“I actually feel pretty great about it,” he says. “For the first time in a long time, I’m starting to not only know, but to actually feel that I don’t need to be with someone who’s going to treat me that way.”
“No you don’t,” I tell him. “Now, about that shoulder massage…”
“Don’t I have to call Melissa in a minute?”
I groan. “Yeah,” I tell him. “You do.”
“Rain check then,” he says.
We’re both watching the clock. When 10 minutes have passed, Jace calls Melissa from his phone and asks her to stay.
He’s not a bad actor.
The call ends abruptly, and Jace simply puts his phone back in his pocket, saying, “Yeah. It’s over.”
“What did she say?”
“She said that her boss is really riding her and that she’s got to make the trip or else she’s going to lose her job,” he says.
“She actually said ‘my boss is really riding me?’”
“Yeah,” he says. “For a minute, I was starting to think that maybe she hadn’t gotten that picture, but when she started playing a little fast and loose with the double entendres…anyway, she said she doesn’t know when she’s going to be back. It looks like I’ve got more than enough time to pack her shit.”
“Good for you,” I tell him. “It’s about time you’ve-”
His arms are around me in an instant, and he’s kissing me passionately. I wasn’t sure it was going to go this way tonight, but I was kind of hoping…
He pulls away, and we’re both breathing heavily.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Trust me,” I beam, “you did the right thing.”
“No,” he says. “Cheating or not, Melissa and I haven’t officially broken up yet. I know that’s just a technicality at this point, but I really don’t want to be one of those guys. I don’t want to be like that fuckhead boss of hers. If something happens with us before her and I are done-”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Then you’re just doing the same thing they’re doing, and you lose your high ground, and blah, blah, blah.”
“I hope you understand,” he says.
“That depends on which part of me you’re asking,” I say. “Yeah, I understand.”
It’s good to know he’s a standup guy like that, but I’m standing here, still trembling with anticipation for something that’s clearly not going to happen, at least not tonight.
Looks like me and my B.O.B. are going to be seeing each other tonight.
Chapter Ten
Benevolent Anarchy
Jace
Melissa gave me a call to tell me when she landed, and that’s when I let her know that we were done.
That was three days ago, and she has just barely walked in the door.
“What the fuck?” she says as she comes into the living room. All of her stuff is already packed and ready to go.
“How was your trip?” I ask.