A Month Later
"I can't do this anymore, Erik. I need to talk to him, I can't just stay here hiding forever," Janelle spoke to her brother adamantly.
"But Nell, he had an AFFAIR on you! With your best friend! You're just going to go back to him like he didn't do anything wrong?"
"Damn it, E! I know he fucked up! But I'm also carrying his child, and doesn't he deserve to be around for that? I'm over two months along; I need to start going to classes and start getting things in order for this pregnancy. There's things that I need to get done, things that Justin needs to be around for."
"But I can do those things for you; you don't need Justin for it."
"Yes, I do! It is his child! Look, I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about this. I've made up my mind, I need to go to LA and talk to him about this. He needs to be around for what is going on. It doesn't mean that are relationship is ok, it doesn't mean that I've forgiven him, but I'm not going to deprive him of these experiences."
"Nell..."
"NO! Just put my bag in the car and drive me to the airport."
Sighing, Erik hefted the few suitcases his sister had kept at their family's lake house and loaded them into the back of his BMW SUV. What she was doing, he didn't believe it was the right thing. After what Justin had done to her, he had no right to be anywhere near Janelle or their baby. Janelle could make it just fine without Justin; he would take care of his baby sister.
Not to mention the fact that when their father finds out she went back to California, he's going to go completely ape shit. He had to keep their father from flying to California to kick Justin's ass after he found out what had perspired.
He just didn't feel right about it. Justin had never called, never tried to come find her. What kind of husband leaves his pregnant wife to just survive on her own? What kind of husband would just let her go? It was a question he needed to know the answer to.
"Hey Nell, can you answer one question for me?" he asked as they both climbed into the vehicle.
"What?"
"Why did Justin never call? Why did he never come to Indiana to look for you? He should have known that the first place you would go to is home."
"Because I told him not to. I told him I needed time to think, time to figure out what to do with our relationship. I needed that time without him calling and saying things to me to get me to come back. He knows he has me wrapped around his finger. I'm surprised he actually listened to me."
"Ok. So have you decided about what you're going to do, ya know, about the marriage?"
"No."
"What?"
"I said no. I have no clue what I'm going to do yet. I need to talk to him, face to face. I know he can't lie to me." Shaking her head, she thought about how much she was dreading the conversation she was going to have to face when she got back to LA.
The rest of the ride to O'Hare was silent, leaving the siblings to their own thoughts. Janelle's mind was racing with the different scenarios of what could happen when she returned. She wondered if he had told his mom about her pregnancy, and if the tabloids had gotten a hold of his infidelity. She had been avoiding all public places, making Erik go to the grocery store for her and spending the rest of her time on the lake.
She had thought everything through, forwards and backwards. She had thought of all her options, and played each one out in her mind. But no matter what route she went, she still would wind up in pain. That's why she hadn't made up her mind yet. She was torn between keeping herself sane by walking away from Justin, and keeping her future son or daughter happy by staying with their father. She loved him, which was something that she knew for sure. But she just wasn't positive that she could mentally forgive him for what he had done.
As they pulled up to the drop-off area, Janelle piled her cell phone and other belongings into her carry-on.
"Ok, Nell, call me when you land out there, alright? Do you want me to come in and sit with you in the terminal...just in case?"
"It's fine, I'm going to go sit in the VIP lounge. J and I have been in here enough that they know me by face," Janelle said, handing her checked luggage to the man waiting with a cart. "American Airlines, direct to LA." The man nodded and rolled away with the suitcases after handing her the claim tags.
"Alright, be safe. Call me if you need anything."
Janelle nodded before saying bye and walking into the airport to check in. After settling into a seat in the VIP lounge, she placed her iPod on random and placed her headphones comfortably in her ears.
It's strange to think the songs we used to sing
The smiles, the flowers, everything...is gone
Yesterday I found out about you
Even now just looking at you...feels wrong
You say that you'd take it all back, given one chance
It was a moment of weakness and you said yes
You should've said no, you should have gone home
You should have thought twice before you let it all go
You should have known that word of what you did with her
Would get back to me
And I should've been there in the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself why
You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet
You should've said no and baby you might still have me
You can see that I've been crying
And baby you know all the right things to say
But do you honestly expect me to believe
That we could ever be the same
You say that the past is the past, you need one chance
It was a moment of weakness and you said yes...
Coincidental song to come on her iPod right now. If only Justin had said no, if only he had kept her on his mind.
Things had still been rough for Justin. He kept going over that night with Aimee in his head, over and over again, trying to figure out what had happened. He had called Aimee multiple times and had received the same answer: "We fucked, Justin. Get over it."
But something about that night was still unsettling to him. Something didn't quite feel right about the way he had been told things happened. Something just felt off.
He loved Janelle with all of his heart, and he knew he would never do anything to hurt her intentionally. He loved their unborn child that he knew that she was carrying right now, and wished he could be there to watch the pregnancy progress.
His mother had all but quit talking to him. She only would ask him if he had heard from Janelle, and then she would ignore him again. She was pissed and he understood her reasons completely. Trace, well...Trace didn't know what to do it seems. Trace loves Janelle like a sister, yet Justin is his best friend. He's caught between a rock and a hard place and is stuck on which way to go.
Justin had all but given up hope. This morning he had decided that he was going to fly back to Janelle's hometown and see if her brother would give up any information about where she is. Not being able to hear from her or speak to her was hurting him more than he had expected, and he couldn't respect her wishes to leave her be any longer.
He had booked a flight into Chicago, and was packing his bags when the doorbell rang. Cursing to himself, he stomped his way down the stairs and yanked the front door open, ready to lash out at whatever person just happened to be standing on the other side of the door.
Yet the last person he ever dreamed would be there was standing right in front of him.
"Ellie?"
"Hi, Justin."
A Month Later
“I can’t do this anymore, Erik. I need to talk to him, I can’t just stay here hiding forever,” Janelle spoke to her brother adamantly.
“But Nell, he had an AFFAIR on you! With your best friend! You’re just going to go back to him like he didn’t do anything wrong?”
“Damn it, E! I know he fucked up! But I’m also carrying his child, doesn’t he deserve to be around for that? I’m almost three months along, I need to start going to classes and start getting things in order for this pregnancy. There’s things that I need to get done, things that Justin needs to be around for.”
“But I can do those things for you; you don’t need Justin for it.”
“Yes, I do! It is his child! Look, I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about this. I’ve made up my mind, I need to go to LA and talk to him about this. He needs to be around for what is going on. It doesn’t mean that are relationship is ok, it doesn’t mean that I’ve forgiven him, but I’m not going to deprive him of these experiences.”
“Nell…”
“NO! Just put my bag in the car and drive me to the airport.”
Sighing, Erik hefted the few suitcases his sister had kept at their family’s lake house and loaded them into the back of his BMW SUV. What she was doing, he didn’t believe it was the right thing. After what Justin had done to her, he had no right to be anywhere near Janelle or their baby. Janelle could make it just fine without him, he would take care of his baby sister.
Not to mention the fact that when their father finds out she went back to California, he’s going to go completely ape shit. He had to keep their father from flying to California to kick Justin’s ass after he found out what had perspired.
He just didn’t feel right about it. Justin had never called, never tried to come find her. What kind of husband leaves his pregnant wife to just survive on her own? What kind of husband would just let her go? It was a question he needed to know the answer to.
“Hey Nell, can you answer one question for me?” he asked as they both climbed into the vehicle.
“What?”
“Why did Justin never call? Why did he never come to Indiana to look for you? He should have known that the first place you would go to is home.”
“Because I told him not to. I told him I needed time to think, time to figure out what to do with our relationship. I needed that time without him calling and saying things to me to get me to come back. He knows he has me wrapped around his finger. I’m surprised he actually listened to me.”
“Ok. So have you decided about what you’re going to do, ya know, about the marriage?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no. I have no clue what I’m going to do yet. I need to talk to him, face to face. I know he can’t lie to me.” Shaking her head, she thought about how much she was dreading the conversation she was going to have to face when she got back to LA.
The rest of the ride to O’Hare was silent, leaving the siblings to their own thoughts. Janelle’s mind was racing with the different scenarios of what could happen when she returned. She wondered if he had told his mom about her pregnancy, and if the tabloids had gotten a hold of his infidelity. She had been avoiding all public places, making Erik go to the grocery store for her and spending the rest of her time on the lake.
She had thought everything through, forwards and backwards. She had thought of all her options, and played each one out in her mind. But no matter what route she went, she still would wind up in pain. That’s why she hadn’t made up her mind yet. She was torn between keeping herself sane by walking away from Justin, and keeping her future son or daughter happy by staying with their father.
As they pulled up to the drop-off area, Janelle piled her cell phone and other belongings into her carry-on.
“Ok, Nell, call me when you land out there, alright? Do you want me to come in and sit with you in the terminal…just in case?”
“It’s fine, I’m going to go sit in the VIP lounge. J and I have been in here enough that they know me by face,” Janelle said, handing her checked luggage to the man waiting with a cart. “American Airlines, direct to LA.” The man nodded and rolled away with the suitcases after handing her the claim tags.
“Alright, be safe. Call me if you need anything.”
Janelle nodded before saying bye and walking into the airport to check in. After settling into a seat in the VIP lounge, she placed her iPod on random and placed her headphones comfortably in her ears.
It’s strange to think the songs we used to sing
The smiles, the flowers, everything…is gone
Yesterday I found out about you
Even now just looking at you…feels wrong
You say that you’d take it all back, given one chance
It was a moment of weakness and you said yes
You should’ve said no, you should have gone home
You should have thought twice before you let it all go
You should have known that word of what you did with her
Would get back to me
And I should’ve been there in the back of your mind
I shouldn’t be asking myself why
You shouldn’t be begging for forgiveness at my feet
You should’ve said no and baby you might still have me
You can see that I’ve been crying
And baby you know all the right things to say
But do you honestly expect me to believe
That we could ever be the same
You say that the past is the past, you need one chance
It was a moment of weakness and you said yes…
Coincidental song to come on her iPod right now. If only Justin had said no, if only he had kept her on his mind.
Things had still been rough for Justin. He kept going over that night with Aimee in his head, over and over again, trying to figure out what had happened. He had called Aimee multiple times and had received the same answer: “We fucked, Justin. Get over it.”
But something about that night was still unsettling to him. Something didn’t quite feel right about the way he had been told things happened. Something just felt off.
He loved Janelle with all of his heart, and he knew he would never do anything to hurt her intentionally. He loved their unborn child that he knew that she was carrying right now, and wished he could be there to watch the pregnancy progress.
His mother had all but quit talking to him. She only would ask him if he had heard from Janelle, and then she would ignore him again. She was pissed and he understood her reasons completely. Trace, well…Trace didn’t know what to do it seems. Trace loves Janelle like a sister, yet Justin is his best friend. He’s caught between a rock and a hard place and is stuck on which way to go.
Justin had all but given up hope. This morning he had decided that he was going to fly back to Janelle’s hometown and see if her brother would give up any information about where she is. Not being able to hear from her or speak to her was hurting him more than he had expected, and he couldn’t respect her wishes to leave her be any longer.
He had booked a flight into Chicago, and was packing his bags when the doorbell rang. Cursing to himself, he stomped his way down the stairs and yanked the front door open, ready to lash out at whatever person just happened to be standing on the other side of the door.
Yet the last person he ever dreamed would be there, was standing right in front of him.
“Ellie?”
“Hi, Justin.”
