Jar of Hearts (Glow sequel) (15 page)

“See you down stairs, baby,” Jackie winked at me as she cleaned herself up, zipped her dress back up and walked out of the bathroom leaving the door open.

“Excuse me,” I heard Jackie say to someone rudely.

I forced myself to look up. Maria was standing in the doorway staring down at me. Her face was completely expressionless and very pale as one single tear shed.

“Maria,” I could hear the anguish, heartache, and deep regret in my own voice as it came out shaky.

“Dinner's done,” a sob escaped. She brought her hand to her mouth, quieting her whimper before quickly walking away and down the hall.

“Maria, wait,” I stumbled to my feet, grabbing my scotch and going after Maria. “Please, talk to me,” I went running down the stairs.

As I reached the bottom, Maria went towards the front door, and Vanessa was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Let her go,” her hand caught my arm.

“What?” I pulled my arm from her grip. “No!”

“Why did Jackie come into the dining room looking disheveled, and why did Maria come following after in hysterics?” she crossed her arms over her chest awaiting my answer.

“Because, I-” A growl escaped my throat. “I messed up,”

She closed her eyes while exhaling deeply. “Please, for the love of God, Ethan Montello. Tell me that you didn't sleep with Jackie again,”

I drank the rest of the scotch without answering Vanessa. She ripped the glass from my hand, her heels clicked away down the hall toward the dining room away while muttering, “Freaking wonderful,”

I took off out the front door almost tripping over Maria sitting on the front porch with her head in her hands. She sniffed. “Nessy, go eat dinner. I'll be inside in a minute,”

I sat down next to her, it taking the three seconds for her to more than likely smell my cologne before her head snapped up, she looked right into my eyes. Not being able to control her tears, she was now crying right in front of me.

“Maria, I am so sorry,” I didn't know what else to say.

“Don't,” she cried, shaking her head. “You made your choice and it is something that I have to deal with on my own,”

“What are you talking about?” I asked her, letting my hand hover over her back wanting so badly to comfort her. I hated seeing her cry. Especially because of the fact that I caused this hurt upon her.

“I just don't understand how you didn't want to take this risk on me...” she shrugged. “not that I ever would hurt you intentionally. But then you ran right to the one person who has actually hurt you, why?”

“I'm confused, what choice-”

“Come on kids, dinner,” my dad peered out the front door wearing his favorite 'world's greatest dad' t-shirt with black slacks. I shook my head.

“Be there in a minute,” I told him, he smiled then shut the door.

“Ethan, Jackie is waiting for you.” Maria stood from the porch and brushed the back of her dress off. She carefully wiped under her eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Besides, this is important to your sister, let's not ruin it,”

“Maria,” I was becoming irate that I was unable to explain myself and what happened. I also wanted to know what she was talking about. My choices? What choices did I make besides giving her what she wanted, and my one very bad choice of sleeping with Jackie again. Granted yes, in my head I was sleeping with Maria, but was still a shitty choice.

She stopped at the door with her back to me. “You might want to zip up your zipper” she added, walking through the door and leaving it open for me.

I stood to my feet with a groan, zipping my shorts back up. I walked into the house and closed the door. I walked into the dining room and everyone's eyes were on me. My dad was smiling, my mom was shaking her head,  Jackie winked then licked her lips, Vanessa scowled, Ben smirked, both grandparents eyed me down to my toes, Marc the Bastard was glaring, and the only ones not looking at me were my Aunt Suzy who was cutting up her kid's food, and Maria... Maria was staring down at her glass of whiskey, rolling the pad of her pointer finger along the rim.

“What?” I shrugged, getting another glass of scotch.

“I think that's enough, Ethan,” Vanessa said flippantly.

“I think you don't need to worry about it,” I smiled, taking a drink of the liquor and taking the only seat left in this room which was right next to Jackie, and across from Maria. “Let's eat!” I rubbed my hands together. Everyone was still silent, but only for a moment until conversation about tomorrow broke out.

“Maria, Vanessa told me of the beautiful roses and lilies you ordered for the wedding,” my mom smiled.

“Yeah,” Maria eyed me. “They are supposed to be delivered first thing tomorrow morning,” she smiled deviously. Our plan of the stinky flowers would be delivered first, then thirty minutes later after getting a rise from everyone, the real flowers would arrive.

“Lovely,” my grandmother chimed in. “What about the caterer, did that all pan out?”

“Yes,” Vanessa smiled. “Ben is allergic to fish and that is what the caterer had planned after I repeatedly told him no fish. I was going to go crazy,”

I jumped at the feel of Jackie's hand on my thigh. “Knock it off,” I whispered. She frowned, removing her hand from my thigh, then running her fingers through my hair. I leaned away, bumping my shoulder into my Aunt. “Sorry, Aunt Suzy,”

“It's okay,” she smiled, then continued with my cousins.

Jackie tried again. “Would you stop it?”

I looked around the table and Vanessa was staring at Jackie. “Keep your hands off of my brother, Jackie,”

“We're together now,” she rubbed my arm.

“Like hell we are,” I shoved her arm off of me.

“I thought you forgave me,” she frowned. “Baby,” she whined, reaching for my hair again.

Vanessa stood to her feet. “I told you to stop touching my brother,”

“What do you expect from her, Ethan? You just slept with her,” Marc laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

“Marc,” Maria gasped.

“I don't think this is an appropriate conversation to have at the dinner table,” My dad said, tossing his napkin to the table.

“If I talked like this at my dinner table, I would get smacked to hell and high water,” my grandpa added.

“Dude, your comment was seriously not needed,” Ben forward staring daggers at Marc. “And I bet you are pencil dick,”

Marc and Ben both stood to their feet. “Okay, what is it with you and this pencil dick thing? Do you have a love for pencils, or just dicks?”

My grandma dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clank. “I beg your pardon,” she was appalled at Marc's comment.

“Vanessa, just leave them alone,” Maria sighed. “It's fine,”

“No, there is no them,” I jumped in. “I am not with Jackie,”

Within five minutes of bickering comments, there were full blown arguments across the entire table. We were all standing, and yelling at each other for different things. I could hear my mother laying into Vanessa about  Jackie being here while Vanessa was still yelling at Jackie for cheating on me with the realtor. Ben and Marc were hashing it out because Marc insists that Ben likes dick. My father and grandpa were fighting over fish they caught back in 1985, and my grandmother was going off on Aunt Suzy for my cousins horrible eating habits. Maria and me were arguing over some apparent 'choice' I made that I am nowhere near aware of making.

“What choice are you talking about?” I yelled.

“The one you made when you left me in the elevator!” she stood up, pointing to nowhere.

“I didn't leave you, Maria,” I ran my fingers through my hair frustratingly. “I gave you what you wanted!”

“What I wanted?” she pointed a finger into her chest. She was sexy as hell when she got mad. Her cheeks turned an exquisite shade of pink, and her brows creased giving off little creases in her forehead.

“Yes,” I nodded vigorously. “No matter what I said, you still insisted on you not being 'good' enough for me,”

“I said that yes,” she agreed. “But you weren't supposed to leave me!”

“It doesn't matter because that same night you were at dinner with the ass-hat sitting next to you,” I pointed at Marc who didn't hear a word I said.

“Don't you dare call him that! He is a friend of mine, and how the hell did you know I was at dinner with Marc? What, are you a freaking stalker now, Ethan?” her voice raised a notch.

“No, Maria,” I leaned closer across the table, her eyes never leaving mine. “I was at dinner with Tiffany going over the final print for my interview and photo shoot,”

“Oh,” she mocked laughter. “Okay, so you are screwing Tiffany too,” she crossed her arms.

“What!?” I flailed my arms. “No, I am not screwing Tiffany. She is married, Maria! Happily married!”

“Who is Tiffany!?” Jackie slapped my arm.

“None of your damn business,” I glared down at her.

“Who the hell are you to even ask my brother a question like that?” Vanessa threw a piece of mashed potato at Jackie, pegging her on the tit. “You're too busy with Hot Shot Realtor to be able to give a shit about Ethan. You left him!”

“I realized I made a mistake!” she yelled back at Vanessa, matching a wad of potatoes. Vanessa dodged it.

I ignored them. “Have you even read the interview yet?”

“No I haven't, why? If I am lucky I just might get to know the real Ethan Montello?” Maria said sarcastically.

“No!” I sighed. “If you took a damn minute to read it, you would know how incredibly in love with you I am! I love you!”

The room was instantly quiet.

“What did you just say?” she whispered.

“I said that if you read my interview, you would know that I fell in love with you, Maria,”

She vigorously shook her head and started to cry. “No, you don't,”

“I know how this is going to play out,” Ben mumbled. “It's deja vu all over again,” Vanessa nudged his ribs.

“Yes, I do,” I nodded. “I love you,”

Maria looked over to Vanessa who nodded and smiled, and Ben winked at her, they both confirmed my words.  This truthfully was not how I wanted her to find out, but I was done with being patient, and done driving myself crazy wondering if she read the damn thing yet or not. At least I know now that she hadn't and that she more than likely does care.

“But you slept with her,” she pointed to Jackie who looked incredibly uncomfortable now. “If you love me then why did you do that? Why?” she cried. “I heard you tell her that you loved her, Ethan! I heard everything!”

“I said that I loved you, not her,” Did I just make sense? “I mean, I have been drinking all day which isn't an excuse but it also didn't help. I miss you to the point that it is killing me! When she cornered me in the bathroom, I closed my eyes and all I saw was you,” I felt defeated, and drained. “All I want is to kiss you, touch you, and be around you knowing that everything is okay between you and me. I just needed to be with you so badly that I settled with you in my mind, Maria, and I am so sorry,”

Maria looked at all of the sad eyes around her. “Marc, will you give me a ride home, please?”

He nodded, standing up from his chair. “Of course.” he looked at my parents. “Thank you,”

They just nodded and looked back to Maria who I could tell was trying to find the right words to say. “I just...” she paused. “I have nothing to say right now except that I am so sorry Vanessa,” she grabbed her hand. “I am so sorry about your dinner,”