Unrequited

Upheaval - July 1986

The next morning, John and Arianna made love before preparing for their visitor. Arianna helped John straighten up the apartment a bit and then made them breakfast.

John had gone to get his shower, and she was sitting on the sofa reading when the doorbell rang. She got up and went to the door, peeking through the peephole. There stood Nick in all of his grandeur. She laughed to herself and then unlocked and opened the door, standing there and smiling at him. He, too, was smiling, but that quickly faded when he realized who it was that was answering John's door. In fact, he was downright stunned.

"Arianna?" he sputtered, and she giggled.

"Hi, Nick," she said, and he stepped to her, throwing his arms around her and hugging her tight.

He had not seen her since that horrid night in Munich, and he was glad to see her again. When they broke the embrace, she invited him in and shut the door, as he still stared at her in shock.

"What are you doing here, love?" he asked, and she simply smiled, shrugging her shoulders. He chuckled, shaking his head, "Well, you look fantastic. And I must say that I loved your work in ELLE last month. Very impressive. You've become quite the designer, yea?"

"She's a fantastic designer," they heard, and both of them looked to see John coming towards them. He stepped right over to Arianna, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her deeply. She put her hand on his chest, pushing lightly to get him to stop.

"Not now, honey," she whispered, tossing her head towards Nick. John chuckled, kissed her once more, and then offered Nick his hand. They shook hands as John still held on to Arianna.

"Come in. Have a seat. Do you want anything?" John asked, slipping away from Arianna and leading Nick into the living room.

The two men settled themselves into opposing seats, John on the sofa while Nick perched in a high back chair. Arianna, feeling out of place, nervously hung back, watching them and wondering if she should continue reading in another room. John looked up and saw her there and wished she knew that he wanted and needed her there beside him.

"Come here, love," John called to her, patting the empty spot beside him.

She sighed as she smiled, quickly crossing the room and sitting beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him to make himself feel more... safe?

"So, why did you feel the need to come to the States to talk to me?" John started, and Nick shuffled in his seat.

There was quite a heavy tension between them, and the room practically sparked with electricity.

"Well, for starters, I was going to ask why you were putting off coming over, but I think I have an idea," Nick responded, looking to Arianna and then back to John.

"Do not blame her for my absence. I made the decision to stay here, and she just happens to be my company," John said sternly.

Nick just shook his head. He knew all too well how John could be about women.

"And what about Renee?" he snapped.

"What about her?" John snapped back, getting frustrated.

"She is your fiancée," Nick stated plainly.

Arianna dropped her head. She already felt guilty at times for being with John, and there they were, getting scolded for being together.

"Does she know?"

"Know? Are you mad? Of course not! And why do you care?" John said, starting to get loud.

"I watched you break Arianna's heart four years ago, and now you are aiming to do the same thing to Renee," he barked at John and then turned on Arianna. "And you. Why did you ever let him back into your life? I thought you had more backbone than that. Apparently, I was wrong," he snapped at her. She was about to respond to him when John jumped to his feet.