A Way Out

Chapter 3

"He has it, Raleigh! My work, stuff nobody else has read before and he has it!" Panic rose in my chest as I kept on pacing up and down the living room while Raleigh lay on the couch with her hair in a big messy bun. She ate chocolate ice cream from a tub and let me freak out until I finished.

"He will laugh at me or think it's rubbish, which it probably is. Oh god. And Jake, he made such a big scene. What on earth will he think of me being together with a guy like that?"

All the thoughts that bottled up in my head came out at once and as soon as my little rant was over I sat down on the exact spot where I stood. With a sigh, I placed my head in my hands and looked at Raleigh.

This was her cue to talk some sense into me. Raleigh put her tub down and said, "Okay, listen up you pancake. Your work will amaze him. I'm sure of it. What Jake did yesterday is on him, not on you. Stop putting yourself down, Eve. You are wonderful and you need to own that shit." After she said that she went back to eating her ice cream and I just stared at her in amusement.

Raleigh had always been the most wonderful friend I could ever wish for. She had my back no matter what. When we were eight a boy pulled my hair so she threw his favorite cap in the lake. When we were fifteen and I had trouble with Maths, she helped me until I understood every single equation. She and numbers had always been a match made in heaven. I loved Raleigh like she was my sister.

"Here bitch." Raleigh handed me a spoon, and I plopped down next to her as we shared some ice cream and watched movies for the rest of the night. It pushed my little tantrum to the farthest corner of our living room.

The following day I met up with Jake at our favorite café. The small café downtown had an older interior, and it was also the place where Jake and I first met. As soon he walked in we locked eyes and we didn't leave each other's side for the rest of the evening. Talking about everything and nothing.

He was so funny, made me laugh in a way no guy had ever made me laugh before. For the first time, I felt seen and maybe even wanted. With a sigh, I took a sip from my mint tea. Thinking about it now made me feel like an idiot. The crush I had developed made me blind to anything else.

"Hi, babe." Jake smiled as he kissed my cheek before sitting down at the table. His mood switches were mind-boggling. I couldn't comprehend how in one spur of the moment he was so furious with me, and then moments later he acted like everything was just fine. Jake ordered something to drink and the wink he gave the waitress made my heart sink. He always said that he had only eyes for me, but those same eyes seemed to wander from time to time.

"About yester-," I started, but Jake cut me off when he placed his hand over mine.

"Let's not talk about that okay, babe? It's in the past and the best thing is to move forward. You didn't mean any of it and neither did I. I love you and that's what matters."

I sat back in my chair, gobsmacked. 'Didn't mean any of what?' I thought to myself. My eyes widened. What the hell did I even do? He was the one that needed to sort everything out while I was at work. He was the one to draw conclusions and make a big scene. What the fuck dude?

"That guy yesterday was a right asshole, wasn't he?" Jake chuckled. "I mean, he should've minded his own goddam business. The next time I will let him know he shouldn't mess with me."

I pulled my hand away from his. I had enough. Enough of his self-righteousness and enough of his control. I had let this go too far over the years and contributed to the feeling of being trapped. Now I realized that this had to stop, and it had to come from me because he would never do something like this. He would hold on until he couldn't anymore and Jake's stamina was much greater than mine.