Look Closer

It was close to eight thirty in the morning and Jack and Chelley were still sitting at the diner she had taken him to. And anything of importance had yet to be discussed. They had talked about almost everything else under the sun. And upon that realization, during a break in conversation, Chelley let out a sigh.

"Jack," she said, sitting back against the booth, "What exactly did you want to discuss?" she asked.

He hesitated and nervously tapped his fingers on the table. "I, uh," he began, "I wanted to know if you would," he paused and she looked at him questioningly, expectantly. He took a deep breath before continuing. "If you would be my girlfriend," he said.

They sat in silence for a few moments and she stared at him blankly. "We're married," she said finally.

"Yes, I know that. But you don't want to be," he pointed out and she gave him a look that all but called him crazy. "I really like you, Chelle. I know you keep saying we don't know each other very well but we've spent quite a bit of time together and we get along really well. I did a lot of thinking while I was home. I'm willing to stay here to see if we can make a relationship work. We can take it slow if that's what you want. But I'm telling you, right here, right now, that I want more than just your friendship."

Now it was Chelley's turn to hesitate. "I don't know, Jack," she said. "I think we should take this one step at a time. Let's get this marriage thing taken care and just see where it goes. Maybe at some point we can try a relationship."

He just stared at her and shook his head. He couldn't believe that she was doing everything she could to keep him at an arm's distance, if not further. It made perfect sense to him. They would get the annulment she wanted and then they could begin taking the proper steps through the relationship, just like she had said she wanted all along.

"I don't get it, Chelle," he said. "You've been saying all this time that the way this works is that we start as friends, which we are, and then we move forward into a relationship and then, after God only knows how long, we start looking into marriage. Not become friends, get drunk and get married."

She sighed, "Of course you don't get it," she said.

"Excuse me?" he asked, interrupting her.

Chelley bit her lip and sighed again, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. It's just that I'm not sure I'm ready to be in a relationship. I mean, Alex and I haven't been broken up all that long and the few months we were together was the fastest I've ever moved in a relationship and, if you recall, our break up was kind of intense," she explained. "And besides," she added, "How do I know you won't do the same thing he did?"

The look on Jack's face that followed her question made her wish there was a rewind button she could hit and start over. She hadn't meant to sound accusatory, but Jack and Alex were best friends, after all. And she figured, due to the "rockstar lifestyle" both seemed so accustomed to, that it was a real possibility.

"Because I'm not Alex." Jack spat the words bitterly at her and she cringed. "I didn't tell you about Alex and Cassie's previous relationship to hurt you and I sure as hell didn't tell you about it with the intention of stealing you away from Alex, winning you over and repeating his stupid mistakes. I'm not sitting here telling you that I want to be with you because it seems like a good idea. I'm telling you I want to be with you because I think you're a great girl and I actually want to be with you."

"I'm sorry," Chelley said defensively. "My trust is something that needs to be earned right now. And I'm not sure how long it's going to take. I think it's best if we just get this thing taken care of and just see where it goes from there. I can't agree to being your girlfriend once we're not married anymore. And I'm sorry if that hurts you but I'm not willing to compromise myself like that."

Though he wished he could argue with what she was saying, he understood where she was coming from this time. Wordlessly, he got up and made his way to the register to pay for their meal. While doing so, he told himself that he would do his very best to respect her wishes. He wouldn't push her into anything. He would let her come to him when she was ready.

He slid back into the booth and looked across the table at Chelley. Her eyes were cast downward as though she had taken a sudden interest in the table in front of her. She sniffled and he raised an eyebrow, fearing that she might be crying.

"I'm not mad," he said and she looked up. Her eyes were a little red but no tears were present. He had no idea if she had been holding them back or if she was simply tired. "Let's just go get this taken care of, shall we?" he asked and she looked at him inquisitively. "The annulment," he said, "It's just some paperwork. Shouldn't take too long. I'm not fighting you on this or anything else anymore. It's what you think is best for you and I respect that."

She nodded and slipped out of the booth and walked toward the door. Jack followed at a fair distance to her car and quietly got into the passenger side. During the silent ride, Jack stared out the window and took note of the lack of people walking the streets. It seemed weird to him. All the times he had been to Los Angeles, the streets were always busy. Especially at nine in the morning. Suits should be on their way to their office buildings to slave away for eight hours. But there seemed to be no one out.

It was well after nine by the time they got to the court house. They walked up the steps side by side but still silent. When they reached the top, Jack pulled on the door to hold it open for Chelley but it didn't budge.

"What's going on?" he asked, very clearly confused. "How can the courts be closed?"

Chelley sighed, "What's today?" she asked. Due to everything that had been going on in her life recently, her days were completely jumbled.

"Friday," Jack answered. "And it's after nine. These doors should be unlocked," he said. "I may not be the smartest guy, but I know that much."

She shook her head, "Furlough Friday," she said, turning to walk back down the steps.

"The fuck is that?" Jack asked. His hand was still on the door handle and he refused to move from the spot he was standing.

"California is broke, my friend. Every other Friday the courts and other county offices are closed due to budget cuts. Nothing we can do about it but go home and try again on Monday," she explained.

Jack sighed and let go of the door, following Chelley down the steps and back to the car. "This is bullshit," he muttered. "Here I'm trying to be a stand up guy, and do the right thing by you and this goes and fucks it all up."

Chelley got into her car and waited for him to get in. When he did, she started the car and headed toward her apartment. She couldn't shake the feeling of being annoyed by his irritation of not being able to get the annulment right then and there. It was ridiculous, she knew, because she was the one who had been so insistent on it.

When they came to a red light, she turned to him, "Where should I take you?" she asked.

Jack looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, confused by her question for a moment. But then what she was asking suddenly made sense. "Oh," he said, "Alex's house, I guess."

She nodded and continued in the direction she was going, past her apartment building and toward her ex's house. The car was silent, the radio was off and therefore did not even provide background noise. They were nearing the destination when Jack suddenly turned his whole body in the seat, an action that took Chelley by surprise.

"Your birthday is in a couple days?"

She looked at him with a confused look, "Yeah..." she said slowly, unsure where he was going with his question.

"Can I throw you a party tomorrow night?" he asked. "I know it's short notice for your friends but it'll be fun even if they can't make it." He could feel her hestitation. "Come on," he prodded, "You're entering your twenties. It's a big deal."

After a few moments of consideration, and timing being everything, Chelley pulled up in front of Alex and Rian's house and put the car in park. She knew she had to make a decision quickly. "Alright, yeah, I guess," she said.

Jack grinned broadly. "You won't regret this," he said and leaned over, placing a kiss on Chelley's cheek before pushing open his door. "I'll text you the details in an hour," he said.