Here's One From the Heart

II

I couldn't believe he remembered me. At first, I wasn't sure what to say. I was so much in shock.

"Nice to see you again, too, Jakub," I smiled, "I can't believe you remember me."

"How could I not?" He smirked.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but I wasn't about to jump to conclusions.

I simply laughed.

"You played a hell of a game tonight." I continued. "Congratulations on your first NHL goal. You really deserved it!"

He smiled larger than I had ever seen.

"I really appreciate it." He thanked me.

We continued to talk for awhile, sharing a few laughs. At times, the language barrier was tough, but we just laughed through it all.

I was enjoying my time with Jakub, up until my phone rang. I checked the caller ID, then slipped it back into my back pocket.

"You can answer that," he chuckled. "I don't want to keep you from anything."

"No," I blurted anxiously. "I mean... No, it's okay."

"Are you sure?" He asked again.  "I really don't want to keep you."

I shrugged, "Don't worry. Even if I had to be somewhere, I'm sure it could wait. After all, you are the Jakub Vrána."

He chuckled again, a dimple lining his cheek. My comment had seemed to come off more flirty than I had hoped.

"I definitely don't think I'm anything special." He shrugged.

I couldn't believe it... How someone like him; an up-incoming NHL star, with loads of potential - and not to mention the looks to match - didn't think that highly of himself.

"Ask anyone," I replied flatly, "The only one who doesn't think you're amazing, is you."

"So you think I'm amazing?" A playful smirk drew across his lips, just begging me to kiss him.

I bit my lip, pushing away the urge. "Um, yeah, I guess so."

I turned to Sydney, who looked completely lost, taking the occasional sip from her glass.

"And who's this?" Jakub raised his eyebrow, looking past me and at Sydney. Her attention was drawn to him almost instantly.

"This is-" I was interrupted mid-sentence by Sydney.

"Sydney," she squealed, "I'm Sydney."

"Nice to meet you, as well, Sydney." He smirked playfully.

It was not long after, that I was the odd one out. I could feel the jealousy boiling in the pit of my stomach. And although I had a boyfriend of my own, I've always been jealous of Sydney. She had it all; she always wore the nicer clothes, she had the brains, and of course, the beauty. She could get any boy she wanted, and although she wouldn't date them all, it always seemed to be the one I wanted.

"So, when can I see you again, Sydney?" Jakub asked. I watched out the corner of my eye, as she passed him a slip of paper with her number on it.

She leaned over towards him, "Call me." She whispered, before paying for her drinks and heading to the car.

I was about to follow her out, when I was stopped by that accented voice I loved so much.

"Nice seeing you again, Rayne."

Without turning around, I took in a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "You too." I muttered simply, heading to the door.

Once in the car, I looked over to Sydney. She could hardly contain her excitement.

"Did you-" she stopped, "Can you believe..."

I could see she was about ready to hop out of her skin. Her excitement was hard for me to bear.

"Yeah," I smiled, trying to match her excitement. "I saw it. I'm so happy for you!"

As much as I loved him, as much as I cared for him... Sydney was my best friend, I couldn't tell her how I felt. I didn't want her to know I was jealous; I didn't want her to have that power over me.

Plus, I'm not the one he wants.

So, I pasted on a fake smile, and played along. As much as I hated it, despised it, I needed to accept that I'll never be good enough.

"Do you think he'll call?" She bit her lip, turning the corner.

I stared out the window for a few moments, hoping she'd drop the question, but I could feel her eyes burning holes through the side of my head.

No.

I thought.

I hope he doesn't call.

I wanted to say it, but I knew I couldn't.

"Of course he will!" I cried, redirecting my stare to the car floor. "I mean, he better."

"You're the best, you know that?" Sydney shrieked, turning into my driveway.

I nodded simply, and just as I was about to get out of the car, her hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Hey," she said sincerely, tightening her grip, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

I wanted to say no. Oh God, I wanted to say no. Plus, whether or not I was, I knew she wouldn't give in, anyways.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I said instead, shrugging. "You're happy, I'm happy." I pasted on another fake smile.

I couldn't help but cringe. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you," she said softly, letting go of my shoulder.

And with one last silent nod, I headed inside.

With every part of my being, I'd wished this was some shitty dream I could just wake up from. Like, a nightmare. But, I couldn't.

I just wished I could've said no...