“Well, I'm looking for—” Before Jake could finish his sentence, his cell phone vibrated. He pulled it out from his back pocket and noticed a text message from Darlene.
Do you have time for dinner tomorrow? Causal, formal, doesn't matter.
“Excuse me just a moment,” Jake said to the salesperson. “This is kind of important.”
“Take your time. Just flag me down when you’re ready.” He left Jake to himself and prowled the store for other customers to hound.
Jake couldn’t help but find Darlene’s text message a bit out of the ordinary. She had sent him maybe three texts at the most over the course of their relationship. Then again, Darlene had been extremely busy with work for the last few weeks. She hadn’t had any free time at all lately, which he wasn’t quite used to. They had even missed out on spending Christmas together.
Without reading into it any further, he texted back: Sure, how about 7pm at Mama Cucina? Jake, for some unknown reason, re-read her text message and started to analyze its meaning.
“Sir?” The salesperson was back.
Jake shook off his daze and uttered in a faltering voice, “I apologize. You have my full attention now.”
“Well, then. What can I help you find today?”
“Actually, I'm looking for an engagement ring.”
***
December 29, 2013
With the intention of cooling her jets before the big show down, Holly got to the restaurant much earlier than she had originally planned. With her palms sweating like cold-water pipes, she waited for Jake to arrive. This was undoubtedly going to be one of the hardest decisions she’d ever have to make. All this time, she had aimed to avoid Jake until she had no choice but to schedule this dinner with the purpose of breaking off the relationship. Holly had played the game right over the past few weeks by making sure they had frequent phone conversations so that he wouldn’t get suspicious of anything. The more she thought about what was to come that evening, the more her heart pounded like a jackhammer.
When Jake arrived, one look at that handsome face and Holly just about had second thoughts. Then she reminded herself of the disaster she would end up in if she didn't put the brakes on this relationship for good.
“Hey, you look great.” Jake took her hand in his. “I’ve missed you.”
How desperately she wanted to hold him, kiss him, and feel his arms holding her tight. However, she had to disregard any affection she had left for him and control herself. Holly instead softly pecked him on the lips and disobeyed the sudden impulse to kiss him like crazy.
“Good to see you,” she said politely.
“You know, I still haven’t given you your Christmas present. It’s in my car. We’ll get it when we leave,” he said with a warm smile.
Sadly, Holly knew that was unlikely of ever happening. “Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything,” she mentioned as they were escorted to their seats.
Mama Cucina restaurant was an upscale stone and terra cotta tile re-creation of a Tuscan Inn. That evening the atmosphere was intimate and crowded with the buzz of conversation and the clink of wineglasses. The pleasant aroma of pasta, sauces, women's perfume and garlic and herbs permeated the air. Each table was swathed with white linen and set with sparkling glasses and silverware. Normally, this would not be the typical kind of joint for a break-up.
“I haven’t been here in ages,” Jake mentioned as he placed a linen napkin in his lap. “I hope the food is as remarkable as I remember.”
Holly took a sip of her red wine. “I used to know the original owner of this place. Geno was a big sweaty Italian guy who cheated on his wife any chance he got. Well, to make a long story short, his wife got pregnant right before she found out about him messing around on her. They ended up divorcing; he sold the restaurant and moved away.”
“That's a shame,” Jake said. “But the guy evidently created the whole mess by himself. He had it coming to him.”
“Yeah and ironically, he tried to warn me about my ex-boyfriend when I first started dating him. Geno didn't like him at all, said he was a pompous ass—an arrogant, very wealthy, pompous ass.”
The waiter came out with a basket of bread, accompanied with a variety of flavored butter: garlic, olive, and pesto. Holly forced herself to choose something from the menu even though nothing at that moment looked appetizing.
Jake glanced over the menu, already knowing the entrée he'd choose. “So do you want me to come over after dinner?”
“I won’t have time tonight. I have to be somewhere early in the morning,” Holly replied without much thought.
After they had ordered their meals, Jake asked, “But we’re still on for the airshow on Sunday, right?”
Holly took a deep breath and held back her emotions. “Jake, you're not going to like what I have to tell you.”
“It’s okay,” Jake said, sensing something was off about this entire evening. “What’s up?”
“Something came up in regards to work that day. I’ll be out of town.”
The look of letdown washed across his face. “I’ll admit that I’m a little disappointed because I’ve been anticipating going to this for months now, but I understand that things come up,” Jake said, a bit flustered. “We can go to the one in Miramar next month if you want.”
“No, Jake,” Holly said. “I won’t be around next month. My schedule is pretty tight.”
Jake half smiled and replied reassuringly, “Don't worry about it. I think I can handle you being absent for a while.”
Jake wasn’t getting it and he was making this whole dilemma ten-times more difficult than she expected it to be. “Jake, sweetie, I really think we are in two different places in our lives right now.”
“We have the pumpkin ravioli and chicken parmesan.” As the waiter placed their meals in front of them, a silence fell over the table like a heavy snow. “Enjoy.”
Food was no longer a priority to Jake. “Huh? Two different places? I'm totally confused right now.”
“I'm so busy with my career that I really don't have time to focus one-hundred percent on this relationship.”
“This is so random,” Jake said, his appetite diminishing little by little. “We were perfectly fine a few days ago.”
“No.” Holly shook her head in despair and silently prayed for forgiveness after all the lies she was about to tell. “It hasn't been going fine. When was the last time, we like, did it? You even mentioned something about it.”
“I don’t know—I don’t keep track of that stuff.”
“Well, it’s been a while and that isn’t normal for us.”
“None of that matters to me,” Jake said in aggravation. “I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this. It sounds to me like you’re making excuses so you can call it quits.”
This was so painful to do; Holly hated to hurt him like this. At that exact moment, the role she was playing would have benefited her acting career if she had one. “Look, I just want you to know that this has no reflection on you, Jake. It's me. With everything I have going on in my life right now, the holidays, and what not, I don't have time to be in a relationship.
Jake let her words sink in and then replied, “I’m having a hard time believing all this, although when I got that text from you the other day, I had a bad feeling. Darlene, are you seeing someone else? Is that it?”
Offended by his comment, Holly retorted, “Ugh—of course not.”
“Then, why? Tell me the real reason why you bought me here today.”
“Because I like you and it's just not fair to you when I can't put my all into this relationship.”
“Like me?” Her answer was downright insulting. “You like me?” Though she had never spoken the true words, he knew this was far from accurate. In fact, this whole scene in general was absurd. At first, Jake thought maybe he was being punked and someone would pop out and announce that he was on some reality show. From the grave look on her face, that theory went right out the window
. It was then that Jake thought of the ring that he had just purchased and the Caribbean getaway that they were about to embark on. “You’re serious right now?” he asked in a slight whisper.
“Yes. I just think your feelings have moved a little further along than mine.” Holly looked down at her untouched plate of chicken parmesan. “But I want us to be friends, Jake. I think we should just focus on friendship right now and worry about the relationship part later.”
“Friends?”
“Yes. I don't want to lose your friendship.” Tragically, she knew he would never have anything to do with her after this night was over.
“I don't even know what to say to you right now,” Jake said. The news had hit him like a freight train.
“Please don't be mad at me.” Holly went to touch his hand that lay on the table, but he abruptly pulled away. “I’m doing this for your benefit. Like I said, it’s not fair to you that I can’t put my all into this relationship. Can’t you understand that?”
The two hadn't touched their food. Besides, after the stunt Holly had just pulled, Jake had no appetite whatsoever. Holly watched him lean back in his chair and lift his wineglass to his pale lips. The shock factor of everything that had just transpired between the two of them had him thinking a million thoughts at once. He had no idea how to respond after this bomb had just been dropped on him.
Holly’s cell phone rang and emitted the awkward stillness.
“Holly—oh my God.”
“Um, Todd… now is really not a good time.”
“Okay then. You tell me when I should call back and let you know that Emma’s having her baby… right this minute,” he stated in annoyance.
“I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can.” Holly hung up and rose from her seat. “My friend is having a baby.” She pulled out her wallet and threw down a hundred dollar bill. “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”
Jake looked up at Holly with a wounded, betrayed expression. Holly said nothing further as she walked out the door. She ended up in the parking lot, bursting into tears. She sat on her car bumper, sobbing, and trying to understand how she let herself get so involved in the first place.
Back in the restaurant, Jake wondered if everything that had just went down was really just a nightmare that he was going to wake up from. The shrill of his cell phone dispersed his thoughts.
Jake spoke weakly, just barely above a whisper and with a terrible effort said, “What's up?”
“Dude! You need to get your ass over to my place right now,” Grayson said authoritatively.
The last time Grayson called behaving this way was when he had somehow coaxed two very famous playboy centerfolds to his apartment. “Look, I'm really not in the mood, okay?”
“This is a dead serious matter, bro. I just found out a ton of shit that’s going to blow your mind.”
Jake sighed heavily and asked, “About what?”
“Your girl.”
***
Jake arrived at Grayson's apartment strictly to find out what he had on Darlene. As of that moment, he felt like his whole life had crumbled down around him and there was nothing left to salvage. Jake knocked on his best friend’s door like a feeble old man, weary and physically drained.
Grayson greeted him at the doorway within seconds, a bit alarmed by Jake’s pale, almost sickly complexion. “Geez, man. You look like shit.”
In annoyance, Jake rolled his eyes. “Well, my night hasn't been all that pleasant, so you better make this good.”
“Well, um—” Grayson leaned against the door jam. He was wearing faded jeans and a light blue polo shirt. “Then maybe this isn’t the best time.”
“No.” Jake pointed his finger at Grayson like a gun. “You got me down here so you sure as hell better finish what you started.”
“All right, all right—chill out,” he said calmly.
Grayson ushered Jake through his apartment. His place had always been a bachelor pad complete with a bar, and matching stools in one corner, and a clothesline above the fireplace filled with a countless number of women’s panties from each one of his one-night stands.
“When are you going to tell me what this is all about?” Jake asked as they made their way to Grayson’s bedroom.
“Do you remember when I told you that I've seen your chick somewhere before?”
“Yeah, sure.” He wasn’t even about to tell him that she was no longer his chick.
Grayson started up his computer and said, “Okay, well, I was dating this girl at the beginning of the year, Trista, smoking hot man, she—”
Jake cut him off. “Can we just get on to the point? I’m not in the mood to hear about one of your sexcapades.”
“Yeah sure, anyway, she would always rave about this stupid blog that she was following about this chick who wrote about every date she went on through this one dating website or whatever—something like that.” Grayson sat down in front of his computer and opened up his email. “So there I was on the Internet earlier today minding my own business when this article comes up on a matchmaker doing the same thing. Out of curiosity, I click on the link, right. It takes me straight to this broad’s blog and you would never believe who it is.” He clicked on the link and it took him to a page where Darlene showed up on a blog site.
Jake had to shake himself out of disbelief. “What the—”
“I freaking knew it, man!” Grayson said, all hyped up. “But that isn't the most whacked part. I read through all this bullshit and it seems for months now her latest victim has been some dude named, “J,” who sounds a lot like you.”
Jake pushed Grayson out of his seat and took command of the computer. “Let me see this.” Jake recognized bits and pieces of his relationship with Darlene as he scrolled through the blog. He continued to speed-read each entry—his eyes glued to the screen. Finally, Jake said, “This has got to be a joke.”
“Her real name is Holly Sparks,” Grayson scoffed. “She's the CEO of a matchmaking service in Los Angeles.”
Jake scrolled through the blog. “I, I— can't believe what I’m reading.”
“Did you really sign up on a dating service, dude?” Grayson asked with a snort. “That is so gay. You know that’s almost like telling everyone you have no game, right?”
“Just shut it!” Jake snapped as he read about their first kiss. He realized in that instant that everything he thought was private and genuine in their relationship had turned out to be one big lie. Not only had this woman humiliated him on a personal level, she had also done it publicly.
“I told you, man. I warned you.” Grayson shook his head in hilarity. “Now the whole world knows what an awesome kisser you are.”
Jake got up from his seat and backed Grayson into a corner of the room, intending to put a good scare into him. “Look, I’m about thirty-seconds away from fucking bashing your face in like a pumpkin,” he said with his fist pointed at Grayson’s face.
“Dude! Slow your roll turbo. I was just messing with you.” Grayson gently removed Jake’s grip from his shirt. “Don't kill the messenger all right, buddy?” he said with a meek smile. Grayson patted Jake on the shoulder, hoping to appease his friend’s bitter mood.
Jake backed away, feeling defeated in more ways than one. It was bad enough he'd been taken for a fool, but having the entire world know about it? He wasn't about to let this one slide.
***
Holly walked through the sliding hospital doors looking as though she had just gone to hell and came back to tell everyone about it. Anyone would have thought that a death had occurred in the family from the way she appeared. Tears streamed down her cheeks like water on a windshield, leaving her face red and puffy-eyed. Holly didn't think it was humanly possible to cry any more tears, but sobs continued to gather in her chest every time she thought about Jake.
Inside the lobby, Todd greeted Holly and immediately noticed her distress.
“Honey—oh my God.” Todd held his arms out and embraced Holly. She wasted no time taking solac
e in her best friend’s hold and digging her face into his chest. “What happened? You’re a wreck.”
“Jake and I broke up,” Holly whimpered.
“Seriously? Todd said with a sneer. “What a douche.”
Holly looked up at Todd with watery eyes and said with a sniff, “No. I finally broke it off with him.”
“Okay, sit down for a minute, calm yourself and tell me what happened,” Todd said, leading Holly to a section of the room with a row of stained and uncomfortable upholstered chairs.
“I made up all these sorry excuses for why I couldn't be in a relationship with him anymore,” Holly said in quiet sobs. “You should have seen the look on his face. It was as if I told him I hated his guts or something. It just killed me.”
Todd softly ran his hand down the back of her head and nestled his nose against her cheek. “Oh sweetie, you’ve really fallen for him haven't you?”
“Seriously…” Holly held back tears. “This wasn't supposed to happen. I know Dr. Adams had warned me, but he's just the kindest, sweetest man I've ever met. How could I not?”
“But now that his mother is a client—”
“I couldn't wait until the experiment ended. With her in the mix, the whole situation got way out of hand.”
“I'm so sorry, Holly.” He lifted her chin and half-smiled. “I wish you had met him a different way. This is truly dreadful.”
“I feel like such an asshole for what I just did to him.”
Todd put his arm around her shoulder. “I know it sounds insensitive of me, but both of you will eventually get over it. It's just going to take some time.”
“The pain cuts way too deep for me to even think about that right now.”
“You have to remember that this wasn’t meant to be in the first place, Holly.”
“Okay, let’s try not to talk about this anymore. It’s just making me more upset.” Holly took a tissue out from her purse and wiped away her tears. “This is supposed to be one of the best days of Emma's life and I'm a total wreck. What's the word on her anyway?”
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