Textual Encounters (The Christine + Jake Affair)
Page 16
6:52pm:
He didn’t recognize you!
6:55pm:
By this point, I was thinking one of two possibilities can explain this. Either you really are a figment of my imagination, or your relationship with Peter didn’t exist – or at least, it didn’t exist in February like you suggested. Which put me in an awkward position, so I very gently asked him about the Audi. I told him that I assumed it belonged to a woman he dated in New York, one who left without any reason.
6:57pm:
Suddenly Peter knew who I was talking about. He smirked and nodded, like he knew all too well why I was standing in front of him. He said that woman’s name is Rachel which way too fucked up because that’s what Ben called you that night at my work function.
7:01pm: A
nd then he told me that he dated Rachel in New York, you were high school sweethearts, etc., etc.. But you moved to Toronto first, and when he arrived next, with all of your stuff and moved into the house you two bought together, you essentially disappeared. Like what you did to me.
7:04pm:
When I asked about the Audi, he admitted that it was Rachel’s. He drove it to Toronto before buying his Range Rover locally. Your Audi sat in the driveway since the end of January when he arrived in Toronto, then one day he came home a couple of weeks ago and it was gone.
7;07pm:
Incidentally, he knows your phone number, says he sent you numerous text messages and left a few voicemails on your phone. None of them were ever returned, which makes sense if you and Rachel are different people and you now own her old phone. (Yes, I’m still trying to fit the pieces together here).
7:10pm:
You will be happy to hear that I never mentioned the physical abuse, but judging by how hospitable he was, I can’t say that I peg him as the wife-beater type. Sure, he’s intense, but like I said before, he was very friendly, charming and forthcoming with me. A total jerk would never have spoken to me (someone claiming to have dated his ex) without hurting me, which is why I approached him before he entered his (or should I say “your”) house.
7:13pm:
Something he did say to me was that Rachel is definitely not the same woman as the one in my iPhone photo gallery. He wished me luck with finding you and suggested (half-joking, I’m sure) that once he and I figure out what happened to our soulmates, we should get together for a drink.
7:14pm:
I don’t think I will be taking him up on that offer.
7:15pm:
I hope you’re doing well, Christine. I also hope that we are together again someday.
7:25pm:
I miss you like mad.
7:26pm:
You are my soulmate – you know this as well as I do. So let’s get together soon and move forward with our life together.
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Friday March 29, 2013
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3:28am:
I miss you, Jake.
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3:30am:
I wish you were here.
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3:31am:
I do too.
3:32am:
I am coming to New York on Sunday. Can I see you?
3:33am:
I have some explaining and a lot of making up to do, because I never meant to hurt you.
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3:34am:
It feels like you are about to break my heart.
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3:36am:
I love you, Jake. That will *never* change.
3:37am:
Be careful with Peter. He lied to you about everything except the part about coming home one day and finding that my car was gone. He absolutely recognized me.
3:38am:
If he knows your name, he will find you. He’s crazy.
3:39am:
Does he know your name?
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3:43am:
I gave him a business card.
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3:44am:
Because of that, I can’t go to your apartment.
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3:46am:
So how do we meet?
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3:48am:
I will text you once I get to New York on Sunday.
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3:51am:
Is your name really Christine?
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3:52am:
No.
3:52am:
Well, it is now.
3:53am:
I will explain everything to you on Sunday. And we can decide whether we want to take this to the next level. *This* being our relationship.
3:54am:
But please understand this: We *are* soulmates and I love you more than anything. I hope to redeem myself and make things better (and safer) somehow.
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3:55am:
You have already made it better.
3:56am:
Text me on Sunday when you get to NYC.
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3:58am:
I can’t wait to see you.
3:59am:
I love you.
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4:00am:
I love you too.
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Saturday March 30, 2013
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5:16am:
You there, Jake?
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5:18am:
Just finishing at the gym.
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5:19am:
I miss you.
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5:21am:
I miss you too. Everything okay?
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5:22am:
I’m at the airport, ready to board my plane... but I have to ask you something before I get on...
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5:23am:
Ask anything.
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5:25am:
Have you seen Rachel since I left?
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5:25am:
No.
5:26am:
I told you, Rachel stands in the way of my commitment to you. She and I are over.
5:32am:
Have you seen Peter?
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5:33am:
No. Never again, which is why I’m taking these precautions tomorrow.
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5:34am:
Have you seen anyone else?
5:36am:
I still don’t understand why the distance between us.
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5:37am:
No, there is only you. No one else can come close to fulfilling me the way you.
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5:38am:
I guess I really AM an animal in the sheets, aren’t I?
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5:39am:
Very funny. That’s not what I meant.
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5:40am:
I’m glad I made you smile.
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5:44am:
When I see you later this morning, I know everything will make sense for you. So try not to think too much about it until then. It’s all good (in my opinion, anyway). I’m sure you will fe
el the same. But we have some big decisions to make.
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5:48am:
As long as I can keep you forever this time.
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5:50am:
You know, that was actually part of my peace offering to you ; )
5:51am:
I don’t want to ruin the moment, though, so that’s all you get from me until I get to New York.
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5:52am:
Give me another sneak peek? A little taste of what else we’ll talk about?
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5:54am:
Nice try, Jake. I love you, but I need to see you in person. I want to start with a kiss.
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5:55am:
I can accommodate that.
5:55am:
And if you’re lucky, I’ll do that thing to your knee again.
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5:57am:
I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
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5:58am:
Then keep thinking about it!
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5:59am:
I have to go now.
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6:01am:
OK, remember to text me when you get here.
6:03am:
Safe travels.
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6:03am:
Thanks.
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IV
I hear the footsteps outside my door and notice that the sun has gone down and it’s dark outside. In New York at this time of year, daylight lasts a little longer than it did a few months ago, but not like it does back home.
“You okay in there?” Ellie’s voice startles me.
I feel soft and vulnerable and pull my blankets over my heaving chest. It takes a moment to accept that I’m actually in tears over the role I played in Jake’s heartbreak this past weekend.
“I’m fine,” I call back to Ellie.
“You’ve been home all day. And I can tell you’re crying in there.”
“It’s all good,” I say.
“I’m here when, or if you need me. Okay?”
I nod, then look down at the iPhone, warm in my hand. The screen displays Jake’s last two text messages.
“Since I have not heard from you and I don’t think I can go on like this, I decided to cancel this phone number by May 1. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for us.”
And then, lastly:
“I will never forget you, Christine. Soulmates forever.”
Those messages were sent yesterday when Christine never texted him their rendezvous... because she didn’t have a phone to text him with.
I close my eyes and replay the scene in my mind. Back at the Arrivals gate. Getting into the cab and finding the iPhone. I wanted to keep it so badly when I should have handed it over to the driver. He would have heard me, would have seen the iPhone in my hand if I had just opened my mouth and let the words spill out.
Instead, I stayed quiet and convinced myself that my needs were more important than returning the phone to its rightful owner.
If Christine was that elusive for Jake, I sure didn’t have a chance in hell in finding her.
I let a fresh batch of tears roll down my face, careful to keep the noise dialed down – I am admittedly a pathetic sobber – so that Ellie and Chad don’t break into my room and forcefully medicate me.
But...
I may not have much a shot at finding Christine, but I can easily track down Jake.
I can send him a text, explain that I found this iPhone and we should meet so he can have it and give it to Christine once he sees her again.
Except how would he know where to find her. She was supposed to text him where to meet once she arrived in New York. As far as Jake is concerned, she evaporated.
Which means he will probably spend the rest of his life looking for a soulmate that was too stupid to remember to grab her phone from the back of a Medallion cab. It was the biggest mistake of her-
The iPhone vibrates and scares the shit out of me; I almost drop it.
I check the message on the screen and have to remind myself to breathe. Just breathe, Katie.
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8:32pm: I miss you and don’t know what to think anymore.
8:33pm: Can we meet? Please, I need you.
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I read the messages again and again, then just stare at the words, my eyes absorbing them as one whole message until I realize two things. The first is that Jake is actually a decent guy. He has a huge capacity for love.
The second thing is that Christine may not be the best thing for Jake. I cried for her just moments ago, but that’s because Jake deserves the one thing she can’t give him – reciprocated love.
He deserves better.
I have a small window of opportunity here. I stare at the texts for what seems like an eternity when my plan, however evil it may seem at a glance, appears through the fog, as clear as the photographs I found on this phone, the handful of emails, the voicemails, as though the Universe is talking directly to me once again.
I activate the keyboard and tap away at the keys, responding to Jake’s unknowing messages.
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8:46pm: I miss you too. I love you.
8:47pm: Flatiron, tomorrow? 7pm?
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My heart rate peaks while I hold my breath and wait. And wait. Just when I figure he won’t answer, I feel the vibrations and a beat later Jake’s message pops up on the screen.
Preview: Jake’s Rebound
The following is an excerpt of Book 2 in the Textual Encounters series, scheduled for release on May 12, 2013. To get access to the full text at a steeply discounted rate prior to the official release date, visit TextualEncounters.com and get on the mailing list, which is specific to the Textual Encounters series books, extras and giveaways.
Textual Encounters: 2 (Preview)
Located at Broadway and W 26, Toshi’s at the Flatiron Hotel happens to pour the meanest martinis in Manhattan. Plus, at just three blocks from my office, it makes for an easy walk after those long days pleasing the Attention-Deficit Neanderthal who calls himself my boss.
In the summer when you can access the rooftop terrace, the view is nothing short of breathtaking. If the architectural view is not quite inspiring enough, then the bankers, lawyers and brokers in their powersuits with their collars unbuttoned certainly have a way of filling that gap. If I could buy shares in the hotel, I would. Until then, it’s a few more weeks before they open up the terrace.
Tonight, Jackie and Romina thought it might make for a great night out, just the three of us after a shitty week at work, sipping martinis and seeing what kind of attention we could draw to ourselves.
We walk into the trendy, main-floor restaurant and claim a nice sofa next to a window overlooking W 26. The night quickly evaporates in that magical way that only one drink after another can make happen.
It’s dark outside all of a sudden, and there’s pain in my bladder that I need to attend to, so I excuse myself from the others so I can head to the bathroom. The light-headedness slaps me fast and hard the moment I stand, and it takes all of my concentration to walk a straight line.
I hear Jackie and Romina chuckling somewhere behind me, but I’m not sure if they are laughing at me because they have been chuckling like that since 6:30, right after our third round of straight alcohol. Hearing their laughter makes me smile – it has been a fun night so far – and I disappear into the bathroom, lock myself in a stall and try not to fall over as I lower my tights and pan
ties and settle on the toilet to pee.