Stunned, she rolled her eyes. He is unbelievable! And I actually begged him like an idiot! “Why would you do that?”
“So you forget about that loser.”
“That doesn't make any sense, Logan!”
Grinning, he threw his hands up in surrender.
“So you don't care about losing business—”
“—We won't lose business. I've got it all under control.” His sudden over-confidence left her mute.
He took her face, squeezing it between his fingers. “I'm not gonna stand there and let that asshole taunt me... or you.” He kissed her with increasing passion. “Go!”
With a helpless sigh, she walked into the restroom and leaned on the countertop for support. When she reflected on her image in the mirror, she recognized fear. If they were as dangerous as she believed they were, Logan could easily get the two of them killed.
JAKE
Marty gazed at him like he was a super hero. It was unsettling, and he found himself drinking more than he wanted to. Even with the buzz, the conversation was strained, although it was better than with Tia, where it was non-existent.
He looked at Marty and did feel aroused, but wasn't sure if it was from the combination of the liquor and repressed sexual tension, or that she brought back memories of Kristen. Somehow he felt she sensed it and feared it was too obvious to hide.
“Hey, I really like you...” He secured her hands in his, searching for the right words.
“But? Usually that leads to but—something.” She attempted a smile, but it was impossible to hide the sadness in her eyes.
Jake exhaled deeply. Busted again! I hate myself for being so awkward at this. “Yeah, I, eh…guess it’s just after Tia, I promised myself I would take a long break.”
Her eyes tore into him, making him fidget even more.
With a slow, calculated motion, she removed her hands. “I understand. It's been rough for both of us. You with Kristen, me with Ray...”
“I guess we both have our issues to deal with.” He bowed his head, averting her gaze.
Marty felt the sting of tears in her eyes, the image of Ray fresh in her mind. She finished off her beer.
“Want another?” A part of him dreaded ending the night so soon, even though he wasn’t sure what he wanted from it.
“No. I probably should go.”
“Okay.” His sigh of relief took him by surprise.
Marty’s nervous giggles brought a deep red flush to her cheeks. “I'll be right back.”
After she rushed off to the restroom, Jake’s mind wandered. Without realizing it, he scrolled through his texts, stopping when he came to the one Kristen had sent months earlier while he was still in Oregon. Even as he read it for the hundredth time, he knew he should delete it. By now, he should be desperate to wipe out the painful memory of the end of their relationship. As long as she was alive in his mind, he could never move on. When he looked up, Marty stood in front of him.
Shit! Why am I such a big jerk? Too embarrassed to acknowledge her, he gulped, shut the phone, jammed it back into his pocket, and threw a tip on the table.
They walked in uncomfortable silence for a few blocks. He had no idea where she parked, assuming she'd driven. It was aimless.
“Did you drive?” He stopped to look at her.
“Yeah. Over there.” She pointed down the block.
“On 10th?”
She nodded.
“I'll walk you over.”
It didn't take long to get to her car. She leaned against it, staring up at him with an expectant gleam in her eyes.
He was quiet. It had been a rough weekend filled with too much beer and dark thoughts. His head ached. He was fatigued and disillusioned.
“Did you say you live nearby?”
Taken off guard by the question, Jake struggled to read her mind without success. Maybe he was too tired or just out of practice. Perhaps the knots in his stomach were too distracting. Whatever the reason, her subtle hint flew right over his head.
This never happened with Kristen. I could always… stop it, Jake! She’s gone.
He blinked to focus on Marty.
“Yeah on 9th. Listen, why don't you give me your number and maybe we can do this again?” He had to rush, needed to avoid any complications, to be alone and safe again.
“Sure. I'd like that.” Marty extended her hand to take his phone.
For a second he was confused, then it registered, and he hesitantly handed it to her.
“I think I gave it to you before, though.”
He thought about it, then felt like an idiot when he remembered she was right. “Give it to me again—just in case.” A vague recollection of her number on a post it came to his mind. Where he put it was another matter for him to deal with at some other time.
A dark cloud hovered over him as she input her number. Somehow it didn't feel right, like an invasion of his personal space. When she finished, he hurriedly put it away.
“Do you want to give me yours too?” Her eyes were wide with innocence and hope.
Jake rubbed his forehead, then clumsily pushed his hair back. She thrust her phone at him. He took several deep breaths before finally entering his number. After handing it back, he peeked at her bashfully.
“Well if you need to talk about Kristen or anything like that...” She took her key out.
“Yeah, you told me that before. I don't see the point...” He stopped in mid-sentence when she surprised him by standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I still have her stuff up there...” he continued with a feeble grin.
“I have Ray's too. I get it, Jake, don't worry. We're friends, right?”
Then she was gone and he stood alone in the shadows.
“Fuck!” His frustrated shout reverberated into the darkness.
Damn you, Kristen!
After a few seconds, he came back to life and slowly headed back to his apartment.
LOGAN/KRISTEN
Once again, Logan was so wasted he was about to land flat on his face by the time they left the restaurant. At least it had gone relatively well for the second half of the evening. It took Kristen by surprise that Nick was the one suggesting they end the night without an invitation to extend it further. As much as she hated his presence and tried to ignore it, his aggravation and embarrassment over Logan's behavior was obvious.
Logan’s weight on her shoulder proved too much to handle, so the ever righteous Jonny volunteered to help get him to the car. The instant she dug the keys out of Logan’s pocket and unlocked the door, he collapsed onto the passenger seat.
Jonny lingered behind her. “So, Kristen, I'll make sure to say hi to your friends for you.”
“Please don't,” she snapped, zooming in on Logan as his snoring filled the parking lot.
“Maybe if you give me a little kiss, I'll reconsider.” Jonny’s face loomed before her, his thick black mustache twitching like a treacherous snake ready to strike.
Appalled, Kristen jerked backwards, bumping into the car. Her hands reflexively shielded her stomach. His sinister laughter rang in her ears.
“That's not happening. Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter anyway.”
She fumbled with the door handle, glancing up at him whenever she had the chance.