I didn’t have the heart to fight him to explain first as he held me in his firm embrace and made love to me as the fireworks exploded in the distance.
I had come to steal a moment of fairytale and that is exactly what this was. A fairytale. Because in the real world, fairytales do not come true. At least not for me. Because when we woke up the next morning, firstly I was alone. And secondly, Jake had left me a note saying he had left for Boston already and that he was truly sorry about anything that happened between us. He wished me well with Joseph and hoped he hadn’t caused any problems. He fucking wished me well without even hearing me out. How the hell could he be so cold? Had I read him completely wrong? I gather my clothes, dress in a hurry and run to my room opposite this one and change into casual clothing which I’d brought with me yesterday.
I think back to everything he had said last night. I need you with me to draw my very next breath. I brush my hair so it didn’t look like a psycho bird’s nest. I’ve fallen in love with my brother’s girlfriend. I leave the room with my belongings and go to find Jo. The truth that you aren’t mine, no matter how much I fucking wished you were.
Was he too drunk yesterday? No! I will not go there. Last night was a beautiful memory and I wouldn’t taint it by calling it his drunken mistake. I found Jo near the stage that was being dismantled and asked him if he’d seen Jake this morning. “I didn’t see him but he called me saying he was leaving. Something about a meeting. Said that Camilla will be leaving with him.” I felt dizzy hearing that and clench my hands in fury. He hadn’t just left me, he had left me and gone away with Celena. “Em, you okay? You look like you want to kill someone.” Jo frowned. He was right. I wanted to kill his brother.
“I’m fine.” I clip out. “Where’s Jasmin? Did she leave yet?” She was scheduled to leave early today morning with her husband for her honeymoon to Italy.
Jo nodded. “Yep, left already. We’ll leave as soon as everything is cleared out and I’ll handle the accounts. You handled more than me this time and I owe you for giving me more time to pursue my girl.”
“It’s okay.” I shrug and mutter quietly.
“Hey, so guess what?” He said bumping my arm with his own. “Sarah and I are officially back together. So though you have been a fantastic fake girlfriend, it is time for us to break up.” He grinned.
Great. I was getting dumped by both the brothers on the same day. One real. One hoax. Screw my life. Tears clawed their way through and fell down my cheeks without warning. Jo lost his cheerfulness and looked worried. “Emma?”
I shook my head as heavy sobs came over me at the loss of the one guy who didn’t seem to love me after all. Who had up and left me with his girlfriend without saying a word and shattered my heart under those expensive shoes he always wore.
“Emma, talk to me.” He said holding me for comfort. “Did some hurt you? Why are you upset?” He asked. I debate if I should tell him about Jake or not. But in the end, I do. Because Jo was my friend and he hadn’t ever hurt me in all the years I’d known him. Not once. And his brother had ruined me in less than a week. I divulge everything about my feelings and how much I was in love with his brother but he didn’t give a shit considering the way he had left.
Jo was quiet for long moments as I got my tears under control and he held me close, consoling me like a true friend. I was so thankful I hadn’t pushed him in front of a car. Then he surprised me by saying, “I know.”
I turned to face him and sniffed. “What?”
“I know you love him.” He says in a rather mature tone.
“You do? How?”
Jo nodded. “I’ve known ever since I saw you watching him in the lobby, looking worried as if I was the one you were cheating on him with,” I remembered how stressed I had felt when Jake had found my hand entwined with Jo.
“And I also know that Jake loves you too,” Jo said smirking.
“No, he doesn’t.” I shook my head. “He never did.”
“Emma. I know my brother.” Jo said looking me in the eyes with a serious look. “And I know that he’s madly in love with you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me an earful after finding me with Sarah and reprimanded me on how a nice girl like you didn’t deserve me.”
“Then where is he?” I asked, mad. I was so damn angry.
“Did you tell him the truth about us?” I remain silent and Jo understood. “That’s why.” He said. “He didn’t want to hurt me because he thinks you’re my girlfriend. So instead he chose to hurt himself.” He said slowly, eyes shining with love and respect for his brother. “By leaving.”
“How does that make any sense?”
“Don’t you see, Em?” Jo asked. “He’s so crazy about you that knowing you don’t belong to him and staying next to you is driving him insane. Having you so close yet so far. So near and yet out of his reach.”
I turned away. “If I mean so much to him, he should have heard me out.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything after we get back and you both can have your happy ever after.” He ruffles my hair. “You’re good for him, you know.” He says after a while. “I haven’t seen him laugh or smile that much since we lost our parents. But whenever we talk about you, it’s like his soul lights up knowing that it’s talking about its mate.”
“You talk about me to Jake? What do you say?” I scowled.
Jo laughed. “Let’s leave that between the brothers.”
After we flew back to Boston, we never got a chance to explain things to Jake, since yet again he gave neither me nor Jake a chance to explain. The moment he had landed in Boston, Jake had taken off for France. I tried calling him and so did Jo, but the call never went through. Jo told me that Jake checked in with him once every two weeks but as soon as Jo mentioned my name, Jake hung up. He couldn’t even bear to hear my name now. Had I become such a terrible memory for him?
A month passed and my pain had morphed into full-blown anger. So I didn’t bother to call him or leave any messages anymore. If it was so easy for him to forget about me then I could do the same. He didn’t have to know about the tears that stained my pillow at night.
And then one day it all changed. As usual, I had thrown myself into work not caring about anything else anymore except my clients. Jo had gone to meet one of the customers to discuss their requirements in detail when he called me saying that Jake was in Boston. My traitorous heart had skipped a beat at the news and Jo said he’s gone to meet his brother.
“Did you get a chance to say anything or did he run away again after you mentioned my name,” I asked looking out the window of my office.
“Well at first I tortured telling him about how I was planning to propose to my girlfriend this week.” Jo laughed.
“You’re an ass.”
“I know, I would be sorry but it’s not every day I get the power over Jake. God, Emma, he’s got it bad for you. When I told him about Sarah he looked ready to pummel me to death but yes now he knows you’re a free bird and he’s on the way to catch you. He ran out of the café as if his house was on fire and he had something very precious he was about to lose.” Jo said and I let out a sigh. “If you think about it, Em, it’s the truth. His world is on fire right now and he’s afraid that he’s lost you by staying away. Has he?”