“Sure.” Jack nodded absently and moved the phone to his other ear. “Yeah, I can do that.” He nodded again, his body stiffening as Daniel moved behind him, sliding his arms around Jack’s waist. “Not a problem.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you then.” Jack clicked off the phone and set it down, stepping out of Daniel’s embrace. “You’re back.”
“And feeling the cold shoulder.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“For me? Or for anyone?”
Jack sighed and moved over to the couch, sitting down and staring up at Daniel, a defeated expression on his face. “Do we have to do this now? I mean, I’ve really had a week I’d rather just forget, so maybe we could do this another time? Maybe you could put your dramas on the backburner for me?”
“My dramas?” Daniel asked incredulously. “You think that’s what this is? Some drama that I’m making up?”
“Daniel, we’ve been seeing each other for a year and a half. And yet you wait until now, the week my sister commits suicide to decide that you want to leave your wife and daughter? That had absolutely nothing to do with me.”
“I did it because I love you.”
“You did it because Andie’s death left you somewhere besides the center of my attention.” He lifted one hand and rubbed his tired eyes. “I appreciate that you have feelings for me…”
“Feelings for you.” Daniel nodded, his anger building, his hurt shining like a beacon. “I have feelings for you? I’m in love with you, Jack.”
“I’m not in love with you.”
Daniel froze, the words like ice in his veins, spoken with such finality, such coldness, such lack of emotion. “You’re upset because of Andie’s death, so I think I’m just going to go for now and you can call me…”
“I won’t call you, Daniel.” Jack lowered his hand and met his lover’s gaze. “And before you start, it has absolutely nothing to do with Jen, either. I just…I need something else in my life. I don’t need you.”
“You’re just lashing out at everyone, aren’t you?” His voice raised slightly, pain giving him some sort of manic energy as he paced behind the couch, throwing his gaze in Jack’s direction. “You ran Pacey out of town, you fucked me to hurt Jen, you fucked Jen to hurt me, and when that didn’t finish the job, you just decided to get rid of me, is that it?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Daniel. None of it has had anything to do with you.” Jack stood up and walked over to him, resting his hand on one of Daniel’s shoulders. “I realized that this morning when Jen left. Maybe I realized it when Andie died.”
“Realized what?” The words were small now, no longer backed by the strength of his hurt.
“I don’t love you. I haven’t loved you in a long time.” Leaning in, Jack kissed Daniel’s forehead softly before moving away. “Go home.”
“I don’t have a home to go to.”
“Jen’ll forgive you,” Jack promised him. “Just tell her that I hurt you like I hurt her and she’ll forgive you.”
“Right.” Daniel nodded and backed toward the door. His blue eyes were confused, hurt, wounded. “How did I get it all so wrong, Jack? I mean, I thought, when I saw what happened to Andie, that you’d figure it out. You’d realize that we’d been wasting time and we needed to make it all real. Instead, you’ve just found somewhere else to hide.”
“Goodbye, Daniel.” The door closed and Jack sighed with relief. The air in the room felt lighter, and for the first time since he’d arrived at his sister’s house he felt something like freedom. Moving toward the window, Jack leaned against the glass and stared down at the street below.
Reaching for the phone, he held it to his ear as he dialed the familiar number.
“No one’s home to take your call.”
“Except you’re there. You don’t sound a thing like a machine.”
“What do you want?”
“I need a date.”
“I’m unavailable.”
“Andie’s funeral is next weekend.”
Jen sat silent for a moment. “I don’t think Miss Manners would approve of taking a date to your sister’s funeral.”
“I don’t either, but it’s the only occasion I have on my calendar, so if I’m going to take you out, you’re going to have to work with me.”
“I’m mad at you.”
“I figured you’d have forgiven me by now,” Jack stated softly.
“I’ve been busy. I haven’t gotten around to you.” Jen paused. “Is Daniel there?”
“No.”
“Has he been there?”
“I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore.” Jack cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have done what I did to you, Jen. I shouldn’t have slept with him. I shouldn’t have…”
“It’s okay, Jack. That was actually the least of what pissed me off. At least when he was with you, I knew he was safe.” She stared at herself in the mirror across from her bed for a moment before looking down at Hannah, sleeping innocently beside her. “He hit me, Jack.”
“What?”
“And hearing your voice made me realize how much I need my best friend, so consider yourself forgiven, okay? And maybe we can just pretend that what happened last night never happened?” She sniffed back the tears that threatened. “I need it not to have happened, Jack.”
“I’ll come right over.”
“I’m in my bedroom hiding under the covers with Hannah. I’m wearing pajamas.”
“Sounds great. I’ll bring mine.” He smiled, surprised that he still could and mean it. “Jen?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared to death that I’m going to end up like Andie.”
“I won’t let you.”
“Promise?”
Jen smiled through her tears as she heard his voice break, heard a rush of emotions leave him. “I swear.”
| Chapter Fourteen |
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