Ben’s
House
Jack and Nadia still hadn’t left the lakeside when the party began to wined down and people started leaving. Neither had spoken a word for the last hour. Both were staring out at the moon across the lake and how the stars reflected on top of the ripples as a slight wind flew past.
“Ain’t it funny?” Nadia finally said.
“Ain’t what funny?” Jack asked.
“One moment can alter your life forever. I experienced that moment three months ago, and you just had yours now, not counting the whole accident thing,” Nadia replied, still staring out across the lake. “Fate sucks.”
“No shit,” Jack said as she held up her beer bottle for a toast. “To fate and how it’s completely screwed up our lives.”
“To fate and its fucked up ways,” Nadia toasted as her soda clinked with Jack’s beer bottle.
Jack took a sip and put it down. “How I wish Darren could be different. He started out as the most perfect guy in the world. From the first day we really got to know each other, he was always so sweet and kind. He only had eyes for me and no one else. What happened to the guy I used to know?”
“I don’t know,” Nadia replied. “I just hope he still somewhere in there.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Dan found himself snuggled beside Anna that morning as she slept. He had far too much on his mind to catch any sleep. ‘How am I going to tell her?’ he asked himself several times. ‘Will she still want to be with me?’ Dan crawled out of bed and found his clothes on the floor. After putting them back on, he left the room in search of someone to talk to. By now, almost everyone was gone. The only people left were the ones who had passed out on the floor or the couch. He walked into the kitchen to find Darren, Leonie, Ben, Lee, Karl, Angi, and Elisa clustered together talking. All seven turned to stare at him when he walked in.
“What?” Dan grumbled. He hated it when everyone knew something and he was the last one to find out. They kept staring at him even as he sat down on one of the empty bar stools. “Could you stop staring at me that way? It’s like being stuck in an interrogation room with seven cops.”
“Well, you got that right,” Angi said.
“Oh, shit! You all know?” he cried. “Ben, you jackass! You were supposed to keep this a secret!”
“I didn’t say a word! It was all Darren,” Ben defended himself.
Dan turned to Darren who sat beside him. An angry gleam filled his eyes. He made a fist and was ready to punch Darren when he cried, “Don’t hit me! I’ve already received one beating tonight. I don’t need another one from you.”
“Yeah, Nadia beat the shit out of him,” Leonie said.
“Why?” Dan asked.
“Because Jack saw me dancing with Leonie and started crying,” Darren explained.
“Well, you shouldn’t have been dancing with her,” an angry reply came from behind them. They turned to see Nadia waiting at the door. “And where the fuck have you been all night? You’re cousin’s outside in dire need of a friend, bawling her eyes out because of that dumb ass over there.” She pointed to Darren.
“I’ve been with Anna,” Dan nervously answered.
Nadia shook her head. “Not now,” she told herself. “Look,” Nadia spoke up, “Jack’s been traumatized because Darren was stupid enough to propose to her last night without giving it any thought.”
“You what?” Dan shouted at him. He held up his fist ready to punch Darren out in a moment’s notice. “You had the nerve to ask my cousin to marry you without my knowing? You fucking idiot. I have every right to beat you into a pulp at this moment, but you know what? I think I’m just gonna let you live with what you’ve done to Jack. I’ll let you stare at her everyday and see the pain she’s in. That’s a significant enough punishment.”
Darren was more than grateful to be spared from Dan’s fists, but heard the severity of his alternative punishment, he almost wished that Dan had beat him up. ‘At least physical bruises heal faster than emotional ones,’ he thought to himself as he realized what it would be like seeing Jack go through hell everyday because of him.
Dan stood up and walked over to Nadia. “Where is she?” he asked.
“Outside by the lake,” she answered.
Dan walked out of the kitchen, grabbed Ben’s guitar, which was sitting against the wall by the door, and left the house to talk to Jack. He could see her laying in the grass about two feet away from her wheelchair and a few inches from the water’s edge. Dan walked up beside her and sat down, kicking his shoes off in the process.
“What’s up?” he asked, lying next to her head with the guitar on top of his stomach.
“The moon, the stars, and the sky,” came Jack’s witty answer.
“How did I know you were gonna say that?” Dan replied with a laugh.
“Oh, no! I’ve become predictable!” she sarcastically said as she also laughed.
“No, you haven’t. You’re still the spunky spontaneous one in the family. If anyone had become predictable, it has to be me,” he answered, strumming a few faint cords on the guitar.
“What are you playing?” Jack asked, changing the subject.
“Guess,” Dan said as he strummed a few more cords. “Look at the stars; look how they shine for you and everything you do.
Yeah, they were all yellow,” he softly sang. “I came along; I wrote a song for
you and all the things you do. And it was called yellow. So then I took my turn.
Oh what a thing to have done and it was all yellow. Your skin, oh yeah your
skin and bones turn into something beautiful. Do you know? You know I love you
so.” Dan stopped playing and softly whispered, “You know I love you so.”
Jack smile for the first time in what seemed like forever. She turned
to Dan and hugged him. “Coldplay, ‘Yellow,’” she quietly answered.
“I’m sorry about tonight. I didn’t mean to get so wrapped up in my own
problems to not notice yours,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know
anything until about ten minutes ago when Nadia told me.”
“That’s okay, Danny. It’s not your fault,” Jack replied. “Darren was
the real jackass.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Can you believe he had the nerve to propose to me then go dancing with
another woman a day after I refused?”
“Well, that woman just happened to be our manager, Leonie,” Dan finally
cleared up.
“Huh?” Jack replied as she propped herself up on her elbows. “You mean
all this time I was acting like a bitch towards him was for no good reason?”
“Yeah, Jack. Their dancing was harmless,” he said. She stared at him,
her mouth gaping open. She didn’t have to speak a word, her eyes said everything.
“You look like you never want to be seen again.” Jack nodded. “You’re not the
only one.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It seems that everyone found out about me because of Darren’s big mouth.
Everyone except for Anna. She’s still asleep in one of the bedrooms.”
“Did you sleep with her?” Dan nodded. “Please tell me you used a condom.”
“Do I really look that stupid? I don’t want another Nadia on my hands.”
“You know, Nadia’s really pissed at you.”
“Why?”
“Because she hates Anna. She thinks she’s bad news.”
“She’s jealous, isn’t she?”
“Maybe just a tad! But she really doesn’t want you pushing her away now
that Anna’s back in your life.”
“Jack, what’s your opinion on this whole Anna/Nadia thing?”
Jack uneasily shifted her weight from one elbow to another as she thought
of an answer. “I think this is a decision you have to make yourself. Weigh out
the pros and cons of each girl then pick the one that best suits you,” she finally
said.
“I shouldn’t have even asked you,” Dan replied. “Ben gave me the same
answer.”
“You know I’ve never been good with advice!” Jack retorted. “Now it’s
my turn to ask you, what should I do about Darren?”
“If I were you, I’d never speak to him again based on the fact that he
proposed to you without my consent and because it’s apparent that he still hasn’t
apologized to you,” Dan said.
“But Dan, I…I…” She tried to make herself say the “L” word, but having
Dan sitting next to her and listening was too weird for her.
“You love him, don’t you?” he helped her.
“Yeah,” Jack sighed. “I just don’t like how he’s rushing our relationship.
I need some time to think things through. I’m not ready to get married yet.
I’m barely even able to walk!”
“Take as much time as you want. I’ve promised not to step into your life,
and I intend to keep that promise from now on.”
“Thanks, Dan. I think I’m just gonna take a little while to think things
out and see where I want to go with my life before going back to Darren, if
I ever want to go back to him.”
“I’ll support whatever you do,” Dan said.
“And I’ll support whatever you do,” Jack replied.