Fall into my Heart (The Subzero Series, #1) (14 page)

Jack
happened to turn around at that moment and we locked eyes. Immediately Jack’s
eyes reflected the look of hurt they held the other day. That look in his eyes
combined with the fact that he was there with the one person he knew would
upset me the most, was enough to break my heart all over again.

Behind
me I heard Skylar exclaim “Chloe, what the hell is going on?”

Tears
began to escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I tried to stop them but there
was no use. I just had my heart ripped out for the second time this week and
this time it was in front of my sister, all of my friends and my boss. I
couldn’t stay there. There was no way I would be able to keep it together and
act like everything was fine when Julissa was locked onto to Jack – my Jack –
like a leech.

“I
have to get out of here.” I said as I wiped the tears away.

“I’ll
go with you.” Abby said.

“No,
you stay here with Tyler and have a good time. I just want to be by myself.” I
said, trying hard to choke back those defiant tears. Without looking at anyone,
I quickly turned and walked as fast as I could towards the exit. Before I
walked out, I forced myself to turn around and look for Jack one more time.
When I did, I saw that he had not only broken away from Julissa, but his eyes
were still locked on me.

As
soon as I was out in the cold December night, I finally gave up on holding back
my tears. Needing to talk to someone, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed
Noelle’s number. I had never been as happy in my entire life as I was when she
answered.

“Hey
Noelle, I really need to talk to you.” I sobbed.

~*~

I
woke up the next morning to the sound of a couple of voices chatting away in my
living room. I walked out and was a little surprised to see Jocalyn and Skylar
sitting on the couch with Abby.

“Hey
guys.....what’s going on?” I asked.

“Don’t
be mad at me, but I told them everything that happened between you, Jack and
Connor.” Abby said.

“We
were worried about you last night,” Jocalyn said, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I
shrugged. “I guess I was hoping we would work it out, but that apparently is
not gonna happen.”

Abby
walked over and gave me a hug. “Well get dressed sunshine. We are getting you
out of this house.”

I
started to say I didn’t want to go out but Skylar pointed towards my bedroom.
“Dressed. Now. This is not up for discussion.” She said.

I
knew she meant it and would probably drag me of there kicking and screaming, so
I just gave in. I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a plum v neck
sweater and ran a brush through my hair.

As
we left, I noticed Jack’s truck in the parking lot and I secretly wondered if
he was alone.

We
spent the day shopping and taking Abby around to do a little sightseeing. To be
honest, I’ve lived here for a while now and this was the first time I took the
opportunity to check out the sights. We stopped at a little bistro to have
lunch and chat about boys.

“They
are a bunch of wankers, the whole lot of them.” Skylar said before taking a
bite of her sandwich. She held a finger up in the air as she finished chewing
and swallowing, letting us know she had more to say. “Did you know that Wes
kissed another girl right in front of me shortly after we started dating?”

“What?”
We all gasped at the same time.

Skylar
nodded. “Yes, we were out Friday night for drinks with some people from work
and you know we were keeping our relationship a secret. This girl started
chatting him up and all of the sudden she grabbed a hold of him and started
kissing him and he kissed her back. He said he let her do it instead of telling
her to back off because he didn’t know how to explain to everyone why he didn’t
want some random hot girl to kiss him. Ummmm.....how about saying because you are
a damn gentleman and not some manwhore that will go around snogging whatever
random girl that will adhere her lips to yours.”

“I
dated a guy once that thought he couldn’t get a girl pregnant if she was on
top,” Jocalyn piped up. “Yeah, I thought he was joking but he seriously thought
gravity would keep his boys from swimming up.”

“I
caught my ex-fiancé in bed with another woman. He tried convincing me it
accidently happened. Mind you this was after he tried convincing me that I
misunderstood what I was seeing. He was in our bed, naked, with his little
buddy inside a girl that certainly was not me.....what is there to misunderstand
about that?” I asked. I shook my head as I recounted Connor’s idiocy. 

“I
once dated a guy that yelled out “I am the king of orgasms” after he had one,”
Abby shook her head. “He actually asked me to refer to him as that when I talked
to my friends about him.”

“Who
was that?” I asked.

“Brian
McMillian.”

“Is
he the one you said would make animal noises during –“

“YES!”
Abby yelled out cutting me off.

The
four of us erupted into a fit of giggles. This was exactly what I needed today;
to just get out with the girls and shop and laugh. I needed this break from
crying and thinking about Jack for a little while, even though I knew at some
point the girls would be gone and I would be left with my thoughts to torment
me again. At least for now I had a little bit of a reprieve and something to
eat that didn’t come out of an ice cream carton.

––––––––

I
was dreading work as soon as I woke up. I quickly showered and put on makeup
before dressing in cream colored pants and a bright pink silk blouse. I was
hoping the bright color would help put me in a better mood. That thought
quickly went out the window when I walked into the kitchen to find Tyler making
pancakes dressed only in his underwear.

“Aw
Tyler!” I exclaimed.

“I
know what you’re thinking and I promise I’ll clean it up.” He replied without
looking at me.

“Not
that.....well yes that but pants.....always pants.”

“Right
on, will do.”

I
shook my head as I left for work. What is it with guys, they get comfortable
somewhere and they think it is perfectly acceptable to strut around in their
tighty whiteys? That was the last thing I needed or so I thought anyway. What
started as a bad morning quickly turned into a miserable day when I got to work
and found fifteen messages from tabloids wanting a confirmation on Julissa and
Jack’s relationship.

“How
are you this morning?” Skylar asked as she walked into my office.

I
pointed to the messages. “I can’t do this Skye. I can’t call him and ask him if
he is with her. First of all he is probably still ignoring my calls and even
more importantly, what if he says yes?”

Skylar
picked up the messages. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Thank
you.....so much.”

She
nodded as she walked out. I sat down and stared at my computer. What was I
gonna do? I really don’t care if I lose Julissa as a client. She was more
trouble than it was worth. I didn’t want to lose Subzero and I certainly didn’t
want to lose Jack. Yes, they drove me insane with all of the off the wall calls
I got about them but they kept my job interesting. I never knew what was coming
next or what to expect from them. I was still trying to figure out what to do a
little while later when Skylar popped back in.

“I
returned all of the calls. I told everyone the truth according to Jack.
Everyone knows Julissa’s word is worthless.” She said.

“Thanks.
I really owe you one big time.” I told her.

Skylar
nodded as she turned to leave. She paused at the door and looked back at me.
“In case you’re wondering, they’re not together. Jack said she walked up and
started hanging on him and he basically told her to sod off. Unfortunately it
wasn’t before you saw them. ”

That
bit of information actually made my day better. At least I knew I wouldn’t be
running into them into the halls or even worse having to hear her yelling out
while they were in the throes of passion.

Abby
was sitting on the couch waiting for me when I got home. She was twisting her
fingers, which is something she only does when she was nervous.

“Hey
what are you doing?” I asked her.

“I
wanted to talk to you.” She said.

I
sat down next to her, removed my heels and tossed them aside. “What’s up?”

“Well.....when
you come home for vacation, Tyler is gonna come with you. Then when you come back,
if it’s okay with you, we were thinking I could come with you guys.”

I
looked at her in surprise. “Like move here? Abby, are you moving in with me?”

“Only
if it’s okay with you.”

“No!
It’s okay! It’s definitely okay!”

We
sat there in silence with big goofy grins on our faces. This day has definitely
taken a turn for the better. Not only was I going to be seeing my family soon
but Abby was moving in with me. I knew that had more to do with Tyler than it
did me but that was fine. At least she would be here and I wouldn’t have to face
being lonely again when I came back after vacation.

“So.....you
and Tyler?” I teased.

“Yeah
unbelievable huh?”

“I
thought so at first, but now not really. I mean he’s a goofball but he’s a good
guy. I’m happy for you Abby. Could you just do me one favor when you move
here?”

“What’s
that?” She asked.

“Get
your boyfriend to keep his pants on when he’s walking around and making food in
the kitchen.”

Laughter
erupted out of the both of us and echoed through the room. I laughed so hard
that tears began streaming down my face. I wasn’t even sure what I was laughing
at anymore. I just knew I hadn’t laughed very much in the past few days and it
felt good. After a few moments, our laughter died out and Abby placed her arm
on my shoulder.

“Chloe,
there’s something else I want to tell you that I think you should know,” Abby
paused for a moment before continuing, “The other night at the ball. Jack saw
you leave.”

“Yeah
I know. I looked back at him before I walked out the door.” I said cutting her
off.

Abby
shook her head. “No wait listen. He came over and asked where you were going
and I .....well I kinda yelled at him, but he followed you to make sure you got
home okay.”

I
didn’t know what to say so I just looked away. Jack was giving me whiplash a
little bit. I mean either he cares or he doesn’t, but if he does he could at
least hear me out.

“You
know, Abby, I’m so glad you were here. I really don’t know how I would have
gotten through this last week without you. I wish you weren’t leaving
tomorrow.”

“I
know me either, but the next week will go by so fast and you’ll be home for
Christmas!”

~*~

Abby
was right. The next week went by unbelievably fast and before I knew it, I was
sitting in the airport terminal with Tyler. Tyler was being unusually quiet and
I could tell he had something on his mind. By the third time he opened his
mouth, shook his head and closed his mouth again, he was starting to get on my
nerves.

I
sighed. “Whatever it is you want to say, just say it.”

Tyler
studied my face for a minute. “He’s been having a really hard time trying to
deal with the break up.” He said cautiously.

“Has
he? Really? Well you know what Tyler? So have I.” I said angrily.

“I
know you have and I don’t mean to upset you.”

I
cut him off, only half listening to him. “I’m not engaged to Connor and I
haven’t been for a long time. I moved here because I felt like I needed a
change. I was over Connor long before I started seeing Jack. You say he’s
hurting but it can’t be hurting him that much because he is the one that let it
all go. He’s the one that won’t talk to me, not the other way around. You know
when you have something special you don’t just throw it the hell away. You do
whatever it takes to make it work and you know what? He’s the one that didn’t
try.” I ranted.

“I
know, Abby told me all about your relationship with Connor. I know you guys
broke up a while ago,” Tyler hesitated before continuing, “For what it’s worth,
Jack knows too.”

I
felt like someone kicked me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me.
“Jack knows,” I said in a daze, “Yet he still won’t talk to me.”

Tyler
sat down on the floor in front of me and held my hands in his. “Chloe you have
to understand that the reason he isn’t talking to you has nothing to do with
the way he feels about you. He jumped to conclusions and accused you of doing
something based on what someone else said without giving you the chance to
defend yourself. He was wrong and he knows it. I think he is feeling a little
bit embarrassed and a tad like a todger. He’ll come around when he’s ready.”

“That’s
what I’m afraid of though, I’m afraid he won’t come around.” I said quietly as
I put my head down.

Tyler
sat back in the seat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. “I’m pretty
sure he will but if for some reason he doesn’t, then he is an idiot.”

I
smiled at him. “Thanks Tyler. I know he’s your friend so I really appreciate
this.”

“Attention
passengers. We will now begin boarding for flight 273 to New York.”

~*~

I
could see my mom standing impatiently at the kitchen window as our cab pulled
up to my parents two story colonial. I paid the driver while Tyler grabbed our
bags out of the trunk. Abby ran out the front door as I began pulling my
carryon up the front steps. She yelled a quick “Hi!” as she whizzed past me and
jumped into Tyler’s arms. “I missed you so much!” I heard her tell him. Well
this was going to be a wonderful week with these two lovebirds all over each
other.

Mom
was sitting on the couch pretending to read a book when I walked in the front
door. She’s done that ever since we were in high school. She stands at the
window watching for us to come home and when we do, she hurries into the living
room, jumps on the couch and opens up the first book she can grab. I know for a
fact she doesn’t even pay attention to what she book or magazine she is
grabbing. We used to put the most random things on the magazine rack – books we
had to read in school, muscle car magazines, whatever user manuals we happened
to come across. Once Nick put one of his dirty magazines on there. That night
we purposely made sure we made curfew. Sure enough when we came in, there was
mom sitting on the couch all prim and proper with the nudie magazine in hand,
pretending to read it. I was in my room when she realized what she was holding.
I’m pretty sure the whole town heard the “WHAT ON EARTH!” that she yelled out.

“My
baby! You’re home! I didn’t think you’d ever get here! What took you so long?”
She exclaimed. Tossing her book aside, she jumped up from the couch and ran
over to hug me.

“It
was a flight from England, mom!”

“There’s
my kitten.” My dad said walking in from the back patio as Abby and Tyler
walked.

“Mom,
Dad, this is my boyfriend, Tyler!” Abby beamed excitedly.

I
stood there trying not to laugh as the color slowly drained from my parents
faces. I couldn’t decide which was too much for them – The Mohawk, the fact
that it was electric blue or maybe a little bit of both. I nudged my dad’s arm.

He
blinked a few times in amazement before extending his hand to Tyler. “Hello
Tyler, I’m John and this is my wife Victoria. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s
a pleasure to meet you both Mr. and Mrs. Carver. Thanks you so much for
inviting me to spend Christmas with you.” Tyler said graciously.

“We
are glad you could join us and please call us John and Vicki. Abby, why don’t
you show Tyler to the guest room dear?” Mom said fiddling with her necklace.

As
soon as Abby and Tyler were out of earshot, my dad turned to me and hissed “You
didn’t tell me your sister was dating a crayon!”

I
shrugged nonchalantly. “You didn’t ask.”

“Chloe
Elizabeth.” My dad started to say. I held my hands up in between us.

“Hey,
Chloe Elizabeth has nothing to do with this and is not getting involved. I’m
going to put my stuff away.” Before my parents could say anything else, I
grabbed my carryon and ran upstairs.

I
walked into my room and immediately felt at ease. There was a part of me that
was a little bit surprised they hadn’t turned my room into something else. I
was the only one that didn’t live at home anymore and I was sure my room would
have been turned into a craft room or something by now. But it hadn’t. The
walls were the same shade of light pink. The same Hawaiian print bedding was
still on the queen sized bed. Pictures of my friends were still hanging on the
walls.

I
sat down on the bed with a sigh. It would be so easy to just give up living in
London and move back here, but deep down in my heart that really was not an
option. I knew I wouldn’t be any happier; if anything I’d probably end up being
even more miserable than I currently was. Plus I didn’t really want to live at
home with my parents again. I mean it wasn’t horrible living with my parents;
I’d just rather not.