The road to love (editing!!)

Chapter 8 - Bringing up the past (edited)

Jessie

I looked at the man sitting opposite me, wondering for the umpteenth time how I got roped into this. We were sitting in the downstairs café with our coffees in hand and I felt a bit miffed. Jake was being irritatingly sweet and I just knew he had something up his sleeve. "So, what do you want to talk to me about, Jake?"

"Oh, chillax, babe!", he smiled at me. "I asked you here to reconnect, maybe even become friends again. Not glare at each other over a cup of coffee."

I felt like dumping my coffee in his lap. Friends? Ha! Acquaintances? Maybe. "Don't call me babe, Jake. You lost that privilege a while ago. Just get to the point, would you? I have work waiting for me at the office."

He lost some of his perkiness at my clipped response and I felt like gloating. Yeah, I was not so meek and mild anymore, buddy. Mamma got some spunk now. Ok, weird inner dialogue, I realized, so I stared him down, waiting for his reaction.

"We... I... Geez, Jessica, I'm trying here... I know I messed up, ok? I'm not stupid. I threw away a good thing between us and I just hoped that I could tell you that I'm sorry." He paused before reaching out and taking my hand and looking me in the eyes again. "Really, I am sorry for the pain I put you through."

I relaxed a bit at his words, but pulled my hand from his. "Ok, you said it. Thank you. Happy now?" I knew I was sounding like a sarcastic bitch, but right then I just couldn't care. Jake tended to bring out the worst in me and a sudden apology was not going the make the past magically disappear.

He smiled his lopsided smile, the one that used to melt my heart but now left me cold. "Am I forgiven?"

I almost choked on my coffee. He wanted forgiveness?

"It's not that easy, Jake." I huffed before tapping into all my pent up anger towards him and letting him have the brunt of it. "We were serious, at least I thought we were. I mean, we were talking about moving in together, for heaven's sake! We even looked at apartments, furniture, color schemes, the whole nine yards. Then, like the idiot that you are, you go and get drunk at that marketing conference that I was too sick to go to. Do you go and sleep it off? NO! Not Jake! He takes a dare and sleeps with a random girl, who turned out to be an employee of our biggest competitor."

I tried to calm myself down a bit when I realized that a few heads were turning in our direction at my heated monologue.

"I had honestly trusted you, Jake," I went on a bit softer, leaning in for effect. " I thought you would be faithful to me, not fall for the first pair of boobs shoved in your face."

Jake at least has the decency to look distraught at my angry ranting. I could see I hit a nerve. Ok, so maybe he really was sorry.

"I know, I know, Jes. I lost you because I was stupid! I tried to keep the whole mistake away from you afterwards too - which was another stupid thing to do, I know," he quickly added when he saw me opening my mouth to tell him off again. "Would it help to say that I have stopped drinking since then? Or that I've never gotten over you?"

Weird way to show it, Jake, I thought. Being a nagging female, I frown at him before I continued my rant.

"Then why go work for Global? Really Jake, that was just the cherry on top! You didn't even stick around to fix the mess you made..." I realized then that I was actually waiting anxiously to hear his reasons behind his betrayal and mentally slapped myself. Urgh! I was done with him! This is not what I needed right now. I finally had focus and drive back in my life again. Jake was just busy throwing stones in my path.

"I only went to work for Global because they had been head-hunting me for a while and I thought it would be best... if I... left. You were so angry and wouldn't have anything to do with me. Mojo was your home first, I started there later. It was only fair that I was the one to leave."

I looked at him, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. All I saw was him looking me straight in the eye, almost begging me to believe him. Ok, this was a whole new Jake, which was quite unsettling to me at that moment.

Jake sat forward slightly and continued in a soft, sincere voice. "Jes, believe me, not a day has gone by that I've not wanted to contact you and try to make things right between us. Even if we can never be more than friends, I'd accept that. I just miss... us, you know? We were comfortable, easy."

Yes, we were easy. Nothing like the storms I feel whenever a certain player is around me.

I sighed. They say you should let go of the issues of the past to move forward, right? "Fine Jake, I accept your apology." I glanced at my watch. "I have to go, we should get the bill." I stood up and Jake got up as well.

"No it's fine, I'll get it," he smiled at me. "Thank you Jessie, you don't know what this means to me. I won't mess up our friendship again." He took out his wallet, stopped and turned to me, as if he wanted to make sure of something. "Are we?"

"Are we what?"

"You know... friends again?"

"For now we can try being acquaintances, Jake. Just don't expect me to be nice to you all at once as if nothing happened. It will take a lot of time to get back to being friends and even then, it won't be anything more than that." I said goodbye and walked out of the coffee shop, leaving a smirking Jake behind.

I was still not sure if he was sincere. I guess time would tell, but this time I wasn't going to let myself be hurt by him. Determined to be nothing more than acquaintances with Jake the snake (hey, that rhymes), I walked the short distance back to our offices.

Jake

"If you say so, babe, but we'll see," I whispered while watching her cute little behind walk out the door. "I'll have you eating out of my hand again soon."

Well, that was easier than I thought, I smiled to myself. My little Jessie was in for a shock if she thought I was going to be playing nice and just let her decide the way forward. I had too much riding on this. I picked up my cell phone and dialed my boss's number.

"It's done. She says she's forgiven me, but I'll have to take it slow or she'll never trust me again. But I've got my ways, so I don't think it'll be too long." I listened for a few seconds. "Ok, I'll be back there in about 20 minutes." I ended the call and placed the phone back in my jacket pocket.

Grabbing my keys off the table in front of me, I went to go pay the bill. Step one... done. Now on to step two.

******************************************************************************************************************************

A/N:  I know, I'm sorry it took so long!  I've been very busy lately and I know it's no excuse to keep you waiting.  I'm taking a week's leave from work next week to try and get ahead in my writing.  I've started the second story I told you about in previous chapters as well.  Posting it today, hopefully.  It's called "Remind Me...".  I also noticed some small mistakes with Jessie's name in some chapters thanks to @scozad (who I'll dedicate a chapter to), so I want to fix those kind of errors.  I'm a stickler for grammar...

The other night I was cooking and I suddenly saw the twist in this story (which I was struggling to find) playing off inside my mind's eye... so I ran to the PC and started typing away.  My poor hubby had to save the food!  Haha... but that's me... scatterbrain!  Now I have a great twist and a few chapters before the twist already done... now to get the chapters INBETWEEN the two written next week!  It going something like chapter 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,.......15, 16 (slaps forehead).  Yeah, some work waiting for me!

Tx for reading this and please leave constructive comments or a vote if I'm doing ok? Cape Town Hugs

CTG