Valentine's Day Romance: Finding Love

by Chapin, T. K.

  “It’s true that I like him, or did like him… I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of him anymore, he thinks I am seeing you behind his back,” Rebecca said as she went and plopped onto her couch. Looking over her shoulder at Jonathan near the door, she said, “You can shut the door on the way out…” Jonathan touched his finger to his chin in thought.

  “You are already dressed up… Would you like to get some dinner? I have reservations at Raze, that new place. I had them for Stacy and me tonight, but that’s not happening.” Rebecca nodded eagerly as she stood up from the couch.

  I won’t have to sit here and worry about Mike and how he feels about everything. He acted a little immature about Jonathan being over here. Maybe though, it wasn’t immature, I did straight up lie to the guy about what I was doing and I blew our date off for another dude…. Which I’m now going out on a date with… HA… I’d hate me too if I were him. So why did my heart drop in my chest at that thought?

  -8-

  Pulling up to Raze, Jonathan turned the car off and got out. Rebecca sat for a moment before realizing he wasn’t going to open the door. She quickly got out so he wouldn’t notice she was waiting.

  “Almost thought you weren’t coming,” Jonathan laughed putting his arm around Rebecca, letting his hand slip off her shoulders and fall onto the small of her back. Butterflies fluttered in Rebecca’s stomach at his touch of her back. I use to dream of this day.

  Neon purple and blue lights lit the sign of the restaurant. Under the sign it read: An experience you’ll never forget. Rebecca hadn’t been to Raze since it’s opening a few months prior, but her assistant Vivian had told her a little bit about it. She said the food sucked, but the painted people and divers made it worth a visit at least once. Walking up to the restaurant, young girls wearing a brightly feathered outfits and skirts opened the doors for them. As Jonathan and Rebecca entered, the make-up wearing girls bowed.

  “Welcome…” A lady behind a counter said in an exotic deep voice as they approached. Brightly feathered outfit wearers rushed around Jonathan and Rebecca removing their coats.

  “Woah…” Jonathan said as they took off his jacket. Rebecca laughed. The lady behind the counter was smiling.

  “Name on the reservation?” She asked.

  “Bateman,” Jonathan said.

  “Excellent,” she said after finding their name on the list. “Would you prefer the floor level or top?” She asked looking at the two of them. Jonathan looked over at Rebecca with his eyebrows raised.

  “Let’s do floor level,” Rebecca said. Her eye caught a painting in the lobby that had people dressed exotically dancing around a fire. She said, “Wow, that’s a nice piece.” Jonathan peered over at the painting for a moment and nodded before the lady behind the counter led them away.

  Taking them past a set of stairs that hugged the wall, she brought them into a large dining area that had ceilings that went up at least 100 feet. Rocky cliffs and waterfalls lined the entirety of the room. Rebecca peered up to see a woman painted like a leopard leap from a waterfall diving into a pool below. The pool area circled the entire room and a railing separated it from the dining floor. Leading them to table along the railing, the lady said, “Your experience enhancer will be with you shortly.” She smiled and bowed as she backed away.

  “This place is unbelievable,” Rebecca said looking up at the nearby cliff. The sounds of the waterfall were not loud enough to drown out talking, but it was loud enough to enjoy its presence. Looking across the table at Jonathan, she held out her hands and he grabbed them. Smiling, she said, “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  Jonathan grinned, “No problem.” Their waitress showed up to the table and gave them menus.

  “I’m Tess. I’ll be your experience enhancer this evening. What are your names?”

  “I’m Jonathan,” Jonathan said.

  “I’m Rebecca,” Rebecca said looking at Jonathan confused. When do guest give their names to their waitresses? This is kind of strange.

  “Great, great. Could I interest you in a cliff jump? Or would you just like to order?” the waitress asked.

  “What? No. I’m not jumping…” Rebecca said quickly. Rebecca looked over at Jonathan to see him eyeballing the waterfall.

  “I’ll do it,” Jonathan said nodding his head confidently.

  “Jonathan, that’s excellent. Follow me,” Tess said. Tess led Jonathan away from the table. Rebecca couldn’t believe he was going to jump. That’s crazy he would just go jump off a cliff like that!

  After a few minutes, Jonathan appeared in a line of people that were up at the waterfall jumping. He didn’t have the animal painting on himself, just a pair of blue trunks and a smile that beamed brightly down at Rebecca.

  Rebecca watched as person after person jumped from the waterfall and splashed into the water below. I couldn’t do it. When Jonathan’s turn was up, he stepped up and looked very nervous as he stood at the waterfall’s edge. Glancing down at the pool Jonathan turned away and grabbed at the safety railing at the top. Slipping, he missed the railing with his grip and instead banged his head against it.

  “Jonathan!” Rebecca screamed jumping up from her seat. Jonathan fell backwards hitting his head on the rocky cliff before tumbling down into the pool below. Workers rushed through the water pulling him up onto the shore at the pool’s edge. Rebecca jumped over the railing and rushed towards him. Watching over the shoulders of the workers, Rebecca gasped putting her hands over her mouth. “Come on! Jonathan!” She yelled. Checking for a pulse, the worker turned and nodded at Rebecca. Oh thank Goodness! There’s a pulse! Other guests and workers rushed over to the scene as one of the workers performed CPR on Jonathan. Coughing, he spat up water.

  “Jonathan!” She shouted. Rebecca could see blood run from the back of his head drain into the sand. Rebecca began sobbing as she waited for the paramedics to arrive.

  She could hear the ambulance show up outside and she looked at him again. His eyes began to open for a second and then closed. Being asked to step aside, Rebecca backed away as the paramedics checked for vitals and then took him away. Be okay Jonathan… please, be okay, Rebecca thought to herself as she watched the ambulance turn the lights on outside Raze and rush off down the road.

  -9-

  “Good morning Mr. Bateman,” the doctor said as he walked into the hospital room grabbing the chart off the wall. Rebecca was asleep in the chair and woke up to the doctor’s entrance.

  “How’s he doing?” Rebecca asked as she yawned and stretched out. The doctor walked over to the bed and looked at the papers attached to the chart.

  “He has a cracked rib and a concussion that we know of so far. We are going to have him get an MRI if he agrees once he wakes up.”

  “Wakes up? He’s in a coma?”

  “No… Oh gosh no. He’s just asleep. When he wakes up we will see if he is willing to do an MRI.”

  “Oh good…” Rebecca responded. Her phone buzzed with a message from her friend Christina.

  Hey girl. Saw the news, is Jonathan okay? We should do lunch. You busy today?

  Not busy. Let’s do lunch at Zed’s Bistro… Noon works for me.

  Ok. See you there! Hugs.

  Rebecca hadn’t spoken with Christina much in the last year outside a brief encounter at their local hair dresser. The only thing they talked about was Christina’s new job at The Little Greenhouse. Outside of that instance, Rebecca hadn’t seen much of Christina since she married Jared. He was a nice enough guy; but he didn’t approve of Christina hanging out with single girls and going to clubs and bars. Rebecca thought it was immature and childish on Jared’s part.

  **

  Walking through the restaurant floor, Rebecca searched for Christina. Finding her in a booth against the window, she made her way over there. As she approached, Christina looked up and saw her, standing up, they embraced in a hug.

  “I’ve missed you so much!” Rebecca said.

  “I know! I’ve missed you… How lon
g has it been?” Christina asked sitting back down in the booth. Rebecca set her purse down on the opposite side of the booth and slid in.

  “It’s been at least a year I’m pretty sure…” Rebecca’s voice quieted.

  “Wow. Jeez!” Christina said as she turned and looked out across the floor trying to spot their waiter. Seeing him weave between the tables refilling coffee, Christina snapped a couple times getting his attention and mouthed “We are ready.”

  “So… How’s Jared?” Rebecca asked with a fake smile. Christina knew how Rebecca felt about the whole restriction he had put on her after they were married.

  “Shut it Rebecca… I know you are still pissed at him,” Christina said sharply. The waiter approached the table and asked what he could get for them. “I’ll take a Turkey club on rye with a small side salad,” Christina said handing him her menu.

  “I’ll take a Cesar salad,” Rebecca said. Looking at Christina’s ice tea, she said, “I’ll also take a water with lemons on the side, like 4 slices.” The waiter nodded and left the table. Directing her attention to Christina, Rebecca said, “Yeah, I’m pissed I can’t hang out with my friend anymore… but I still like to know how he is and how you guys are doing.”

  “Well, we are good. We started watching this series-” Christina said before Rebecca interrupted her.

  “A series? Is that what your life has become? Watching television? Ha… Hope it’s worth it.” Rebecca’s bitterness is much of what caused the break in communication between the two the first time around.

  “If you want to just insult me… I can leave. I shouldn’t have ever texted you.” Christina started to stand up. Rebecca leaned over the table and grabbed her arm setting her back down in the booth.

  “Don’t be that way!” Rebecca snapped. Be nice to your friend, even if her life is boring now, she’s still your lifelong friend. Who knows? Maybe she’ll end up divorced. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything about the T.V. watching…”

  “The strangest part of you Rebecca is the fact you are searching for a man… I mean how can you despise Jared for not wanting me to go hang out with you in the bars and clubs anymore but think you’ll find a good and decent man that’s okay with you doing it?”

  “It’s called trust Christina. He should be able to trust you if the two of you got married.”

  “It’s not about trust. Being a married woman, I have no place in a bar. What does going to a bar or club accomplish in my life? Nothing.”

  “It’s fun to just dance and hang out…”

  “Hang out? We can’t even hear each other over the music and there are tons of people everywhere and most are single and looking to do things that are just not right…”

  “My man out there will be fine with it. I’m not going to allow my life to become boring and dull because of some man.”

  “It’s not dullness Rebecca; it’s just a different part of life. Clubs and bars are for adults without responsibilities or kids and if they have either one of them, it’s not a place for them to be. I honestly believe that.” Rebecca’s annoyance soared as her friend who would go club hopping through the weekend nights explained to her how she doesn’t care about her old life. The food arrived which was an excellent break in the conversation, a few more words out of Christina’s mouth and Rebecca was about to freak out. The food on the table seemed to shift the topic. “So Jonathan got hurt jumping at Raze?”

  Using her napkin, Rebecca wiped her mouth and finished chewing. “He didn’t actually jump at all. He was up there and getting ready when he slipped and banged his head against the railing.”

  “Ouch!” Christina said with a cringe.

  “Yeah. He’s at the hospital right now. They did an MRI earlier today and he is good. He just has a broken rib and a concussion.”

  “Oh, you’ve been up there to see him?”

  “Yeah. I was at Raze with him on a date.” Christina set her fork down and patted the air with her hands in excitement.

  “You are dating him now? You’ve waited so long! When did this happen?”

  “We aren’t dating. We just went on a date. I was actually going on a date with a different guy when Jonathan showed up and needed someone to talk to. He had just broken up with Stacy! Him and Stacy had reservations at Raze so I went on a date with him there.” Rebecca smiled as she took another bite of her salad.

  “Wait. What happened to the other guy you were suppose to go on a date with?” Christina asked.

  “It didn’t work out that night.”

  “What do you mean? It was last night. What happened?”

  “Jonathan showed up at my apartment right before my date did. I didn’t know my date was already coming up to my apartment and he saw Jonathan on my couch, but I told him I was working…” Rebecca lowered her head. She knew it was wrong how the whole thing went down and explaining it made her feel even more stupid about it.

  “Oh, Rebecca…” Christina said before taking a chomp out of her turkey club.

  “I know…” Rebecca looked at her phone in her purse. I should call him… or text him… maybe he doesn’t want me to contact him at all though.

  “Was he just another dud?” Christina asked.

  “No…” Rebecca changed her position in her seat and her eyes lit up as she continued, “He’s fascinating… He loves art, he’s kind… and he’s funny.”

  “Why would you ditch out on him for Jonathan?”

  “Come on… I’ve been trying with Jonathan for years. I just met this other guy, he’s not that important to my world. We aren’t dating; I don’t owe him any exclusiveness. I don’t need to tell him when I’m seeing another guy to talk.” Christina nodded and kept silent. Rebecca knew she had an insult to hurl her direction, but she was holding back. “Go on, don’t hold back. As much as I hate your critiquing of my life, I do appreciate it in some odd and strange way.”

  “This is one you will have to figure out yourself Rebecca… Jonathan is a great guy and you know that, you’ve known him for years. This other guy…? I don’t even know his name. The point is you have to go with your heart and not hold back. But I can see it in your eyes you care more for this other guy then you think you do.” Finishing their meals, they exchanged hugs and agreed to see each other more in the future.

  -10-

  On the cab ride back to the hospital, Rebecca phoned Mike. It rang a few times and then went to voicemail. Ugh, I shouldn’t have called him. She hung up the phone without leaving a message. I need to let it go and just focus on Jonathan and helping him get back to full health.

  Arriving at the hospital, she took the elevator up to the second floor where Jonathan’s room was. Stepping off the elevator, she saw Stacy enter into his room. What’s she doing here? Rebecca’s stomach tightened. She has some nerve showing up today after I spent all night and morning with him! Quietly, Rebecca made her way to Jonathan’s room and the door was open. Leaning up against the wall, Rebecca listened in on Stacy and Jonathan.

  “Hey…” Jonathan said in a shallow voice. He was weak and unable to speak very loudly without hurting the broken rib. Stacy began crying. “Don’t cry… please, don’t cry…” Jonathan said.

  “How can’t I? We just broke up but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you still… and you could’ve died…” Stacy said sniffling. Her crying subsided a few moments later. “Wait… what were you doing at Raze? Who were you there with?”

  “Stacy…” He said quietly. “Do we have to talk about this right now?” He let out a moan as he cringed in pain.

  “You were there with her, weren’t you?” She said sharply. She knows about me and him?

  “I don’t know what to say…” Jonathan responded. Is he going to tell her the truth or is he going to just coward again? Ugh… Rebecca was about to turn and leave when she heard Jonathan continue. “Rebecca…” Rebecca stopped and listened. “… is the one I long for Stacy… as much as it…” Cringing in pain he grabbed his side and let out a moan. “…as much as it
pains me to tell you that… It’s the truth.” Rebecca’s heart fluttered with joy. Stacy began to cry again as she stomped away from the bed. Rebecca darted down the hall when she heard Stacy approaching and hid behind a corner as she watched Stacy stroll by.

  Going into the room after Stacy was out of sight, Rebecca’s eyes were filled with tears. “You told her the truth,” she said smiling as she hugged him delicately.

  “Of course I did… She’s known of my interest in you for a while.” Jonathan figured out she had been eavesdropping and became angry. “Why would you listen in on us like that? You shouldn’t eavesdrop on people!” Rebecca looked down saddened by his anger. “I’m sorry… You just… You upset me sometimes Rebecca. You have a one track mind and do as you please.” Relaxing his face, he returned to the topic at hand, “Like I was saying… She’s known I’ve had a thing for you for a while, why do you think she was so suspicious that night you and I hung out?”