Picture Perfect

by Maguire, L. E.

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” Forcing a smile on my face, I desperately tired to hide the fear I felt rising within me. Over the last month, I have avoided all things Evan. Now here I was faced with having to visit one of the places that holds one of the strongest memories I have of us together. How in the world was I going to be able to handle this?

  ***

  There was a brilliant sunset this evening as Jake and I walked along the pier that had me wishing I had brought my camera. The sky was streaked with clouds that were a myriad of pink, purple, and orange, which stood out against the dark blue of the sky that peaked through the clouds. The beautiful colors cast a pinkish hue on the city. It was one of the most colorful sunsets I had seen yet while living here.

  “Sorry you didn’t bring your camera?” Jake asked as if he could read my mind.

  Looking up at him, I gave him a wide smile. “Don’t you know it.”

  “Always the photographer,” Jake said with a smirk, shaking his head.

  We stopped to appreciate the sunset. The cool evening breeze carried the briny smell of the ocean with it while the seagulls squawked overhead, reminding me very much of the time I came here with Evan. You could already smell the rain that was visible off in the distance. Even though it was chilly for an August evening, and rain was on the way, the pier was still very crowded.

  Shivering from the breeze, or maybe it was the wheel that was looming so closely over me that had me shaking, I could not be sure, but I wrapped my light jacket around me a little tighter. The move did not go unnoticed by Jake. He moved a little closer and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into his side. I welcomed the warmth and wrapped an arm around his waist. After several minutes of admiring the view, Jake broke the companionable silence between us.

  “You hungry?”

  “Starving. I thought you’d never ask,” I said, rubbing my stomach dramatically.

  He chuckled and turned toward the restaurant, breaking his hold on me. As we began to walk, he wrapped his hand around mine. Glancing up at him, I found he was already looking down at me and we both smiled.

  When we walked past an elderly couple, sitting on a bench holding hands, the old woman smiled at me when our eyes met, giving me a little nod. I am sure Jake and I probably looked like a young couple very much in love, but walking hand in hand was not unusual for us. Jake knew me well enough to know that inside I was freaking out about having to get on that Ferris wheel. By taking my hand in his, he was offering me his silent support, and right now I needed his warmth and strength. As soon as we passed the elderly couple, Jake squeezed my hand for a moment before running his thumb over my knuckles in a soothing way.

  Just as we approached The Crab Pot, I spotted a black Lincoln Town Car parked out front. It looked eerily similar to the one Evan always rode around in complete with the same company sticker that was on the rear bumper. Ice shot through my veins at the thought of him being here. What if he was with another woman? There was no way I would be able to handle that. Since our first trip to the wheel, I have always thought of it as ours. Seeing him here with another woman would kill me. Frantically, I started looking around to see if I could find him. Not paying attention to where I was walking, I tripped and fell into Jake’s side. If we had not been holding hands, I would have fallen flat on my face.

  Jake quickly spun around and grabbed my shoulders to steady me. “Hey, easy, baby girl. Walk much?” The smile quickly slid off his face as soon he took in the shocked look on my face. Frowning, he began to look around. “What is it, Em? What’s wrong?” he asked, bending down so our eyes would meet.

  “I…uh…..I…” My eyes focused once more on the black car, which was still sitting at the curb idling.

  “Ember, fuck! You’re shaking like a leaf. Talk to me,” Jake demanded, but my eyes were still glued to the car. Following my line of sight, Jake focused on the black car and immediately knew what I was thinking, what I was fearing. Pulling me into a hug, he squeezed me tightly. “It’s not him, Em. I’m sure it’s not him. It’s all right,” he said softly and soothingly in my ear. “Let’s go eat.” He released me only to grab my hand once again and pull me into the restaurant.

  Walking into the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the canoe-sized boat suspended from the ceiling with a fisherman standing on the edge of it, pulling in a small, round crab pot. Large plastic fish and crabs were hung on the walls along with fish net and starfish, making it look like your typical seafood restaurant. What set it apart was the smell. The amazing smell of cooked seafood filled the air and had my mouth watering and stomach grumbling.

  A pretty, petite, young girl with curly red hair approached us. Her eyes grew wide as she took in Jake, but quickly got herself under control once she noticed our joined hands. That was another benefit that Jake and I always enjoyed, looking like a couple so others would leave us alone.

  As she led us through the restaurant, I noticed large stainless steel bowls on the floor by the tables, which I thought was odd until I walked by one and saw that it was for shells. The tables were all covered in red and white-checkered table clothes, which gave it a homey feel.

  Being a bit crowded with many families with small children, the hostess was kind enough to seat us in a somewhat quiet spot.

  “Is this good?” she asked, gesturing to the table.

  “Perfect,” Jake said, pulling my chair out for me.

  “Alex will be your server this evening. Enjoy your meal.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” Jake replied, giving her a panty-melting smile, which had her walking off giggling.

  “You, Jake Lofton, are evil,” I said, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably. We both ended up laughing.

  “There’s nothing sweeter than the sound of laughter from a beautiful woman,” said the man standing next to our table, which I assumed, dressed in a red polo with the restaurant’s logo and a long, black apron tied around his waist, was our server.

  Jake, immediately going into big brother protective mode, glared at the man, which had me laughing all the more, easily breaking the tension that seemed to be building around us.

  “Now who’s being the flirt?” Jake accused.

  My eyes grew wide at Jake as I sucked in a breath. Glancing up at our server, I noticed he was blushing. I also noticed he was really cute. Towering over our table at six foot something, he had dirty blonde hair cut close to his head, sparkling blue eyes, and a strong, square jaw. The only trouble was, he did not look a day over seventeen.

  “You must be Alex,” I said.

  “Uh, yes. I am,” he said, clearing his throat. “What can get you to drink?”

  “Water, no lemon,” I said, smiling.

  “The same,” Jake grumbled, while looking over the menu.

  Without a word, Daniel hurried off to the kitchen.

  “Lighten up on the poor kid.”

  Jake’s eyes snapped to mine over the menu. Slowly placing it down in front of him, he folded his hands together and leaned in.

  “He was clearly hitting on you,” Jake said, frowning.

  For a moment I was not sure if he was kidding or not. Men hitting on me have never angered Jake before.

  “So,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

  “So?” Jake sat back in his chair and glared at me. “He doesn’t know we aren’t actually in a relationship. Does he always hit on other men’s girlfriends? Maybe someone needs to teach the little fucker a lesson.”

  “Jake, he’s just a kid. Lighten up.”

  Jake sat across from me, continuing to glare at me for several seconds before he relaxed and smiled. “I totally had you going there for a minute,” he said, laughing.

  “You bastard,” I said, unable to contain the laugh that followed.

  Alex returned with our drinks and a loaf of warm sourdough bread and butter, which smelled divine. While Jake ordered our dinner, I sliced and buttered us some bread.

  “So…” he started, looking nervous. “There was someth
ing I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?” I said with caution.

  “I…um…fuck! This isn’t easy for me.” Jake reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

  I sat back in my chair unable to take another bite of the warm bread. The bile suddenly rising in my stomach.

  “Jake, just say it. You’re starting to freak me the fuck out.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, reaching across the table to take my hand in his. “You know I love you, and we’ve been living together since college.” I nodded when he paused. Taking a deep breath, he finished in a rush. “I want to ask Lucina to move in with us.”

  I sat stunned for several seconds, staring at him open mouthed. This was huge for Jake. I knew he was crazy about Lucina, but I had no idea their relationship had progressed to such a level. Since that bitch broke Jake’s heart back in college, he has not been serious about any girl.

  “I haven’t discussed anything with her yet, Em, so if this is something you aren’t going to be okay with, it’s all right. I won’t be mad or upset with you, and I certainly won’t move out and leave you high and dry. I just don’t know how you’re going to feel about living with a couple when you’re…..you know…hurting.”

  Of course Jake would take that into consideration. He has made a huge effort over the last month to keep his interactions with Lucina as platonic as possible while around me. It’s not as if I asked him to either. He just knew I was hurting over losing Evan, and did not want to rub his happiness in my face. I could not love this man anymore than I already did, and there was no way I could deny his happiness. Smiling at him, I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

  “Jake, I couldn’t be happier for you. This is a huge move for you.”

  “I know that, Em, but I’m telling you that she is the girl for me. I’m certain of it.”

  Squeezing his hand in mine, I smiled widely at him. “Ask her.”

  “Yeah? You’re sure?”

  “Jake, I couldn’t be more sure.”

  With that our food arrived. Jake had ordered the crab and shrimp in the shell combo, which was also served with red potatoes and corn on the cob. Since he was the crab lover, I left that all for him. Besides, I hated having to crack the crab open. The shrimp were succulent and cooked to perfection with just enough seasoning. The red potatoes and corn on the cob had absorbed some of the seasoning enhancing the flavors.

  For the most part, Jake and I enjoyed our meal over a companionable silence. This is what was so great about our relationship. There was never any need to fill the silence.

  “I think you should ask her tonight, Jake. Don’t wait. Start your happiness as soon as you can,” I said, sitting back in my chair totally stuffed.

  “No. Tonight is for my BFF,” he said sincerely but teasingly.

  Smiling at his words, I glanced out the window next to me and watched briefly as people walked around the pier. It was dark enough now that the wheel was lit in a brilliant blue, which reflected off both the water and the low-lying clouds. Again, I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera.

  “So, have you thought about contacting him?” Jake’s question brought my attention back to him. “I know you love him, Em. I hear you crying at night, and it breaks my fucking heart every time. He needs to know, because I’m betting he’s suffering right along with you.”

  My eyes starting stinking with unshed tears. Blinking furiously, I looked back out the window and froze. A man walking on the pier looked just like Evan. He was the same height and the same body build. Springing up from my seat, I leaned into the window to get a better look.

  “Em, what is it?” Jake asked, getting out of his chair to look out the window with me.

  “I swore I……it couldn’t be,” I mumbled, sitting back down in my seat.

  “Couldn’t be what?” Jake asked, moving to sit back down.

  “I swore I just saw a guy walk by that looked just like Evan. Well, I didn’t see his face, but his height and body build were like……” I paused for a moment, remembering what the man looked like. “On second thought, that guy’s upper body was way bigger than Evan’s.” But what drew my attention to him was the way he moved. It was just like Evan. When he walked it was fluid like the walk of a man on the catwalk.

  Jake was quick to dismiss my suspicions, though. Too quick in fact. “Nah. It couldn’t be. I remember seeing somewhere recently that he was in Europe doing some shoot for some fancy designer.”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I carefully studied his face for several seconds.

  “What?” he asked defensively, throwing his hands out.

  “If I didn’t know any better, Jacob, I would swear you were up to something.”

  “Pffft. And what are you going to do little girl? You think using my full name like that is going to scare me? Besides, I wouldn’t do that to you,” he said, giving me a sincere look. Reaching across the table, he took my hands in his. “I know how upset you’ve been and believe me, Em, I would do anything to make it stop. But he walked out on you after you told him how you felt and he did so without looking back. You’re going to have to be patient and let him come to you on his own.”

  Simply nodding at him, I knew there was no use in trying to talk around the huge lump that just developed in my throat. Internally, I fought to keep the disappointment that was welling up inside me from being visible. For a split second, I was really hoping that Jake had reached out to Evan and maybe arranged for us to run into him, but in reality, I knew what Jake just said was the truth. Evan was going to have to come to me. I could not force it no matter how much I wanted to.

  Jake paid the bill and led me out of the restaurant. It was just starting to drizzle as we made our way to the wheel. It really was spectacular all lit up in blue. The low-lying clouds reflected the blue light, casting what looked like a blue aura around the wheel.

  He handed our tickets to the attendant, who promptly opened the door to the VIP gondola for us. It was exactly as I remembered.

  Jake made himself comfortable in one of the black and red leather seats, glancing all around with big eyes full of wonder like a little kid. Sitting down in the seat across from him, I desperately tried not to picture him as Evan, choosing to glance around the beautiful city of Seattle instead.

  “Wow!” Jake said excitedly as the wheel began to move. “This is awesome.”

  Glancing around, I took in the sight of the city lights and how they also reflected off the low-lying clouds. As we got higher, the lights of CenturyLink Field became visible. It really was a stunning view of a beautiful city.

  “Holy shit, Em. Look at that.”

  Peeling my eyes from the beautiful landscape, I looked to Jake, who was hunched over staring out the glass bottom. I was not afraid of heights, but the glass bottom did freak me out a bit.

  “It’s awesome, right?”

  “Fuck yeah.” He looked up at me. “Thanks for doing this with me.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said, smiling. “You’ll have to bring Lucina.”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s going to love this.”

  As we made our way around, the wheel stopped as if the attendant was going to allow people to enter. The ride was three full rotations and we had only been around once. Turning in my seat, frowning as the doors opened, I was ready to say something to the attendant, but the words got stuck in my throat at the sight of Evan standing in the doorway.

  My breath left my lungs in a rush. I was thankful to be sitting, because I was certain my legs would have collapsed beneath me. He looked glorious. My imagination over the last month had not done him any justice.

  His hair looked black from the dampness of the rain, and was slightly disheveled as if he had been nervously running his fingers through it. Those brilliant emerald green eyes were focused on me in a way they haven’t been for quite some time and it immediately set my blood on fire.

  Standing before me in a light blue polo, I could not help but notice how his chest
and arms looked bigger, more defined, leaving the soft fabric of his shirt stretching dangerously across his chest and around his biceps. Tight-fitting jeans encased his lean waist and powerful-looking thighs. Running my eyes back up to his face, he gave me a small half smile when our eyes met, and something inside me snapped.

  After weeks of not hearing from him, I crawled through each day trying to overcome the pain and the emptiness his absence left behind. He crushed me the day he walked out on me after I spilled my guts to him. Granted, I haven’t reached out to him either. My fear of being rejected again kept me from doing so. Now, after dreaming of this moment, he was standing before me looking hot as fuck and I was angry as hell. Jumping up out of my seat, I glared at Jake.

  “Easy there, baby girl,” Jake said soothingly with his hands raised. “He reached out to me. Told me this wheel was special to the two of you. He felt this would be a good place for the two of you to meet.”

  “But you just said you’d never do that to me.”

  Wrapping me in a tight hug, he whispered in my ear. “I know, Em, but I also know that you are still very much in love with him and he obviously is with you. I told you to be patient and let him come to you. Well, here he is. Now, it’s up to you.” He kissed me on the cheek, released his hold, and walked around me.

  Stopping before Evan, he patted him on the shoulder a little harder than was necessary, bringing Evan’s attention from me to him. “Don’t fuck this up again or I’m going to fuck you up. We clear, pretty boy?”

  It was then, with the two of them standing next to each other, that it became evident that Evan was indeed bigger than he was before. He was as big if not bigger than Jake now. Holy hell. Obviously, he has been working out. He was definitely the man I spotted on the pier earlier.

  “We’re clear,” he said, giving Jake a quick nod. Jake then turned and winked at me before stepping out of the gondola.

  Fisting my hands at my side, I knew my being angry with Evan was irrational, but I couldn’t help it. To see him is all that I have wanted for weeks. I knew I hurt him tremendously by not listening to his side of the story and for instantly shutting him out of my life, but then he hurt me tremendously in return by doing the same. So was every fight we were going to have be a tit for tat? If so, I just didn’t see how we could have a future together. We would just end up tearing each other apart.