2.22 – Break

Chapter tune: The Darkness – Love is only a feeling

A/N: Hello! What, you thought you’d never hear from me again? Mwahaha, you won’t get rid of me that easily! 😛 Soooo… I’m really sorry for being kinda M.I.A. this whole 1+ month… the truth is, I was feeling so uninspired and unmotived to deal with my current generation… it has become too dark and too much of a pain in the butt, and honestly in my mind, I have already moved on to the next one, haha! But then, I don’t wanna rush it either – I’ll finish it, and I’ll try my best to do it right! 😀 Anyway, I’m back now and determined to move on at last! Oh, you’ll notice that there’s not much of Jesse or Skye in this chapter… well, this won’t be the case in future ones, promise! Aaand, that’s all I guess! 😉 Thank you so much for reading! ❤

–

“Did you know that Jesse is sleeping with a celebrity? He won’t tell me who she is though. He’s so stubborn!”

To say that Calla was just excited to share the news with Dylan would be an understatement. That girl had a strange fixation on gossip sometimes, which never ceased to surprise the people who only knew her ambitious, success-driven self. Dylan, however, had stopped being surprised for a while now and rather enjoyed that more carefree side of her.

“Really? Well that’s… so not him. Not the stubborness, the other stuff. Who knows why… Anyway. My beautiful princess. I was thinking, since tomorrow is our second anniversary -”

“It’s not tomorrow though, dummy! It was about two months ago? I think.”

“Well, it will be two years since we officially started dating. And by that I mean since you stopped hiding our relationship from Jesse like your life depended on it. If he got mad, it was always my ass on the line – we all know that.”

Calla giggled in that soft, childish way that made him fall in love with her since the first day he heard it. “That’s true.”

“So, about tomorrow… I was thinking that we could go somewhere special maybe? Treat my girl to a nice night out in the city?”

“Oh bear, I’d really love that, but… I can’t. My company’s is having a big party tomorrow here at Bridgeport. You know, to celebrate – as if – that merger I was talking you about a couple of weeks ago. And I really have to go. That bitch Megan from accounting is gonna be there too and you know she’s chasing the same promotion as me. I have to be there Dylan!”

“I doubt she’ll ever be as good as you babe, but okay, no worries. We can have our own celebration there. So where is this party?”

“Oooh, it’s for company stuff only; no plus-ones… I guess they really need to cut expenses now with the merger and all. I’m so sorry bear… I really wish you could come along…”

“Wow…” Dylan muttered, barely able to conceal his disappointment “You’d think that a big ass company like the one you work for would allow plus-ones. Not random friends or whatever, but at least… you know, significant others. What a joke.”

“I’m so sorry bear…”

“Well it’s fine, whatever. Maybe I’ll meet your friends from work another time. Just… not after two more years I hope.”

“Are you kidding me? I don’t have friends from work anymore! Not girlfriends at least, that’s for sure.”

“Really? Why pumpkin?”

“First of all, please don’t call me that, ever again. And second, because Jesse slept with all of them, that’s why! And besides, I decided that work friendships – at least in the environment I’m currently employed – are a bad idea anyway.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, that guy…” Dylan smirked, trying to hide the fact that felt some kind of inexplicable urge to mentally pat his friend on the back.

“Listen…” Calla purred “I won’t be long. Just a couple of drinks with the co-workers and hopefully any of  the new managers and then I’m out. And guess what… I promise I’ll make it up for you when I get back… maybe even do that thing you like so much? What do you say?”

“Well in that case I say… ma’am, you just made me an offer that I can’t refuse” Dylan said, altering his voice and accent in a way that to Calla’s ears resembled the one of an old woman with no teeth.

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “And who exactly are you pretending to be?”

“Uh… the Godfather? Princess… you can’t be serious! You haven’t watched it? That’s it, we’re watching it before you leave for Sunset Valley – from now on I’m responsible for your movie education. Now come here… tomorrow seems so far away baby…”

–

The next afternoon Calla got ready for the party and found her brother downstairs cooking. She was still getting used to that recently developed sight, but didn’t contemplate it for too long – she reasoned that maybe he got sick of all the crappy food the band used to order nonstop for the past months. 

“Hey Jesse. Oh my, this smells… interesting. What are you making?”

“Nothing, just some old plain mac ‘n’ cheese. I replaced the cheddar though, for some reason I really had an appettite for blue cheese tonight.”

“Oh well, then let’s just say I’m glad I’ll get to eat salmon canapés at my company’s party tonight.”

“Bitch.” Jesse smirked at his sister.

“Don’t worry bud” Dylan chimed in “I’ll have some of your moldy mac ‘n’ cheese. Cause there’s nothing old man Dylan here won’t try! …whoa babe, you look so hot… are you sure you wanna go to that party? We could just stay here and well, you know the drill.”

“You’re insatiable!” Calla giggled.

These kind of statements never failed to make Jesse roll his eyes with disgust. “Hey, stop it you two! …oh wait… shit, Calla, is your company’s party tonight? I completely forgot! If you see Megan, can you tell her I’m not gonna make it? I bumped into her the other day and she invited me… I guess now that I’m on tv sometimes, I’m not a complete moron anymore – her words, not mine!”

Calla froze at her brother’s words, while Dylan gave both of them a confused look. “Wait…” he muttered “that chick invited Jesse? Jesse… a complete stranger to her? And yet you…”

“Well, we’re not exactly strangers… if you know what I mean” Jesse interrupted him.

“Hey, bear” Calla said, her voice more high pitched than usually “can I talk to you in our room… alone?”

“Yeah, so discreet sister! You better get a room!” Jesse laughed as they were walking up the stairs, having completely missed the point of his sister’s need to have a private conversation.

As they entered the bedroom, Dylan was fuming.

“So you lied to me.”

“Well yeah… but I swear, I only did it because I didn’t wanna hurt your feelings.”

“Hurt my feelings?! Well how do you think I’m feeling now that I find out my girlfriend doesn’t want me around her co-workers and that she had to lie about it?”

“Well I’m sorry bear, but to be honest, I think you’re just upset for the first one. Which is exactly why I didn’t wanna tell you in the first place.”

“You’re unbelievable. You’re not even sorry! Just think, how would it feel if I did the same?”

“Hey, if you must know, I was thinking about you too. All everyone is going to be talking tonight is about work, politics, and then work again. You would be bored out of your mind.”

“Oh don’t even pretend you did it for me Calla. If you cared so much, you would at least be honest.”

“But what could you even talk about with these people? I have to be there for a very specific reason, and I couldn’t babysit you all night!”

“You think I can’t make small talk with a bunch of white collars? Wow, this is… you always underestimated me, but I never expected that you were ashamed of me. Because this is what’s happening, admit it!”

“Dylan, I…”

“Well, let me make this very easy on you. You don’t have to feel embarassed for having me in your life anymore. From now on I’m out and you’re finally free.”

“What? Dylan, don’t do this…”

But Dylan had already grabbed the doorknob, making his way out of there. “I can’t do this Calla… maybe we should take a break. Just… think things through for a while.”

“Oh. So you’re leaving? Fine! But if you leave, don’t come back here! You’re right, I can do a thousand times better than you! We’re done!” 

As Calla was finally left alone with no words, she tried hard to proceed what just happened. She always thought her boyfriend’s love and patience was a given, even before they became an item. She never really thought what would happen if that constant in her life disappeared without giving her any choice. But that feeling of uneasiness that suddenly consumed her was certainly not a good sign.

–

Jesse hadn’t abandoned his search for Sinbad – and a plan, for that matter. For the last few nights he would disguise himself as much as he could and go to the seedy part of Bridgeport, the place where all the criminals, junkies and whatnot were hanging out. He was careful not to be too forward when asking around, for he had immediately realized that those people were not joking.

One of those nights, a skinny, tired looking fellow finally gave him directions which did not sound like complete garbage. He pointed him to the south side of old Bridgepot, a gritty, unwelcoming place, where even the baddest of the criminals visited only when completely necessary.

Wait there, and you’ll be given new directions, the man had said to Jesse. And so he did.

As time passed, Jesse felt a cold breeze moving through his spine. It was maybe the first time he was feeling afraid, the first time he questioned the cleverness of his actions. Maybe another plan would be better, safer for both him and Skye.

When he tossed his cigarette on the ground, his mind was made up. He turned to quickly flee the scene, but a strong hit at the back of his head made his knees break and his vision blur. And then, everything went black.

It wasn’t the suffocating smell of piss and mold that woke Jesse up, nor the lingering smoke of a million cigarettes refusing to evacuate the room, but rather the sound of the harshest, most unpleasant voice he had ever heard in the course of his short life.

“So… I hear you’ve been looking for me.”