Broken
Vow
By: Joeylance
Part
One
Song Fic– Based on "Broken Vow sung by Josh
Groban from "Closer" CD
(Sony ATV Tunes LLC/Wallyworld Music ASCAP/Vita Mia
Music SOCAN admin. By Sony/ATV Songs LLC BMI)
Tell me his name
I want to know
The way he looks
And where you go
I need to see his face
I need to understand
Why you and I came to an end.
Tell me again
I want to hear
Who broke my faith in all these years?
Who lays with you at night?
While I’m here all alone
Remembering when I was your own
I let you go
I let you fly
Why do I keep on asking why?
I let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow
"Who is he?
I want to know his name."
He demanded as he came storming into her office at the hospital.
She looked up from her paper work on the desk; his
angry face glaring at her from the doorway.
She sighed; taking off her glasses and placing them on the desk as she
rubbed the bridge of her nose. She
quietly walked over to him and pulled him into the room shutting the door
behind him.
Please, keep your voice down. This is a hospital. If you can’t do that then I will have to ask
you to leave." She said as she turned
to face him.
His eyes were clouded with passion but not the kind
she wanted to see. She hadn’t seen him
this angry before. Wait take that back;
last night at her apartment when he threw her roses against the wall shattering
the vase. Then throwing the wadded up
card at her demanding to know who they were from. She hadn’t told him then and wasn’t going to now. To defuse the situation she asked him to
have a seat so they could talk.
Grudgingly he sat down. He knew if things got out of hand she would call security and
have him thrown out. Swallowing the
bile that was raising in his throat, he sat down in the chair opposite her
desk. She returned to her place behind
the desk.
She softly said "If you think you can conduct
yourself in a grown-up manner we can talk.
If not, you’re out of here."
She didn’t hate him; she just didn’t love him anymore. "Now, why are you here?" She gently asked.
"Why am I here? He said his voice beginning to raise again. "I’m here, as if you didn’t know,
because the final divorce papers were delivered to me this morning along with
your wedding set. Did you take lessons
on how to hurt people from Annie? I
mean she is your new best friend."
He jeered.
"How can you be so cruel? She said.
"You know the true story about that package and yet you continually
want to think the worst of people."
Well, the last few months haven’t done much to
restore my faith in humanity." He
replied. "My wife up and leaves me
for another man and then wonders why I feel hurt?"
"Justin, how conveniently you re-write our
history. You know perfectly well
that… The phone rang at that moment
cutting her off "Hello, Dr.
Jamieson here. Yes, I can be there in
two minutes. Bye"
" I’m sorry," she said as she turned back
to him. "An emergency has just
come up. I will be back in about half
an hour. If you want to wait, feel
free. If not, we can continue this
discussion at a more appropriate time and place. Now if you will excuse me."
She stood up and then walked towards the door. Before opening it, she turned to look at him and said. "I’m sorry that things ended like
this. I never meant to hurt you and
deep down I don’t think you meant to hurt me either." With that said she left the room, leaving
him to ponder what she had said.
He stared at the nameplate on her desk Dr.
Cassandra Jamieson. He had met
Cassandra in April 2002 at the hospital when he and Chris had been visiting JC
and Annie after the birth of their twins.
She worked with Annie at Restoration Hope. She was a plastic surgeon.
She was everything that he had never imagined he would want in a
woman. She was older (about 10 years);
highly educated; spoke three languages, and completely unimpressed with his
star status. She was 5’ 11" with
emerald green eyes and dark brunette hair.
She was also drop dead gorgeous.
He had peppered Annie with questions about her. Annie said that she had an extremely bad
history with men and to proceed with caution.
She had said that Cassie may seem strong but she was very vulnerable and
not looking for a relationship with a man; let alone someone as high-profile as
Justin. He, being Justin, of course,
ignored her words and pursued Cassie anyway.
He was still picking at the wounds of his broken
heart from Britney and was no more ready for a relationship than Cassie, but he
didn’t care. He wanted this beautiful
creature who stood before him and so he relentlessly worked till he had her as
his own. He was like a beagle on the trail
of a rabbit – single minded and determined to get his quarry.
He remembered vividly the night she had revealed
her past to him. They had gone out to
dinner and the movies. She was not a
big one for clubbing. She hated large
crowds. They had come home and were
sitting on her sofa in her apartment.
He was kissing her and as it got more passionate, she backed away like
always. He was so confused. "What the hell is wrong? Every time we get into it, you shut me
down. Why the wall? Don’t you want me or do you just like to
tease me?"
"No, she said tears beginning to form in her
eyes. " It’s just that… her voice trailed off as she looked down. He took her chin and lifted it up so her
eyes were looking into his. "What
is it?"
"I guess I should have told you this a long
time ago, but I was afraid." She
began hesitantly. "You deserve an
explanation."
"What is it, babe? I know that Annie hinted that you haven’t exactly had a stellar
history with men, but she never elaborated."
"Annie, is a dear friend and she said that I should
have told you this awhile ago, but I was so ashamed." She started to cry. He gathered into his arms and held her. She cried for the longest time and then
looked up at him and said. "I am
just going to say this as fast as I can.
This will be the Cliff Notes version but there will not be an exam at
the end.
Please don’t interrupt till I am finished. Okay?"
"Anything, you want. He said wiping the tears from her cheeks. She took a sip of her wine and then a deep
breath and began. "When I was five
years old, my daddy died. For a few
years, it was just my mom and me and then she married Bill when I was
seven. He didn’t have much time for me,
so I tried my best to stay out of his way.
I worked hard in school and was quiet when he was home at night so he
wouldn’t notice me. When I was about
nine, he started hitting me hard if I messed up. I tried not to, but I was still a child. One never knew what would trigger his next
explosion. It constantly changed. Mom never stuck up for me. She had become an alcoholic after Daddy died
and it got progressively worse. I
learned to live with it. I mean what
choice did I have. Where could I
go? I had no other family.
She paused and took another deep breath. Justin was struck how flat her voice was. Not a hint of emotion crossed her face. She was unreadable and expressionless.
"Anyway, on my thirteenth birthday things
began to change. For one thing, I was
no longer a child. Bill began to
notice. I tried wearing baggy clothes
and slouching, but it didn’t work. He
started coming up to me and saying stand up straight and then pulling back my
shoulders as he held me against him.
Mom said nothing. Then one night
he came into my room. He had been
drinking and I thought well I was just going to get hit for some minor
infraction. Instead he tied my hands to
the bedpost with scarves and put one over my mouth. He said that he didn’t want the boys to have the first crack at
me. It was his "right" as my
"dad". He’d break me in
right. Teach me the things that men
wanted and liked. I tried to protest,
tried to fight him off, but he hit me really hard. Then he said that if I ever breathed a word of this to anyone he
would have me sent to a juvenile home.
He laughed darkly then said where would my scholarship to that private
school for next year go. Probably to
someone more deserving. Who wasn’t a
tease. (Justin cringed – he was so sorry
that he had used those words earlier).
He said that if I told I could kiss me dreams goodbye. So, I let him. Again what choice did I have?"
Justin opened his mouth to speak, but she put a
finger to his lips. "So for the
next three years, I endured his coming into my room practically every
night. Then one day, it happened. I lost it at school. A teacher came up behind me in the hall and
touched my shoulder. It startled me and
I turned around and slapped him. I was
taken to the office and they were going to call my mom and stepdad. Something inside of me just snapped.
I blurted out some of things that I had been
enduring for the past three years. A
social worker was called and I was removed that day from my home. I have never seen or spoken to my stepdad
again except when I had to testify in court.
My mom disowned me when he was sent to prison and she died two years
later."
"I had lovely foster parents who eventually
adopted me. They loved me like I had
never been loved and treated me so special.
I love them so much. I don’t
think I would have survived without them.
She paused and took another sip from her wine
glass. Setting it down she
continued. "I fulfilled my dream
to be a doctor. Because I had that
goal, it was easy to avoid men. I was
too busy. I didn’t have the time or the
inclination. Then three years ago, I
came here to Restoration Hope. I met
Annie the first day. I was so impressed
with her gift. She is such a special
woman and a wonderful friend. As time
went on, I got to know JC. He was like
no man I had ever met before. He like
my "new" dad made me see that not every man was like my stepdad. He treats Annie with such love and
devotion. I mean they personify
soulmates. I started to hope and long
for a relationship like theirs, but then I realized that something like that
comes along once in a blue moon. So, I
thought maybe something like Joey and Kelly, you and Britney or Lance and his
writer friend, I can’t recall her name at the moment. But, then you and Brit broke up and the next thing I know you are
dating me. So my question to you is why
me? What do I have that you could
possibly want when you have your choice of anyone in the world?
Part Two
Tell me the words I never said
Show me the tears you never shed
Give me the touch
The one you promised to be mine
Or has it vanished for all time
I let you go
I let you fly
Why do I keep on asking why?
I let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow
Ring!
Ring! Cassie’s cell phone
brought him abruptly back to the present.
He debated whether he should answer it or not. Having decided in the affirmative he walked over to the desk and
picked it up. The caller ID said
"Little Man".
"Damn" he thought to himself that’s Him, Cassie’s new
man. Should he push the call button and
confront the man that had destroyed his life or….
"Excuse me sir, are you supposed to be in
here?" He whirled around to see
Cassie’s assistant George walking in the door carrying a bouquet of
flowers. "Oh I’m sorry Mister
Timberlake I didn’t realize it was you.
Is Doctor Jamieson here? George
set the flowers on the file cabinet and then walked over to Justin as the
former was quietly placing Cassie’s phone back down where he had found it. So much for that idea.
He put on his biggest; ‘innocent’ smile as he
looked at George. "No, she was
called out on an emergency. She said
she would be back in half an hour. She
said I could wait for her here. Can I
help you?" He asked.
"No.
That’s alright. These flowers
were just delivered for her. I’m just
wondering why you didn’t bring them in yourself. Oh, I know you probably wanted to surprise her."
" Yes", Justin lied. I’m just full of surprises."
"Well, I have to get back to work." George said as he headed towards the
door. "Good to see you again. Bye"
"The same". Said Justin.
"Bye." He waited till
he was sure that George was down the hall and went over to the flowers. He grabbed the card and saw Cassie written
on the envelope. He was trying to
figure out how to open it and not reveal that he had done so. Happily for him, luck was on his side; the
card hadn’t been sealed. It only had
the flap inserted into the envelope.
With trembling hands, he pulled out the card. It read: M.S.G., See you
tonight at 8:00 PM your place Little
Man
"Dammit" he said as he stuffed the card
back into the envelope and replaced it on the holder. "Who the Hell is Little Man? I have to know."
Rubbing the back of his neck and lost in thought,
he jumped when Annie said "Justin, yo Justin, could I have a little help
here?" She was coming in the door
pushing a stroller which contained in the front William (or Wills as he was
nicknamed) and in the back what looked like a large painting wrapped in brown
paper.
"Unkey Justy!
Unkey Justy! Yelled Wills. Justin looked down on JC’s son, his spitting
image except his eyes and hair color were Annie’s. He was holding up his pudgy little arms to Justin.
"Annie, what can I do to help?" Said Justin solicitously.
"You could take this painting and place it
over on the sofa for me." She
replied. He took it and placed it where
she had said and then returned to her and Wills. "Is that one of yours?"
"No, she said, picking up Wills who was still
calling for Unkey Justy. She handed
Wills to Justin and placing her hands on the small of her back stretched out
her back. "He is getting so big
and heavy."
When she was done, she said, "Justin, not to
be rude but why exactly are you here?
Wasn’t your divorce finalized today?"
"Yes" he said quietly. "I came to talk to Cassie but she was
called out on an emergency.
"Do you think that is such a good idea? I mean things are not all sunshine and roses
between you two. Sorry I used the roses
imagery but I heard about them last night when Cassie showed up at our door at
3:00 AM hysterically crying. That
painting you referred to is hers."
"Cassie paints? I didn’t know she did."
He said shocked. "Something
else I didn’t know about my wife. Or
should I say ex-wife" He added bitterly.
"Actually she didn’t paint as much as scream,
cry and throw paint at canvases for four hours in my art room. Luckily, the children were sleeping
downstairs with JC in the guest room last night. They were having a "Sesame Street" Night and all fell asleep
on the bed. I just left them
there."
"When Cassie arrived, I took her upstairs to my
studio. Painting is great therapy even
if you aren’t good at it. I gave her
some old clothes, paints and laid down drop cloths and set up canvases for her. The one on the sofa is the one that she
liked the best. She wanted to hang it
here in the office. For an abstract,
it’s not bad. Oh by the way, if I ever
hear Linken Park’s "Numb" again it will be too damn soon."
Justin looked at her and laughed. "Annie, you hardly ever
swear." Wills was getting antsy so
he set him down on the floor. Annie walked
over to the stroller got some toys and handed them to him to play with.
Turning back to Justin, she said. "I am the mother of two nineteen month
old toddlers and the wife of JC who is sometimes a bigger child than the
twins. I have had the sum total of 3
hours of sleep, fought traffic to get over here and because of you; (realize
I’m using twisted logic here), am going to be too tired to enjoy my evening to
myself."
"I don’t understand," he said shaking his
head. "I’m spoiling your
evening?"
"Justin, once a week JC takes the children and
I have a night to do whatever I want.
It is a great time to read a grown up book, watch a movie, paint,
etc. Tonight all I want to do is study
the back of my eyelids. And all because
I was comforting Cassie most of the night because of your childish outburst at
her place." She said angrily
She paused and then continued. "Justin I don’t want to say I told you
so, but I told you not to do this. You
didn’t listen and it ended up just as I feared. God, you are so self-centered sometimes I want to slap you back
into reality."
“No hit, bad, bad" said Wills
Chagrined Annie said, “Yes Wills hitting is
bad."
She motioned to Justin and they sat down on the
chairs by the desk. When they were
seated, he said. "Annie, I am
sorry that you were put out, but up until last night Cassie was still my
wife. I have a right to know who she is
seeing." He said indignantly
"Justin, you and Cassie haven’t been a couple
since CFTC in Miami and you know why. I
was there. Well, not there in the hotel
room, but JC and I were at Challenge.
You were such a media-whore and arrogant conceited snot those few days,
I wanted to…never mind" she said glancing over at Wills happily playing on
the floor.
Interrupting Justin said. "Annie, in my defense, I explained that to all of you. A lot of that was just publicity and media
attention. It meant nothing."
"Justin", she countered, "you were a
married man and yet you conducted yourself like the most eligible bachelor in
the world. It was disgusting. Do you know how much it hurt Cassie? You, of all people, know her fragile history
and yet you persisted in doing whatever struck your fancy."
He interrupted her again and said "Look you and JC; Joey and Kelly kept
your marriages a secret. Why couldn’t I
do the same? It seems a little
hypocritical to condemn me." He
said angrily.
She countered back "Our situations were
different from yours. Joey and Kelly
have been together forever and JC and I had our reasons. Besides, Joey and JC weren’t seen with the
"starlet of the moment" on their arm every other week. Do you have any idea what it did to Cassie
to pick up the newspaper and see you out cavorting with your latest flavor of
the month." She said staring into
him with those eyes of hers. The ones
that seemed to see right into his soul.
She continued.
"And the excuse, that you were drunk and didn’t know what you were
doing was so lame. Justin, my God,
Cassie walked into your suite to surprise you and found that
"actress" about to give you a "Monica". If it had been me, you would now have a lot
in common with Lorena Bobbett’s husband.
"Annie!
He said nervously laughing.
"You wouldn’t! You are the
sweetest, kindest woman I know."
"Justin, have you ever seen JC really angry?" She asked quietly
"No, but I heard about the hotel incident from
Lance and Joey." He replied
She leaned over and stared into his eyes and
quietly said. "Justin, if you ever
provoked me that much I would make that look like a Sunday school picnic."
He shuddered.
"Remind me, never to do that."
" Trust me, I will. She said her anger slowly going under the surface again.
Just then, Wills came toddling over saying
"ice cem, ice cem". She
reached over picking him up and putting him in her lap. "In a minute, sweetie!
Standing she said.
"Justin, I have to go. We
are meeting JC and Dena (Wills’ name for his sister) for ice cream. That is if they are finished in the
studio. I swear Claudine has JC wrapped
so tightly around that little finger of hers.
They could listen to music together for hours. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and seen them in the
studio today at home. He even had
little earphones made for her"
She walked over to the stroller and placed Wills in
it just as there was a knock on the door.
In walked JC carrying Dena. She
was the image of her mother with JC’s eyes and hair color.
"Unkey Justy" she said reaching out to
him. He took her from JC. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and
gave him a baby kiss on the cheek.
"I love you Unkey Justy" You love Unkey Justy, Mommy?’ she
asked sweetly.
"Yes, Mommy loves Unkey Justy." She said as she came over and took Dena from
his arms.
"Justin, please think on what I said. It is better this way. I just hope that in time you will come to
realize that truth."
She kissed him softly on the cheek and placed Dena
in the other seat in the stroller.
JC came over and gave him a hug. "I’m sorry Justin, but I agree with
Annie. Just know we will be there for
you too if you need us."
"I know said Justin. " Now go and have
your family time. Talk to you
later. Bye."
With that, JC took the stroller and guided it out
the door closely followed by Annie.
He stood there for the longest time then darkly
said to no one in particular "I
have so much to do before 8:00 PM.
Part
Three
I close my eyes
And dream of you and I
And then I realize
There’s more to love than bitterness and lies
I close my eyes
I’d give away my soul
To hold you once again
And never let this promise end
I let you go
I let you fly
Now that I know, I’m asking why
I let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow
Justin called Chris first but after getting no answer,
he remembered that he had said he was going to be out of town for a few
days. He tried Lance next, but he had a
date with his writer girlfriend who was in from visiting some of her family in
the Ukraine. Joey was next, but he and
Kelly had
a
play date dinner with some of Brianna’s little
friends. He knew better than to call
JC. Wasn’t about to further ruin
Annie’s night. Plus they would just
think his plan was bordering on, no, not bordering on, was stalking. So, he would go it alone.
Cassie was arriving home from work. It was about 6:30 PM. She unlocked the door, kicked off her shoes
and placed the mail on the table by the door.
Closing the door, she then took the groceries to
the kitchen. Dinner was going to be
simple, steak with onions, peppers and mushrooms, buttered potatoes and a
tossed salad. Little Man was bring the
wine and dessert. (He had gotten that
nickname form Wills. She and Annie had
been out shopping and returned to find he and JC feeding the twins lunch. Food was everywhere. Annie, after kissing JC hello, had tousled
Wills’ hair and said "Such a
little man." Wills had looked at
him and said "wittle man, wittle man". The moniker had stuck.)
She placed the salad stuff in the frig and then returned to the living
room to check her mail; nothing urgent.
Placing it on the desk she went into her bedroom and stood staring into
the closet pondering what to wear.
After debating for a few minutes, she decided on a emerald green
turtleneck sweater and blue jeans.
Stripping off her work clothes and throwing them in the hamper, she
walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
As she let, the warm water hit her body she thought
back to earlier in the day. She was
relieved to say the least when she returned to her office and found that Justin
had gone. She really wasn’t up to
talking to him again. She had smiled
when she saw the flowers on the file cabinet.
She decided to leave them at work.
The painting was staying at the office till she had a chance to take it
to the framers. Annie had said it was
good but she wasn’t so sure. It was
mainly black, red and blue paint which she had thrown at the canvas.
Annie was so supportive last night; such a great
friend. To cheer her up, Annie had
motioned to her during a break to come downstairs and see the Kodak moment in
the guest room. Annie, of course, had
captured it on film. JC was sprawled
out on the bed on his back contentedly sleeping. Wills was curled up on his one side with JC’s arm wrapped around
him. His other arm was cradling Dena
who was lying on his chest, her little thumb in her mouth. It had been the only thing which made her
smile last night.
Turning off the shower, she wrapped a towel around
herself then brushed her teeth and dried her hair. Being short, it didn’t take too long. She decided to forego hair gel and let it fall naturally in its
loose curls. She put on a little
mascara and lip gloss. Spritzing on her
perfume, she got into her clothes. Not being able to decide which shoes to
wear, she went barefoot.
Returning to the kitchen she got out the plates,
silverware and glasses etc and set the table.
She only put two candles on the table and didn’t dim the lighting that
much. After all this was only a first
date and she didn’t want to give off the wrong impression. She then picked out some music and put it in
the CD player, turning it on so she could sing while getting dinner ready. She had a choir voice but not a solo voice,
so she saved her singing for just herself.
She scrubbed the new potatoes and placed them on to
cook, then cut-up the vegetables for the salad and placed the bowl in the frig
till it was time to serve. She flipped
the steaks which were marinating in the frig and then cut up the onions and
peppers and started to sauté them.
Hearing the door bell, she looked up and saw that
it was 7:45, he was early. Wiping her hands on a towel, she walked to the door,
checking her reflection in the mirror by the door before looking out the peep
hole. No one was there; she looked down
and saw something sitting on the floor of the hallway. Cautiously opening the door, she smiled as
she saw Baby Tugs (a Care Bear) setting there wrapped around a bottle of her
favorite Merlot wine. She picked up the
Bear and saw a card attached which read.
"Everyone need a little Tough Love. Please take me inside."
Little Man
She carried the Bear inside and placed him on the
sofa and put the wine on the counter.
No sooner had she done that then the doorbell rang again. Looking out this time she saw a bouquet of
silk roses in a plastic vase was sitting on the floor. She opened the door and read the attached
card. "These probably won’t break
when thrown against a wall".
Little Man. Laughing she took
them inside and placed them on the table.
Door bell rang again. This time there was another Care Bear – Baby Hugs along with a
bag of DVDs from the video store. The
card: I love to hear you laugh. Hoping
I can get you to snort. Little Man
One more ring, this time she looked out and saw him
standing there a pastry box in one hand and a single peace rose in the
other. She opened the door and grabbing
his leather jacket pulled him into her apartment. He had on black jeans and a black sweater. "Are you completely deranged?" She laughed. "You never cease to amaze me."
" Hey, that’s my purpose in life." He replied.
"This is for you" handing her the rose. "I only got one"; he began by way
of explanation, "since this is our first date. I picked this one because yellow is for friendship, like the ones
I sent yesterday and red is for love. I
am hoping that someday we can progress from this fabulous friendship to
something more. However, I know that
rushing you is the last thing I should do, so please accept this in the spirit
I am giving it."
"Thank you, she said as she took it and held
it to her nose inhaling the sweet fragrance.
"They are my favorite. My
daddy used to grow them."
"May I take your jacket and let me take the
dessert box to the kitchen. By the way,
what is it?" She asked.
"It’s a surprise. You can’t know till after you’ve eaten all your
vegetables." He said in mock
seriousness.
"Yes, daddy!" She laughed as she carried the box to the counter.
"So, what can I do to help? He asked as he followed into the kitchen.
Turning towards him, she asked. "Do you want to grill the steaks while
I put the rest of the dinner together?"
"I’d be happy to just show me. I’m the grilling king! He said puffing out his chest.
"Careful Little Man, she said as she playfully
poked him in the stomach.
"Wouldn’t want to have to deflate that ego."
They both laughed and then she switched on the Jenn
Aire grill and took the steaks out of the frig. They worked together to get the dinner on the table. He opened the wine and then pulled out her
chair for her to be seated.
Pouring the wine, he raised his glass and said I
would like to propose a toast. "To
M.S.G."
"Excuse me" she interrupted "but
what exactly does M.S.G. stand for?"
"M.S.G. stands for My Statuesque Goddess. Of course, I would never assume to think of
you as a possession. He said quickly.
"And here I thought you thought I was a
Chinese seasoning." She laughed.
"Now hush, he said. She stuck her tongue out
at him. "I want to finish this
toast so our food doesn’t get cold. I
want you to be awed at my cooking prowess and that won’t happen if it’s
cold."
"No in all seriousness. To M.S.G. the woman who has been my best
friend who is a girl for the past year.
Your beauty is exceeded only by your brains. You have endured a terrible past few months and yet always
remained my friend. You are very dear
to me and I hope that whatever lies ahead you and I will always be
friends." They clinked glasses and
drank.
She stood and said
"Now, it’s my turn. To my
Little Man, you are also my dearest friend who is a guy. You have been like a brother to me and maybe
someday we can be more. No one can make
me laugh as hard and get me as giggly and as silly as you do. To the future, who knows what it
holds." Again, glass clinking.
They spent the rest of the dinner, laughing and
talking and just having a terrific time.
When they were done he helped her cleared the table and put the food
away. They did the dishes and cleaned
up the kitchen. They decided to wait
awhile for dessert.
As they were walking into the living room she
said" So what is in the DVD bag?"
"I figured that today you needed to laugh so I
got some of my favorite funniest movies.
I wasn’t sure exactly what you would like to watch so I brought you
choices." He said as he dumped the
DVDs on the coffee table.
She sat down on the sofa and starting reading
titles: "Clue", "Noises Off", "Monty Phyton
and the Holy Grail", "Blazing
Saddles", "The Silver
Streak", "Young Frankenstein", and "The Blue Collar Comedy
Tour". Overwhelmed she said. "These are all good; what do you
suggest."
"How about we start with "Clue? It is really funny but only about 12 people
in the world have seen it."
"Sounds, great. Do you want anything else before we start? She asked.
"No, I’m good. Now, sit back and be prepared to forget the day."
They settled into the sofa and lounge chair
respectively and watched the movie.
When it was over, she said
"Thank you that was just what I needed. Shall we have dessert?
I’m dying to know what you brought."
They went out into the kitchen where she put on the
coffee and got out the plates. When the coffee was brewed he told her to go sit
at the table and he would serve her.
After she was seated, he had her close her eyes. He brought in her plate and set it down in
front of her. "Open your
eyes."
"My favorite, German Chocolate. How did you know? She asked.
"A Duh!
What do you have every time we have lunch together." He said laughingly
"Of yea, I guess I’m predictable." She laughed.
"Only about dessert. He replied. "The
rest of you is an enigma."
When they were finished, they cleaned up and then
he said "Should I go or do you want to watch another movie?"
"Let’s watch one more. She replied. "I don’t want this evening to end just yet."
Picking out "Monty Phyton and the Holy
Grail", they settled back down in the sofa together to watch.
2:30 AM
Justin was parked outside her apartment
building. He had gotten caught up in
traffic and hadn’t arrived there till after 8:00. Damn he thought to himself.
I’ll just have to wait till he comes out. He looked at his watch.
2:30!! The lights were still on
in Cassie’s apartment. What could they
possible be doing at this hour? His
mood was growing exceedingly dark and menacing. He hadn’t had any dinner and consumed most of a bottle of Captain
Morgan.
Cassie woke up in his arms. Looking at her watch, oh my goodness, it’s
2:30 she thought. "Little Man,
Little Man, wake up. It’s late and I
have to go to work in the morning."
Slowly he opened his eyes and realized he was
holding her in his arms. He quickly
released her. She smiled and said, "It’s okay. Actually it was very nice."
He got up and taking her hand headed for the
door. "Thank you Cassie for dinner
and this lovely evening."
"Yes, it was nice and just what I needed. I can’t thank you enough."
He took her hand and kissed the inside on her
palm. "Good night. I’ll call you tomorrow. Oh by the way, do you want to go to JC and
Annie’s for Thanksgiving. That is if
you don’t have any other plans."
"Oh good Lord, please don’t tell me that Annie
is going to cook?" She said in
mock horror.
"No, her parents are going to be there. Though I must say in her defense, she is
getting better." He replied.
"You know, she laughed. "
I always wondered why she and JC were so skinny?
"Ha Ha, very funny. Well, gotta go.
Bye." With that said he
opened the door and headed down the hall.
__________________________
Justin looked up as the taxi pulled up to the door.
Knowing he was going to be drinking, Little Man had decided to come and go by
taxi. Now I can see who it is. Come on; come into the light so I can see
you. Come on you can do it. Justin was mumbling to himself. Little Man walked under the street light and
opened on the door to the taxi. Oh my
God! It can’t be. Not him of all people don’t tell me that
it’s him! He struggled to open his car
door, but he couldn’t seem to make his hands work. By the time he got it open, the taxi was pulling away. Damn Damn and triple Damn!!
Cassie looked and saw his jacket laying on the back
of the sofa. She picked it up as the
door bell rang. Opening the door, she
said, "Oh, I see you remembered
you left your jacket." She froze
when she saw she was staring in Justin’s cold and fury filled eyes.
She tried to close the door but wasn’t fast
enough. He pushed past her and stormed
into the room, slamming the door behind him.
"How could you, you little.. He screamed.
She cut him off.
"How could I what? I have
no idea what you are talking about."
"I just saw your "lover"
leave." He spit out the words.
"My what?
She said, her anger starting to rise.
"You heard what I said. I mean the ink isn’t even dry on our divorce
papers." He screamed.
"First of all keep your voice down, it’s 3:00
in the morning." She said trying
to keep him calm.
"What are you going to do about it call
security?" He sneered.
Suddenly she realized the seriousness of the
situation. Justin was clearly angry,
that was a given, but he was also very drunk and there was not telling what
that combination could ignite.
"Justin, can’t we talk about this like two
rational adults? She said hoping to
distract him. "I can assure you
that nothing happen other than two friends having dinner and watching a
movie."
"Well, let’s look at the evidence, shall
we?" He said as he began circling
the room. Exhibit # One – Care
Bears. Do friends get my wife, oh
pardon me ex-wife her favorite collectibles?" Exhibit # Two – A single rose in a vase. Oh how romantic. I could just gag. Exhibit
# three - he said as he stalked into the kitchen. Her favorite bottle of wine in the recycling bin. Exhibit # Four – Lifting the lid of the
pastry box – German Chocolate Cake, your favorite. For just a friend, he certainly knows a lot about your
likes. However", he said as he
walked towards her again "Does he
know what turns you on? Can he turn you
to jelly with his touch like I used to?"
“Justin, please.
I think you should go. This is
getting us no where." She walked
towards to the door. Before she got
there he grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall holding her by the
shoulders. "So did you sleep with
him? No wait, you never do anything on
a first date. You’re not a tease. Although I don’t see why not, it certainly
doesn’t have anything to do with your virginity."
She lifted her hand to slap him but he caught
it. "Oh no, we’ll have none of
that. I have any idea. For old times sake and since I haven’t made
love to you since July. How about we
have a farewell screw?"
“Please Justin, don’t do this. I beg of you." She pleaded.
"Oh I’ll have you begging," he said as he
took hold of her wrists and starting dragging towards her bedroom.
"Please, Please don’t this." She cried, but he wasn’t listening.
He pushed her into the room and shoved her onto the
bed. He straddled her around the waist
and holding her hands above her head starting kissing her. She tried fighting him but he was too
strong. He traced a finger down her
throat and said, "Does he know the
spot that makes you moan? Is it right
here? He kissed her there and her body
betrayed her and she moaned. "Oh
that’s it. How about X marks the
spot." He said as he gave her a
love bite.
Bored with that, he said. "You know what I really want? Something that you never would give me." He got up and removed his jeans and then sat
back down on the bed. He took her hands
and pulled her towards him. Grabbing her by the hair, he began to push her down
as she was cried hysterically. He
stopped for a moment. "What was
that? I didn’t quite hear what you
said."
In a quiet little girl voice, she said. "Please Bill, I promise I won’t
tell. I’ll be good. Just please don’t make me do that."
Justin head snapped up and he leapt off the bed
like it was on fire and ran into the bathroom barely making it to the toilet
before he began retching violently.
After he had emptied the contents of his stomach for what seemed like
the seventh time; he flushed. Going
over to the sink he threw water on his face and gargled with some of Cassie’s
mouthwash.
He walked back into the bedroom. She was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn
up under her chin just rocking back and forth softly crying. He walked over to the bed and went to touch
her. She shrank away from his hand.
He sat on the floor by her feet and started to
sob. "Oh Cassie, I am so
sorry. Please forgive me. I can’t believe that I was this stupid. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt
you. Please, please talk to me. God, Annie was so right. All I have ever done was hurt you. I was in love with the idea of you not in
love with you like I should have been.
She said to be careful what you wish for. Please what can I do to make this right?" His tears were falling on her feet.
He felt her hand gently resting on his head. "Justin" she said softly. "I think that it would be best if you
leave. We can talk about this tomorrow,
but right now, I can’t look at you.
Please go."
"Alright" he said as he rose from the
floor. "Will you be alright. I hate to leave you like this."
"Justin, you are the cause and the effect of this
situation and right now I can’t think logically so please just leave. I have endured much worse than this and
survived. I will be fine. Now, please go."
He picked up his jeans and put them on. Then looking back at her one last time
headed out the door.
She heard the door close and then started to sob.
Ten minutes later, she heard the door bell
ring. "Oh God, what
now!" She said as she forced
herself up off the bed and slowly made her way to the front door. Looking out the peep hole she threw open the
door and fell into his arms.
"I forgot my jacket." He said walking her into the room, closing
the door and leading her over to the sofa.
I saw Justin downstairs in the lobby.
He is taking my cab home and threw me his keys. He gave me a hug and said we would talk but
that things would be alright. He
understood things a lot clearer now. Do
you know what he was talking about?"
"Yes, but right now all I want is for you to
hold me and promise never let go."
She said quietly.
"I promise." He said
She smiled and looked up into the tender, kind
chocolate brown eyes of Chris Kirkpatrick.
The End
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