Hi guys! This is a new story I'm working on. Please let me know if you like it. I have more to this story so if you show interest then I'll post another chapter. Thanks
Running away from home isn't the easiest decision to make especially at nineteen years old. Actually, scratch that. I didn't exactly run away from home. I moved out but my mother might as well have told everyone I was kidnapped. When my dad left she took it pretty hard, harder than I expected her too. She didn't love him anymore and he didn't love her but what hurt her most was the scandal she thought it caused among their mutual friends. My mom thrives for the attention but looking anything less than perfect made her a crazy anal control freak. And that was exactly what I was doing in her eyes, ruining her perfect rich Zen life by humiliating her by leaving home to be with the man I love. Since she has little to no control over Jake, she felt the need to hate him. She just couldn't accept that I choose to be with Jake even after to yelled and discouraged me not to be.
The day I left, Jake and I packed as much of my clothes that we could fit into two big suitcases. Jake and I got there early in the morning, when my mom was supposed to be at morning breakfast with her society friends. Unfortunately, that breakfast ended early. She found us in my room with my things half packed. As soon as she found us both she screamed and yelled at me from the entrance of my room. She ignored that fact that Jake was there and stared bullets through me. "I'm not letting you do this! I just barely got my reputation make amongst my friends after what your father did. You will not make me look bad again, Ana!"
Ignoring her, I walked into my walk-in closet and put as many of my shoes into a big duffle bag as I could. "Are you listening to me?!" She followed me into my closet and stood in the way so that I couldn't leave. What annoyed me the most was her lack of respect for me and the decision I was making at the moment. "The Grant's are not the family I want you married in to! What would everyone think? You involved with someone like him?!" What also pissed me off it what little respect she had for Jake. He could hear her every word but that didn't stop her from degrading him and his family.
Before Jake could say anything to her that would definitely put her in her place, I cut in. "I can give a flying rat's ass what anyone freaking thinks, mom! I love him. I have been with him since I was sixteen. You never seemed to care about whom I dated or what I did before dad left. Then he leaves and suddenly you care. I want to be with him and he wants me. Just be happy for me mom!"
"He's four years older than you, Ana! How could you have been with him since you were sixteen? That's abuse! I'll call the cops." She glared at Jake. If looks could kill, Jake would definitely be dead. "Dad knew." I spat out.
"What?"
"He knew and he approved. So you can't call the police. You can't accuse him of anything. We love each other. We are moving in together. There is nothing you can do or say to stop me. Now move out of our way so we can get my things out of here."
"If you leave then I'm disowning you. You are never welcome back again." I hugged her. "I won't help you pick up the pieces as soon as he leaves you. He won't love you for long. Keep that one in mind." We left and I didn't turn back to look at my old house nor did I turn back to look back at my mom. Jake put my things in the trunk of his Audi A3 and we drove off.
*********
"I'm going to marry you one day!" Jake picked me up by my waist and spun me around in our new condo apartment. I laughed, cheerfully. "How are you so sure that I'll say yes?" I asked him with as much seriousness that I could muster. He smiled. His beautiful blue eyes stared into mine. "I just know, babe." He set me down and moved over to the window that had the most beautiful view of the Chicago skyline and part of Lake Michigan. "Do you like it?" I walked over to him and hugged him from behind. "I love it."
"Do you think you will be happy here?" I smiled again. My happiness couldn't be contained. "More than happy my love. I'm with you and that's all that matters. And wherever you are is where I'll be happy."
"Better than the suburb that you lived at with all the rich folk?" I hugged him a little tighter. "Much better." I poked his back. "And hey you're part of the rich folk over there." He chuckled.
*******
"Jake!" I screamed excitedly. Jake ran into our bedroom. A worried expression on his face as he analyzed me to see if I was okay. "What's wrong babe? You practically screamed bloody murder babe! Are you okay?"
I threw myself into him and hug him tightly. "Everything is fine. I'm just excited." He embraced me back and I felt his body relax. "What are you excited about?"
"Remember when I told you I was applying to a few colleges?"
"Yes."
"I got into the one I want to go to!" I gave him the letter to read as I told him exactly what the letter said. "UIC accepted me. Full ride. I don't have to pay anything out of pocket." He hugged me tightly. "This is amazing, Ana. I'm so proud of you. See I told you that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it."
"I love you, Jake."
He smiled. His smiled was contagious. "I love you more, Ana Banana." He claimed my mouth was his and pulled my shirt over my head. "I think we should celebrate this great news." Excitedly, I let my head fall back so that he could claim my neck with his kisses. Each kiss going down my neck made me lose my breath little by little. Until I was helplessly naked. "How are we going to celebrate, Jake?" He softly bit my shoulder. "Well, first off I'm going to make love to my beautiful loving girlfriend. Whom worked so hard and diligently to get into UIC. Then and only then...we can go out to a nice dinner at the Grand Lux Café or wherever my you choose."
We never made it to dinner. Instead we stayed in bed after we made love and ordered a stuffed pizza from Giordano's. We ended the night by binge watching a marathon of a show that Jake claimed not to like but secretly totally did. Season one of Scandal.
******
It was a year and a half letter and Jake and I had settled into the perfect life. Living together was a complete different experience. It took some time to get used to but eventually everything fell into place. We took turns doing the laundry, cooking, we both cleaned. He worked from home some days to keep me company and I rushed home from school to be with him on days he didn't work. He was my rock on days where I felt like I was done with the stress and I was his.
It was a Tuesday night when we got the call. Jake had fallen asleep halfway through the movie Fight Club. I was up late working on a school midterm paper about immigration. His cell phone went off first. When he didn't answer it rung again and this time I leaned over him to grab it from the bedside counter. "Hello?" I answered without looking at the caller ID. "Ana, can you put my son on the phone?"
"He's sleeping, Susan. Is there anything I can help you with? He has an early morning with his dad tomorrow." Susan's voiced changed. It was more muffled. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "T-That's why I'm c-calling." My heart dropped. "Is Brian okay?"
"No." She started crying. "Brian is dead, Ana! He had a stroke and when I got to him it was already too late. They took him to the hospital and they couldn't save him!" My own tears welled in my eyes and cascaded down my face as I tried to understand what she had just told me. We had just had breakfast with Brian this morning. He was perfectly fine. This couldn't be real! But it was. I set my computer down quickly on the floor and turned to wake up Jake. "Please let me talk to Jake." Her voice was barely audible through her tears and muffled voice. "Baby!" I shook Jake to wake him but he swatted my hand away. "Babe, not now" he cried. I'm trying to get my beauty sleep. I can't look this hot for you if you don't let me get some rest."
"No." I shook him again. "This is serious. You're dad. Something happened. Your mom..." Jake got up instantly. "What's wrong Ana?" He wiped the tears from my face. "You're mom needs to tell you." He took the phone from my hand and I watched as his face slowly transform as the pain and sadness started to settle in. He didn't cry with his mom on the phone. Instead he reassured her that everything was going to be fine and that we were coming over right away. He rushed up to get dressed and ushered me to do the same. Jake spoke with the doctors and was in and out of his father's room constantly. Eventually they took Brian off life support. Susan was hysterical as she screamed to see him one last time before they took him off life support. She wanted to be there when they did it but Jake told her it would be better if she wasn't. He went in though and watched as the heart monitor slowly came to a halt. He come out of the room stone faced. We took his mother home and he told her he'd handle everything from there.
Jake was different after that. He was no longer open about what he was feeling. He was more distant. He arranged everything for his father's wake and funeral alone. He didn't want me involved and he didn't want him mom to worry about any arrangements. The more I tried to console him the more he pushed me away.
We buried his father two days after he died. His father left him his business and all his property along with half of his money. The other half went to his mom. After the funeral we both drove home in silence.
Back in our apartment. He barely said a word. He didn't eat. He just stared out our window. At two am in the morning I finally went to go bring him to bed. "You know you can talk to me, babe. I'm here to help you get through his." He took my hand in his and held it for a long while. "Shower with me?" He didn't have to ask. He knew what my answer would be. He let the water in the shower run until it was lukewarm and then began to undress. He got into the shower and submerged himself under the raining showerhead. And that's when he finally let go. I undressed and joined and. He pulled me into him and started to cry. "It's okay baby. I promise we will get through this together."
******
Jake was immediately thrown into the role his father had left him. Chief executive and owner of Grant and Company Law Firm, one of the biggest law firms in the country with high end clients ranging from big shot investors to a few famous people. Jake had started there as a lawyer when his dad first hired him and now he ran the whole damn company. It was a big change for him. It stressed him out beyond belief but not once did he complain about the work load. He did what he had to do. Went to all the business meetings. Met with important clients and cut his time at home to be able to keep his father's legacy afloat. He was gone a lot more on business then I would have liked by at the end of the day he always came home to me. My mom didn't visit or call me until a year after Jake's dad died. She just showed up one day. "Darling." She barely kissed my cheek as she pushed passed me into the apartment.
"You live in such scum." She spat as she looked around. "I would have thought you'd be living like a queen with maids. She shook her head in disbelief. "Can you have the cook bring me something to eat? I'm starving after that two hour drive here."
"I don't have a cook." I offered her water but she bluntly ignored me as she still tried to comprehend what I said about not having a cook. "Don't have a cook? My gosh, so what do you do for food around here?"
"I cook mom. Just like every normal person does." I rolled my eyes. She looked appalled by the idea. "I would never...." She took a seat on the soft cream color love seat that faced the big glass windows with the view. "It is sort of nice when you have a view like this but definitely not as nice as it is at home."
"Mom....Why are you here? Does your visit serve a purpose or are you just here to bash my lifestyle." She laughed humorlessly. "Oh no dear. I'm not hear for any of that. Can't a mother come by to see her only daughter?"
As she sat there and admired the view for a while longer she seemed to realize we were alone in the apartment. "Where is Jake? Is he always gone this late?" It was nine-thirty and Jake still hadn't retuned my call from earlier. He didn't let me know he was going to be late that night which sucked since I cooked his favorite, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn. "No mom!" I said defensively. But my mom knew the truth. I don't know how but she definitely knew. "So is it all the time that you don't know where he's at or is it only occasionally?"
I shook my head. "Mom, lets please not do this. I'm not in the mood. I'm stressed out and I have a killer headache." Of course she ignored me and continued to ask me questions that made me start to overthink everything. "Have you ever stopped to think maybe he's gotten sick of you and that's why the two of you don't spend as much time together anymore? Or that he loves the attention he gets as the new head of Grant and Company Law Firm. I heard that all the girls are crazy over him. That they practically throw themselves on him." Her words stuck a knife of doubt in the pit of my head. Her questions bringing out insecurities I didn't even know I had. "Jake, loves me mom. So I don't have to worry about any of that."
"But don't you? While you're here locked in this apartment wasting away. What is he doing? He's living his life. Coming home late. He barely has any time left for you. You are a nuisance in his life." She patted the seat next to her, silently urging me to sit next to her. "I don't know why you haven't gotten out of his way to let him succeed, Ana. You would be doing him a favor, though I doubt he'd ever ask you himself to leave. Don't you see that, Ana?" I shook my head at her and waved her off. "Stop mom. He loves me and I love him. He's just out on business."
"If you say so honey but I think you should really think about it. You've wasted half his life and barely let him explore like normal teenage boys need to do. Maybe he's taking the opportunity now to do the exploring he couldn't do in his teen years because you were around. At around midnight. She got up to leave. "I wish I could have stayed longer but...I honestly don't want to stay another minute in this filth. Do tell Jake I send my regards." She hugged me on her way out and told me to think about everything we talked about. Unfortunately, that was all I could think about after she left. And all the things she said to me slowly started to ring as true...the longer Jake took to get home.
******
Jake came home around eight pm the night I planned to leave. He called out for me as soon as he walked in through the door. When he didn't get a response from me he began to look for me. I just finished putting my last shirt in my suitcase when he walked in. At first he didn't notice my suitcase or the way I cringed when he put his arms around my waist and pulled me into a hug. "God, Ana." He exhaled deeply. "I had such a long day at work. Coming home and hugging you always sooths me after days like this. How was your day, babe?" He asked cheerfully.
"Fine." I said, curtly. I pulled out of his grasp and breathed a sigh of relief. Any longer in his arms and I'd beg him to make me stay. He looked down at our bed and saw my suitcase with all my clothes neatly packed away and my makeup and shoes laid out across my pillow. "What's going on, Ana? Why are all your things packed?"
"I'm leaving, Jake." His face was a mask of hurt and disbelief. "I can't do this anymore. You're hardly ever home. You're always working. And what am I doing? I'm going to school and waiting for you here like a little loyal bunny while you go out with a whole bunch of women for business meetings and have dinner's and this isn't the life I want. I feel like you're drifting away from me. I shouldn't have moved in with you. I ruined us with this decision."
"Babe, don't be ridiculous. You can't be serious. You know I love you. I come home early at least once every week. I'm working so many hours because my dad just died, Ana. He gave me the family business. It's hard just adjusting to him being gone but I also have to adjust to making all the big decisions and people look to me to make big decisions. I'm sorry if you think I've been distant but that sure as hell doesn't mean I'm drifting apart from you, Ana!"
"Jake! It's been a year already. I know how badly your father's death affected you. I was there, Jake. I wanted to help you every step of the way but instead you closed yourself off to me. You never call me to tell me you're coming home late anymore. You ignore my calls when you're at work. You only occasionally return my calls. Then when you get home you give me excuses of why you couldn't call me back or return my call. It isn't hard to do, Jake. You own the damn company! If you wanted you could take a two minute break from your day to give me a call, to see what I'm up to, to tell me you miss me. Anything would be appreciated!" Jake angrily put a hand through his hair. He laughed bitterly.
"I live for the moments when I can finally come home and give you a big kiss on the lips and hold you. I don't care if you don't want to do anything but as long as you let me touch your or have you next to me it keeps me going to be able to wake up the next day happy." His pleading eyes begged me to understand where he was coming from. And I did but I couldn't stay. "I'm sorry Jake but I made my decision. I'm leaving and I don't want you to stop me." I held back the tears that threatened to fall as I kept breaking his heart and mine. "This is better for both of us. That way you have more time for work and I can keep going to school and I won't have to worry about what time you're going to be coming back from work. Or waiting up for you because you had a late meeting."
"This isn't fair. You are punishing me for something that is beyond my control! I always invite you to the late night meetings, Ana. You are the one who doesn't want to go because you're working on something for school. I never get angry or upset with you over that either. So why are you doing this?" Jake got down to his knees in front of me. "I love you. Let's talk about this. I know we can talk this through."
Emotionless, I told him we had nothing else to talk about. It hurt to see the pain this caused him. He stood up quickly and grabbed me by the shoulders. "How about that fact that I love you? You love me. You are making a mistake. Don't let them break us up. Don't let your mom get to you. I don't want to lose you. Not now...not ever." He knew about my mother's late night visits. He never once asked me why or when she came over but he knew. He always seemed to know things lately. That was the problem. Our communication had seriously diminished as soon as he started working more hours. We started talking less and less and that was what ruined us.
"I can't do this anymore Jake."
"Please don't do this." He said softly. Instead of answering him I continued to pack my bag. I felt as soon as his resolve broke. He grabbed my suitcase and angrily emptied it out. "How long?" He asked angrily. His eyes burned a hole through my soul. "How long...what?" I asked, confused. "Obviously you've had this all thought out. You been planning to leave me for a while. You were just waiting for the right moment. So how long, Ana?"
"I didn't plan this!"
"You did. So tell me when you decided it was best to live your life without me in it."
"Well my mom came last week and..." He cut me off. Almost punching the wall in his anger. "Fuck! You told me you weren't going to let your mom come between us. You let her get to you." Just as I was about to put my hand on his shoulder. He backed away from my touch. "My mom was right. She told me this would happen and that you would do this when I needed you the most. I told her you were different. That you weren't with me just for the money. That you weren't anything like your mother." He took a deep breath and pulled at his short hair. "Leave. Take whatever you want and then some but just don't leave anything you want behind. By tomorrow nothing you left behind will be here." He slammed the door behind him as he left. Tears cascaded down my cheeks and onto the shirts I refolded to put in my suitcase. He wasn't in the apartment when I was ready to leave. I didn't get to say goodbye to him or tell him how much I still loved him. It all really ended for me at that moment. I left the one good person I had in my life and I went crawling back to my mother. Just like she said I would.
***********
"Why I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you." I barely spared the man a glance. He wasn't the only man that had come up to me tonight and I'm sure he wasn't going to be the last. I was still too upset about Jake to care much about anyone else. It had been weeks since we broke up and still I couldn't help but think about him all day of everyday. Almost as if I was obsessed with the thought of him. He had taken the love that he wanted and left me behind like pocket change that was no longer needed. "I think you need to take a hike man. I'm not interested. Not now...not ever."
The man didn't leave but he also didn't push to get closer to me like the other men that came before him had. "Well, it is in my personal interest to talk to everyone here tonight because this is my business charity gala." I looked up and sure enough it was William Stanguard, the owner of Stanguard Motors, the biggest car retailer in Illinois. "I'm sorry if that was rude of me. I just don't feel much like talking. Not now...not ever." I laughed weakly. Still feeling a bit of the after effects of the break up at that moment. "Well who says I come over here to talk? Let's just get down to the point. I want to ask you to dance with me." He chuckled. "And I won't take no for an answer, Ana."
"How do you know my name?"
"I make it a point to know everyone's name especially the name of someone who captivates my interest for almost the whole night."
"Well, would it be terribly horrid of me if I told you I didn't want to dance and that I didn't mean to catch your attention? I'm just here with because my mom didn't have a date. She practically begged me to come with."
"It is pretty horrid of you to tell me that you are not as captivated by my looks that I am by yours but I think if you give me this one dance my ego won't be too hurt." So at that point I didn't really fight it anymore. I let him lead me to the middle of the stage where others were dancing and we danced. We danced more than just one song and I liked it. I just wasn't so sure that I liked him all that much but he sure seemed into me. I just wasn't so sure that I liked the way he looked at me.