Here's One From the Heart

V

Truthfully, I had grown tired of making up excuses for Max. I knew he loved me too much for me to become his punching bag, but sometimes it just became too much for him.

And I just happened to be the one in the line of fire.

The hardest part of it all, though, was the way I was treating everyone I cared for. First it was Jakub, then it was Blayze.

And since those encounters, I hadn't talked to either of them.

Until today, that was. Max was out on another three-day business trip, which left me alone and bored, with nothing to do but watch movies and listen to music. So, I decided to finally meet up with Sydney and Jakub at a nearby coffee shop. 

Although I wasn't too keen on seeing Jakub again, I knew how much Sydney wanted to see me again. And it seemed wherever Sydney went, she made sure to have Jakub as arm-candy along the way. 

"Long time, no see, best friend!" Sydney called through the passenger seat window, as I approached Jakub's car. I caught his glace in the driver's seat for a few moments, before looking away abruptly. 

The wounds were still fresh, and I could feel the tension.

I got into the car silently, shutting the door behind me as Jakub began to drive off. Sydney turned to me. 

"How've you been, Ray?" She cried, "I feel like I haven't seen you in awhile." 

"I'm..." I paused for a brief moment, once again, catching Jakub's glance through his sunglasses in the rear view mirror. "I'm good, how are you?" 

I decided it wasn't worth the hassle, explaining my entire situation to deaf ears. 

"I've been great," She cooed, "Especially these last couple weeks with Jakey, isn't that right?" 

I turned my gaze - again - to Jakub, awaiting his response. 

"Yeah, I've been good too, thanks." He replied flatly, not removing his eyes from the road. 

I watched then, as Sydney forcefully intertwined her finger's with Jakub's free hand.

"That's wonderful," I said quietly, hoping not to come off too hostile. 

I turned my attention to the world outside the vehicle. The sun was shining, and it was a nice, hot Washington day; an unusual occurrence in early-November. 

I continued to watch the world pass me by; and even though I had worked among the large, buildings of Downtown Washington for sometime now, they never failed to amaze me. 

I seemed to be so mesmerized, that I never even noticed that we had finally arrived at the cafe. 

"Are you coming in or not?" Sydney knocked on the window next to me, making me jump. I climbed out of the car, trying to calm myself down from the little scare.

We were seated at a table near a window, and were waited on almost immediately. 

"What are you ladies getting?" Jakub spoke up, "Get whatever. It's on me." 

"I can't let you-" I started, only to be interrupted seconds later.

"Shut up," He rolled his eyes at me, "It's my treat." 

I smiled, looking down at the menu. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sydney's brows furrow, and suddenly, her hand was in his. 

Is she actually jealous? Of me? 

"What can I get-" The waitress stopped, "Are you Jakub Vrana?" 

"Yeah, I am." He grinned from ear to ear. And in that instance, I could've swore I saw steam come from Sydney's ears. 

"He's also my boyfriend," She glared at the waitress. "Oh, and can I get a vanilla bean latte?" 

"Oh uh, yeah, sure. What can I get you two?" The waitress swallowed hard. 

She was a pretty girl - much prettier than I - and it was pretty clear that Sydney felt threatened, too. Sure, Jakub didn't know her from Adam, but girls like her made me realize how unrealistic my chances of landing Jakub really were. 

"Can I just get a coffee, two cream two sugar? And whatever she wants." 

"I'll just take a cafe mocha, please." 

-

"So, how are you and Max doing?" Sydney asked, taking a quick sip from her cup. 

"We're, uh..." I looked to Jakub, who was too distracted by his phone, to be listening to anything I was saying. "Okay, I guess." 

"Good, I'm glad. It's like you two were made for each other." 

I sighed. Oh, how I wish that was true. How I wish things were still like they were when we started seeing each other. 

"Anyways," Sydney chimed in after an awkward silence, "Are you almost ready to go?" She asked Jakub. 

"Well, I'm not quite done-" 

"Good," she smiled, "I'm just going to the washroom quick, then we can go. So you better be done your coffee by then, okay?" 

He nodded, rolling his eyes as soon as her attention was turned away from him.

"So, Rayne," Jakub cleared his throat, sitting up and leaning in closer to me from across the table, "What's your story? Aside from working at the Verizon Center, and frequenting Capital's practices." 

"Well," I started, "I've been working at the arena for the last couple years, and I am a huge Capitals fan. Particularly a big fan of yours, actually." I blushed. 

He smiled, "Thanks, but you know that's not what I meant when I said that." 

I stared back at him, puzzled. 

"Why is such a pretty girl like you, with such a jerk-off guy like him?" 

"He's not a bad guy..." I trailed off.

I stopped speaking, as Jakub raised his hands to remove my glasses from my face. 

"If he's not such a bad guy, then what happened here?" He questioned, handing me back my sunglasses.

"How did you know it was him?" I lowered my voice, leaning in towards him. 

"I put two and two together," He said flatly, not breaking our stare. 

"It was an accident, though." 

"A guy should never, ever lay a hand on a girl. No matter the circumstances." 

He was right. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. 

"I-I guess..." I stumbled upon my words. 

I seemed to lose control of all bodily functions, as he began to draw closer to me, closing the gap between us until our lips were almost touching. As if to tease me, he sat back into his seat quickly. 

"You know, Rayne, I want to get to know you better." 

-

On the ride back to my apartment, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time. From the moment I felt his breath on my face, to now. 

He finally wanted to get to know me, like I wanted to get to know him. I've waited a long time for this moment, and I wasn't about to pass it up. 

"It was so nice seeing you again, hun," Sydney cried, turning back to me as we pulled up to my building. "We have to do it again ASAP!" 

I nodded, watching Jakub's eyes burn holes through me through the rear view mirror. He winked at me, making those butterflies go insane once more. 

"For sure," I smiled, "I'll definitely see you guys real soon."