Spaces in Between

Chapter Nine: James

Was it normal that I kept repeating in my head the feeling of her soft lips on mine?

When she left the gym, I just sat there, looking like a fool. It felt as if I was a teenage boy who was kissed for the very first time. It’s as if I never tasted the lips of an opposite gender before. Yes, I have deprived myself of that feeling for three years but it didn’t mean that I didn’t remember it, it didn’t mean that on the course of three years, I didn’t try to relive the memory of the moments when Georgina and I kissed. Because I had, I had reminisced those memories I had of her.

But this one, this one was different.

A brush of the lips wouldn’t have driven me this crazy because I was no longer a hormonal teenage boy. Yes, I still had raging hormones but I’m at the age where I know how to control them. But right now, right now I just want to head over at her apartment and have her lips pressed on mine. It didn’t even matter if it was just a brush yet again or even a peck, I just wanted to have her lips on mine. When our lips brushed on each other’s, there was a flash of electricity that sent teasing tingles down my spine. Tingles that made me want to shiver, that made me seek for more.

“James!”

“What?” I snapped at my best friend.

Ethan raised his eyebrows, “Are you uptight because you’re going to be tied down in a few days with someone you don’t even have any feelings for or are you just uptight?”

There are moments that I want to punch my best friend on the face. This was one of those moments, “Shut up, Ethan.”

“How are you gonna enjoy your bachelor party when you’re such pansy pants right now?” he said, shaking his head and then he thrust a drink to me, “Here, to loosen you up before you go see the bros.”

I chugged at the beer, “Let’s just get this over with, Ethan.”

“I would bring the surprise in already if you keep acting like this,” he muttered but then grabbed a remote and turned the volume of the music up, “Let’s get this party started!”

And as if on cue, a group of girls came in and everyone hollered. I groaned, I knew letting Ethan and Nathan plan my bachelor party would mean trouble. I should’ve let Caleb plan it, then we’d just end up with a night of video games and beer, but then it wouldn’t be any better than that.

“So you’re the groom?” one girl said, moving closer to me, “Your friend told me a lap dance has to be delivered to you.”

I raised my brow and then searched the room, seeing Nathan, “Ah, that’s the groom over there.”

The girl moved closer to me, snaking her hands to my neck, “No one’s gonna tell the bride, sweetheart. What happens in a bachelor party just stays with the boys.”

I removed her hands on my neck, “I’m sorry. I’m just not that type of guy.”

“This is your last night to be polygamous, baby, you have nothing to worry about,” she whispered, and I was pretty sure she was aiming for seductive but she just disgusted me. I pushed her away from me.

“Sorry, but I never have been polygamous,” I said and then left the room. I headed to the balcony connected to my room and noticed that Caleb was there, “So will Jade be piss at you if you enjoy your night with those girls?”

Caleb turned to me and then chuckled. I realized he was nursing a beer, “First one for the night?”

“Only one for the night,” he replied with a shrug, “Designated driver.”

“So you have my position on your bachelor party and I have yours.”

“What can I say, the tables have turned,” he said with a laugh, “So why aren’t you enjoying your last night as a bachelor?”

I shrugged, taking a sip of my beer, “You know that’s not my scene. I don’t even know why I let those two plan this. I should’ve let you.”

Caleb laughed, “You know I’m busy with the restaurant and the publishing house. And with a baby on the way.”

I stopped mid-drink and stared at him, “Seriously?”

Caleb smiled, “Seriously. But don’t mention it to anyone else yet. Jade doesn’t want everyone to know until we finally go see a doctor about it.”

“Congrats man,” I said patting his back, “You finally scored.”

He rolled his eyes at me, “But what about you? You seem a little bit off, even for you.”

“Adrianna and I almost kissed,” I blurted out and then ran a hand through my hair, tousling it further, “It was a brush of the lips but I just, I can’t get it out of my mind!”

Caleb stared at me in amazement. I waited for him to laugh at me and tease me because I knew that I was pretty much acting like a teen. But he didn’t comment on that, he commented on something else entirely, “When Jade told me that you have finally moved on even before you were fully committed to this whole ordeal, I refused to believe. But now I see it, I see it.”

He moved closer to me and patted my shoulder, “Adrianna’s a much better girl to fall in love with.”

“James!” Ethan called, “My surprise is ready for you!”

Caleb and I stilled when Ethan’s surprise entered the scene. It wasn’t a stripper anymore, actually, I would’ve chosen a stripper than her. She still looked the same as I last saw her except her long brown hair rested on her shoulders and they were perfectly straight. Her blue eyes still resembled violets and even her body was the same, no weight shed, none gained too.

“James,” she said softly, and when my name left her mouth, I waited for a part of me to snap, a part of me to run to her, scoop her in my arms and beg her to come away with me. But it never came, I never snapped and I just looked at her until slowly, I smiled back.

“It’s been a long time, Georgina.”

She tilted her head to the side, a playful smile on her still pretty face, “I don’t get a hug from my best friend?”

I moved closer to her and wrapped her in my arms but it didn’t feel the way it used to before. I used to think that our hugs felt like two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly, meant to be. But now gone was that feeling, gone was the sense of belongingness, but a sense of familiarity and comfort replaced it. When we pulled away, I pinched her nose, the way I used to when we were younger, when we were just friends.

“So you’re getting married to a bombshell VS angel,” she teased

I chuckled, “Former VS angel. She doesn’t like it when people remind her of that.”

“Well, sounds like she doesn’t want to be categorized as a man’s definition of a perfect girl,” Georgina commented, “I’m starting to like this girl.”

I led Georgina inside the house, ignoring the loud music and my friends and Adrianna’s brothers partying and having so much fun with the girls that Ethan brought in. I headed to the kitchen, which seemed to be a little more quieter than the rest of the house. I handed her a drink, a beer, knowing her full well that she’d rather choose it than a glass of wine.

She accepted the drink and we continued our chat. We talked about what course our life took the last time we saw each other and we never mentioned how we parted our ways, we never mentioned about how I pinned after her, I never mentioned that it took me three years to finally realize that she just wasn’t coming back to me, and she never mentioned about my stalking.

After a while, Caleb joined in on our conversation and had ended up telling Georgina about the upcoming baby that they will be having. I knew why he told George about it, they were close and Jade and Georgina were best friends. They just lost a bit of contact for the past two years but it didn’t mean that their friendship was dead and gone.

“Bro!” Nathan shouted, obviously drunk as he sauntered in my kitchen, “I have a surprise for you. You’re gonna love it ‘cause I love it and Ethan loves it.”

I already had an idea of what he meant. I turned to Georgina and Caleb, “Help.”

Caleb and Georgina chuckled and then looked at Nathan. Caleb cleared his throat, “Nate, I think James had enough of surprises now. He’s pretty drunk as it is. He won’t enjoy your surprise if he’s about to pass out.”

And like always when I ask these two for help, I acted out what they said. Georgina placed my arm around her shoulders as I slumped my weight onto her, “We better get him to bed. Maybe you should be the one who’ll enjoy the surprise you prepared.”

Caleb and she helped me out, feigning bringing me to my room. There were questions thrown to them as the two of them were carrying me and they just dodged it, saying completely unnecessary things while they’re at it. They dumped me to my bed and Caleb excused himself, saying he had to call Jade, leaving Georgina and me in my room.

“I’m happy that you’re happy,” she said as I sat on my bed. I waited for her to sit beside me but she didn’t, “I have to go home, J. I don’t want Bruce to ruin the apartment when I get home.”

“Bruce?” I asked.

She chuckled, “My dog. I left him alone and I forgot to leave him food. Let’s just hope he didn’t raid the fridge or something.”

I laughed, “Okay. It’s nice to know you’re back in New York and here.”

I grabbed a spare invitation in my drawer. I was supposed to give it to the guy next door who wasn’t exactly a close friend but we were good friends so I thought it would be nice to invite him. I gave it to her instead, “After all that happened, you still are my best friend.”

I stood up and hugged her tight, realizing that it truly was not like how it used to be when we were lovers but the sense of familiarity that washed over me was the comfort that I found in hugging her when we were younger, before puberty kicked in and the hormones started raging. And to whatever love that I have left for her, it was the love that I had for her when we were kids, platonic.

“For what it’s worth, J,” she whispered, “I really am sorry for breaking your heart.”

We let go of each other and I flashed her a small smile, “I’ll see you at the wedding, George.”

She walked over to the door, “Better lock this so the strippers won’t come in when you’re asleep. I’m betting my life that you’re still a heavy sleeper.”

I rolled my eyes as she went and closed the door. I sat on my bed and ran a hand through my already, very, tousled hair. I did it. I finally moved on. I’m finally okay. A grin spread on my lips, relief washing over my body, the feeling of serenity falling over me. And then my phone beeped.

I’m home. Safe and sober. Dunno why I’m telling you this when you could be the one partying so hard and drunk out of your mind. But one point goes to me for being the responsible spouse.

~A

My grin grew wider and I called her number, when she answered on the third ring, I immediately spoke, “I didn’t know we were putting points in who’s the better spouse.”

I heard her laugh and if it was possible, my smile grew even wider, “You’re not drunk?!”

“Why do you sound disappointed that I’m not?” I asked with a chuckle, “So does that eliminate your points then?”

She groaned, “Why can’t you be an irresponsible spouse who gets drunk while watching HBO?”

I laughed and then rolled onto my stomach, “Because I’m the perfect husband and you’re the luckiest girl to have to marry me.”

I heard her scoff and then I heard her yell, “Hold on for a moment, Lily’s vomiting.”

I listened to her help her best friend and after a while, I finally heard her voice again, “So, why’d you call me anyway? Besides confirming the game that we were playing.”

“A game that you didn’t even tell me we were playing,” I pointed out, “And I actually wanted to hear your voice. Also, I have something to tell you.”

She was quiet for a while and I was too, wondering why I wanted to tell her that Georgina was here and that I invited her to our wedding. But I also wanted to tell her, explain to her, that the feelings I once had for Georgina just weren’t there anymore. I don’t know how I lost it that fast when I’ve pined for her for three years but, they just weren’t there. I waited for them to come, some sort of trigger to occur, but nothing.

“No, I do not want to go jogging with you at an ungodly hour,” she said and then laughed, “Hit me with your best shot.”

I’m pretty sure the smile on my face was going to stay there for a while, “Ethan invited Georgina. We talked but nothing. And I invited her to the wedding.”

“Nothing?” she asked after a moment of silence, “Do you mean nothing like, you feel nothing for her anymore? Didn’t you tell me a month ago that you still want her?”

I shook my head, “No. I said I waited for her. But then I realize it was like waiting for the snow to come to a tropical country. It was never gonna happen.”

“But now she’s back.”

“And my feelings are gone,” I said simply, “I didn’t feel anything, Ria. Believe me when I say that.”

I was met with silence on the other line again until finally, I heard her exhale a breath, “Well, I’m happy for you. You’re all patch up. Now, we can focus on me. Patch me up too, okay?”

I bit my lip, controlling the silly smile that I knew was on my face. This was ridiculous. I felt like a teen in a sitcom. But nonetheless, I replied with the words I wanted to, words that I meant, “I’ll fix you. I promise.”