Storm and Grace

An Old Friend

Jen's POV

The way Johnny was looking at me, made me feel weak. Every time he looked at me, I felt wanted. Needed. Desired. I felt his hands make their way down my back and towards the latch of my bra.

I wanted him as much as he wanted me.

But I couldn't. Images of that sex tape began to replay in my head. My heart began to ache.

He cheated on you and lied.

I quicky pushed him away. He looked at me, as he tried to catch his breath. He looked confused.

"We can't," I whispered.

"Why not?" he frowned.

"Because we are no longer together," I sighed.

"Because you made that decision for the both of us," he whispered.

I looked at him. Was he serious? It was almost as if he had forgotten that a sex tape of him existed and that I had the misfortune of watching it.

"You're unbelievable," I said, finally standing up and walking towards the living room area.

"Did I lie?" I heard him ask. I turned around and saw him walk towards me.

"Not this time, no," I said, crossing my arms.

He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry I got your hopes up," I began. "I wish I could have spared you the disappointment."

"Don't be sorry," he said, gently touching my arm. I looked down and watched as he began to gently run his fingers down my arm. He then grabbed my hand and locked his fingers around mine. "We'll get a chance to start a family one day."

My heat felt like it was breaking. I knew that wasn't true. There was no chance of him and I ever getting back together. Even if he claimed his innocence. There was no evidence to back up his claims.

"I need you to leave," I whispered.

He looked at me and shook his head. "Or I can stay a little bit longer," he began.

"I'd rather you didn't," I shook my head. "I need to be alone."

"Jen," he pleaded. "Please."

"Please, leave," I begged him.

He sighed and nodded, "I'll leave," he began. "But I want you to know that one day you'll be the best mommy to our babies. You're not defective. And in time, you'll see that. And I can't wait for us to start our little family."

My eyes began to tear up. I hated that he was not thinking straight. I hated that he still believed that there was a chance for us. But I was too tired to argue. Too tired to even think straight.

I looked down and said nothing. He gently cupped my face with his hands and lifted my gaze up to meet his. He gave me a sad smile and planted a kiss on my forehead before walking out.

When I heard the door close, I began to cry. I sat down on the couch and cried openly. My mind racing with thoughts that didn't make sense. I wanted to run after him and never letting go. I wanted to believe him. But I also knew that I couldn't. I had to stand my ground. Maybe eventually life would make sense again. Maybe one day, I would find love with someone else.

I kept thinking about what Antonio had told me earlier today. About leaving this place and that I could do it all on my own. He made sense. They needed me back at the movie set, we were weeks from wrapping the movie. And I needed to be there to get everything up and running. I couldn't leave Susan with all of the work. No. My life had to continue.

I needed someone to talk to. I couldn't talk to my family; they would advise me to stay. I couldn't talk to Lin-Manuel or Vanessa, because they would talk me into staying.

"Ricky," I whispered out loud.

I hadn't talked to him since before Johnny's car accident and I hadn't seen him in almost a year. Ricky was one of my closest friends and he was one of the hottest artists in the Latin community. Yes, Ricky Martin. I had known him since I was teen. My mother had been an ardent Menudo fan in her younger years. And I had fell in love with Ricky's voice as a little girl.

I walked outside and began to look for my nurse.

"Emily," I smiled at her.

"Ms. Jennifer," she sighed. "I was beginning to get worried about you. I told Mr. Depp he couldn't go inside your room. It's against our policy."

"I know," I nodded. "I apologize. That won't happen again." I gave her my most innocent smile. "I wanted to ask you for another favor. Since I can't have my phone in here, I was wondering if there was a way for me to use the office's phone for just a couple of minutes."

"That's against our policy," she sighed.

"I know," I sighed. "But it's important. I really need to talk to my friend."

"Just for a couple of minutes," she nodded. "Because if we both get caught, we will get in trouble."

"Thank you so much," I smiled.

I followed her to the main building and into her small office.

"Remember, a couple of minutes," she gave me a look.

"Okay," I laughed.

She smiled and shook her head and then walked out of the office.

It was a good thing I had memorized his cell. I quickly dialed it and prayed he would answer. After a couple of rings, I heard him pick up on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Ricky!" I almost squealed. Okay, maybe I still kind of had a crush on him. The man was absolutely gorgeous.

"Jen?" he sounded confused.

"Your most loyal fan," I teased him. "The one that's still hopelessly crushing hard on you to this very day."

He finally let out one of his most contagious laughs.

"You're too much, you're too much," he laughed. "How are you beautiful? I haven't talked to you in a while."

"I know," I smiled. "I'm actually calling you because I need some advice. And I can't go to Lin-Manuel because I can't handle another one of his lectures."

I heard him laugh. "He sounds older than me."

We both laughed.

I filled him in on what was happening to me and where I was. I didn't go into detail about Johnny or the real reason why I was in there. But I promised him I would fill him in as soon as I was able to meet up with him.

"So, you're going home tomorrow?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure," I nodded. "Life goes on. And I'll continue my treatment virtually. Maybe we can meet up soon."

"I would love that," he answered. "I got one better; I'll pick you up tomorrow. How about that?"

"Are you in L.A?" I asked him.

"Yeah, my husband and I bought a house here in L.A," he began. "I'm only a couple of minutes from the center. I'll pick you up, darling."

"I would love that," I smiled.

"Jen," he began. "I do have to ask you one thing."

"What's that?"

"Are you really dating Johnny Depp?" he asked.

"I was," I sighed. "Not anymore. Why?"

"I want to talk to you about that," he began. "There's something you should know."

I wanted to keep this chapter short. I'm so sorry for the long pause on the story. But I promise that I will try to update a little more often moving forward. Fair warning: put on your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride ;)