The next morning, Jeremy was lost. On the one hand, he didn’t want to seem cold and heartless and not check on Robin, but on the other hand, he felt he needed to figure things out first, get his mind straight with both Robin and Charlotte.
Charlotte.
He hoped that she wasn’t upset with him after last night. He wanted ever so badly to spend time with her but felt like he wouldn’t be able to give her his all because of the drama he was going through. He knew that if he talked to her, she would understand. She might’ve even had some insight to share with him. He decided to test the waters and call her up.
Unfortunately, his calls were being picked up by the answering machine. He hoped that she wasn’t avoiding his calls.
He climbed out of bed and threw on some clothes. He went to the bathroom and finished up his morning routine before heading towards the kitchen to grab a lite bite to eat.
He was just about to turn on the coffee pot when there was a knock at the door.
He walked to it and opened it, not bothering to check the peephole or ask who it was.
The sight before him was more than he’d ever expected.
_______________________________________________________________________
The next morning, Charlotte removed the covers from over her head. She’d barely slept through the night. Her mind was roaming all over the place with thoughts of Jeremy, herself and Robin.
She figured dealing with this situation would’ve probably been a whole lot easier she hadn’t slept with Jeremy. Now, she was not only emotionally involved, but physically, too.
She knew that she needed to talk to Jeremy, but she didn’t want to give him the chance to either not answer the phone or to hang up on her. Again.
She wanted to get to the bottom of things and figured today would be the perfect day to do that.
She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. She quickly dressed and then went down the hall to her office. She sat down in front of her computer and logged into Google. She hoped that what she was about to do wasn’t considered stalking by his standards, but she needed answers.
She pulled up the information she’d found and then input the information into her phone’s GPS. She walked through the house, grabbed her purse and her keys and walked out the front door.
She said a little prayer that she was doing the right thing.
__________________________________________________________________________
“How… What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked his visitor.
After opening the front door, Jeremy was shocked to find Charlotte standing there. He realized now why she hadn’t answered the phone when he called.
“I did know what else to do. I wanted to come over last night, but I told myself to give you a little time. I know you didn’t mean it in a bad way, but last night ended kind of funny. I just had to come over,” she said really fast.
“I tried calling you this morning. I wanted to apologize… for last night. You were trying to… be there for me. I…,” he stammered.
“Can I come in?” she said, doe-eyed.
He snapped out of his trance and stepped aside so that she could come in.
He guided her to the den and told her she could sit down and when she didn’t he asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She declined and he told her he was just about to put on a pot of coffee. He excused himself and headed for the kitchen.
Charlotte was standing in the middle of the room. All four walls around her had pictures on them. She noticed right away Jeremy’s pictures from high school and the others, where he hadn’t changed much from those, she thought would’ve been college. In most of them, he was alone or with a few of his guy friends. She even noticed a few of them with Jeremy and David in them. It wasn’t a wonder that David knew Jeremy. David got around, plus, they were all from the same neighborhood.
She searched the walls to find pictures of Jeremy and Robin’s wedding. She told herself that if she could just see his face on that day, a day that was supposed to be the happiest day in his life, she would be able to tell if he was really happy with Robin then, or if he married her just for the sake of marrying her.
She found a few near the big bay window. She had to admit, Robin looked beautiful in her wedding gown. She saw Ms. Johnson standing on the other side of Jeremy putting on a fake smile.
Just seeing that made Charlotte smile.
Then, she took a deep breath and held it as she stared at Jeremy’s face. She scanned his eyes, his mouth, his nose and ears to see if anything jumped out at her. She jumped and released the breath when she heard Jeremy speaking behind her.
“I thought I was happy back then,” he said.
Charlotte almost went through the ceiling. She turned and looked at him quickly as he slowly sipped his coffee, then turned back to the picture.
She could see it in his eyes. He was smiling, but his “light” wasn’t there.
Charlotte always loved Jeremy’s eyes and his smile, especially when they worked together. She could always tell when he was truly happy about something because of them. This picture, although not the total opposite of what she was used to seeing, didn’t have that 100% Jeremy seal that she was used to.
She went and sat opposite him on a recliner.
“Char, I just don’t know what to do. I mean, the baby… what if its mine? She knows that this is something I’ve wanted since forever. How could she do this to me? I can’t…”
He stopped and cocked his head to the side, contemplating what he was about to say.
“Is this payback? Karma?” he asked her.
She furrowed her brow and he continued.
“But she was doing this just a few months after we got married. Who’s to say that she wasn’t cheating on me the entire time we were together? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not excusing what we did, but she went to the extreme. She’s fucking pregnant!” he said, spent.
She could tell that he was getting more and more upset, but she knew that she needed to let him vent so that he could get it out of his system. She flinched when he jumped up from his seat.
He paced the room for a few minutes, every once in a while stopping and looking up at the ceiling. Finally he stopped and sat at Charlotte’s feet. He leaned his head against her legs and she rubbed it, trying to comfort him.
He reached up for her and she allowed him to pull her down to the floor next to him and then he laid his head in her lap. They sat there in silence, her rubbing his head and back and him calming down.
She was remembering back in the day when you could always find them just like that, him upset and her consoling. Ten years later and nothing had changed. She was glad to still be the one he ran to.
“Jeremy, I just want you to know that everything that I’ve done and said since day one, way back when, I mean it. I love you so much, with all that I am. Right here, well, maybe not ‘right here’, but that’s where I want to be, for how ever long you’ll have me.”
Jeremy sat up and looked at her really hard. He could tell that she meant every word she was saying.
“I know, baby. And I promise you,” he said, caressing her cheek, “we’ll work this out, together.”
He leaned in to kiss her when they were interrupted.
“What the hell is going on in here?!”
Charlotte.
He hoped that she wasn’t upset with him after last night. He wanted ever so badly to spend time with her but felt like he wouldn’t be able to give her his all because of the drama he was going through. He knew that if he talked to her, she would understand. She might’ve even had some insight to share with him. He decided to test the waters and call her up.
Unfortunately, his calls were being picked up by the answering machine. He hoped that she wasn’t avoiding his calls.
He climbed out of bed and threw on some clothes. He went to the bathroom and finished up his morning routine before heading towards the kitchen to grab a lite bite to eat.
He was just about to turn on the coffee pot when there was a knock at the door.
He walked to it and opened it, not bothering to check the peephole or ask who it was.
The sight before him was more than he’d ever expected.
_______________________________________________________________________
The next morning, Charlotte removed the covers from over her head. She’d barely slept through the night. Her mind was roaming all over the place with thoughts of Jeremy, herself and Robin.
She figured dealing with this situation would’ve probably been a whole lot easier she hadn’t slept with Jeremy. Now, she was not only emotionally involved, but physically, too.
She knew that she needed to talk to Jeremy, but she didn’t want to give him the chance to either not answer the phone or to hang up on her. Again.
She wanted to get to the bottom of things and figured today would be the perfect day to do that.
She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. She quickly dressed and then went down the hall to her office. She sat down in front of her computer and logged into Google. She hoped that what she was about to do wasn’t considered stalking by his standards, but she needed answers.
She pulled up the information she’d found and then input the information into her phone’s GPS. She walked through the house, grabbed her purse and her keys and walked out the front door.
She said a little prayer that she was doing the right thing.
__________________________________________________________________________
“How… What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked his visitor.
After opening the front door, Jeremy was shocked to find Charlotte standing there. He realized now why she hadn’t answered the phone when he called.
“I did know what else to do. I wanted to come over last night, but I told myself to give you a little time. I know you didn’t mean it in a bad way, but last night ended kind of funny. I just had to come over,” she said really fast.
“I tried calling you this morning. I wanted to apologize… for last night. You were trying to… be there for me. I…,” he stammered.
“Can I come in?” she said, doe-eyed.
He snapped out of his trance and stepped aside so that she could come in.
He guided her to the den and told her she could sit down and when she didn’t he asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She declined and he told her he was just about to put on a pot of coffee. He excused himself and headed for the kitchen.
Charlotte was standing in the middle of the room. All four walls around her had pictures on them. She noticed right away Jeremy’s pictures from high school and the others, where he hadn’t changed much from those, she thought would’ve been college. In most of them, he was alone or with a few of his guy friends. She even noticed a few of them with Jeremy and David in them. It wasn’t a wonder that David knew Jeremy. David got around, plus, they were all from the same neighborhood.
She searched the walls to find pictures of Jeremy and Robin’s wedding. She told herself that if she could just see his face on that day, a day that was supposed to be the happiest day in his life, she would be able to tell if he was really happy with Robin then, or if he married her just for the sake of marrying her.
She found a few near the big bay window. She had to admit, Robin looked beautiful in her wedding gown. She saw Ms. Johnson standing on the other side of Jeremy putting on a fake smile.
Just seeing that made Charlotte smile.
Then, she took a deep breath and held it as she stared at Jeremy’s face. She scanned his eyes, his mouth, his nose and ears to see if anything jumped out at her. She jumped and released the breath when she heard Jeremy speaking behind her.
“I thought I was happy back then,” he said.
Charlotte almost went through the ceiling. She turned and looked at him quickly as he slowly sipped his coffee, then turned back to the picture.
She could see it in his eyes. He was smiling, but his “light” wasn’t there.
Charlotte always loved Jeremy’s eyes and his smile, especially when they worked together. She could always tell when he was truly happy about something because of them. This picture, although not the total opposite of what she was used to seeing, didn’t have that 100% Jeremy seal that she was used to.
She went and sat opposite him on a recliner.
“Char, I just don’t know what to do. I mean, the baby… what if its mine? She knows that this is something I’ve wanted since forever. How could she do this to me? I can’t…”
He stopped and cocked his head to the side, contemplating what he was about to say.
“Is this payback? Karma?” he asked her.
She furrowed her brow and he continued.
“But she was doing this just a few months after we got married. Who’s to say that she wasn’t cheating on me the entire time we were together? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not excusing what we did, but she went to the extreme. She’s fucking pregnant!” he said, spent.
She could tell that he was getting more and more upset, but she knew that she needed to let him vent so that he could get it out of his system. She flinched when he jumped up from his seat.
He paced the room for a few minutes, every once in a while stopping and looking up at the ceiling. Finally he stopped and sat at Charlotte’s feet. He leaned his head against her legs and she rubbed it, trying to comfort him.
He reached up for her and she allowed him to pull her down to the floor next to him and then he laid his head in her lap. They sat there in silence, her rubbing his head and back and him calming down.
She was remembering back in the day when you could always find them just like that, him upset and her consoling. Ten years later and nothing had changed. She was glad to still be the one he ran to.
“Jeremy, I just want you to know that everything that I’ve done and said since day one, way back when, I mean it. I love you so much, with all that I am. Right here, well, maybe not ‘right here’, but that’s where I want to be, for how ever long you’ll have me.”
Jeremy sat up and looked at her really hard. He could tell that she meant every word she was saying.
“I know, baby. And I promise you,” he said, caressing her cheek, “we’ll work this out, together.”
He leaned in to kiss her when they were interrupted.
“What the hell is going on in here?!”
6 comments:
All I have to say is one word... Wow!!!
And I really hope it's not Robin- but even if it is, she is in no position to say anything to either one of them. You know, I bet it is her mom checking on her... Can't wait for the next post.
And Lady, I have loved this story right from the first post.
~T~
i hope it's jeremy's mom and it's not a bad what the hell, but a good one!
Wow! Can't wait for the next post. I really enjoy your writing.
No way it's Robin. Maybe Robin's mom? If it's Jeremy's mom, she'll be jumping for joy! Love, love, LOVE this blog! mum
Interesting thoughts. Very interesting.
Thanks for reading, ya'll! I never expected for anyone, let alone 25+ followers, to even glance at the story. That really makes me feel good.
THANK YOU!!!
Lady
You have got to be kidding me!! Just when I was starting to think...this is kind of a mellower post - BAM! Awesome :) I'm kind of leaning toward Robin's mom, especially since she met Charlotte and probably has no clue about what her daughter has been doing.
Great stuff, Lady!
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