Who You Say I Am (A Jai Courtney Fanfic)

Chapter 8-Meg

Meg

I open my eyes to see someone standing nearby—not even six feet away. I know exactly who he is and I wonder why he's here of all places. I'm tempted to hide from him and avoid him altogether—to duck out around this bench and sneak away. But then I recall... I'm supposed to step forward boldly.
Is this really what you want me to do, God? I ask him confused. 
I don't hear or even feel an answer.
Is this a test? I ask again.  And I realize it is. Perhaps he's lost...
"Are you lost?" I ask him projecting my voice. My heart is pounding wildly in my chest. What am I doing?  He's so incredibly out of my league to even talk to. 
He turns around and actually smiles at me.
"No... I'm not lost," he replies shaking his head. I hear that rich accent of his and it's directed at me. I attempt not to shudder at the sound. 
"What are you doing here?" I ask to try to distract from myself—my strange behavior. 
"Well... I'm on holiday. I thought I could use a little adventure," he says stepping closer to me. "May I?" he questions motioning to the bench.
I nod in shock that he's going to sit beside me.  I straighten my things putting them back in my bag to make room.
He takes the seat beside me and really looks me over.  "Is everything alright?" he asks kind of concerned.
I nod fiddling with my fingers in nervousness.  My ring is no longer there and I used to wiggle it and spin it around when I was nervous.  I think that's probably the only reason I miss it—as a distraction and comfort.
"I'm Jai, by the way," he says reaching for my hand.
I put my hand out in response awkwardly.  "I know who you are," I say quietly unable to meet his gaze. He shakes my hand regardless and his hand lingers on mine. I feel strange at the connection—an odd sensation that I'm unfamiliar with.
"And you're Megan," he says.
My head shoots up in surprise. "How do you know my name?" I ask in shock.
He smiles.
"I ran into Pastor Ben. I think he's under the assumption that we've already been introduced," he tells me.
"What?" I ask in surprise. "Why would he think that?"  I'm completely bewildered. 
"He said I looked familiar," he shrugs nonchalantly. "I guess he just assumed we knew each other."
"He thought you looked familiar...?" I say tasting the words on my mouth. "I think probably half the planet would think you look familiar."
He laughs in reply, in surprise. "Not that many," he assures me. "I don't think anyone here but you knows who I am... and I'm actually grateful for it."
"Why's that?" I question. I assumed all celebrities like the fame and attention.
"Sometimes a person just needs a little quiet—a little time when they don't have to put on a smile because they don't feel like it," he says.
"Yeah," I nod frowning. That's exactly how I feel right now. 
"You don't look like you're fine," he insists.
I meet his eyes with mine for the first time.
"It's okay. I'm not so good either," he admits.
I remain silent, surprised that he's admitting anything like that to me. I can't believe he's here, that he's actually talking to me.
"So, it would appear that we're neighbors," he says breaking the silence. "I've volunteered to fill the vacancy."
"You're taking Mrs Johnson's spot?" I laugh in shock.
"You know her?" he asks.
"She's my mother's best friend. She's the one who convinced my parents to send me here. The only reason she's not here is because she has the flu," I say.
"I feel bad that she's sick but I'll have to thank her some day," he says softly.
"Why's that?" I ask.
"Because I got to meet you," he says. My cheeks flush and I look away. I fidget with my fingers again.
"Divorced?" he asks me motioning to my hand, my indented finger that's no longer wearing a ring.
"No," I say quietly. "The wedding was supposed to be next month."
"What happened?" he continues.
I open my mouth but I'm unable to form any words.
"How about this? I'll tell you what happened with me and if you're comfortable you can tell me what happened to you," he says. He doesn't wait for me to answer. He sighs heavily. "I was working on my new film. It wrapped up early. I flew in to see my girlfriend—to surprise her, you know. And I walked in on her with a different bloke. So, I got on a plane to get away from it all and sort things out."
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I... I don't think I can talk about it without crying."
"That's alright," he tells me softly. 
There's silence between us. I can't believe I'm sitting here with him and he's telling me about his love life.
"Why... why are you telling me all of this?" I ask hesitantly.
"I guess I could use a friend right now," he admits with a shrug.
"So could I," I confide.
"Friends?" he questions reaching out to shake my hand once more.
"Friends," I nod laughing in surprise. And just like that, it happened...  I became friends with him.