Opposites Distract

Alex paled considerably. “…You can’t be serious.”

“I am so fucking serious right now!” I sighed in frustration, throwing up my hands like I was going to hit Alex. He didn’t even flinch, though. Why was it that no one could take me seriously? Damn, had I been that immature?

“Dude…even Maddie and I don’t live together, and it’s been, what, a few years now? You’ve-“

“Only know Taylor for a month? Alex, do you think I haven’t heard that before?” We were sitting in our hotel room because I asked to talk to him about this. We were leaving tomorrow night, and Taylor still had yet to give me her reply. I had a hunch that she would say no to moving to Maryland with me, though, and I was asking Alex if asking her to move in with me so soon was a good idea or not.

Alex frowned at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know what to tell you, Jack. I’ve never seen you so serious about someone before. Quite frankly, it creeps me out. You don’t make as many sex jokes as you used to, you don’t –“

“I’m still me,” I cut him off, playfully punching his shoulder. “I’m just…a little different when it comes to Taylor…” I half expected Alex to roll his eyes and pretend to vomit, but he just nodded understandingly. “I mean, she’s different for me, too. We changed for each other, Alex. I know I kind of grew up a bit, but…She stopped smoking because of me, you know.”

“That’s the sign of a really good relationship, bro – when you can change your partner for the better, and they can do the same for you,” Alex said quietly, staring at his feet now. I knew he was thinking about how he and Maddie were always saving – and I do mean saving – each other. Alex wouldn’t be who he is today without her. Maybe…Maybe Alex wouldn’t be here at all.

I sighed and cradled my head in my hands. “Alex, I love her.”

I felt Alex put a hand on my shoulder. “Bro, you need to tell her that.”

“May thinks it’s too soon…” I trailed off hesitantly. May was my sissy. And girls tend to be right when it comes to other girls.

Alex folded his arms across his chest. “I know she’s your older sister and all, but…well…give me a second, I don’t want to lead you in the wrong direction. I don’t really know what to tell you, Jack… well, hold on. I can try on your clothes, but I can’t fill your shoes. Let’s see…if I was you…honestly, I would go for it. I know this doesn’t really apply to your situation, but, you know what they say…don’t marry someone you can live with, marry someone you can’t live without.”

I had to let Alex’s words sink in for a few minutes. During that time, though, I got a text from Taylor. I was pleasantly surprised when it was just a picture of her body on her bed from the neck down in some totally sexy lacy white lingerie, with the caption


This was new for Taylor. I mean, I knew she respected herself more than this, but…maybe she just wanted me as much as I wanted her. “Yeah, I think I’ll go tell her right now.”

Alex turned ever paler as he stood up when I did and he gave me a quick man hug for good luck before I went on my way. As I left, I heard him on the phone with someone, though, and I heard him mutter, “I hope you’re happy.”

I was wondering what he was talking about, but then the elevator hit the ground floor and I was too busy driving to Taylor’s place to think about Alex. I was a little worried when I found her apartment door unlocked, though. I decided to sneak in and surprise her…but I was the one who was surprised.

Taylor was lying in her bed under the sheets, wrapped up in Warren’s arms.

“You smell like…like lemons,” he told her with a soft laugh, nuzzling her hair. I knew that. I knew it wasn’t exactly straight lemon, either. I loved Taylor’s distinct, citrus-y scent.

“You smell like…sweat,” Taylor laughed as well, turning her face away from him. “Damn, Warren.”

I slammed Taylor’s bedroom door wide open, making them both sit up with a start and making Taylor clutch the blankets to her chest. “Wow, Taylor,” I scoffed, and she looked so sad. “My sister’s ex-fiancé? Really? You’re such a fucking whore,” I spat, even though I could feel my eyes watering. “Have a nice life, you both deserve each other!” I yelled, slamming the door to her apartment shut behind me.

I stormed down to my rental car, half expecting, half wanting Taylor to run down after me and get down on her knees and tell me she loved me, but she didn’t. Feeling like an idiot, I drove back to the hotel.

Alex, Zack, and Rian were sitting in our hotel room with their significant others. That just made it so much worse. “How’d it go, Jack?” Cassadee asked cheerfully, a wide smile on her face. I guess Alex told everybody.

I don’t know what came over me, but I just…snapped at her. “FUCK OFF!” I absolutely yelled at her, making her jump out of her skin and making Rian’s hands clench into fists. Alex looked just as shocked at my behavior as the rest of them. I tossed the keys to the rental car onto the bed before storming into Joe and May’s room. They needed to hear this.

They took it worse than I did. I swear, Joe was out for blood now. He left our hotel room and I didn’t stop him. But May just laid there in bed again, staring blankly at the ceiling. That was worse than the being angry, I think – the resignation, the giving up. “Jack-a-roo?” May called me by my nickname softly, her hand lightly resting on my shoulder. I straightened up and looked back at her, only to see pity in her eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I demanded, but when she touched my cheek, I understood why. I was crying? Over a girl? What the fuck happened to Jack Bassam Barakat? I withdrew from my sister’s touch and fiercely rubbed my own tears away, but that only made me cry harder. May held my head on her lap and let my cry like when I was six and scraped my knee at the playground all over again. But this kind of hurt wasn’t going to be fixed with a fucking band-aid.

“May, why does it hurt so much?” I croaked after a good half hour of crying like a pansy. Thank god Joe had left. He would never let me live it down.

May bit her lip.“I don’t know, Jack…and I don’t know why we keep going back.”

“I never said I was going back to her,” I snapped, blowing my nose. “She cheated on me! With your douchebag of a fiancé, Warren! No way in hell am I going back to her!”

May smiled down at me sadly, pulling my bangs out of my eyes.“But you still love her, don’t you?”

I just sighed, feeling like complete shit, and didn't deny or confirm my feelings for Taylor anymore...at least, not out loud. I made myself clam up after that fiasco because I was afraid I would snap at somebody else or have another emotional breakdown. They all tried talking to me – May, Joe, Zack, Alex… but it was no use.

I didn’t talk to anyone the rest of that day, but when we were loading up in the cars to go to the airport, Rian got a response out of me. Probably because he punched my in my scrawny little stomach as I got into the car. “Fucking ow, Rian!” I exclaimed, gasping for breath and clutching my stomach, writhing in pain in the back row. Rian was second to Zack when it came to strength and muscles.

“You don’t have the right to talk to my girlfriend like that,” he said simply. “You will apologize to her later, you got it?” I meekly nodded, so Rian smiled now and sat down in the back row with me. “So, this situation…how do you feel about it?”

I rolled my eyes. What kind of question it that? Still, I decided to play along in case he decided to punch me again.“I feel fucking awful, alright? And I just want it to stop... Not about the punch, I meant,” I added as an afterthought.

Rian sighed, cracking his knuckles. “It was tough when Kara broke up with me… but it gets easier with time, I promise. Listen to this,” he said quietly, handing me his iPod and pointing to the playlist “Love Hurts.” I arched my eyebrow at the fruity looking playlist at first, though. “Trust me, it’ll help,” Rian assured me, buckling up. I listened to it the whole ride there, and the whole time we were going through security at the airport. By the time we got to our gate, I was fucking sobbing.

“Jack?” Alex said my name worriedly, hesitantly reaching out to touch my shoulder.

“Rian!” I choked out, making Alex cringe back. “This is the worst playlist to listen to at a time like this ever!”

And it really was. There was a bunch of depressing breakup songs that described exactly how I was feeling at this moment, especially all the Maroon V stuff. But the one that got me crying was Jack Johnson’s song, Better Together. Shit, I felt like such a pansy, but I was feeling really sensitive and vulnerable and this song just got to me somehow.

“It helps,” Rian said simply, taking Cassadee’s hand as we began to board the plane back to Maryland. I made sure to apologize to Cassadee for snapping at her earlier before going to sleep. I'd cried myself out and was super tired at this point.

I just wanted to forget about it.