Status: Finished :)
I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart
What Is Going To Happen
Tyler paced impatiently behind his chair at the cafe. He hadn't heard from Marrietta since the day he had asked her to come and she had been slightly disoriented, so he had no idea if she was coming or not. She was already late and if Tyler remembered anything about her, it was that she did not do late. Of course, that had been eight years ago when talking about going to class.
Finally, the bell on the door jingled and she came in. The cafe was large but was only dusted with a handful of people who had mostly come in just to get away from the cold. Old wooden tables stood on shaky legs surrounded by a hundred or so old chairs, none of which matched.
Marrietta flung her scarf from around her neck and placed it on the coat rack by the door. Tyler could tell she was trying hard not to look at him yet, even though she wanted to. He smiled to himself as she slid off a dark blue trench coat to reveal a flowing, knee-length, red skirt and a long-sleeved white shirt that made her look oddly like a candy cane.
Tyler didn't move towards her, thinking he probably looked desperate enough already. For the first time, she looked around the cafe and her eyes landed on him almost immediately. An involuntary smile spread across her face which she quickly snuffed out. He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his lips. She really hadn't changed at all.
She reached out to grab the chair across from him, pulled it out and sat down silently. He knew it was best to just let her do her own thing, so he didn't reach out to help her. Instead he sat down as well, waiting for her to greet him first.
For a while, she made herself busy setting down her purse beside her so that she could see it but no one else could. Tyler was used to her doing this and he waited patiently for her to start. When she finally looked up at him with big brown eyes, she said, "We have a problem."
"And what's that?" He asked calmly. Reaching forward, he took her hands from the edge of the table and intertwined them with his own. He smiled as he saw that she was watching their hands and he said, "What could possibly be wrong right now?"
"Rodger's coming," Marrietta spat out quickly, letting go of Tyler's hands, ashamed. She once again busied herself with her purse, as if by looking at Tyler she was cheating on Rodger.
Tyler stared at her for a while and then said slowly, "Your fiance?" She nodded silently and to her surprise, Tyler smiled, "Well that's just peachy. This Rodger guy, is he a big baseball fan? Because then he'll love to meet me and he'll probably try to kill me for what I did at the hospital and-"
"Excuse me?" Marrietta cut him off, unable to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "Rodger doesn't have anything to do with baseball, or any other sports for that matter. He's a very important man at a very important business and he has no time for juvenile games such as-" She stopped herself, realizing that she sounded very defensive.
Tyler was giving her a 'you're kidding me' kind of look as he picked at the bowl of peanuts that was sitting on the table. After a moment, he asked, "Is this Rodger guy fat?"
"What?"
He let out a slight chuckle and said, "I'm only kidding. Look, Marrietta, if this guy is coming to ruin our day, then let's just make the best of it while he's not here. I mean, come on, he's obviously not your type if he's already late."
"He doesn't get off for another half hour," She replied, once again sounding defensive. She cursed under her breath. All this was doing was entertaining Tyler and she had to tell him so much. "I don't know what I'm doing here." She began without even trying to smoothly change the subject, "I should be eating with the girls back at work right now and be as far away from you as possible but ever since that day when you came in there, I've been seeing you everywhere. And since when the f*ck have you been suicidal?"
Tyler winced, "Since you broke up with me."
"That was eight years ago! Get the f*ck over it!" Marrietta exclaimed, angered by his stupidity, "And what are you doing here, for that matter? Don't you have a girlfriend? Or, wait, a fiance? That's what you told me last time when we... well you know what we did!"
"Jen's gone. She left and I don't blame her," He paused, "I was really the worst boyfriend a girl could have asked for. I was always cheating on her and not even lying about it, just telling her, which probably just hurt her more after a while... but I couldn't help it. All these red-headed girls were around and they were all so easy and they looked so much like you..." He wasn't looking at Marrietta anymore, "I loved Jen, I still do... it's just that she can't compare to how I felt about you. I never cheated on you, Marrietta."
"Then who was that girl?" She asked seriously.
Tyler shrugged, only making it worse, "I honestly have no clue. And I don't know why she would lie like that, but I was never with her. Damn, I mean, come on, she was blonde! I'm only into blondes when I'm really drunk and I never get drunk before a big game. You know that."
Marrietta nodded slowly, as if the knowledge was coming back from a place that she had locked up in her brain. Then, suddenly, she shook her head, "I still don't understand, but I guess that's in the past now. And... I know what you mean, about loving someone but it not comparing... but I'm still cheating on Rodger. And he's the best man I've ever known."
"Ouch."
"Like you can really claim that title after what you just said," She replied with a small smile. He shrugged slightly and smiled back. She reached out for his hands and he gave them willingly. "But I need to know that this isn't high school just all over again. So you need to understand... I'm not leaving Rodger. At least not until we're completely solid and you're not going to leave and Jen is for sure out of the way. And I need you not to mention anything when he gets here. Please?"
He nodded and smiled suggestively, "Should we seal it with a kiss?"
"Seal what with a kiss?" Another voice said from not too far away.
Marrietta forced a laugh as she turned to face Rodger. She pulled him down to her and pecked his lightly on the lips. "Tyler is such a joker. He was just saying that there was no doubt in his mind that you would have heard of him and I told him that there was no way you would even know his name." She rolled his eyes, "Isn't that right, Tyler?"
Tyler met her eyes carefully. There was a slight fury in them that hadn't been there before, but he turned calmly to Rodger and said, "That's right, but come on, you've heard of me, right? I'm the youngest coach the New York Yankees have had for a while."
Rodger smiled, amused and said, "Sorry, I haven't." He pulled up a chair and sat down between them, continuing, "So we'll have to cover that, won't we?"
"We'll have to cover a lot of things," Tyler muttered under his breath. But to Rodger, he smiled and said, "Let's get to it then. Baseball. It was created in 1774 by..."
Finally, the bell on the door jingled and she came in. The cafe was large but was only dusted with a handful of people who had mostly come in just to get away from the cold. Old wooden tables stood on shaky legs surrounded by a hundred or so old chairs, none of which matched.
Marrietta flung her scarf from around her neck and placed it on the coat rack by the door. Tyler could tell she was trying hard not to look at him yet, even though she wanted to. He smiled to himself as she slid off a dark blue trench coat to reveal a flowing, knee-length, red skirt and a long-sleeved white shirt that made her look oddly like a candy cane.
Tyler didn't move towards her, thinking he probably looked desperate enough already. For the first time, she looked around the cafe and her eyes landed on him almost immediately. An involuntary smile spread across her face which she quickly snuffed out. He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his lips. She really hadn't changed at all.
She reached out to grab the chair across from him, pulled it out and sat down silently. He knew it was best to just let her do her own thing, so he didn't reach out to help her. Instead he sat down as well, waiting for her to greet him first.
For a while, she made herself busy setting down her purse beside her so that she could see it but no one else could. Tyler was used to her doing this and he waited patiently for her to start. When she finally looked up at him with big brown eyes, she said, "We have a problem."
"And what's that?" He asked calmly. Reaching forward, he took her hands from the edge of the table and intertwined them with his own. He smiled as he saw that she was watching their hands and he said, "What could possibly be wrong right now?"
"Rodger's coming," Marrietta spat out quickly, letting go of Tyler's hands, ashamed. She once again busied herself with her purse, as if by looking at Tyler she was cheating on Rodger.
Tyler stared at her for a while and then said slowly, "Your fiance?" She nodded silently and to her surprise, Tyler smiled, "Well that's just peachy. This Rodger guy, is he a big baseball fan? Because then he'll love to meet me and he'll probably try to kill me for what I did at the hospital and-"
"Excuse me?" Marrietta cut him off, unable to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "Rodger doesn't have anything to do with baseball, or any other sports for that matter. He's a very important man at a very important business and he has no time for juvenile games such as-" She stopped herself, realizing that she sounded very defensive.
Tyler was giving her a 'you're kidding me' kind of look as he picked at the bowl of peanuts that was sitting on the table. After a moment, he asked, "Is this Rodger guy fat?"
"What?"
He let out a slight chuckle and said, "I'm only kidding. Look, Marrietta, if this guy is coming to ruin our day, then let's just make the best of it while he's not here. I mean, come on, he's obviously not your type if he's already late."
"He doesn't get off for another half hour," She replied, once again sounding defensive. She cursed under her breath. All this was doing was entertaining Tyler and she had to tell him so much. "I don't know what I'm doing here." She began without even trying to smoothly change the subject, "I should be eating with the girls back at work right now and be as far away from you as possible but ever since that day when you came in there, I've been seeing you everywhere. And since when the f*ck have you been suicidal?"
Tyler winced, "Since you broke up with me."
"That was eight years ago! Get the f*ck over it!" Marrietta exclaimed, angered by his stupidity, "And what are you doing here, for that matter? Don't you have a girlfriend? Or, wait, a fiance? That's what you told me last time when we... well you know what we did!"
"Jen's gone. She left and I don't blame her," He paused, "I was really the worst boyfriend a girl could have asked for. I was always cheating on her and not even lying about it, just telling her, which probably just hurt her more after a while... but I couldn't help it. All these red-headed girls were around and they were all so easy and they looked so much like you..." He wasn't looking at Marrietta anymore, "I loved Jen, I still do... it's just that she can't compare to how I felt about you. I never cheated on you, Marrietta."
"Then who was that girl?" She asked seriously.
Tyler shrugged, only making it worse, "I honestly have no clue. And I don't know why she would lie like that, but I was never with her. Damn, I mean, come on, she was blonde! I'm only into blondes when I'm really drunk and I never get drunk before a big game. You know that."
Marrietta nodded slowly, as if the knowledge was coming back from a place that she had locked up in her brain. Then, suddenly, she shook her head, "I still don't understand, but I guess that's in the past now. And... I know what you mean, about loving someone but it not comparing... but I'm still cheating on Rodger. And he's the best man I've ever known."
"Ouch."
"Like you can really claim that title after what you just said," She replied with a small smile. He shrugged slightly and smiled back. She reached out for his hands and he gave them willingly. "But I need to know that this isn't high school just all over again. So you need to understand... I'm not leaving Rodger. At least not until we're completely solid and you're not going to leave and Jen is for sure out of the way. And I need you not to mention anything when he gets here. Please?"
He nodded and smiled suggestively, "Should we seal it with a kiss?"
"Seal what with a kiss?" Another voice said from not too far away.
Marrietta forced a laugh as she turned to face Rodger. She pulled him down to her and pecked his lightly on the lips. "Tyler is such a joker. He was just saying that there was no doubt in his mind that you would have heard of him and I told him that there was no way you would even know his name." She rolled his eyes, "Isn't that right, Tyler?"
Tyler met her eyes carefully. There was a slight fury in them that hadn't been there before, but he turned calmly to Rodger and said, "That's right, but come on, you've heard of me, right? I'm the youngest coach the New York Yankees have had for a while."
Rodger smiled, amused and said, "Sorry, I haven't." He pulled up a chair and sat down between them, continuing, "So we'll have to cover that, won't we?"
"We'll have to cover a lot of things," Tyler muttered under his breath. But to Rodger, he smiled and said, "Let's get to it then. Baseball. It was created in 1774 by..."