12 >> Just To Rub It In
Justin and Rie sat curled up on Rie’s warm couch, enjoying their Christmas Eve afternoon with an afternoon showing of Justin’s new Sex and the City DVD. As the seasons in the movie changed from autumn to winter, Rie looked up to Justin, who was adorably enthralled with every scene.
“Justin,” she announced pausing the movie.
“Dude,” he frowned, sitting up to look at her. “What the hell.”
“Sorry!” she grinned. “I just had a thought.”
“Okay, what was your thought, Adrienne?”
“Stop calling me that,” she replied through gritted teeth. “And my thought was, what if we spent Christmas in New York?”
“As in tomorrow?” She nodded, her smile growing wider with every second, so he began to think about it. “Why?”
“Why not?” she answered enthusiastically, nuzzling into his chest. “Neither of us have anything keeping us here.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yessss, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m just making sure,” he grinned. “This is, like, a big step for you.”
“Oh come on, it’s just a trip. I love New York, I love taking quick trips there, I love being with you. It’s a perfect Christmas gift.” She turned her head upward so that she could get a peripheral view of his face. “What do you say?”
“Let’s do it,” he smirked.
“Yeah?”
“I mean, we’d have to leave tonight, you know.”
“That’s fine.” She hopped up from the couch, grabbing her Mac from the kitchen counter, and sat back down with him. “I’ll book a flight and a hotel, I’ll pack, we’ll go grab some clothes from your place, and we can be out of here in a few hours.”
“Oh, well aren’t you efficient,” he had to laugh. “I have a better idea, though.”
“What’s that.”
“We finish our movie, and I’ll have Rachael book us a hotel, and a private flight, and we’ll leave in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, ‘scuse me, Mister Moneybags. And why would we leave in the middle of the night?”
Taking her laptop and gently placing it on the floor, he pulled her back into his embrace and resumed his movie. “Trust me.”
“I do trust you, but why are we leaving in the middle of the night?”
“Listen, I don’t wanna freak you out or anything, but nine times out of ten, if I walk out of my house with any type of bag, I’m asking to get followed to the airport, and pretty much through the rest of my trip.”
“Oh…” Rie was automatically put off by the thought, but tried to shake it out of her head. “Okay, well covert mission it is,” she nodded.
“Yeah?”
“Whatever it takes,” she offered him a small smile. “I just wanna be with you.”
“If you’re not careful, I’m gonna start thinking you like me soon.”
She pulled his free hand up to her lips and kissed his palm softly. “I’ll risk it.”
>>>>>>>>>>
Not long afterwards, Justin and Rie were stopping by Justin’s house briefly, just to pick up a few of his essentials for the trip. After much internal wishing, he was glad to find that Talis wasn’t there when they walked in.
“Rie, come on up,” he called from the landing of his staircase.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been past the living room,” she announced, making her way towards his bedroom. “Your house is fucking gorgeous, dude.”
“Well thank you.” He offered her a seat on his bed and trailed into his walk-in closet. “You know, this used to be Errol Flynn’s house?”
“Shut up!” she marveled. “Do you know how hot he was?”
“Extremely, from what I’m told.”
“You have immense shoes to fill.”
“You say that like I can’t do it,” he chided, bringing a pile of shirts into the bedroom with them.
“I’m just sayin’… if the shoe doesn’t fit…” She moved closer to the middle of the bed to make room for Justin’s piles of clothes. “Dude, how long are you planning to say in New York.”
“Well, you never know,” he shrugged. “I could stay in New York for a good few months.”
“Really?” she made a face. “I mean, it’s a perfect place to visit, but I could never stay there more than a few days.”
“Girl, you don’t know about New York then,” he shook his head. “It’s so big and fascinating; it feels like it’s boundless. It’s just “ how can you not be completely in love with it?”
“Well I told you I’ve never been in love before.”
“And I still wonder why that is,” he remembered to tell her, sitting on the bed next to her. “How is it that someone so hot, so enigmatic, so fucking awesome hasn’t been swept off her feet like a million times by now?”
She faced him with an impish smile crossing over her features. “I guess I’m hard to impress.”
“I feel like that should surprise me, but…”
“Shut up,” she smiled. She hopped up from the bed and moved towards his closet, gazing into it with wonder. “I love how your closet is like the size of my entire house.”
“It is not,” he called back to her.
She stepped into the extra large storage room, jealously peeking into several of the drawers and over the shelves. “This is almost as dope as Carrie’s closet.”
“Pshh,” he followed her inside, “my shit is so much doper than Carrie’s.”
“Eh.” Rie playfully shrugged, and turned to him, taking his hands into hers with a bright smile. “Where do you keep your suitcases and stuff?”
“Umm. I’m not sure,” he admitted sheepishly. “Somewhere…around here.”
“As in, in the closet, or in the house?”
He narrowed his eyes as if he were really thinking about it. “In the house.”
“You’re a mess!”
“I’m very aware of that; that’s why you’re here.”
“Okay, I’m gonna go ahead and get your clothes folded and… I guess you need, like, a toothbrush and a razor and… stuff?”
“You can just fold my clothes,” he grinned, leaving her to the empty room and his pile of jeans and jackets.
She sang a random Shwayze song to herself as she picked through a fraction of his wardrobe. His collection of William Rast jeans, and Undefeated t-shirts, and Marc Jacobs jackets made her a bit envious of his lifestyle. It then took her a moment to realize that he was actually letting her into his world, and she was becoming a part of his lifestyle, and the thought made her smile inwardly and outwardly.
“Knock, knock,” there was a tap on the wall and a female voice to follow. Rie turned to find Talis staring back at her. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Rie returned meekly.
“What’s going on?” Talis dared to ask, staring at the clothing on her bed.
“Umm,” Rie gazed at her nervously. “I was just helping Justin pack up some things…”
“Is he moving out?” she frowned.
“No,” she quickly shook her head. “No. We’re just taking a quick trip.”
“Another one?” her arched eyebrows raised in surprise. “Just you and him?”
“Yeah?”
Talis sauntered further into the room, eyeing Rie as she did so, her skinny jeans clung to her slim frame, showing off her perfection. She loomed over the bed, looking through the clothes she’d been packing, and wondered, “Where are you going?”
Rie did a quick debate with herself over whether to tell her. “On a trip,” she decided.
Talis gave her a sarcastic smile and nodded. “So you don’t mind being the rebound girl, huh?”
“Not really, no.”
“You’re better than me, girl.”
“Yes, I am,” Rie deigned, turning her back to Talis, resuming her task of folding. “Why are we stating the obvious?”
“Damn, below the belt,” she laughed shakily. “I underestimated you.”
“Most people do.”
“Listen, I don’t wanna start any trouble--.”
“Then you should probably wait downstairs until I’m done here,” she retorted quickly. “I won’t be long, I promise.”
Talis was frowning at her and the sight of all her hair, but wasn’t quite sure what to say. Rie had certainly caught her off guard. The way she scampered off a few nights before, she figured Rie was more submissive than she let on. “Well okay then, Miss Thing.”
Rie contained a sardonic chuckle as she replied, “Nice seeing you again.” As she heard Talis’s light footsteps move out of the room, she softly began to sing, “You spend your nights alone, and he never comes home; and every time you call him, all you get’s a busy tone…”
“Excuse me,” Talis immediately returned to the room, her eyebrows knitted and mouth slightly ajar.
“Yeah?” Rie faced her innocently.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“What were you just singing?” she demanded stoically.
“You dated the man five years and you don’t know his songs?” Rie shook her head, feigning disappointment. “Ridiculous.”
“God, you have some nerve,” Talis marveled. “Like seriously, who do you think you are?”
Rie continued to play the game, offering Talis a handshake. “I’m Rie Torrey; nice to meet you.”
Talis was glaring at her now. “We’ve already met.”
“Then I guess you’re gonna go ahead and skedaddle?”
“No, I think I’ll stay here.” She folded her arms over her chest, still glaring at the woman across from her, daring Rie to challenge her. “This is my room, after all.”
“Oh yeah, for another week, is it?”
“Longer than it’ll ever be yours.”
“Bitch, I don’t want it to be mine,” she retorted before she even knew what she was saying. She immediately wished she could take it back, but she only closed her eyes and added, “Shit.”
“See, no. Now you need to go.”
“Talis, I’m sorry,” Rie told her sincerely. “That was rude.”
“It was. Now you need to take your little ghetto ass and get out of my room.”
Rie was anything but ghetto, and her eyes innately narrowed at the word, but the last thing she wanted to do was disrespect Justin or his house, so she nodded slowly as she dropped his sweater and began walking out of the room.
Justin was coming up the staircase just as Rie was headed down. “I finally found a suitcase,” he grinned, pulling a mid-sized Louis Vuitton with him. “I had to text Rachael to find out where they were.”
She smiled weakly. “I’ll wait for you downstairs?”
“Rie, what’s wrong?”
“Your poorer half is in there,” she pointed back to his room and winced. “I just called her a bitch.”
He instantly smiled at the notion. “You really just get better and better.”
“Shut up, I feel bad.”
“Don’t,” he reassured her. He took her hand and pulled her back into his bedroom with him. “Talis, you need to go.”
She turned from where she was glancing over his things on the bed. “Go?”
“Yeah. As in get out, leave, vacate the premises. Go.”
“Where am I supposed to go, Justin?”
He shrugged, boredom crossing over his already placid features. “Anywhere where I don’t have to see you while I’m here.”
“Jesus, I don’t even know who you are anymore, Justin.” She passed by them, shaking her head as she traipsed out of the room.
“Yeah, that sounds really legit coming from the woman who cheated on me,” he called back.
“You are horrible,” Rie smirked, letting go of his hand. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“You’ve been warned.” He laid his suitcase along the wood floor and unzipped it, annoyed to find that it was full of clothing. “What the hell?”
“I take it you don’t unpack?” Rie giggled. She noted that the contents were actually women’s items, so she added, “Or I guess she doesn’t.”
Justin sucked his teeth and sighed at the sight. “You know what.” He picked up the entire open suitcase, slid open the door to his balcony and looked out to his enormous yard. He didn’t think twice before turning the suitcase upside down, watching as Talis’s clothes floated to the ground.
Rie watched from the house, gasping as he completed the action. “Justin!”
He turned back to her as he unzipped the pockets and threw out the ancillary items. “What?”
“What are you doing!”
“I’m just helping her move.” A malicious smile formed on his lips as he reentered the house.
“Dude, that was not cool.”
“Rie, come on. After everything she’s put me through, that was damn near nice.”
“Well… okay, yeah. But still, it’s Christmas.”
He rolled his eyes, knowing she was right. “Fine.”
“Let’s just pack your bag and get out of here?”
“Yes, the sooner we’re out of here, the better.”
As Rie began to pull his bag back to the center of the room, they heard the back door slam loudly. Shortly thereafter, Talis was stomping up the steps, yelling, “What the hell!” She eventually came into view, holding a pair of her Louboutins and two of her Betsey Johnson cardigans. “Did you do this?” she asked Rie.
“No,” she frowned, looking her up and down.
“I know you did, you li--.”
“I did it,” Justin stepped between them. “Your shit was in the way.”
“Justin, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
“If you haven’t figured out by now that it’s you, I’m not sure what I can tell you.”
“Justin, I am sorry. I don’t know how many different ways I can say it to make you believe me, but I am so, so sorry for what I did.” She was on the verge of tears now. “You have to forgive me.”
You look so dumb right now
Standing outside my house
Trying to apologize
You’re so ugly when you cry
“Talis--.”
“Really, Justin, I know I can’t take it back, but I am so immensely sorry for what I’ve done.” She dropped her shoes and sweaters and walked over to him, trying to take his hands. “I’m sorry,” she repeated looking into his dark blue eyes.
“Talis, stop it.”
Please, just cut it out
“Well what am I supposed to do?”
“Umm, I’m gonna wait downstairs,” Rie inserted softly.
“Rie, you don’t have to go,” he told her. “Talis is leaving.”
“Justin, stop acting like this,” she cried. “I’m sorry. You have to forgive me.”
Don’t tell me you’re sorry ‘cause you’re not
Baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught
“Stop saying that! You made too many mistakes,” he shook his head. “I could forgive one or the other, but not all of them.”
“Why?” she pressed. “If you love me, why can’t you move past this?”
“Because if you loved me, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
“Yo, this is hella uncomfortable,” Rie tried to laugh. “I’ll just be right downstairs.”
He nodded and watched her leave the room. “This is over,” he finally told Talis. “I can’t even look at you…”
But you put on quite a show, really had me going
Now it’s time to go, curtain’s finally closing
“Stop saying that!”
“It’s over.”
“I love you, Justin!”
“I hate you!” He closed his eyes at his harsh words, but he was finally coming to terms with the fact that that was the reality of their relationship now. “I don’t want to be around you, Talis. I look at you and it takes everything in me not to throw you out that window with your shit. I just can’t”It took you two months. I just can’t. I hate you for what you did to me.”
That was quite a show, very entertaining
But it’s over now
Go on and take a bow
“And there’s nothing I can do to fix it?”
He shook his head again, looking down at the floor. “You can leave.”
“Justin.”
“I’m serious,” he deadpanned. “Go back to Texas, go to Jess’s, go back to wherever you were after you left me; I don’t care. Just get out of my house.”
“You can’t possibly--.”
“I’m serious, Talis. You’re pissing me off even more by standing here.”
Grab your clothes and get gone
You better hurry up before the sprinklers come on
She shook her head, more tears streaming down her flushed face. “Why are you doing this?”
“You did this,” he yelled.
“And I’m sorry.”
This just looks like a rerun
Please
What else is on?
Frustrated, Justin left the room, flying down the stairs, where Rie had been sitting in the living room, trying not to listen to them. He passed her and headed for the basement, where Jess left the boxes she picked up for him back in October. He assembled the boxes in his kitchen, and before anyone else knew what was happening, he began throwing all sorts of items out of the pantry.
Startled by the sound of bottles crashing and doors slamming, Rie rushed into the kitchen. “What are you doing?”
“Still helping Talis pack,” he replied evenly. “Could you slide that box over to me?”
“Justin, what the hell? Can we please just go?”
“Soon as I’m done,” he nodded. “In fact, would you mind taking those two outside?” he was referring to two of the boxes he’d already filled.
“No! I’m not gonna help you kick out your ex on Christmas,” she tried to laugh, but it came out as a scoff.
“This’ll be so much faster if you do.”
“Justin, this shit is offensive. And dare I say, a little bitchass.”
“What’s offensive is that she cheated on me, Rie. What’s offensive is that she disappeared on our wedding day. What’s offensive is that she kept this shit to herself for two months,” he spouted quickly. “If you don’t wanna help, you can go be contrary somewhere else.”
She gazed at him for a long moment, again, trying to read him. “I’m starting to wonder if this is actually a phase.”
“Rie, please.”
“Did you already tell her that she had to go?”
“Yes,” he sighed heavily. “If I know her, she’s up there packing now.”
“Okay, well I have a better idea,” she offered hopefully. “First, tell her we’re leaving.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Just trust me,” she smiled. “Tell her we’re leaving.”
“I didn’t even get any shit for New York.”
“We can come back later then,” she sighed. “Just tell her.”
“Talis,” he began to yell. “We’re leaving now. Don’t be here when we come back tonight!”
Rie didn’t wait for her response before pulling Justin out of the house. “Just follow my lead,” she directed.
By the time they reached the car, she figured Talis had made it to a window with a view, so she planted a kiss on Justin’s unwitting mouth. Her tongue slid past his lips and he quickly returned the favor, his hands affectionately cupping her face as they dissolved into each other. Eventually, when they both began to suffocate, they pulled apart and Rie glanced back up to the house, seeing Talis enviously gazing back down at them.
You put on quite a show, really had me going
Now it’s time to go, curtain’s finally closing
That was quite a show, very entertaining
A satisfied smile took over Rie’s face, and she turned Justin around, resting her chin atop his shoulder so that he could get a good look at Talis’s face as well. Hopefully, for the last time.
She kissed the back of his neck before whispering, “Now let it go.”
But it’s over now
Go on and take a bow
>>>>>>>>>>
It’s the night of Christmas Eve and I’m at Ryan’s gorgeous house in the Hills, helping him decorate his Christmas tree. His kids are coming over tomorrow afternoon, and he wants everything to be perfect for them, which I find absolutely adorable.
“I love Christmas so much,” I remark, unwrapping a package of silver bells. “This time of year, even in LA, is so… perfect.”
He smiles in reply, taking several of the ornaments from me. “Do you have a favorite Christmas?”
“Oh gosh, that’s so hard to say,” I shake my head. “I dunno. Probably the year I went to Memphis with Justin, back in, like… 2003, I guess? His family is just the greatest and sweetest bunch of people you’ll ever meet.”
He smiles at me thoughtfully. “And how did you two become friends?”
“Me and Justin?” I grin “ though the thought of him shouldn’t make me smile right now. I’m still a little pissed at him for what he said the other night. Regardless, I answer Ryan’s question with a happy face. “Well…we met when he first moved out here, back in 2002. We were both pretty good friends with Beverly Mitchell “ I used to work with her on 7th Heaven--.”
“I remember her,” Ryan nods. “Short, blonde, full cheeks, right?”
“Yeah,” I smile, just before I begin wrapping a string of white lights around the bottom of the tree. “Well, she introduced us at this charity thing, we hit it off, and we attempted a few dates. I thought he was a great guy, but at the time, he was just out of a really bad breakup with Britney Spears, and I just wasn’t in the broken business, so…” I chuckle, “we said we would just be friends.”
“See, everyone I know is under the strict belief that men and women can’t have close platonic friendships,” he laughs, making his way to the side of the tree opposite me.
“I know! And no one’s more surprised than me that it’s actually worked out the way we said, but, he’s just… he’s the best friend I ever had.”
“And you introduced him to Talis, right?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Truth be told, the day I met him, I knew he’d be perfect for her. But then, since we got along so well, I thought maybe we’d be onto something…” I continue pulling the lights until I look up and realize that Ryan’s staring down at me. “What’s wrong/”
“Nothing,” he chuckles lightly, and offers me a hand. “Pass me those other bells by your foot?”
I happily oblige and resume my task while he does the same. “At any rate,” I continue, “I really hope you guys end up getting along. It’ll mean a lot to me.”
“Why wouldn’t we get along?” he wonders, still moving back and forth behind me. “He seems like a good guy.”
“Well, no reason, really. Justin just tends to be very opinionated about the guys I get involved with, and it usually ends up getting weird.”
“Hmm. He doesn’t seem like the judgmental type to me,” he replies contemplatively. “Pretty unassuming, actually.”
“Trust me, he has an opinion on everything,” I laugh. “We argue so much, it’s sad.”
We stay silent for a while, continuing our decorating. I start layering the bottom tiers of the tree with white bows and he moves towards the top half with the silver bells. Even though I won’t be here with him with his kids, it really makes me feel like a part of his family life to be here now, knowing that I helped put a smile on their little faces. I don’t care what Justin says “ this relationship is meaningful, and I do like him. And the smile on my face right now is uncontainable, so fuck him.
Thankfully, my rampant thoughts are eventually interrupted by Ryan asking, “So do you ever regret that you introduced him to Talis?”
“Ummm. Sometimes, yeah,” I decide. “At first, I thought I’d done them some amazing favor, but every now and then, when the pieces fell apart and we weren’t sure we could put them back together, I thought they would blame me. But they always worked out it,” I recall. “But after this whole wedding fiasco, I don’t know what I think anymore.”
He nods, kneeling on the floor next to me. “I kind of get the feeling you’re really invested in their relationship.”
“Well… yeah. Kind of,” I admit. “Like I said, they were together because of me, and I just felt a little responsible for their well-being, in some ways.”
“And that’s it?”
“Yeah? What else would it be?”
“So… it wasn’t because Talis was the closest you’d ever get to being in a relationship with Justin yourself?” he asks softly… cautiously.
“What?” I laugh nervously. “Why would you--.”
“I know it sounds horrible,” he says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. But I mean, you just seem to have a slight preoccupation with…” It appears that he notices the discomfort in my expression and abruptly ends his sentence, looking down. “I’m sorry. I sound like an asshole,” he chuckles. “I just want to know where your head is, I guess.”
“Have I done something to show that it’s not with you?”
“Well frankly, yeah,” he laughs again. “Whenever they call, whenever either one of them needs something, you’re, literally, right there. And while I think you’re an amazing woman for being that kind of friend, it just makes me question your priorities a little…”
I nod slowly and stare at the top of his lowered head. “Ryan,” I say quietly, waiting for him to look up at me. When he does, I look straight into his boyish blue eyes. “You got me completely, all right?”
“Jess, you can say the words, and even act them out on cue,” he says, “but I’ve gotta feel like you mean it. And right now…”
“Ry, listen to me,” I direct. “I wouldn’t be here with you if you didn’t make me happy, okay? I’ll admit, I can be a little distracted when it comes to Justin and Talis, because they’re my best friends, but trust me. I’m with you.” I lean in and give him a soft kiss on his small, pouty lips. “Okay?”
He nods understandingly. “I know you have a life outside of me, Jess, and that’s the way it should be. I just need to make sure you’ve got enough room for me.”
“I do,” I confirm. “I have room for you, and Ava, and Deacon, and this big ass tree, and your car that’s identical to mine,” I smile, “and Frank Sinatra” “ his pit-bull is named Frank Sinatra, by the way, “and your ex-wife, wherever she may fit in, and your career, and… your gym obsession, and your weird affinity for hats and wearing them crookedly, and… your snowboarding, and your need to watch Everybody Loves Raymond every single day… I could go on.”
“I got it,” he smiles animatedly. He plops another quick kiss on my lips before standing up again. “What do you wanna eat tonight?”
“How about some Chinese?” I suggest. “There’s this really great place on Wilshire.”
“Chinese on Wilshire?” he smirks. “I don’t think so.”
“No, trust me. They have this amazing Singapore-style Mei Fun!”
“All right, all right,” he relents, playfully narrowing his eyes at me. “You haven’t steered me wrong yet.”
“Are you ready to eat now, or…?”
“Well, it’s after seven; we should probably go before they close, right?”
I nod, rising from my spot on the floor just as my phone begins playing Jingle Bell Rock across the room. “Hold that thought,” I say, darting towards my purse on the couch. I see that it’s Talis and answer quickly. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she says softly. “You busy?”
“A little,” I reply, nodding again. “Do you need something?” She sighs loudly, and I can immediately tell that something is off. “Talis, what’s wrong?”
“Justin…”
“What did Justin do?” I notice that Ryan has his cap on, ready to leave, and I don’t want to hold him up any longer. “Ry, you can wait for me in the car; I’ll be right out.” He stands there silently for a minute, and I can’t really see his expression under his hat, but heads outside just a moment later. “Talis?”
“I’m here,” she exhales again.
“What did Justin do?”
“He kicked me out of the house.”
“What?” I exclaim. “What happened?”
“It was just… not good. He came over to the house with that new girl, Rie, and they were packing for some trip--.”
“Another one?”
“Yeah… I don’t know where they’re going, but they seemed to be in a rush.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, he told me to be gone by tonight, so I just got my stuff and packed the car, and now, I’m kinda just driving in circles,” she confesses. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“T, I’m so sorry,” I tell her softly. “But I told you to tell him sooner.”
“I know. I went about all this so stupidly, but… I didn’t think he’d kick me out on Christmas.” She attempts a laugh, but it sounds more like a whimper.
I make a sad face, though she can’t see it, and shake my head. “I’m sorry, girl.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but… it still sucks.”
“Can I stay with you?” she requests softly.
“You know you don’t have to ask,” I grant. “I won’t be home until later, and you know I’m leaving tomorrow, but my house is yours.”
There’s a long pause, where all I hear is the sound of the road in the background. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m on my way out with Ryan.”
“Oh… So you can’t meet me at your house?”
“Don’t you still have a key?”
“Well yeah, but… I don’t “ I can’t be alone right now, Jess.”
I stare at the mostly-finished Christmas tree in front of me, and then towards the back door of Ryan’s house “ the door I should be walking out of right now. “Talis, I have plans right now.”
“Jess.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I maintain, walking towards the door. “I’ll be home later tonight, but I’m with Ryan right now.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” I make it to the driveway and securely into Ryan’s black Lexus before telling her, “I’ll call you later, all right?”
“Jess--.”
“Bye, Talis.” With a heavy heart, because I hate when I have to be firm with her, I hang up on my friend and turn to Ryan. “You ready?”
But you put on quite a show, really had me going
Now it’s time to go, curtain’s finally closing
“Is everything all right?” He appears a bit surprised.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?” he presses. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, just more Justin drama,” I try to smile. “Nothing I need to worry about.”
That was quite a show, very entertaining
“Jess, are you sure?”
“Yes,” I drawl. “Like I told you before, you got me, dude.”
“Jess.”
“Let’s go,” I insist.
With that, he starts the car, and we’re off.
But it’s over now
Go on and take a bow
Lyrics: “Take A Bow” “ Rihanna (Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello, all! I'm really sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but I was having issues with it and going back and forth with revamping it all weekend. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I hope you guys enjoy it. I think it's necessary, so... yeah. Let me know what you think! lol -Ash
Story Tags: interracial unrequited boyfriendj love fiancej vulnerablej
