Chapter 12
The slam of the door indicated that Aviva and Hope were alone for the first time in over two months. Both women stood in absolute silence and stared at each other, neither knowing what to say.
As the quiet continued, Aviva could see Hope’s nervousness grow, and in all honesty, she derived a modicum of perverse satisfaction from watching her squirm. But only a small amount. It wasn’t in her nature to revel in the embarrassment of others, and especially not that of her oldest friend.
Yes, Hope deserved the hostility Jason was directing towards her, but Aviva also understood that this situation couldn’t continue. At their last meeting, pandemonium had reigned supreme. Even months later, Aviva still found it difficult to piece together how their friendship and love for each other had taken such a disastrous downward turn.
For the most part, she had managed to put Hope out of her mind. Not thinking about her friend’s behavior and the hostility it had left behind.
Now, with Hope standing before her the time had come to face the situation. Aviva knew her friend, and she could tell that Hope was hurting. A stranger looking at Hope would only see the beauty that was this woman, but Aviva wasn’t fooled. Through the eyes of her friendship, she recognized the telltale signs of strain etched into Hope’s beautiful face.
As the silence intensified, Aviva witnessed Hope’s big eyes fill with tears. She wanted nothing more than to comfort her friend, but she hardened herself against the feeling. As she watched Hope, tracks of crystalline tears brimmed, and flowed from her eyes. Only just managing to hold her own tears at bay, their eyes locked in silent contemplation until Hope, lowered her gaze and turned to leave.
“Hope, wait!” Aviva demanded the sound of her voice reverberated around the entranceway. Slowly, one hesitant step at a time, she moved towards the woman facing the door. When Aviva finally reached Hope, she hesitated, unsure of what to do, of what to say. Then she remembered who this amazon of a woman was. She was Hope; the bitch with a heart of gold and she knew now as she had on that day weeks ago that she wasn’t ready to let their friendship go.
“You are such a friggin’ bitch!” Aviva told Hope’s back.
Visibly distressed, Hope turned and gasped out her words. “I… I know… I’m sorry, Vee… I’m really sorry.”
“Yeah, well sorry isn’t going to cut it, Hope, and in all honesty, I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to take for you to build the bridge you demolished with what had to be your most reckless act of stupidity to date.”
“I know and I’m sorry, Vee, please forgive me… please.” Hope said as she continued to sob.
“No.”
“What?” Hope asked her head jerking up so rapidly she looked as though she nearly bit her tongue.
Oh Lord, Aviva thought. It was official, she was finally turning into a Jason King clone. If the situation wasn’t so dire, she would have laughed at the look of surprise on Hope’s face.
“I said, no I don’t forgive you. In fact, I don’t even know if I like you. What you attempted to do to Jason was despicable. You gave no thought to anyone or anything but yourself because if you had, none of us would be in this house dealing with all this shit!” Aviva was still very angry with Hope, but she also realized that the more she spoke to Hope the more controlled she began to feel.
“I’m so sorry, Aviva, please tell me what to do. I miss you so much. You’re my sister, and I need you.”
Aviva maintained her silence as Hope’s words faded away, her mind a riot of confusion. Hope appeared to have it all, looks, money a glittering career, and Steve. Yet she constantly pushed at the boundaries with the people who loved her with her selfishness and recklessness.
“I’m through speaking in the hallway. Come with me.” Turning, Aviva led the way to the sitting room. When Hope had passed through, Aviva ensured she left the door ajar, mindful that Jason was only holding on to his temper by a thread, and from what she had witnessed, Steve’s control was on par with Jason’s. If they came to blows she wanted to hear it because she would have to move fast.
Turning her attention back to Hope, Aviva motioned for her to take a seat. This conversation was long overdue, and Aviva had no concern for whether Hope was comfortable. Her actions were based purely on the good manners that had been instilled in her. It was the first step in an attempt at what might be the impossible, repairing their friendship.
In her thirty years, only three situations had ever managed to shake Aviva to her core; the death of her mother, meeting her father for the first time, and her abduction.
Her lifeline to coping with her abduction had been her certainty that Jason would come for her. The woman seated so uncomfortably before her had been her rock when faced with the hostility of her estranged father.
With the remembrance of how Hope had supported her all those years ago, Aviva’s mind was made up. She was willing to fight this battle on Hope’s behalf even though the odds were not in her favor. In the end it was actually quite simple, could she accept her friend, warts and all? The answer to that question was, yes.
“I may not like you right now, Ms. Hope, but I love you. I don’t know how we’re going to make this situation right, but I’m willing to do my best.”
“Oh, Vee, thank you, thank you.” Hope sprang to her feet and rushed towards her.
Raising a hand, Aviva halted Hope’s progression. “You’re not off the hook yet, so don’t thank me. I still need to make one thing clear, if it comes down to you or Jason, he wins every time. If you every hurt him again...” Aviva deliberately paused her speech until she knew she had Hope’s undivided attention, “... I will hurt you so badly that if you ever have the misfortune of setting eyes on me again, you will know that your only chance of survival is that you run for your life!”
“I won’t ever do anything like that again, to anyone, I promise.” Hope said, a look of sincerity written across her face.
“Yeah, whatever, my mother always told me that a promise is a comfort to a fool, and you and I both know I’m nobody’s fool.”
“I understand, I’ll show you both, I prom–” Hope left the word unfinished, remembering what Aviva had just said to her. “All I ask is that you give me a chance to show you just how sorry I am.”
“For my part, you have it. As for Jason’s… you better start praying for a bloody miracle!”
**********
Jason slammed the door behind him and braced his back against the wooden panel. He knew he had to keep a distance between them or there was every possibility they would come to blows. They both wanted different things, and as was his want, he had every intention of getting his way. It also seemed that Steve was of the same mind.
“Hope and I didn’t come here tonight with the intention of staying. We came because we wanted to talk to you and Aviva.”
“I have nothing to say to that woman, so you just wasted your time bringing her over here.”
“Come on, man, just hear us–”
Before, Steve could complete what he was about to say, Jason cut him off, unable to hold in his words. “Have you lost your fucking mind, what the hell is wrong with you? That woman’s a viper. Why you refuse to see that is beyond me. For God’s sake, even after the colossal kicking she gave all of us, you still want her!”
“Shut the fuck up, you sanctimonious shit! You act as though you never did anything wrong in your damn life, and you and I both know that’s the biggest crock of shit in the world!”
Steve’s comeback didn’t faze Jason. They both knew he was a first class bastard, and he had no intentions of ever trying to convince anyone differently, least of all the one person who knew him best. Jason knew that the slow smile he allowed to spread across his face was a sure way of pushing Steve’s buttons.
“So, you think this whole situation, my life is a laughing matter, huh? Well, let’s see if you’re laughing after I get through telling you what’s on my mind.”
“Say what you must. I sure as hell i
ntend to.” Jason said, doing his best to maintain the façade of amusement he didn’t feel. Their conversation was on its way to hell, and the look in Steve’s eyes filled him with dread at what he was about to say.
“I’m about to give this one more try. Will you listen to what Hope and I have to say with an open mind?”
“No, I will not. I’ll always listen to what you have to say, but as for that woman, she has nothing to say that I want to hear.”
Taking a deep breath, Steve tried one last time to get through to Jason. “Answer me honestly, is there anything I could say or do that would turn you away from Aviva?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Then maybe you can begin to understand the way I feel about, Hope. We may not be together, as we once were, and in all honesty, I don’t know if we ever will be, but this is not your call, Jason. This is my life and Hope and I intend to work through our problems in our own way. Do you understand me?”
“I don’t understand a damn thing about the messed up relationship you have with that scheming, manipulative woman. You need to take a step back and take a close look at yourself because in my opinion, you sound like a besotted fool!” Only when he was finished with his tirade did Jason take note of the change that had overtaken Steve’s visage. The expression on his face telegraphed an undeniable truth, he had gone too far.
**********
Steve was furious, and he made no attempts to hide it. Here it was again. People messing with him and thinking they could get away with it. Well, now it was time, in fact, it was past time that he told Jason what was on his mind, what he had held back from him for years.
“Okay, you’ve had your say. Now it’s my turn.” Steve watched Jason’s eyebrow draw low with a frown.
“Steve…”
“No! I don’t want to hear anything more you have to say. So shut the hell up and listen!
After what happened between you and Hope, I never expected you to forgive her any time soon if ever. What I had expected was that you and I had enough of a bond that you would have at least heard me out. That you would trust me enough to understand that I know what I’m doing.”
“Steve, I’m–”
“What part of, shut up don’t you understand? I’m talking now. All you need to do is listen because when I’m finished saying what I have to say, you won’t ever have to listen to me again.” Steve could see the effect his words were having on Jason, and in the heat of the moment, he didn’t care.
“Why so worried all of a sudden, Jason? You have real family now, brothers, a father, oh and don’t let us forget you even have a live in lover.”
“Don’t you dare call her that!” Jason said with deliberate care.
“What, your live in lover? Doesn’t she live in your house? Didn’t she sleep in your bed almost from the first moment you met? To my way of thinking that makes her your live in lover.”
“I’m warning you, man. Do not call her that!”
“Or what, what you gonna do, Jason? Do I need to roll up my sleeves? Well come on, let’s go.” Steve said as he pulled off his jacket, and tossed it aside. “Well come on, what are you waiting for, let’s go?” Steve told him, beckoning Jason towards him.
“I’m not going to fight you, Steve, because I doubt that you want your ass handed to you right now.”
“You just can’t help yourself can you, Jason? Well I’ve had it with you. You walk around like the big-I-am. Well I’m here to tell you that there’s something seriously wrong with you. Everything and everybody that comes into contact with you becomes less than they were. Because of you, I no longer have parents. Because anywhere you are rot follows.” At the look of anguish that passed across Jason’s face, Steve went in for the kill.
“Yeah, that’s right you’re like some kind of pestilence that came into my life to emit nothing but a blight on my existence. I tried, Jason, God knows I tried. But this is it. This is where you and I part ways. I came here tonight to ask my friend, my supposed brother to hear me out and you refused. So as far as I’m concerned, that’s it. I don’t want anything more to do with you!”
“You know I would do anything, give anything for your parents to still be here, you know that. But I can’t undo what happened. I would do almost anything for you, you know that. But don’t ask me to accept that woman, not after what she tried to do to me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask you again, but I do have one more request.”
After a slight hesitation, Jason asked the question he knew his words would provoke. “What is it?”
“I want you out of the company. I’ll have my lawyers draw up the papers. I’ll give you the market value. All you have to do is sign.”
“Is this what you really want?”
“It’s what I want.” All the heat had gone out of his voice and Steve felt almost defeated. He knew he had just acted unfairly towards Jason. He also knew that if he were in his position he would probably feel the same way Jason did. What he had just said about his parents’ death was something he wished he could take back. He knew Jason regretted the part he had played in their untimely deaths, and Steve had deliberately never placed any blame on Jason’s shoulders.
“I don’t want your money. Send the papers, I’ll sign them, but I don’t want your money.”
“I don’t want or need your charity. When I send you the check you can do whatever you want with it, but I will send it.”
“Okay. What about us, where does this leave us?”
At Jason’s question, Steve turned and fully faced him. “Will you talk to Hope, give her a chance to explain why she behaved in the way that she did?”
“I can’t, Steve, I’m sorry.”
Steve could see the regret in Jason’s emotion filled eyes. Shaking his head, he too felt regret that Jason was such a stubborn bastard.
“You love Aviva, right?”
“Yes.”
“You would do anything for her, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You know me, Jason. You alone in this world know me better than any other living being. All I came here to ask was that you hear Hope out. I didn’t come here for you to forgive the way she behaved when I’m not even sure if I can forgive her.” Reaching for his discarded jacket, Steve walked to the door without a backward glance. Maybe he had just gone too far in the things he had said, but they all knew that the parameters of their lives had changed.
Jason now had a new family, which included Aviva. Steve was honest enough to admit that while he didn’t begrudge Jason his happiness, he couldn’t help comparing their current positions. In a matter of months Jason had gained so much while he in turn seemed to have lost everything.
As for buying Jason out of the company, it was the right thing to do. Steve could tell that Jason’s heart wasn’t really in it. His only regret on that score was the way he had handled the situation. They both knew it was time for him to go it alone.
Now outside Jason’s office, Steve stood for a few moments with his head bent, emotions rushing around inside of him. He had just probably severed the only constant in his life. The one person he could rely on with a total confidence that he only had his best interest at heart. Giving himself a mental shake, Steve accepted the decision he had just made, a decision he was prepared to stand by.
Pushing open the door to the sitting room, he stood unobserved for a few moments as Aviva and Hope spoke in lowered voices. He could sense that there was still tension between them, but at least they were communicating.
“Hope, it’s time to go.”
“What happened?” Hope asked as she rose to face Steve.
Aviva got up more slowly, she already knew that Jason wasn’t ready for what Steve wanted him to do.
“We’ll talk later.”
Walking over to Aviva, Steve gave her a gentle hug and an affectionate smile before he withdrew and led Hope to the door. Before they passed through, he looked over his shoulder at Aviva one last time. “You guys take care of each other,
okay.”
Aviva didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just nodded as tears filled her eye. Then they were gone.
Chapter 13
After Steve had left, Jason felt the need for fresh air. It seemed to him that every time he got one aspect of his life in order another part went to hell. It was the same old story, he was again the reason for the unhappiness of others. If he were honest with himself, he was sick of the self-loathing.
Steve was his brother and would always remain so, but he refused to take on board any level of guilt for Hope’s actions. He had also paid his penance for the death of the Blackmans. Jason knew he would forever regret the part he had inadvertently played in their untimely death, but he now intended to put his regret in its place, and not dwell on it. That way he could get on with his life as best he could.
“Hi, baby, mind if I join you?”
Lowering his gaze from the star filled sky, and without comment, Jason opened his arms and invited her in. Sliding up his body, Aviva joined Jason on the lounger and placed her head on his chest. When she was settled, he enfolded her in his arms and released a deep breath. The nearness of this woman was his balm. During the course of his life, he had somehow managed to mess up many things. But this, what he now shared with his angel, this he would ensure remained unsoiled.
“What happened?”
“I couldn’t do it. He wanted me to talk things through with Hope, and I just couldn’t do it.”
“It’s okay, baby. You’ll talk to her when you’re ready.”
“That’s just it, what if I’m never ready?”
“Nothing happens before it’s supposed to, Jason, and just because Steve wanted us all to talk, doesn’t mean that it was the right time for you.”
“He wants me out of the business.”
“What?” Aviva said, pushing away from Jason’s chest so that she could see his face.
“It seems as though he’s trying to sever our friendship.”
The Ties that Bind (Kingdom) Page 9