Plain Jane

Gestures Part II

I was sitting in my office Thursday morning looking through the letters I would have to write a column on by tomorrow. I've been so caught up in Ryan and Cayden and Aston I've completely neglected the one thing I love. There were the same old letters I looked through and every week it was the same old desperate or weird women asking the same old desperate or weird questions.

Wait.

I flip back one envelope and see that same scraggly handwriting from last time. It was him. Cold Hearted Bastard wrote again.

I quickly sliced open the envelope pulling up a word document, preparing to write. I read through it twice just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

My cursor was blinking rapidly waiting for me to start typing.

Dear Cold Hearted Bastard,

I'm glad you've moved on from the cheating, we should never live in the past of mistakes other people have made. I think you should get in touch with your friend because every guy needs his best friend just like you said. I would die without my two best friends, one of which I also need to get in contact with too.

Oh? You met a girl? And you even think she's the right one without dating her. I'm impressed Mr. Cold Heart. So your bad at expressing your feelings so what? She's complicated, well guess what all women are. In fact not naming names but a certain New York Columnist is also having complicated problems, more than I could ever write honey.

If it were me and you really wanted to show her you were serious. Take her to surprise meet someone important to you, a mother, a sister, a friend. Show her you want to stick around.

Till next time,

New York Opinion.

I ended the letter with a flourish and read back over it a couple times to edit it then looked over at the letter from him, reading it one more time, then emailing it to my publisher. The handwriting kind of looked like Ryan's. I scoffed. Ryan was the cheater not the cheatee.

But you have never seen a friend of his around.

Maybe it's just a coincidence. I should go ask Amelia where all his friends are anyways it's weird for a man to not have a go to guy friend. I get out of my chair and walk out of the empty office towards the front desk. Amelia had come back to gather her papers and do a little bit of last minute paper work before going back to her baby at home.

"Hey Amelia!" I smile at her.

"Hey Jane! How is everything?" She asks, smiling back at me.

"Good, I actually have a question for you though."

"Shoot." She says.

"Does Ryan have any friends? I've never seen any around." I ask.

"Oh yeah, I forgot we never finished our conversation." She bites her lip. "Keep this between me and you though." I nod quickly and she leans in like she's telling me confidential information. "He found his best friend in bed with Lily. I swear I've never seen the man so angry. He came in and called me in telling me if either of them walked in to have them escorted off the premises before he could see them or he would beat the guy's face in."

The information hit me like a brick wall. It sounded exactly like the letter. The same handwriting. The same story. I never thought that maybe Ryan could be the one cheated on, I just believed what Darren had told me he read in the tabloids. I forgot the tabloids could be wrong.

"Wow thank you Amelia." I say after a few moments.

"Jane, he really likes you." She says.

"I don't think so, but Amelia good luck with baby I can't wait till you come back." I wave at her and walk back towards the office, just as I collide with Ryan who's coming out of the office, on the run to another meeting. He grabs on to my waist to steady me as the wind is knocked out of me.

"Hey before you go I have a quick question."I say, looking up at him. He looks conflicted before answering me.

"I have a meeting right now, it will have to wait." He says.

"Well okay, but it's pressing, we need to talk." I say, backing up from him. He nods and walks around me, disappearing into the elevator.

.....

The next day as I'm sitting on my desk with the paper right in front of me, reading through the other sections and re reading mine, Ryan walks in. Holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Come on. I want to take you somewhere." He smiles.

"Where?"

"It's a surprise Babe, now get up." He grabs my hand pulling me behind him and out of the office. The entire elevator ride down to the car we hold hands, my arm tingling from the sensation. I know it's wrong but I don't let go, throwing my entire hard exterior out the window for at least this one surprise. I convince myself it's okay, I really needed to know if he was Cold Hearted Bastard anyways. This would be the perfect time to ask.

We get in the car and he drives us towards some part of town I've never been in. It's quite, and quaint and pretty and I enjoy the view, completely forgetting to ask questions. His hand sits on my thigh and I like the warmth it radiates. We must have been getting close to our destination because Ryan was making lots of turns now.

"Ryan, I have a question." I say.

"No questions, we can talk later. We're almost here." He smiles at me again. Why was he acting so weird?

"It's important Ryan." I press.

"Later. We're here." He pulls into the driveway of a dark purple suburban house. There were two other cars parked there also.

He opens my door for me leading me to the front door of the house and walking in. The entry hall is big, the house gives me a weird vibe for some reason. There are voices coming from the dining room. Voices I think I recognize.

Soon we're in the kitchen, almost rounding the corner to the voices, they were getting louder. He looked back and smiled at me, pushing open a door leading toward where we were going. I instantly lock eyes with a woman.. A familiar set of eyes. Then my stomach drops as I look around the room until my eyes meet another set of familiar eyes.

Max.

Lindsay.

Then a little girl's voice comes running in to the dining room and I lock eyes with her. A perfect mix of the two people who ruined my life.

"Jane." Max states, turning pale.

"Jane?" Lindsay asks, also turning pale.

"You guys know each other?" Ryan smiles obliviously.

"That's my ex fiance and his mistress." I spit out, my stomach dropping. The room goes silent, and Ryan looks as if he wants to punch a wall or Max.

I couldn't tell and I didn't care. All I needed to know is that I needed to get out of here and fast.