Indelible Love - Emily's Story (8 page)

Jake pondered over this statement
while I pushed myself up.

“Stay,” he whispered. He pulled me up,
eye to eye, and before I knew it, our lips joined uncontrollably.
Both arms tightened around my body, and his lips made several
longing trips down my neck and then back to my lips. His kisses
felt like a staccato piano piece. They were short, detached, and
all over. He never stayed in one place too long. This made me want
him even more.

To our chagrin, a knock on the door
stopped our long-overdue embrace. Jake grumbled as he got up to
answer it. I also got up and fixed myself for whatever company we
were expecting. It was a doorman with a rolling rack full of
clothes, shoes, and accessories.

“What’s all this?” I
questioned.

“Remember I told you I would take care
of everything for the show?”

And taken care of everything he had.
In the apartment sat half a dozen dresses and pairs of shoes for me
to try on. There were even the proper undergarments to match the
dresses.

“How did this all get
here?”

“Actually, Jane is in San Francisco
right now and she helped me. I thought about asking the concierge,
but she offered to go out and get all this for you. I hope you
don’t mind. Jane is the only girl in the family and she’s always
wanted a sister. She’s more than excited to meet you and become
your friend. Is that OK?” he asked with more hesitation than
necessary.

“Jane, your sister? Oh, I can’t wait
to meet her!” Being an only child, I craved company constantly. My
heart jumped for joy at the thought of having a new
friend.

“Jane is quite an opera buff, and I
remembered you talking about Carmen. So, Jane helped out again and
got us a box at the opera house, and that’s the final half of our
date. We are meeting her for dinner so you have to eat.”

“Jake, this has been one of the most
amazing dates. Lunch was a gastronomic feast. Meeting the chef
owner was almost as phenomenal as lunch, and I’m really touched you
figured out how much I like opera. I guess you do listen during our
dates even though they’re always cut short. You are an amazing
man.”

Jake had this exceptional ability to
read between the lines. He picked up my nuances and facial
expressions and could easily decode answers I didn’t realize I was
giving. After half a date at a Mexican restaurant, was my food
obsession that obvious? He correctly guessed that his brother Nick
and I would be great foodie friends. It was also a wonder as to how
he knew about my fascination with Carmen. Maybe it was the way I
listened to Carmen in his car, or maybe it was from the brief
conversation we had about the video I watched in high school. None
of this information came directly from me.

In one single date, Jake
had crossed off many items high on my “to-do” list. After Julia
Roberts in
Pretty Woman
, there wasn’t a single girl out there who wouldn’t want to
be whisked off to San Francisco on a date. Today had been a
combination of the surreal and the comical as I too, would be
watching an opera, my favorite opera in San Francisco. However, I
had one up on Vivian Ward. I had dined at the best restaurant in
the world.

Quickly, I picked out a dress and a
pair of shoes and went in to one of the rooms to get ready. In the
living room, Jake was already waiting for me with one more surprise
in his hand.

He held out a little box—the kind a
girl received when a man got down on one knee, about to propose to
the woman he loved.

“I want ask you something. Please
don’t be scared by the box. It’s not as serious as it
looks.”

That allowed me to breathe a sigh of
relief. Jake grinned at the seriousness of my face. He carefully
watched me open the tiny box and intently studied my expression as
I wondered what exactly I was looking at.

“Um…it’s stunning, but could you
explain this ring to me?”

In my hand lay a white gold or
platinum band with hundreds of pave diamonds set into the shallow
depths of the band. There was no end to the shiny diamonds that
encircled the ring. This was without a doubt the kind of ring women
generally wore on their fourth finger as a wedding band if they
were lucky enough to afford one of this magnitude.

“OK,” he breathed aloud, “it’s not an
engagement ring, nor is it a wedding band, as you might fear. I
wanted to give you a ring that symbolized our commitment to one
another…no scratch that. That didn’t come out right.” His hands
shook as they reached for mine.

“Emily, we’ve dated a couple of months
now, and I know you’re not quite sure where we stand in the formal
sense. I actually bought this ring for you after our first date.
Even back then, I knew I wanted to be with you. I mean, date only
you. I wanted to ask you…geez, I feel like a school boy asking a
girl to be his girlfriend,” he interjected in the middle of his own
explanation, “um…I would like for us to date…exclusively date. What
I mean is…will you be my girlfriend?” he finally spit
out.

I started with a half smile that led
to a giggle. He was unusually insecure for Jake’s standards. When I
didn’t answer immediately, his lips turned into a pouty
frown.

“Are you going to answer? You’re
making me nervous.”

“OK, so let me get this straight. You
spent thousands of dollars to ask my permission to do what we are
already doing now? Dating?”

“Um, yeah. Aren’t you the one that
called our relationship ‘whatever it is that we have’?"

I cringed when he said that. Those
were definitely not choice words.

“Jake. Aren’t we already exclusively
dating? Have you been seeing other girls as well? Is that why it’s
so hard to spend any time with you?” My lips curled into a teasing
smile. Jake didn’t find me funny. Trying to give him more assurance
I said, “I haven’t had a desire or need to see anyone else. I feel
blessed to be with you.”

“I’m still unsure how you feel about
me. I know I haven’t said much today, but you must know how much I
adore you. You’re trusting, yet guarded; you’re independent, yet
willing to follow; and your heart’s been broken, yet you’re willing
to give love another try. I love all these qualities about you. It
doesn’t hurt that you’re fun, funny, and beautiful as well. I
wasn’t sure you felt the same way. Especially after seeing you with
Max last night, I was afraid you might be reconsidering our
relationship,” he confessed with some satisfaction, but still much
apprehension.

“Jake. I really like you, and I want
our relationship to grow. You’re right. After Max, I needed to
guard my heart more than necessary. But I trust you and feel most
secure when we’re together. You are the only man I want to be
with.”

Even with my profession, Jake’s
expression hardly changed so I felt compelled to continue. “I’m
sorry you had to witness my first encounter with Max and his new
girlfriend. Being such an awkward moment, I didn’t react the way I
would have liked. It did affect me. I guess it hurt me more than I
thought it would, even with you by my side. But, you and our
relationship add so much joy to my life. I wasn’t lying when I said
that you’re the only person who makes me feel entirely comfortable.
I’m elated when we’re together and lonely when we’re apart. Will
this answer do? I will wear this very expensive ring as a symbol of
my commitment to our relationship. I would be honored to be your
girlfriend.”

Lovingly, he pulled me to him and held
me. He wanted a relationship with me despite all my inadequacies.
We were content being with one another. I wasn’t wrong to
anticipate that this trip would bring us closer. Love, hope, and
joy—a generic mantra for most—took on a completely new meaning in
my heart. My heart felt whole again, emancipated from Max’s chains.
It was finally free to beat for someone else.

With good foresight, Jake bought a
necklace to go with the ring. Knowing that I wouldn’t want to wear
it on my finger, he hung it as a pendant on my neck. It was
beautiful—heavy, but beautiful.

Jane was already at the restaurant
waiting at the bar for us. Her build was slender and she stood at
about five feet seven. Her hair wasn’t as dark as Jake’s, but her
eyes were just as blue. She and Jake shared many of the same facial
features. Upon first impression, she was just as beautiful as Jake
was handsome. I could imagine how stunning the five of them would
look in a family portrait.

“Emily, this is my only sister,
Jane.”

“Jane, this is my Emily.”

“I’m so happy to meet you, Jane. Thank
you very much for all your troubles. It was unnecessary but much
appreciated,” I said, giving her a hug. She hugged me right back
like we were old friends.

“Thrilled to do it for you. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen my brother this happy. You are actually the
first girlfriend he’s introduced me to since Kelley, right
Jake?”

“I guess. I don’t know.”

I turned to Jake to tease him. “There
were probably so many girls before me, he didn’t have the energy to
introduce them all to you.” Jane and I laughed. Jake
pouted.

Our restaurant was located in the
business district close to the Embarcadero. The nicely decorated
restaurant offered another pre-fixe menu. After lunch, I chose the
vegetarian option but couldn’t resist the sweetbread appetizer,
while Jane and Jake chose a four-course meal, starting with the
sweetbread as well. Sipping fizzy water, Jane and I spoke endlessly
about our likes and dislikes. We talked as though we were close
friends catching up on old times. Jake didn’t mind that I paid no
attention to him. Content just to hold my hand, he watched us
converse.

“What’s it like living in New York?” I
asked Jane. “I’ve always wanted to live there. Although, I think I
could live up here as well.”

“Weren’t you just there over
Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah, I had so much fun. It could
have only been better if your brother had gone with me.” I squeezed
Jake’s hand.

“New York is the most exciting city.
My girlfriends and I meet at all hours of the day, and there are so
many restaurants and cafés bustling with people. I enjoy how busy
the streets are, and how people bump into you on the subway. It
feels like you’re living among everyone. In LA, you drive
everywhere, so you don’t really get to know your neighbors. In New
York, your neighbors become your commuting buddies. You should come
visit me. We’d have a great time.”

“I’d love that.” Next time, I’ll make
sure Jake and I go together. “Jane, how old are you? Are we the
same age? If you’re in your last year of law school, does that make
you older? There’s a bit of a gap between you and Jake.”

“No, I’m also twenty-four. My mom says
Jake is spoiled rotten because I came along so late. He was an only
child for too long.”

“Who says I’m spoiled?” Jake dropped
my hand and looked aghast. “Mom says you were always the
competitive one trying to outdo me.”

“Oh, only everyone! Plus, I didn’t
try. I outdid you in every category,” she retorted.

“Because he was the first grandchild
in the Reid family, everyone spoiled him. He loved the attention.
To this day, he’s still the golden child of this family.” There was
humor and slight resentment in her tone. It made me
laugh.

“So, Emily,” she said, turning to me,
“what about my brother do you like? Why would you want to date
someone who can spend no more than a couple of hours with you at a
time? I’m shocked he took an entire weekend off. You must be
special. I didn’t think he’d ever meet anyone who could tolerate
his schedule.”

“I have to agree that he is quite the
workaholic. We’ve had only four dates in the last six weeks, and
every single date was cut short due to work.”

“Hey, no more Jake-bashing.” Jake
frowned again as he pushed his seat closer to me. “Tell Jane what
you like about me,” he directed with a childlike
eagerness.

“I told you he’s an attention monger.”
Jane rolled her eyes.

Not having grown up with siblings, I
enjoyed their banter. It was fun watching Jake and Jane argue and
poke fun at one another. I’d never experienced this with anyone.
Since Max had only brothers, this brother-sister relationship was
an entirely new discovery.

“Tell her, Emi.”

“Let’s see. It’s not a very long
list,” I answered, laughing with Jane. “I’m kidding.” I quickly
added before Jake disowned me as a girlfriend. “Jake has this
amazing way of making me feel like I’m the only person in this
world who matters to him. I feel incredibly special.” My eyes
glowed as I spoke about my boyfriend. “Not only is he attentive,
he’s a caring, very loving person. Is that a good enough
answer?”

His silly grin shouted to everyone in
the restaurant that he liked my answer very much. Passing the test,
he leaned over and kissed me—a bit too passionately—in front of his
sister. Jane had other ideas.

“Are you talking about my brother? Do
you know what Kelley’s biggest complaint about him was? She always
bemoaned the fact that he didn’t pay enough attention to
her.”

“Now why must you bring Kelley into
this story? That’s the past. Let’s leave it there,” Jake warned his
sister.