Look Closer

After spending a few days in Vegas, Chelley was beginning to get tired dragging Jack around the city, looking for things to entertain them. It wasn't that there was a shortage of things for them to do. No, there was plenty. But she knew that Jack would much rather be at the casino, gambling and drinking with his friends. And she was at a point where she would rather be at home with her friends, figuring out the easiest way to end the marriage she had mistakenly entered.

If not that, she at least wanted to stop considering the possibility of staying married. Because every minute she spent alone with Jack, she found herself wondering if she had possibly jumped the gun on the idea of ending it. Maybe Alex, Cassie and Jack had a point. Maybe she and Angie were mistaken. She couldn't stop thinking about the excitement of how unconventional it was. And she wanted to stop.

"Just go to the casino today, Jack," she said, "It's really okay. I'll just hang out here and watch movies or something."

If nothing else, maybe just some time alone in the hotel room would help her get her head back in the right place.

"I'll feel like an asshole if I leave you alone," he said.

"You are an asshole, Jack."

Jack sighed, turning in the direction the other voice had come from, "Thank you, Cassie. Thanks a lot."

"Any time," she said, flicking his ear as she walked by, "If the girl wants to be alone for awhile, then let her."

"But I'm the one who invited her!" he argued.

"And you're being more of an asshole by forcing her to be around you when she wants to be alone. She's trying to tell you that she wants some time to herself in a very polite way," Cassie said and turned to look at Chelley, "You really don't have to be so polite all the time. Tell him to fuck off if you want him to go away."

Chelley sighed, "It's not that I'm trying to get rid of anyone. I can just tell that he wants to go drink and gamble at the casino with you guys. And I don't mind being alone. I kind of like it, actually," she said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Chelley nodded, "Positive. Go. Have fun."

For a few moments, Jack was silent. It was true that he wanted to go to the casino, but at the same time, he still wanted to see what he could do about convincing Chelley to stay married, even though part of him had been doubting it was a good idea. They were two very different people. They wanted very different things in life. And maybe he should stop trying to change that about her. Maybe it would be better if they just went their separate ways.

But if he thought about it, really thought about it, he wasn't trying to change her. He was trying to show her that life doesn't have to be done in steps.

"Alright," he said with a quiet sigh, "But if you get bored, text me and we'll go do something."

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

At the tone of her voice, Jack gave up his argument completely and stood, following Cassie out of the hotel suite and toward the elevators.

"You can't make her change her mind, Jack," she said quietly.

"I know. I'm slowly realizing that maybe it's just better if we go back to LA and get this thing annulled and be done with it," he said, a slight hint of defeat in his voice.

The elevator doors opened and Cassie sighed as they stepped inside, "That doesn't mean that you guys can't try dating. It just means you won't be married anymore," she said.

"No, I know that, but it also means that I can't get her to see things differently."

"That's true," Cassie said, "But maybe she's not the only one who needs to see things differently."

Jack snapped his head toward her, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Easy there, tiger," she said with a laugh, "All I'm saying is that she had a point the other day when she told you that you and Alex only see things as fun and boring. That's a battle that Alex and I will fight throughout our entire relationship, however long it lasts."

"Forever," Jack interrupted.

She waved her hand, "Whatever. There's more to life than what you two see. I understand that you're happy with the way you live your life. That's fine. It works for you. But Chelley's life works for her. And if you can't find a way to understand and respect that, any relationship you have with her will never work, even if that relationship is only ever friendship. Because at some point, you'll say something that hurts her to the point of not wanting to talk to you anymore," she said.

The elevator came to a stop and doors opened. They were silent as they stepped out and started looking for their friends. Cassie's words played through Jack's mind and he began to take them into careful consideration. Before he knew it, they were approaching the Roulette table Alex and Matt were seated at. Cassie stood between the two and watched. Jack's mind was occupied by a thousand thoughts.

He took a seat and threw a hundred dollar bill down on the table. Within moments, he had a stack of chips in front of him and he proceeded to play them on the table. He wasn't paying a lot of attention to what he was doing. But after a couple beers, his mind cleared a bit and he started to enjoy himself.

When he'd had enough of Roulette, he moved on to Craps and eventually to Blackjack. He'd cut himself off beer at the Craps table. After a few hands of Blackjack, he began to sober. And as he got sober, the thoughts from earlier returned. He tried to focus on his cards, but found it to be increasingly difficult and eventually gave up.

Cashing in his remaining chips, he found Alex, Matt and Cassie still at the same Roulette table, now joined by Zack, Rian and Angie. He took a seat and watched them play. After awhile, Rian nudged him.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jack said, unconvincingly.

"You sure?"

Jack shrugged, "I don't know. I've got a lot on my mind, I guess," he said.

"Chelley?" Rian asked.

Jack nodded, "Yeah."

"The best thing to do is just get it over with. I mean, marriage isn't a joke, man. It's serious. And if you're not ready for it, which, trust me, you're not, you shouldn't be in one. I know you like her. So date her. See where it goes. After you take care of business," Rian said.

"You're right," Jack said quietly and stood up.

He walked away from the table and leaned against a wall where they wouldn't be able to see him and pulled his phone from his pocket. Do you want to go home?, he typed into a text message and pressed send. After a few minutes of waiting patiently, he received a reply. Heart pounding, he opened it and read the single word answer that shattered what little hope he had left.

Yes.