Forsaken Love

Chapter 19

Putting on his Hawaiian shirt, khaki pants, and Nike shoes, and layering up with a small pea coat and fedora hat, Jim marched over to Evelyn’s home. Jim’s journey up her porch stairs matched a turtle venturing on land. He returned from Europe days ago, but hasn’t stopped thinking about the advice Bella gave him for one second. Though Jim admitted she offered valid arguments against telling Evelyn how he felt, A compelling urge always lured him towards the opposite. Now, just outside her front door, he had a critical decision to make. A deep breath later and she welcomed his knocks. Her dampened golden hair hung below her shoulders, her legs reflected the sunlight. She had wrapped her bodice from just below her waist to her shoulders, the chest single buttoned to reveal her bra underneath. “Jim!” Evelyn greeted. “What can I do for you?”

“Do you still have that pot I let you borrow?” Jim asked. Evelyn nodded and pointed to the appropriate cabinet in the kitchen. Jim overcame the struggle to take his eyes off her, slowly backing into the kitchen and turning around only when near the cabinet. He engaged in further conversation as an excuse for retreating to the kitchen suspiciously. He opened the cabinet drawer, locating his pot under the recently purchased ones belonging to Evelyn’s family. When Jim turned around, he dropped the pot and it crashed to the ground with a loud bang. there stood Evelyn, only inches from him. Overjoy replaced his disbelief when Evelyn removed her robe and rubbed up against him. The kiss seemed to last a lifetime, starting from the kitchen counter, all its contents pushed to the ground, and ending on the living room couch.

“Hello? Jim?” Evelyn’s voice brought him back to the doorway. She no longer wore a robe, replaced by a long silky dress.

Confusion prevented him from speaking immediately, but after some reflection, he realized the situation. “Hi,” Jim muttered. “I came to see if you were finished with my pot.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “I totally forgot! Yeah, come on in. It’s just in the kitchen.” Evelyn closed the door behind Jim. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Jim sat down on the couch and scanned a book left on one of its cushions. He only had time to flip through a few pages before Evelyn returned with pot in hand, offering it to Jim. “Here you go.”

He grabbed it and smiled. “Thanks. I thought about cooking today and then realized I had no pot to boil water in.” He chuckles. “I considered ordering in pizza instead, but decided I could really use the practice.”

“Yes, you could,” she joked. “And thanks for letting me borrow it. I never actually used it though. I found my mom’s in one of the boxes,” she explained.

“Oh! How are they doing? It must be tiresome moving into a new place. You know, figuring out where everything is, both in all these boxes and in the town, saying goodbye to all your friends, saying hello to a new set of neighbors. If they find a home in a neighborhood like ours, they won’t have to cook their own food for a week.”

Evelyn chuckled. “You think too highly of our neighbors, Jim.”

“Perhaps,” he replied. “Your parents are lucky they have mine with them. My mother is so organized and plans everything carefully. She’ll give the moving company an earful if they forget something. Where did they go again? California?”     

Evelyn nodded. “Someplace about 3 hours North of Sacramento. I don’t remember the name of the city. It’s written around here somewhere though.” Evelyn spent very little time looking for the name, as she quickly halted her search after glancing at the wall. “These look so bare without all the paintings now.”

Jim followed her gaze. “I think it looks nice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to miss how this house used to look. It was like a second childhood home for me. But you and me, we can redesign it together. Bring back some of its beauty.”

“Jim, my parents sold it,” Evelyn looked back at him.

“Right.” He gazed downward. He stood there for an unusual amount of time avoiding eye contact until he finally realized how to continue the conversation less awkwardly. “What are you going to do then? I’m assuming you can still live here until the buyers arrive, but what about after?”

Evelyn grinned. “I thought I’d move in with you.”

Jim blushed and chuckled. “Well, if you need any help, all you have to do is ask. You know I’ll come.” Jim smiled wide.

“I appreciate that Jim, but I’m managing just fine. There’s no need, really.” Evelyn glanced at her clock. “Now if there’s nothing else you’ll be needing, I’m actually in a bit of a rush right now.”

Jim slipped out the question he had been scared to ask since he walked through the door. “Do you have a date, or something? You seem overly dressed for a simple evening at home.”

“Yeah, Bruce came home with me this weekend,” Evelyn smiled. “Neither of us have a lot of schoolwork to worry about, so he’s been helping me out with the moving. He just ran some errands for me.”

“Oh, well then I won’t keep you any longer.” He held the pot up high. “I’ll just take this home and enjoy my dinner I guess then.”  

“That’s him right now,” Evelyn replied to a honk outside. “See you later?”

Jim nodded, but Evelyn had already rushed out the door. Thoughts clouded his mind; the further from the door she ran, the stronger Jim’s urges grew, and the deeper Bella’s advice withdrew into the back of his mind. This could be his last opportunity to express his feelings. Jim never even considered the repercussions as he rushed out the door after her. “Evelyn, wait!” he yelled.

Bruce parked across the street. Evelyn halted halfway when Jim roared behind her. She habitually turned around, and Jim, too focused on her, failed to notice the danger that lurked around the corner. His lips moved, but even he, over the sound of the approaching motor, could barely hear his own voice. He saw Bruce, from his vehicle, also desperately seek for her attention. But before Evelyn could react to either of their calls, the vehicle slammed into her. Jim rushed over to her aid after it passed. The painful stabbing in his heart only calmed slightly when he discovered Evelyn still alive. But he expected the guilt would remain for many years to come. Because if Jim never said those three words, words he had reserved exclusively for her, this would never have happened: “I love you.”