by Sorenna Wise
I considered that last part for a minute. Did I need it? I’d been telling myself for months—ever since I met Jake—that I was over Blaise, and still, as soon as he came back into my life, I was fixated on him. “Maybe I do,” I said slowly. I knew that once I’d spent some time with him, I’d remember exactly why we broke up and start regretting the double date entirely, and that actually made me look forward to it. Clearly, my brain needed a tangible reminder that Blaise wasn’t all that captivating, not even for the sake of self-righteous fury.
The date took place that weekend at a trendy little bistro in the middle of downtown. Blaise had suggested the Pearl, but I refused, because the last thing I wanted was for my coworkers to bear witness to this possible travesty. He ended up picking this trendy little downtown bistro, and as I got ready to leave that night, I wondered how many more of my life’s defining moments were going to happen in or around restaurants. When Jake came to pick me up, I met him at the door.
“Let’s do this,” I said grimly.
He raised an eyebrow. “You know, we can always just cancel. No one’s making you go through with this.”
“Backing out is a sign of weakness.” I locked the door behind me and walked to his car. He followed.
“Were things this dramatic while you were actually dating him?”
“Don’t forget, I was a theater major,” I said, eyeing him over the top of the car door. “I can amp up the drama as much as I want tonight.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Just don’t get me arrested. I like my job.”
CHAPTER 7
You always hear about these girls. You know the ones I mean. They walk into the room and you instantly feel like there’s no possible way you can compare to their perfection. The first time I met Alyson, I’d been serving her, and the second, I hadn’t really seen her. But the second she walked in with Blaise, I understood that she was one of them. She looked like she’d stepped straight off the page of a catalogue, one of the thick, glossy ones you might find in the lobby of a five star hotel. There were no wrinkles in her dress, no flyaways in her strawberry blonde hair. She caught my eye, and it was like a silent challenge. We stood motionless, sizing each other up.
Oh my God, I thought. She’s prettier than me. I don’t really suffer from lack of self-esteem—I’ve always been lucky enough not to be one of those girls who fights her own reflection, but faced with Alyson, I felt huge and awkward. True, she didn’t have my runner’s legs, of which I was quite proud, but she was possessed of this classic, delicate grace that I was sure I did not have. I can jump over hurdles and that kind of thing; I can’t do ballet.
She held her hand out to me with a practiced smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Her hands were long and slender, fingernails perfectly manicured. It felt like somehow she had gained the upper hand.
I smiled and nodded. “You, too.” She cast a quick, searching glance at Jake, but he was busy greeting Blaise and didn’t see her. She turned back to me.
“Blaise has said nothing but good things,” she continued. “I only wish I could leave my relationships on such good terms.”
“Well, he was probably exaggerating,” I answered, laughing a little. So that’s how it’s going to be. She was already digging for facts about Jake, specifically Jake’s opinion of her. I vowed to make her work for it. And she knew exactly what I was doing. Even though she laughed, her eyes were as humorless as always.
I had the feeling that a war had just begun. Then Blaise came up and slipped his arm around Alyson’s waist, breaking the spell of tension between us. “It’s good to see you, Ari,” he remarked. “You look great.”
“Oh, thanks.” His compliment annoyed me, but I couldn’t let it show. I was about to make some witty retort when I saw his expression change just slightly. He took a small step back, and I realized Alyson and Jake were watching each other like sharks in the water. If I had thought she didn’t like me, her indifference was nothing compared to the predatory way she looked at Jake. Taking my cue from Blaise, I moved away just a little bit. He had obviously been expecting this.
“Hi, Jake.” Alyson’s voice lilted, so sweet it was cloying to my ears. “I’m glad to see she’s been taking such good care of you.” Already, she’d whipped out the passive aggression. I pointedly glanced the other way. Across from me, I’m pretty sure Blaise was doing the same, which all but confirmed my hypothesis that the whole date was just a cover so Alyson could keep even closer tabs on Jake. She was still talking, touching his arm. “It’s really sweet of you to agree to this. I didn’t think you would.”
I actually heard Jake shrug. “Ari said it might be fun.”
I pursed my lips. That is not what I said at all, you ass. He seemed to know what I was thinking; right after the words left him, he reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell he was smiling. Et tu, Jake?
Just walking through the dining room, Alyson turned heads. She had to be a dancer—I let myself try to guess what kind of classes she’d taken. Ballet and ballroom were both strong contenders, but I figured modern dance was a contender too, and maybe even tap. She slid into the booth, and I added interpretive dance to that list as well. She’d probably done three recitals a week when she was growing up. But she was on the opposite side of the table from Jake, and I was still holding his hand, which gave me a certain petty satisfaction. I may be a tomboy, but I do know how to catfight.
We did our best to make pleasant small talk as we looked over the menus, Blaise and I studiously avoiding each other’s eyes. I sneaked glances at Alyson, though, just to confirm that she kept peeking at Jake. For his part, Jake did not acknowledge her. He’d let go of my hand, and I found myself worrying that he was regretting his decision to let me drag him into this. I had to make sure I made it worth my while.
After failing to capture Jake’s attention, Alyson became very interested in me. Clearly, she was scoping me out so she could plan the best way to get me out of the picture. She asked the normal, friendly questions, but all of hers had a razor’s edge. Where had I gone to school? What was my major? Did I like to read, and if so, who were my favorite authors? I answered her queries and returned them in kind; soon, it was obvious we didn’t have very much in common. I had been right about her, though—she’d gone to school for dance and graduated top of her class. Beside us, the boys watched our conversation go back and forth, everyone waiting for one of us to make a mistake. There was no point in denying that we all knew what was really going on. This wasn’t a double date. It was a standoff.
When the waitress came to take our orders, Alyson told hers to Blaise, and he ordered for both of them. I had to concentrate to keep my eyes from rolling. The woman turned to us, her eyes automatically drifting to Jake, who gestured to me and said, “Ladies first.” I could have kissed him right there. After I asked for pasta, he flashed me a grin. “That’s not very ladylike.”
I gave him a strange look. “Who the hell said I’m a lady?” Alyson coughed, and he swallowed a laugh. That’s when it hit me. He was actively trying to incite her. I didn’t know whether to be amazed, admiring, or afraid. After all, were the night to end in a figurative shootout, I’d be the one in the line of fire, not him.
Tensions only mounted during the meal. While Alyson made eyes at Jake, I noticed that Blaise hardly said anything at all, and except for a brief tangent about surfing with Jake, the comments he did make were directed almost exclusively at me. I fielded them as politely and platonically as I could, not wanting him to get the idea that since the date was really for Alyson to latch on to Jake, he could do the same with me. I was not interested in reenacting that particular drama. Through the clearing of plates and the check, I was able to avoid being cornered into any sort of real interaction with him. But as soon as we left the establishment, I was not so lucky.
“It’s a little too early for the night to end, don’t you think?” Alyson asked. We stood outside the front door of the bist
ro, looking for all the world like two carefree young couples having a pleasant time out together. Only the three of us knew how nefarious she was really being.
“Sure, babe,” said Blaise. I wanted to vomit. “Where do you want to go?” He glanced at us. “You guys don’t mind, do you?”
Jake glanced at me. I shrugged, giving him the opportunity to get out if he wanted to. To my surprise—and vague chagrin—he emulated my action. Blaise nodded. “Let’s go to the park,” Alyson interjected suddenly. “It’ll be much quieter there than at the beach. We can talk.”
Oh, I thought savagely, you bitch. I didn’t doubt that she would pounce on Jake the moment we got there, pull him away for a private little chat. He seemed to anticipate this turn of events himself. I saw a faint grimace cross his face. “That’s fine,” I said. “We’ll meet you there?” The park wasn’t that far, but if we drove it would give Jake and I time to regroup before the next phase.
That is, if it weren’t for Blaise. He gave me a smile. “Nah, we can walk. It’s close.” Sensing my reluctance, he prodded further. “Come on, you used to run track in school. This is nothing, right?”
“All right, all right.” I made sure Alyson was looking before I laced my fingers through Jake’s. He kissed my hair. “It’s a nice night anyway.”
That was a victory for me. She remained silent for the first five minutes of the walk, staying slightly apart from Blaise, her arms folded loosely. I wasn’t about to rest on my laurels, however. The nimble wheels of her mind were turning. Next time she made her move, I could be in trouble.
Jake didn’t talk much either, instead looking up at the clear black sky. I leaned my cheek against his shoulder, inhaling the clean, masculine scent of his soap. He asked me softly if I was tired. “Maybe a little,” I said.
“We won’t stay long.” He ran his thumb across mine. There was a sort of thrill in having a private conversation while in the presence of Blaise and Alyson. I was happy. To me, these tiny, casual intimacies were the things that distinguished our real relationship from their fake one. Finally, I had something Blaise didn’t.
I was so focused on Jake that I didn’t even see Blaise and Alyson swap positions so that he was walking on my other side. “Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked. I looked up, startled.
“Yeah. It was nice.” That was a bit of an overstatement, but I couldn’t bring myself to be mean to him. He was so far out of his element it was almost pitiful.
“Good,” he said. Then, as if it was just an afterthought, “I thought you might like that place.”
What was I supposed to say to that? Gee, thanks for remembering basic trivia about me. Ari likes places that serve pasta. Your medal is in the mail. I wanted to turn and see if Jake had heard, but I kept myself facing neutrally forward. “Well,” I replied, “you paid, so I hope you liked it too.” Next to me, Jake chuckled, and I added, “Thank you for that, by the way. You didn’t have to.”
“Sure I did.” Blaise gave me a lopsided little smile. “Beautiful women should never pay for themselves.”
Any remaining red flags I had went up when he called me beautiful. Blaise is the type of man who is so rarely sincere that when he offers something that appears to be genuinely nice, I go on high alert. I had dated this man for eighteen months. I knew when he was flirting.
And he was totally flirting with me. In front of my boyfriend, no less.
Uh oh, I thought. Maybe this is more than I bargained for.
I’ve always thought that Pelican Park is nicer than most parks because if you’re sitting on the benches or in the grass by the fountain, you can hear the sound of the surf on the shore. Seagulls notwithstanding, it’s an incredibly relaxing way to spend some time…but not if your ex-boyfriend is there with you.
“I used to paint here a lot,” Jake said as we walked through the front gate.
“I remember that.” Alyson’s voice was tinged with a fond nostalgia meant to thoroughly exclude Blaise and me from whatever memories she was sharing with Jake. It worked too well.
“Hey Blaise, can I talk to you?” I said. If Alyson wanted alone time with my boyfriend that badly, I had just decided she could have it. Not only was there no way I could stop her, I had put the full extent of my trust in Jake. Things might be messy after they had their talk, but he’d still be mine. Good luck, sweetheart, I thought savagely. I’m not generally a mean person, but damn if Alyson wasn’t making me into a bitch.
Blaise followed me across to the other side of the fountain, where I turned and looked at him sternly. He already knew he was in trouble. “Listen, Ari—”
I cut him off. “You listen. I know your ‘girlfriend’ is after Jake, okay? I know exactly who she is. Now I have some questions for you.”
His shoulders slumped. I had him. “All right,” he said glumly. “Whatever you want.”
“Did you know she’s been stalking Jake for like, over a year? Ever since they broke up.” I paused for emphasis. “She follows us when we go on dates, Blaise. I’ve seen her.”
“I…” He sighed. “I knew about some of that. She told me she was still in love with him and that she really just wanted to get him back. She said she doesn’t mean any harm. And she hasn’t actually done anything, right?” The fact that he needed me to confirm it made me think he didn’t quite have faith in her harmlessness himself.
“No, she hasn’t, otherwise I’d have gotten her arrested by now. But do you honestly believe she won’t try to ruin my relationship? She has ‘homewrecker’ written all over her.” I could practically hear my theater degree as I said that, and so could Blaise.
“Come on,” he said. “No she doesn’t. But I get what you’re saying.” The admission was good enough. “And I’m not trying to agree with her. If you guys are…you know, happy, then she shouldn’t mess with that.”
I narrowed my eyes. “See, you’re making sense right now, but you’re also helping her. You’re the one who called me to set this little act up. Either she’s got some kind of crazy power over you, or you’ve got reasons of your own.”
Blaise didn’t answer for a long time. He gazed silently into the fountain’s pool, presumably deep in thought. I wondered what he would ultimately choose to tell me. “You know,” he said finally, “I really did meet her on the beach.”
“I never said you didn’t.”
“Yeah,” he said absently. “That’s when she told me about this whole thing. I figure she was probably out following you guys around when I ran into her. She’s not like the other beach girls, you know?” I did know. In fact, I was sure I’d pointed that out to him over the phone. “I’d just come in from surfing and I was headed up to the bar for a while, which I guess was where she was going, too, because we ended up sitting next to each other. So I offered to buy her a drink.”
I waited, unsure what to think. Blaise had never been this forthcoming to me about anything in his life, not even the important stuff. When we broke up, his words had been filmed with a brutal impartiality that wasn’t present now. For the first time, we were speaking about things that meant something to him, and not just me. “And she let you?” I asked, feeling that he needed a prompt.
“Yeah. I don’t even remember what it was; something girly that you’d probably hate. And then she told me all about how her ex had left her and she was broken up over it, but it was actually all her fault…” He trailed off. “She was kind of a mess, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. She looks real put-together all the time.”
“She said it was her fault?” It surprised me immensely to hear that Alyson admitted her own responsibility for the downfall of her relationship with Jake. Could it be that she wasn’t as delusional as I assumed? I mean, it was turning out to be a night of surprises; one more wouldn’t be out of the question.
“Well, yeah,” said Blaise. “She said she’d driven him away, that he never would have left if she hadn’t been so jealous. The last time they spoke, she’d said some things she regretted, and she was afra
id it was too late to take them back.”
“Uh, they’d been broken up for like, six months by then,” I told him. “So, yeah. A little bit.”
He nodded. “I asked her why she didn’t just go talk to him. She said she was going to, but then she saw him with a girlfriend and that broke her resolve.” He laughed dryly. “I didn’t know she was talking about you at the time. If I had…maybe I wouldn’t have agreed to it.” He shrugged. “Like, maybe I would’ve thought more before saying yes.”
“Yes to what?” The vagueness of his language made me wary. Had they made some kind of weird breakup pact? Did I even want to know about it? But the question was out there, so all I could do was wait and hope for the best.
“She asked me if I’d ever been in a similar situation. I told her about you.” Blaise glanced up and saw me frowning. “Look, this happened right after I saw you on that date with him, okay? I’d been thinking about you. That’s why I said it.”
“It wasn’t like that between us, though,” I said.
Blaise shrugged again. “Maybe not on your end.”
I furrowed my brow, trying to gauge how serious he was. Then I asked him outright. “Are you kidding? Don’t you remember how we ended? Don’t you remember how bad it had gotten before that?” I shook my head. “I mean, yeah, I was mad at the time. I was mad for a long time after that. But I’m not stupid enough to think it wasn’t for the best.” I stopped talking. I thought he had accepted that too. The idea that I might be wrong was strangely terrifying.
“That’s probably true.” Blaise sounded wistful, which is an adjective I never thought I’d use to describe him. “I know you weren’t happy. I don’t think I was either. That’s enough of a reason to move on. But that doesn’t mean I don’t regret the way I handled it.”
“You told her that?” I couldn’t hide my bewilderment. It wasn’t like Blaise at all to open up to anyone, much less a complete stranger. How much were you drinking?