Dawn in Vancouver

Chapter 7: "Mirage"

"A stranger's eyes that somehow look familiar I know that when it's you, I'll remember. Remember"                                                   

"Something Better" from the album "Just Me" by Lauren Jauregui

"Dude!" Jason said, waving at Ryan as he came down the stairs. "I've been looking for you".

"Well, how can I help you?" Ryan said kindly. "I just went to get Lauren a chocolate."

"You're giving your wife a chocolate?" Jason laughed. "She must be very good at what she does."

"Lauren works as hard as I do," Ryan said seriously. "She's my wife and she comes here to rest just like me. I don't mind taking care of her. She's a talented woman. I'm lucky that she loves me enough to be by my side."

"Well, you're lucky," Jason said, looking at his friend. "My wife is useless who is good for nothing".

"I think you have a very talented wife," Jason's blue gaze fell on his friend and his eyes stared at him. "And I wanted to talk to you about the way you treat her" Jason clenched his hand tightly trying to restrain himself. No one would tell him what to do with stupid Camila.

"Camila is not what she appears to be Ryan," Jason said looking him in the eye, "Even though she seems like a submissive woman, she isn't, and I always treat her very well, but she can be very difficult."

"What do you mean by that?" Ryan asked as he approached, "You did a lot of things today that seemed to me like direct offenses to your wife. And I'm not picking on you, just making an observation. You treated her very badly in front of Lauren and me."

"Just because you think she's nice and sweet doesn't mean she is. She is not who she appears to be, I know she is a lady and she deserves all my respect, which she does" Jason watched him faking his best melancholic smile and sad face. "Camila has a very painful history but I still try to help her" he smiled sadly. "I love her deeply and I just want to make things right with her but I often feel like she always pushes me aside."

Ryan was surprised to hear that and sat down next to his friend.

"Women are difficult Jason," Ryan said. "Lauren has her moments, but the important thing to do is to accept her with her flaws and strengths. Lauren has a very strong character, but I try to adapt to her. I love her very much too."

"But your wife is a famous singer," Jason said. "You can't compare her to a simple writer of novels," he said seriously and Ryan just stared at him. "Believe me, I try to get along with Camila. But she doesn't listen to me," his voice was soft. "Camila looks down on me Ryan. She has a job that pays a higher salary than mine, and she humiliates me whenever she can."

"She humiliates you?" Ryan said in surprise and Jason nodded lowering his head and faking his pain.

"I planned this trip so we could be together and try to improve our marriage and fix our lives," he sighed. "I saw how Lauren and your marriage looked so happy, I thought I could have it too."

"It's never too late Jason," he smiled, "I can help you win her over. I have a lot of tactics with women. You were always a little shy."

Jason smiled and nodded watching Ryan's eyes trying to control his bad mood. Help him with his marriage? Ryan had become a puppet of his wife. Surely, Lauren Jauregui was the one giving all the money for luxuries like that vacation home they had. Ryan in the past hadn't even had anywhere to drop dead and now, he'd heard that he had houses in many parts of the world, and lots of money.

Jason had always been better than Ryan at a lot of things, basketball, academics, except with women. He had been a very shy man who had been looked down upon and teased a lot, even though he belonged to the basketball team, on the other hand Ryan had been the clown that everyone adored, the one that women followed and the one who had managed to fulfill the dreams Jason always wanted. A job where he would be recognized and earn a lot of money to get out of the modest and miserable life he had always led.