“Jake. You've said it yourself, you two are like brother and sister, you've known each other most of your lives. Sienna would be an absolute fool to leave you. You've been through so much together for it to just end.”
“Yeah, but what about Jesse?”
“What about him?”
“Sienna seems to like him. The two seem pretty cozy whenever he comes over.”
“Jake, it's just about the sex, nothing else. The guy is obviously a good fuck or she wouldn't be with him. To be honest, he does seem like a nice guy from what I’ve seen, and Sienna’s happy. Not to mention, he has a motorbike.”
Jake couldn't say anymore. There was no way he could compete with this guy. A motorbike, and a good fuck? He didn't have a motorbike. As for what he was like in bed, Jake hadn't dated anyone in almost ten years, his sex life was completely absent at the moment.
“Jake?” Ivy called.
“Huh? Oh sorry, I was somewhere else.”
“Obviously.”
“Ivy, I'm sorry. This was a bad idea, I never should have agreed to this.” Jake handed Ivy some money, he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
“I'll see you later.”
“Wait! Jake-” but before she had a chance to finish, he vanished.
####FRIENDSHIP####
“So?” Sienna asked, as the two of them walked out of the hair salon.
“So, what?”
“How was it?”
“How was what?” Ivy asked.
“Your date with Jake, how was it?”
“Oh, that! Yeah, it was okay. We had a really good night.”
There was a brief silence and Ivy hoped that was the end of the conversation.
“And??” Sienna asked, impatiently.
“And I didn't fuck him, if that's what you're getting at,” Ivy blurted out, annoyed that her moment of peace was short lived. She still remained quiet while the two of them continued walking down the shopping strip, occasionally stopping to peer into some shop windows.
“Did you kiss him?”
“Nope!” Ivy replied, not looking at her.
“Please tell me you at least held hands?”
“Jesus, Sienna. What is this, twenty questions? Nothing happened ok? Zero, zilch, zip.
Nothing!” She blurted out again, only this time a little more aggressively.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes! You sound surprised.”
“Well I am. I mean it's just that...well...you know...”
“Know what?”
“I know how you feel about Jake. I'm just surprised nothing happened.”
“Why does that surprise you? Are you suggesting that because I had a thing for Jake, that I would just fuck him, the first chance I had?” Ivy was slightly annoyed.
“No! That's not what I meant. It's just, I know Jake and I know what he can be like at times. It's been a while since he's dated anyone, and I was hoping that things worked out for the two of you. I just want you both to be happy.”
“Jake is a decent guy, Sienna...unlike some.” She muttered the last part under her breath, but Sienna heard her.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, can we please just change the subject.”
“No, Ivy. Not until you tell me what is going on.”
The two of them stopped walking. Sienna stared into Ivy's eyes, slight anger driven from them.
“Sienna, it's nothing, I don't want to talk about it.”
“I don't care. We are going to talk about this. Something is clearly up your ass.”
They continued to stand there outside the dress shop. Ivy felt extremely embarrassed, there were stares coming from all directions as onlookers gazed at them.
“Sienna there is nothing to discuss. Can we just go, please?”
“Unlike some...? What did you mean by that Ivy? Who were you talking about? Jesse?”
“I didn't say that, did I? I can't believe we are even having this discussion. I meant nothing by it.”
“Ivy, just because I happen to have a sex life and some appreciation from a guy there's no need to be jealous.”
“Jealous? Are you kidding me right now? Sienna, seriously, the only time he calls you is when he wants sex. The only time he comes over is when he wants sex. I know you, Sienna, this isn’t you, at all.”
“What do you mean, this isn't me, at all? Sure, I may not be a saint, but I'm certainly no fucking Virgin Mary either.”
“What about Jake, Sienna?” Ivy suddenly panicked, the sentence came out of her mouth with no thought at all.
“What about him?”
“Nothing, just forget it.”
“No! Ivy you can't say something like that and not elaborate. What does Jake have to do with this?”
She needed a lie. Any lie, right now. Nothing was coming to mind though.
“Nothing. Can we drop it, please?”
“No, Ivy. What about Jake?” Sienna demanded.
Ivy was starting to shake with nerves, she'd really put her foot in it this time.
“Ok, fine! But not out here.”
They both hastily made their way to the mall. Ordering two coffees, Sienna sat down with Ivy.
“Well?”
“Jesus, impatient much?” Ivy asked.
“Quit stalling. What's the story with Jake?”
There was no way out of this one, Ivy had to think of something and fast.
“I just think you need to give Jake a lot more credit than you do, that's all.”
“And what the hell does that mean?” Sienna replied as the waiter returned with their coffees.
“Sienna. You live with the guy, you know him better than I do. Surely you notice certain things going on.”
“Like what?”
“The way he acts. His behavior, I don't know, there's just something weird going on.”
“Nothing more than usual. Ivy, where are you going with this?”
“Oh come on. I think it couldn’t be more obvious even if the words were tattooed on your forehead. Sienna, it's obvious, you're in love with Jake.”
Sienna spat out her coffee, spraying it all over Ivy and the table and burst out laughing.
“Me? In love with Jake?”
Ivy nodded.
“Ivy that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”
“You're not exactly denying it,” Ivy said.
“That's because it's the stupidest thing I've heard. I'm not in love with Jake. In fact that's kind of weird, the guy is practically my brother.”
Ivy cleaned the c
offee off herself and looked at Sienna. She knew it was dumb, but it was the quickest thing she could think of without blowing Jake’s cover.
For the rest of the afternoon Ivy could barely say a word to Sienna at risk of embarrassing herself and making the situation much worse. The last thing she wanted was to have Jake angry at her
“Hey, are you alright? You've barely said a word to me since we left the cafe,” Sienna asked.
“Yeah! I'm fine, I just don't want to say something else that's going to make me sound like a total bitch.”
“Ivy, you're not a bitch, and I don't hate you for what you said about Jesse. In fact, I'm actually glad you told me. The last thing I want is tension between the three of us.” She suddenly stopped, “Wait! You haven't told Jake this, have you?”
“No of course not, and I don't think he suspects anything either. You're cool.”
It was almost five p.m. by the time the two of them got back to Sienna's place. There was no sign of Jake so the girls decided to order some take out.
“Pizza?” Sienna asked.
“That sounds great. But I really shouldn't, you know, I need to watch my figure.”
“Oh, Ivy, shut up! You're gorgeous and it doesn't matter what other people think.”
“Come off it, Sienna, I'm fat. You don't need to hide the truth.”
“Hon, you're not fat, you're plump. There's a difference. And not to mention, you have a better ass than me.”
“Yeah, all three hundred pounds of it,” Ivy said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey! Stop that,” Sienna said, throwing a hand towel at her.
“How the hell are you supposed to get a man with an attitude like that? I taught you better than that Ivy, you need to be more confident in yourself.”
“I also need to have your figure, and not to mention, your tits. Sheesh, you'd poke someone's eyes out with those things. They're perfectly round and hard, unlike mine. They're full of fat and they just sag. They're always getting in the way, I can't do anything with them.”
They both couldn't help but laugh. Sienna ordered them both a pizza and once Ivy was comfortable on the sofa, Sienna headed for the bathroom.
While waiting for their pizza to arrive the girls put P.S. I Love You into the DVD player, then settled in for the night.
“I know we agreed on this movie, but seriously? No matter how many times I watch it, I always ball my eyes out. I'm such a girl.”
