CHAPTER 7- Jared
1634 Words
Jared stares at his phone. Same video for the fourth time. Lena's face fills the screen. Pregnant. Holding an ultrasound. Caleb stepping back.
"How much do you want?"
Four million views. Comments are pouring in.
“Gold digger exposed”
“She got what she deserved”
It's been three months since he helped her escape, but he still can't stop watching the moment that destroyed her.
His apartment is dark. Full of empty beer bottles on the coffee table. He hasn't showered in two days.
Called in sick to work. Again. He can't focus, let alone eat. All he sees is her face. The woman he's loved for eight years. Destroyed on camera.
And all he could do was help her run.
Three months ago, the day after the gala, she showed up at his door. Eyes red. Shaking.
"I need help. I can't go home. There are people everywhere. Cameras. Signs calling me a liar. I lost my job, and now I'm losing my apartment. I don't know what to do."
He didn't ask questions. He just grabbed his keys.
"Stay here. I'll get your things."
He drove to her apartment. Protesters everywhere. Signs. Cameras.
“GOLD DIGGER”
“BABY TRAP”
He packed everything. She packed two suitcases and three boxes, and then drove her to the bus station.
"Where am I going?"
"Montana. A friend of a friend has work at a diner. It's far enough that maybe nobody will recognize you. You need to disappear for a while." He said
He bought her a ticket with his credit card. She tried to refuse.
"Jared, I can't ask you to..."
"You're not asking. I'm giving. Please. Just take it and be safe."
She hugged him. Long. Tight.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"Call me every week. Even from a payphone. Let me know if you're okay. That's all I need."
"I promise. Every Sunday. I'll call."
He watched her get on the bus. He watched it drive away, and he knew he might never see her again.
She's kept her promise. Every Sunday. 3 PM. Different payphones.
"I'm okay. Baby's okay. Still hiding."
"Do you need money? I can wire you something. Just tell me where."
"I'm managing. I got a job at the diner. It's not much, but it's enough. Tips are decent."
"Are you safe? Is anyone looking for you?"
"I see my face on the news sometimes. But nobody's recognized me yet. I dyed my hair. Keep my head down. It's working so far."
"If anything happens, if you need anything at all, you call me. Any time. Day or night."
"I will. I promise. Thank you, Jared. For everything."
He always hangs up before he can say more.
Sunday. 3 PM. His phone doesn't ring.
3:15. Nothing.
3:30. Still nothing.
Stomach tight. Something's wrong. She's never missed a call. Not once in three months. He tries calling back the last payphone number. Disconnected.
Paces his apartment. Where is she? Is she okay? Did something happen to the baby?
His phone rings. 4:47 PM. Unknown number.
Answers. "Lena?"
"Jared." Voice shaking. Crying.
"What happened? Where are you? I've been worried sick. Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?"
"I'm okay. We're okay. But everything's worse now. Caleb found me. His parents found me. There's a fifty-thousand-dollar reward for information about me. People are hunting me. I can't risk calls anymore. Someone might trace them back to you."
His heart stops. "I don't care about that. I care about you being safe."
"I know. But I can't keep putting you at risk. This is the last time I can call. I'm going completely dark. No more payphones. No more contact. It's the only way."
"Lena, no. Don't do this. Let me help. I can send money. I can come get you. Whatever you need."
"You already helped me more than anyone else did. You helped me escape when I had nowhere to go. You gave me money when I was broke. You've been my lifeline every Sunday for three months. But I need you to let me go now. For your own safety."
He can't breathe.
"For how long? When will I hear from you again?"
"I don't know. Until it's safe. Until Caleb stops looking. Until the media moves on. It could be months. Maybe years. I just don't know."
Silence. He can hear her crying.
"So this is really goodbye."
Her voice breaks. "This is goodbye. And Jared, I need you to know something. I need you to know that you saved me. When everyone else turned their backs, when the whole world called me a liar, you believed me. You helped me. You never asked for anything in return. You're the best friend I've ever had."
Tears burn, but he won't let them fall.
"You don't have to thank me for that. I'd do it again. A thousand times."
"I know you would. That's why you're you."
"I love you, Lena," he says. Finally says it.
"I know. I've always known. And I'm sorry I can't give you what you want. I'm sorry my heart was already somewhere else when we met. You deserved better than me."
"Don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong. You fell in love with someone. That's not a crime."
"Maybe not. But it still broke your heart. And I'm sorry about that."
"I'm not. Knowing you, loving you, even from the sidelines, was worth it. Every second of it."
She's crying harder now.
"Goodbye, Jared. Be happy. Find someone who can love you back the way you deserve."
"Goodbye, Lena. Be safe. Take care of that baby. And if you ever need me, I'll be here."
She hangs up.
He stares at the phone. The call ended. She's gone. No more Sunday calls. No more updates. No more hearing her voice.
Just silence.
Eight years ago, the first time he saw her, moving into the building. She was twenty years old. Carrying boxes.
The box slipped. Contents fell everywhere. He helped her pick them up.
"Thank you. I'm Lena."
"Jared."
She smiled. Real.
"You're the first person who's been nice to me today."
He knew right then that there was something special about her.
This morning, he got up and pulled a suitcase out his closet.
“I can't stay here. Not in this city. It has too many memories I can not handle. I need to start over.”
Different city. Different life.
He starts packing his clothes. Books. Photos. He finds a photo from six years ago. Her birthday. Both laugh. Before Caleb and everything.
He puts it in his wallet. I can't erase her. He won't even try. His phone buzzes. News alert.
“BREAKING: CALEB VAUGHN DISOWNS PARENTS OVER SECRET LOVE CHILD”
He opens it.
Photos of Caleb and Lena at motel. Caleb standing between Lena and his mother. Choosing her. The article says Caleb gave up everything. Trust fund. Family. Company position.
For her.
For their baby.
He stares at the screen. Caleb did what Jared never could. He fought for her. He chose her and risked everything.
Jared helped her escape. Gave her money. Answered her calls. But Caleb went to war for her. Caleb faced his family. Faced the media. Faced the world.
Caleb didn't just help her run.
Caleb ran with her.
That's the difference.
Jared loved her safely. From a distance. Caleb loved her dangerously. Publicly. All in.
And maybe that's what love is.
Not eight years of almost.
But one moment of choosing her over everything else.
He keeps packing. Los Angeles. That's where he'll go. New job. New apartment. New start. She's starting over. So can he.
His flight leaves at 6 AM. He sets the alarm and lies down. It's hard to sleep. She's in his mind, wondering if she's safe
He hopes Caleb's fighting for her right now, and she lets him. Because she deserves someone who fights for her, not someone who just helps her run.
The alarm goes off. 4 AM. He gets up, showers, and grabs his suitcase. He looks around the apartment one last time. Eight years in this building. Eight years of loving her.
Eight years of almost.
He closes the door, locks it, and hands the key to the building manager.
"Moving out?" The manager asks.
"Yeah. Job transfer to LA. New start."
"Good luck with that."
"Thanks. I'll need it."
Outside, the sun is not up yet. The city is quiet.
Uber waiting.
"JFK airport, please."
"You got it."
He watches the city pass by. Buildings. Streets. Places they went together. The coffee shop where they met every Saturday.
The park where they walked after her bad breakup. The diner, where she told him about Caleb.
All of it is fading.
All of it is becoming past.
His phone buzzes. Unknown number.
He opens it.
Recent photo of Lena and Caleb. Her pregnancy is showing, and Caleb got his hand on her belly.
They look like they're together. Fighting together. Surviving together.
Text below:
“She's okay. We're okay. Thank you for helping her when I couldn't. - Caleb”
He stares at it.
Caleb knows. And he's thanking him.
Types back:
“Take care of her. Both of them. She deserves someone who fights for her. Be that person.”
He sends it and then deletes the conversation. Deletes her number. Deletes everything. Starting over means letting go.
All the way.
The plane takes off at 6:47 AM.
New York disappears below. He closes his eyes to think about her one last time. Then he lets her go.
Really lets her go.
She was never his to keep. Some love stories are about holding on. His was about letting go.
And he finally did.
- Writer
