Textual Encounters: 2 (2 page)

Wa
it a second. How did we get to YES?

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5:05pm:

How else will I get to see your driver’s license
to prove you’re not 40 yet?

5:06pm:

That’s what I thought.

5:07pm:

Corner of Broadway and W 169. Now you tell me what time?

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Jake

5:10pm:

OK, I guess I can do some babysitting tomorrow night. How does 8pm sound?

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5:11pm:

8 sounds good.
But the whole “babysitting” comment implies you’ll be putting me to bed. Or spanking me. A little creepy coming from an old man.

5:12pm:

Should I bring my pepper spray?

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Jake

5:13pm:

Yes, bring it.

5:14pm:

I might need it.

5:15pm:

You scare me, Katie!

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5:16pm:

Okay. Pepper spray for the old man and for me, an outfit that makes me look like I’m 16. Perfect.

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Jake

5:20pm:

Great. Looking forward to it.

5:21pm:

Have a good night, and don’t forget to
get to bed early. Old men like me like stay up long after the Disney channel goes off-air on a Friday night.

5:35pm:

Did I take that last one a little too far?

5:45pm:

OK, see you tomorrow at 8pm.

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6:25am:

Are you awake, old man?

6:27am:

Or haven’t you taken your shot of nitro yet?

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Jake

6:28am:

Did you climb out of your crib again? Why are you awake so early on a Saturday?

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6:29am:

Forget it.

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Jake

6:32am:

Everything okay?

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6:33am:

I had a lot of fun with you last night, Jake. It was the perfect evening. Thank you for that.

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Jake

6:35am:

I enjoyed it, too. The food was great, the show was decent and, last but not least, you were gorgeous.

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6:40am:

Then w
hy didn’t you try to kiss me?

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Jake

6:43am:

I’m sorry. You’re a great person, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.

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6:44am:

Who said anything about a relationship?

6:45am:

Jake, I’m a big girl. I think we’re both two fairly attractive people, we can be adults about this, right?

6:45am:

Am I wrong?

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Jake

6:47am:

No, I find you attractive
too. And I know you’re an adult – remember, the server wouldn’t have given you that pina colada if you were under 21.

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6:50am:

Then how about you take me to a club tonight to make it up to me?

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Jake

6:52am:

Things are complicated right now.
I need to get my head straight.

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6:54am:

Is it t
hat girl you talked about last night? Christina?

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Jake

6:56am:

Christine.

6:56am:

Yes.

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6:58am:

Has she shown up out of nowhere all of a sudden? Because if she hasn’t, then I don’t see the harm in taking me out tonight.

7:00am:

Unless you have other plans.

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Jake

7:01am:

No other plans. Let’s do it.

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7:02am:

Care to elaborate on “doing it?”

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Jake

7:03am:

Very funny.

7:04am:

Let’s go out tonight, have a good time.

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7:06am:

Will you kiss me?

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Jake

7:07am:

Possibly. But only if the mood leads us there.

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7:08am:

Sounds like you’re in trouble. And I’m getting kissed
.

7:09am:

Pick me up at 10 tonight?

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Jake

7:11am:

Sure thing
.

7:13am:

See you later.

7:16am:

You should really come up with a better way to end a chat. Old men like me don’t know when it’s appropriate to put the phone down.

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7:20am:

OK. See you later.

7:21am:

Is that better?

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Jake

7:22am:

Yes. Much.

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Turning the phone upside down, I take several deep breaths. The base of my head fee
ls like it’s on fire, my cheeks are burning hot with betrayal and I have to clench my eyes shut to get control of myself. I can hardly believe my reaction to this damn Samsung!

Who is
Katie
? I want to kill the bitch. That can be the only way to quell my irrational jealousy, so who is this whore and where can I find her?

Obviously, this phone belonged to
her
. Does that mean she’s the one who gave it to me? It would not have come from Jake – not only would I have recognized the handwriting on the box, but he knows me well enough to know how I would react to the kind of texting that was going on between him and this fucking teenager. Shit, he knows something like this would make me wild. And Jake would never do that to me.

The door opens and I snap my attention in its direction. When Will enters with a supportive smile on his face, I secretly curse his arrival while simultaneously sliding the Samsung under the sheets where he will not see it.

“Sweetheart,” he says once he gets close enough that I can smell him – a whiff of cologne mixed in with the steady odor that is purely Will. “You’re sweating. Are you okay?”

He reaches for the sheets, as if to peel them away to cool me down, but I take a firm grip and keep them pulled high.

“I’m good,” I tell him and he gets the hint. He steps back. “I’m sorry,” I sigh. “Didn’t sleep well last night.”

He gives a half grin. “You can catch some more sleep, if you want. I have no trouble just watching you for the rest of my break.”

Aaawww, isn’t he just the sweetest man on Earth? I smile as pleasantly as I can; not easy considering how much I wish he would just leave so I can get back to the phone. “I think I can stay awake for you.” Deep breath – how long are his lunch breaks, anyway? I can’t remember. “How’s your day been? They tell me I could be going home tonight.”

He nods knowingly. “Yes, the doctor mentioned that.” He wipes a hand across my sweaty forehead, then frowns. “But I’m still a little worried.”

I give him another smile and shake my head gently. “I’m fine. If I weren’t, they wouldn’t be talking about releasing me.”

He puts on his big-boy face and agrees, nodding in that condescending way he sometimes has. And then there’s the silence, the unspoken disappointment. Will looks away, and I can tell that he’s thinking about something he should not be.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, hoping to distract his thoughts, as if doing so will keep the truth buried. “I didn’t know I was pregnant. We’ve been trying so hard and for so long and… and I should have known.” I pour on the tears, not hard considering that I just lost something that up until two months ago seemed like an impossibility.

Will leans in and pulls me into his arms, his firm grip holding me tight. I feel safe and secure with him, always have. He has a solid hold of me and that makes me feel safe. It reminds me why I married him in the first place and for a moment I forget about everything else (yes, even the Samsung Galaxy). It feels like we’re the only two kids in this amusement park called life.

* * *

A sound wakes me and I check the clock. It’s just after two in the afternoon; I have been sleeping less than an hour. Will has left and taken the flowers with him. With my pending release from the hospital, I nearly forget about the phone, and then set off on a frantic search to find it.

It’s exactly where I left it, right under the sheets, and not exactly hidden either. I wonder if Will saw it; he would have known it’s not
my
phone, so why wouldn’t he have looked at it?

I don’t spend too much time trying to figure that one out because I’m relieved it’s still there. So I get back to the jAppe application, picking up exactly where I left off.

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Jake

7:53pm:

Hey, are you sti
ll awake or is it past your bedtime?

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7:55pm:

If I remember
correctly, you were the first one to fall asleep last night. Old man.

7:56pm:

Not used to the stamina of a younger woman, are you?

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Jake

7:58pm:

LOL. I don’t think it’s a matter of age.

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7:59pm:

Really? You sure you want to have this conversation with a third-year med student? Because something tells me you’ll go to bed pouting about it if you do.

8:02pm:

So what’s troubling you?

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Jake

8:04pm:

Last night and this morning were good. No, they were GREAT. It’s been the best weekend I’ve had in a
long time.

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8:05pm:

Don’t get all
maple-syrup sappy with me, Jake. We’re both adults, remember?