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“So talk to him, I’m sure he understands? The
big question is, what are you going to do about Jason?”

“I honestly don’t know. There are so many
reasons to write him off, yet, I find every reason to want to try
with him.”

“Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do;
only you can figure that out. I know I don’t like seeing you hurt,
so unless he can keep from hurting you, I think he should stay
away.”

“I know. I feel the same way.”

“Well, I’m going to the cafe. Can you and
Mila stay here without killing each other?”

“I’m pretty sure we can. Thanks Chels.”

“Always babe,” then she left the apartment. I
grabbed my phone to text Chase. I needed to make sure that I didn’t
lose yet another friend over the debacle with Jason.

to Chase

*Hey friend. How are you?*

I sat my phone down and tried to relax while
staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so
angry and actually felt good about it. Mila was a big mouth, and
could be threatening, but I held my own and I was satisfied. My
last order of business was trying figure what I wanted to do with
Jason, and that was the most thought consuming prospect of them
all. He had given an overabundance of reasons to be done with him,
yet there was a part of me that wanted to try. I gazed off into the
nothingness surrounding me, and tried to think.

Chapter 9

Somehow I managed to doze off, and when I
woke up, there were three text messages on my phone. They were all
from Chase, telling me that he saw Chelsea at the cafe, asking me
how my night went, and finally asking if everything was okay. I
wanted to tell him to come over so I could fill him in, but Mila
was home, and the last thing I needed to do was stir up more
ammunition for her, so I texted him back and asked if he was home.
He was so I went straight to his apartment.

Every time I entered Chase’s apartment, I was
reminded that he was a guy, and a bachelor at that. He and his
roommates knew nothing about design aesthetic. There were beer
posters, with bikini clad women adorning the walls, beer tops stuck
in the popcorn ceiling, making waste of time designs, and football
memorabilia all over the place. It was a far cry from our
apartment, but then again, the three guys who lived there fit the
décor, so I forgot about my incessant need to want to put my touch
on the place. Chase opened the door and gave me a big hug as he led
me into the living room. His roommates, Taylor and Drew were home,
but in the back room playing video games. This gave us some much
needed time to talk about what happened without their
interference.

“So how are you after last night?” I asked,
wary of his response. I felt the need to brace myself for his
answer since I knew I treated him badly the night before.

“I’m good. I was wondering the same about
you.”

“I’m fine. Last night was crazy, and I felt
horrible for kicking you out the way I did.”

"Don’t worry about me. I did want to beat the
shit out of him though.”

“I know. That’s exactly what I was trying to
avoid. This morning was even worse.”

“I’m sure. Chelsea told me you were on a roll
this morning,” he grinned and adjusted himself on the couch.

“The whole Jason thing rubbed me the wrong
way. Mila being a conspirator was a knife in my back. I went to her
about it and she acted like I was crazy for being so angry.”

“I think you had every right to be angry.
This damn guy doesn’t talk to you for a full week, for no good
reason, and when he just shows up, you’re supposed to drop to the
floor for him; Mila should have known better.”

“You would think. Instead she was completely
hostile, as if I should have been thanking her. I mentioned it to
Ryan, and she went berserk.”

“Why?”

“Well, apparently, she's a big girl and I
shouldn't be going behind her back.”

“Isn't that exactly what she did to you?”

“Yup!” Chase’s eyes bulged. The audacity of
Mila was too much to stomach. “Anyway, I don’t really think much
got solved and I still don’t know what to do about Jason.”

“You know what I’d tell you so I’ll just keep
that to myself.” He looked at me, his face stern and giving nothing
away.

“I know. Unfortunately, my heart and my mind
are not in the same place. I just don’t know how to approach
him.”

“Do the same thing you did with Mila.”

“I tried that last night and this morning; it
didn’t really work,” I shrugged my shoulders in a display of
defeat, “Jason is much more difficult to break through.”

“Well, whatever you do, I’m behind you.” He
got up and walked off in the direction of the kitchen, grabbing two
black ceramic bowls from the cupboards. “Hungry?”

“Yes I am,” I smiled; moving eagerly to the
table to eat what I was sure was the only thing Chase knew how to
prepare.

“Captain Crunch or Frosted Flakes?”

“Frosted Flakes.” He poured our cereal and
made his way to the table, sitting my bowl down in front of me.

“Mila really doesn’t like me does she?” I was
shocked that the question was even audible, given the fact that his
mouth was full of Frosted Flakes.

“At this point I don’t know. She said it had
nothing to do with you.”

“HA! Bullshit!”

“She normally has nothing but nice things to
say about you.”

“But her actions were anything but…” he
shoved another spoon full of cereal in his mouth, and I was
grateful that he remembered his manners this time.

We left that bitter conversation alone and
Chase mentioned a concert coming up that weekend. I had heard about
it, but didn’t give it much thought. How could I when my mind was
so preoccupied? I didn’t even realize that we were on Spring break
for heaven’s sake. He asked if I’d like to go, but I left my answer
open-ended. I wasn’t sure where I stood with Jason and didn’t want
to make plans just yet. I could sense the frustration he felt when
I told him, but I had to figure out my Jason situation before
adding another guy to the mix.

When I got home, Chelsea was back, sitting
with Mila watching TV, eating a bowl of fruit. She informed me that
my phone had been going off, so I rushed into my room to check and
see who had been calling. There were no missed calls or text
messages, but instead, two Facebook messages; both from Jacob
Bradley.

From Jacob Bradley

Hey Cara. Give anymore thought to coming to
Texas?

From Jacob Bradley

I do hope you and Jason are doing okay. He was a bit
preoccupied while here in Heath.

What did all of this mean? I couldn’t ask
Jason since he had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want me
having anything to do with his brother. I decided to prod and see
if I could get information out of Jacob, without having to go
through Jason.

To Jacob Bradley

Hi Jacob. I have thought about Texas and it sounds
like fun. I think I will try and make it, if at all possible with
my softball schedule and all. Jason and I are okay, why do you ask?
I know he was preoccupied, but it’s nice having him home.

I figured, without trying to sound desperate
for information, that I had put enough out there to hopefully get
more out of Jacob than I was able to get out of Jason. This very
conversation could start WWIII, and while I knew the consequences
of our correspondence, I was much too intrigued to put a stop to
it. While waiting for a response from Jacob, I decided to browse
his photo albums and found more pictures of him, Abigail, and a
beautiful blond woman. I figured she was his wife or girlfriend,
and Abigail’s mother, since she was a carbon copy of her. They
looked so happy, sitting by the lake, on a boat, and in an empty
grass field. I found a picture with Jason in them, his face was
indifferent, almost like he was forced to take it. I just didn’t
understand him at all. I got a ping from my notifications, so I
decided to hop on my laptop instead of trying to respond by
phone.

From Jacob Bradley

I only asked because he was so frantic here, so I
wasn’t sure how he was going to act once he got back home. A lot of
stress here, that I am sure we cleared up, but he left feeling
rather uneasy. He can be a damn head case at times; I think,
somehow, you mellow him out.

I quickly responded:

To Jacob Bradley

We haven’t gotten that far. I don’t really know why
he had to rush out of here. He is being quite discreet. I don’t
know if I mellow him out, but I do try.

Hey, who is the pretty blond in your pics? Sorry for
snooping.

From Jacob Bradley

That beautiful woman is my wife Heather. That
excessively beautiful little lady is my daughter Abigail. No
worries on snooping, I’ve done the same. Being discreet huh? Shame
on him. Keep prodding; you will get him to crack.

To Jacob Bradley

I knew of Abigail. She is a doll. I am trying, he is
one tough egg. LOL

From Jacob Bradley

He is breakable. Trust me!

To Jacob Bradley

Thanks!

My online conversation with Jacob was done,
but now my mind was racing. I thought one thing and then
immediately jumped to another. Why did he rush home? Jacob was
vague with his answers, but much more forthcoming than Jason had
been. I decided it was best to get it over with and speak to him,
so I called him and asked him to meet me at a local ice cream shop,
which he declined. He said he needed to speak to me in private, and
a crowded ice cream shop, filled with the college scene just
wouldn’t do. I offered for him to come to my apartment, which he
declined, but quickly offered to pick me up and take me to his
house. I hesitantly agreed to going to his house, but informed him
that I was capable of driving myself. I got off the phone feeling
vulnerable. Maybe agreeing to go to his house and being on his turf
was a bad idea. I should have insisted on him coming back to my
apartment, but then again, I was unaware of Chelsea’s and Mila’s
plans for the night, and I wanted to be able to talk.

I didn’t plan to go to Jason’s house until
later that night, so I filled my day hanging out with Chelsea. We
made a grocery trip, got pedicures, took her car to get detailed,
and finally stopped at a small bistro for lunch. Chelsea had always
been such a good friend to me that I felt compelled to keep her
abreast of what was going on in my life.

“Do you have plans tonight?”

She nodded her head, unable to speak with a
fork full of chicken Caesar in her mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to some accounting dinner thing with
Hunter and his family. Probably going to be incredibly lame and
boring.”

“Well, I’m off to La Jolla tonight,” I winced
as I said it, waiting on the Chelsea Peters backlash.

“Why? Make his ass come here.”

“He offered, but I wasn’t sure if we would be
alone, so I told him I would go there.”

“Mila said she was staying home, I guess her
and Ryan got into it this morning or something.”

“Really? Well, he wasn’t happy about what I
told him.”

“Yeah, she was kind of a Bitter Betty this
morning. I asked her about it and she said Ryan pretty much chewed
her ass for the whole Jason thing.”

“Well, that’s my brother and he’s going to
stick up for me. What did she expect?”

“I know. Where did you go this morning?”

“I went to see Chase. I didn’t want him
coming to the apartment with Mila home – that would just add more
fuel to the fire.”

“I figured. Well, please stick to your guns
with Jason. Even if you take him back, make his ass feel your
wrath. I wish I could say what I want to him right now,” she said,
as she continued eating her salad.

“I know you do and I am sure if you did, one
of you would be dead.”

“Wouldn’t be me love,” she snidely replied as
she smiled her gorgeous smile while giving me a wink.

<>

By the time we got home, I had enough time to
help Chelsea unload the groceries, shower, and hit the road. San
Diego traffic on a Tuesday evening could be brutal, and without
carpool, I was sure to get caught in it. I felt myself growing
antsy the closer I got, and by the time I pulled up in front of
Jason’s house, my hands were a moist mess. Why was I so
nervous?

I looked around, and my poor Civic was just
out of place in Jason’s neighborhood. Of the cars that I could see,
there wasn’t a single one that looked like is costs under $40,000.
I stepped out of the car, and felt a bit relieved with the evening
air hitting my face. Walking around the car, I sneaked a peek at
myself in my car window, and ran my fingers through my hair. I
doubted Jason was this nervous and to be quite honest, he should’ve
been.

I rang the doorbell, and within a few seconds
he opened the door. He looked sensational in fitted jeans, with a
black V-neck t-shirt, and black sandals. He greeted me, and took my
hand, leading me into the kitchen, and handed me a glass of my
favorite wine. I thanked him and looked around his immaculate
place. It looked exactly the same as the last time I was there.
Oddly, it felt like light years since I had been in his home, and
being there made me miss it that much more.

“I’m so glad you agreed to come, I didn’t
think you would.”

“At first I wasn’t going to,” stopping to
take a sip of my wine, “but, I know I have to figure this out.”

“He took a sip of his drink, and licked his
top lip. “Figure what out?”

“Us Jason.”

“I fail to see what we need to figure out. We
have things to talk about, but we’re okay.”

I peered at him, dumbfounded. “How can you
say that?”

“Because Cara, I think you’re blowing this
out of proportion. “I was wrong, I admit it, but going off the deep
end isn’t the answer.” He grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and
refilled his glass. I knew he had been drinking even before I got
there. “Before we get all hot and heavy into this, I wanna eat. Are
you hungry?”