Falling ➳ Hennig [4]

➳ 23

"Well, if it isn't Jackson Bryant. It's been too long, young man."

          Jack smiled at Colette — the sixty-something-year-old woman that owned the coffee shop that he and Shelley frequented most evenings, who knew them both by name and had their orders memorised — and took the hug she offered him gratefully, wrapping his arm around the woman. "Hey, Colette," he said, "And I'm sorry. I've had some things to... I've just had some things on my mind."

          "I just wish you could've worked them out here with Shelley," she tutted, ushering him over to his and Shelley's usual table by the window. He was early, he knew that— but he was driving himself crazy pacing back and forth his apartment, like some sort of madman. "She's come here every day, you know, looking like someone kicked her puppy."

           "Really?" He frowned. He hadn't— he hadn't known that, hadn't thought Shelley was as affected by his absence as she apparently was. "I... I didn't know that."

            "You weren't exactly around." She smiled softly. "But, it's all behind us now. You sit down, I'll get your coffee ready— Cara's just delivered those muffins you both like so much. Chelsea's gone to work with her now, you know— at Tiers of Joy? Says it's the best job she's ever had."

            "Cara's a wonderful woman." Jack's own smile turned fond as he looked up at the woman from his seat. "I'm sure she's taking good care of her."

            "Oh, I know she is," Colette laughed. "She's turned my Chelsea into a hard-worker, can you believe it? Chelsea!"

            "Cara— she brings out the best in people."

It was then that the bell above the door chimed, signalling a new arrival. Jack cast his gaze towards the door, where Shelley stood, her hands in the pockets of her jeans and a frown on her face. When she saw him, it morphed into a smile — a small one, barely noticeable to those that didn't know Shelley like Jack did. And Jack liked to think that he knew Shelley fairly well.

           Colette disappeared with a smile, a cheerful 'hello' to Shelley, and a promise to get their drinks out to them ASAP. The pair watched her go, and that's when Shelley finally approached the table.

         "I'm sorry," Jack said before she had even sat down. "I'm really, really, sorry."

         "And?"

         "And I'm an asshole," he said. "I'd completely understand if you never forgave me, because I was an idiot. I let— I let my own stupid stubbornness interfere with my relationships with my closest friends. I'm still— I'm still going to try this thing with JJ, because I think that maybe it'll work out this time, you know?"

          "I do forgive you, Jack. My life would be fucking unbearable without you." She smiled, pushing herself up from her seat and leaning across the table to ruffle his hair. "What happened between you two, anyway?" She asked when she sat back down, glancing sideways as Colette returned with their drinks and two muffins. "Thanks, Colette."

          "You're welcome, sweethearts." And then she was gone again.

           Jack picked up his coffee mug and took a sip, relishing in the burn as it travelled along his throat. Putting it back down — and realising that Shelley was still waiting for an answer—, he sighed. "We met when we were fifteen," he said, picking at his muffin. "She was— she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, back then. And I was immediately smitten. It took her longer to see me the same way— about six months, actually. But, shortly after I turned sixteen, she finally agreed to go out with me. I was— I was on cloud nine, Shelley. I was so— I was so in love with her. We dated until we were eighteen— she broke up with me, after I caught her cheating on me with one of my cousins." He chuckled bitterly, looking out of the window instead of at Shelley— couldn't bare to see the look of pity on her face. "I was heartbroken. She was my first love, and she hurt me, so badly. Turns out she'd been sleeping with him — and two other guys — for the entirety of our relationship. I left town to pursue acting, and I was picked up by a modelling agency— but I gave up on that. I was going through some... self-confidence issues. I was— I was so caught up on the fact that I wasn't good enough. I just, I couldn't see myself as a model. I saw something else in the mirror, all the time.

            But, I went home. And I bumped into JJ again. She was still—she was still so beautiful, but she looked so sad when she saw me. And she apologised, said she wished she could take back everything that she'd done to hurt me— promised that, given the chance, she'd never hurt me again. So, I— I gave her the chance. We were nineteen— she'd started taking a music course at the local university with a minor in business studies, and I was re-thinking all of my life choices. Eventually, I started to look into acting again, and contacted that modelling agency. I got another chance, and I started modelling again. I started making money, started travelling, and JJ's dream... wasn't taking off. I think it upset her. But, we made plans to move out to LA together. I proposed to her when we were twenty-two." He looked back to Shelley, frowning. "A year later— just a year after I proposed to her, I found her in bed with this guy— Eli Nix, was his name. Used to work in my dad's garage, and he knew full well that I was engaged to JJ. That didn't stop him though, of course. Nor did our engagement stop JJ from sleeping with him— that's when I broke up with her, when I caught them in bed together. In my bed. So, I moved to LA alone, and then went to London, and that's when I met Cara— and, here we are." He waved his hands around, as if to encompass where they were then.

         Shelley whistled, leaning back in her chair. "And now you're... with her again?"

         "I know— You think it's a stupid decision, everyone else does, too. But— but something changed in the seven years since we've last seen each other." He took another sip of his drink. "She has a daughter now— with Eli, believe it or not, and he left. She's a sales manager now. And she's a really good Mother, Shell. She loves that little girl more than she's ever loved anything— and I think, I think it could be different this time."

         Shelley's hand found Jack's, and he lifted his head to look at her once more. "I just want you to be happy, Jack." Her smile— her smile was sad, and Jack didn't understand why. Maybe it had something to do with what he'd just told her, maybe it was something else— Jack didn't know. What he did know, was that he didn't like how... sad and tired she looked right now, as she squeezed his hand.

         "As long as I've got you guys, I'll always be happy."

---