Wretched And Divine
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Lena, I'm home." Jake called as he opened the door and then slammed it shut behind him.
She took the box in her hands and shoved it back inside the triscuts box before placing it back on the shelf in the cabinet.
"What are you doing?" He walked into the kitchen just as she was putting the box away. He spotted the box in her hand, and reached for it. "You hate triscuts. What are you doing eating triscuts?" He asked, peering into the box and taking one out.
"There was nothing else to eat so I just settled on triscuts. I didn't want to go out anywhere and...yeah..." She trailed off.
Jake reached into the box again. "So, was there anything you had to ask me?" Lena continued.
Jake pulled out another triscut, popping it in his mouth, and shaking his head. "Nope, I don't think so." He said with his mouth half full. He turned and took the box to the living room where he sat down on the couch and put his socked feet on the coffee table.
Lena followed him, jumping over the back of the couch and onto the cushions next to him. "Are you sure?" She said as he reached into the box again.
His hand touched something that wasn't a triscut and his face contorted into a confused look. He grabbed the object and pulled it out, revealing the little black box containing the engagement ring. "Oh." He said when he saw it. "I forgot this was in here."
Lena grinned, knowing what was to come next. "So...?" She tried leading him into it.
He turned and saw the big grin on her face. "So, what?" He looked down at the box again and back up at her. "Oh..." He realized. "Look, Lena... This isn't for you. You know my friend Aaron? He's asking his girlfriend, Kelly, to marry him and he asked me if I could hold onto the engagement ring for him until he was ready. I'm sorry I made you think--"
"Oh." Lena cut him off. "Yeah, no, that's fine." She said, clearly upset. "But why hide it from me? Why not just tell me?"
Jake sighed. "Because I knew that if you saw the box, you would get excited and think it was for you, without even letting me explain. I kept it in the triscuts box because I knew you hated triscuts, so you would never look there. I love you, Lena, I really do. But marriage is a big step and I really don't know if I'm ready."
Lena felt her heart sink. "But we've been together for three years."
Jake shrugged. "I know, but--"
Lena didn't even let him finish. She stood up from the couch, grabbing her leather jacket on the way down the hallway and stormed out the door. She didn't know why she was so upset exactly. She loved Jake and she did want to spend the rest of her life with him. But Andy had been floating in the back of her mind for the past three years. If she were finally married to Jake, she would never have a chance with Andy, ever. So, why would she be so upset about the false proposal?
She stood outside the apartment building, smoking a cigarette and hoping Jake would come down stairs to check on her. But he never did. Instead, who else but Andy walked by her.
"What are you doing out here?" He stopped, leaning up against the wall like her, and taking her cigarette from her. After a few puffs he returned it, and waited for his answer.
"It's just... Jake, is all." She tapped out the ashes from her cigarette and hung her head.
"What about Jake?" Andy inquired.
Lena sighed. "I found an engagement ring hidden in our apartment and I thought it was for me. When Jake came home, he told me that he had been holding it for his friend Aaron--"
"Oh, yup, I know Aaron." Andy interrupted.
Lena gave him a look before continuing. "And he said even though we've been together for three years, he's not ready for a serious commitment like marriage yet. And I got upset and came out here for a smoke to calm myself down."
"You're a dancer. You shouldn't be smoking." Andy commented.
"And you're a singer. You shouldn't be smoking either." Lena shot right back. "But guess who got me into it, hmm?" She looked at Andy, attempting to make him feel guilty.
"You know what you need?" Andy changed the subject, taking her cigarette from her and stomping it out. "You need IHOP. Pancakes makes everything better."
"Pancakes?" She questioned as Andy took her hand and started pulling her away from the apartment building.
Upstairs, Jake watched the whole interaction between Andy and Lena. He always had his suspicions, even after all these years. He saw the way Andy looked at Lena. He wasn't sure if Lena's feelings had changed at all since they were eighteen years old, but he didn't want to find out. He started to think that maybe marriage was the only way to seal the deal. In order to keep her all to himself, he was going to have to throw in the towel, and propose.
She took the box in her hands and shoved it back inside the triscuts box before placing it back on the shelf in the cabinet.
"What are you doing?" He walked into the kitchen just as she was putting the box away. He spotted the box in her hand, and reached for it. "You hate triscuts. What are you doing eating triscuts?" He asked, peering into the box and taking one out.
"There was nothing else to eat so I just settled on triscuts. I didn't want to go out anywhere and...yeah..." She trailed off.
Jake reached into the box again. "So, was there anything you had to ask me?" Lena continued.
Jake pulled out another triscut, popping it in his mouth, and shaking his head. "Nope, I don't think so." He said with his mouth half full. He turned and took the box to the living room where he sat down on the couch and put his socked feet on the coffee table.
Lena followed him, jumping over the back of the couch and onto the cushions next to him. "Are you sure?" She said as he reached into the box again.
His hand touched something that wasn't a triscut and his face contorted into a confused look. He grabbed the object and pulled it out, revealing the little black box containing the engagement ring. "Oh." He said when he saw it. "I forgot this was in here."
Lena grinned, knowing what was to come next. "So...?" She tried leading him into it.
He turned and saw the big grin on her face. "So, what?" He looked down at the box again and back up at her. "Oh..." He realized. "Look, Lena... This isn't for you. You know my friend Aaron? He's asking his girlfriend, Kelly, to marry him and he asked me if I could hold onto the engagement ring for him until he was ready. I'm sorry I made you think--"
"Oh." Lena cut him off. "Yeah, no, that's fine." She said, clearly upset. "But why hide it from me? Why not just tell me?"
Jake sighed. "Because I knew that if you saw the box, you would get excited and think it was for you, without even letting me explain. I kept it in the triscuts box because I knew you hated triscuts, so you would never look there. I love you, Lena, I really do. But marriage is a big step and I really don't know if I'm ready."
Lena felt her heart sink. "But we've been together for three years."
Jake shrugged. "I know, but--"
Lena didn't even let him finish. She stood up from the couch, grabbing her leather jacket on the way down the hallway and stormed out the door. She didn't know why she was so upset exactly. She loved Jake and she did want to spend the rest of her life with him. But Andy had been floating in the back of her mind for the past three years. If she were finally married to Jake, she would never have a chance with Andy, ever. So, why would she be so upset about the false proposal?
She stood outside the apartment building, smoking a cigarette and hoping Jake would come down stairs to check on her. But he never did. Instead, who else but Andy walked by her.
"What are you doing out here?" He stopped, leaning up against the wall like her, and taking her cigarette from her. After a few puffs he returned it, and waited for his answer.
"It's just... Jake, is all." She tapped out the ashes from her cigarette and hung her head.
"What about Jake?" Andy inquired.
Lena sighed. "I found an engagement ring hidden in our apartment and I thought it was for me. When Jake came home, he told me that he had been holding it for his friend Aaron--"
"Oh, yup, I know Aaron." Andy interrupted.
Lena gave him a look before continuing. "And he said even though we've been together for three years, he's not ready for a serious commitment like marriage yet. And I got upset and came out here for a smoke to calm myself down."
"You're a dancer. You shouldn't be smoking." Andy commented.
"And you're a singer. You shouldn't be smoking either." Lena shot right back. "But guess who got me into it, hmm?" She looked at Andy, attempting to make him feel guilty.
"You know what you need?" Andy changed the subject, taking her cigarette from her and stomping it out. "You need IHOP. Pancakes makes everything better."
"Pancakes?" She questioned as Andy took her hand and started pulling her away from the apartment building.
Upstairs, Jake watched the whole interaction between Andy and Lena. He always had his suspicions, even after all these years. He saw the way Andy looked at Lena. He wasn't sure if Lena's feelings had changed at all since they were eighteen years old, but he didn't want to find out. He started to think that maybe marriage was the only way to seal the deal. In order to keep her all to himself, he was going to have to throw in the towel, and propose.
Notes
Guys, I really need your help! I entered this challenge on Tallenge.com and I need you guys to vote for my poems. Here's a link to each poem. You can only vote once but if everyone votes and you get your friends to vote, I could win $100!Tallenge links:
-http://tlng.me/18VaDKJ
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Shout outs:
-We are young and we are strong
-Kvengeance
-musicminxx
-xXCarolynSikkXx
-JINXXismyHero_Love_Him_Forever
-BlackVeilBridesmate
This story was amazing! I'm gonna go read the sequel now!
2/10/15