Double Take.
Chapter Six.
Alex
I woke up to the sun shining through the window and into my eyes. The memories of everything that happened yesterday came into my mind, if was even worse that I had a hangover from yesterday. I turned around and saw Jack was no longer in the bed with me, I don’t mind, he has a life of his own. I don’t know why he was so kind to let me move in with him, but I didn’t really feel that comfortable in the same house as him. I mean, let’s be real, who would feel comfortable about living in the same house as your first love? Your first heart break? I am glad that I didn’t have to sleep at the bar, because I have done that one night, because I got blackout drunk on my birthday two years ago.
I sat up in the bed and held onto my head, not that it would help with the throbbing pain anyways. I looked at the nightstand next to the table and saw a glass of water with some pain killers, I’ll have to remind myself to thank Jack for that when I find him. I grabbed them off the table and took two of them and downed the glass of water. I put the cup back on the table and grabbed my phone that was next to where I set the glass down. I noticed I had one text, I clicked on it and saw it was from Andy.
From: Andy
Alex, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. I was going to tell you sooner or later. Also, I have all your stuff packed, it’s waiting right inside the door for you to come and get. Again, I’m sorry to say this. But, Alex Gaskarth. I stopped loving you a little over a year ago. I found Juliet and we hit it off. I was going to end it with you the first night I did anything with her, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m really sorry this has to be this way.
I broke down from reading the text. How could he do this to me? How could he treat me like this when he said he would never hurt me? We were together for five fucking years. I fucking loved him. I still love him. I can’t believe this is actually happening. I scrolled down in my contacts and clicked on call as I got to my best friends name. He picked up on the second ring.
“Alex! Good morning! Where are you? Mr. John said you called off for a whole week last night!” The voice of my best friend came through.
“Hey Rian. Also, speak softer. I have a fucking hangover.” I groaned, I’m sure he could also hear I was crying.
“Whoa Lex, are you okay? Why are you crying? Did something happen with you and Andy?” He questioned quickly.
“He was cheating on me for over a year with Juliet Simms.” I spoke as I wiped tears from my face with my sweater sleeve.
“What?! I’ll fucking kill him!” Rian shouted into the phone, making me wince. “Shit, sorry. Hungover. Got it.”
“Yeah. He also kicked me out of the house.” I said.
“Do you need me to leave work and come pick you up?”
“No. I have somewhere to stay for a few days.”
“Where at? I’ll come see you when the school day let’s out.”
“Um...about that Ri. Do you remember Jack?”
“Of course I remember that prick, why?”
“We ran into each other at the bar. He let me vent everything to him, and now I’m living in his spare bedroom.”
“What?!?” Rian screamed.
“Ow! Stop fucking yelling!” I shot at him.
“Sorry.” He muttered. “But really? Jack? As in Jack fucking Barakat? The one from our college years?”
“That would be the one.” Just as the words left my mouth, the bedroom door opened and I saw Jack standing there with a small smile on his face.
“Mornin’ Alex.” Jack spoke. I sent him a small wave and listened to what Rian was saying.
“Was that him?” He asked through the phone.
“Yes.” I said.
“Ask him if I can come over after work.”
“Uh...okay. Hold on.” I turned my head to look at the man awkwardly standing in the doorway. “Hey Jack, you remember Rian right?”
“Yeah. You guys still friends?”
“Yep. Do you mind if he comes over after work today?”
“Not at all! Would be nice to see him again.” He smiled.
“Thanks.” I said sending him a small smile. I put the phone back to my ear and started talking to Rian again. “He said it’s fine.”
“Good. Send me the address via text, and I’ll see you in about five hours.” He replied. I said a okay and we said our goodbyes. Jack gave me the address of the house and I sent it to Rian.
“Thanks Jack. For everything.” I said.
“It’s no problem. Really. But I do have one question.” He said. Great, I hate questions.
“What is it?”
“Why are you crying?” When the words left his lips I remembered I had tears falling from my eyes and rubbed them away with the sleeves of my sweater.
“Oh. Don’t worry. It’s stupid.” I said, faking a smile.
“That is the fakest smile I have ever seen. Come on Alex, tell me what’s up.” I let out a sigh as he came over to the bed and sat on the edge as I handed him my phone, with the text from Andy pulled up. “Ouch. That sucks. Sorry that happened to you.”
“It’s whatever.” I said, trying to act like I didn’t care.
“We can go over and get your stuff if you would like. I’m not doing anything today.”
“That would be nice. Thank you, Jack.”
“No problem.”
We ended up leaving the spare room and going to the living room and talking for about an hour, about how our lives have been these past five years. Jack told me about how awesome it is to have a very successful touring band, and I told him how much I loved teaching music classes at my old high school. We got a little bit into our love lives, and I told him everything about mine and Andy’s relationship starting with day one, and ending with day 1,826(since there is that many days in five years). He told me about all his one-night-stands, and how he doesn’t have much contact with Zack anymore, even though he lives in Baltimore as well.
“I know this is an awkward question to ask. But, do you feel anything for me anymore?” Jack asked. I knew this question would come sooner or later, so I didn’t mind him asking.
“Honestly. I don’t. That day you left, I put myself before everyone else. Andy helped me with all of it. He helped me move on, and showed me how to love again. So, the truth. No, Jack Barakat. I do not love you anymore.” I said, speaking honesty.
“Okay, good. I thought it was going to turn into something incredibly awkward. Oh, and so you know. I don’t have any feelings for you either. I’m glad you could move on.” He said with a small smile. I returned his smile and nodded my head. About three years ago, Jack saying those words would have broke my heart. I would have died right there on the spot. But no, not anymore. I truly felt nothing for him anymore, and I was okay with that. “Come on, let’s go to that assholes house and get your stuff.” He spoke as he stood up from the couch. I followed his lead and stood up as well.
Going into that house is going to pain me more than anything, and I know for sure he is there right now. I wonder how he is going to act when he sees me walking in with Jack.
I woke up to the sun shining through the window and into my eyes. The memories of everything that happened yesterday came into my mind, if was even worse that I had a hangover from yesterday. I turned around and saw Jack was no longer in the bed with me, I don’t mind, he has a life of his own. I don’t know why he was so kind to let me move in with him, but I didn’t really feel that comfortable in the same house as him. I mean, let’s be real, who would feel comfortable about living in the same house as your first love? Your first heart break? I am glad that I didn’t have to sleep at the bar, because I have done that one night, because I got blackout drunk on my birthday two years ago.
I sat up in the bed and held onto my head, not that it would help with the throbbing pain anyways. I looked at the nightstand next to the table and saw a glass of water with some pain killers, I’ll have to remind myself to thank Jack for that when I find him. I grabbed them off the table and took two of them and downed the glass of water. I put the cup back on the table and grabbed my phone that was next to where I set the glass down. I noticed I had one text, I clicked on it and saw it was from Andy.
From: Andy
Alex, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. I was going to tell you sooner or later. Also, I have all your stuff packed, it’s waiting right inside the door for you to come and get. Again, I’m sorry to say this. But, Alex Gaskarth. I stopped loving you a little over a year ago. I found Juliet and we hit it off. I was going to end it with you the first night I did anything with her, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m really sorry this has to be this way.
I broke down from reading the text. How could he do this to me? How could he treat me like this when he said he would never hurt me? We were together for five fucking years. I fucking loved him. I still love him. I can’t believe this is actually happening. I scrolled down in my contacts and clicked on call as I got to my best friends name. He picked up on the second ring.
“Alex! Good morning! Where are you? Mr. John said you called off for a whole week last night!” The voice of my best friend came through.
“Hey Rian. Also, speak softer. I have a fucking hangover.” I groaned, I’m sure he could also hear I was crying.
“Whoa Lex, are you okay? Why are you crying? Did something happen with you and Andy?” He questioned quickly.
“He was cheating on me for over a year with Juliet Simms.” I spoke as I wiped tears from my face with my sweater sleeve.
“What?! I’ll fucking kill him!” Rian shouted into the phone, making me wince. “Shit, sorry. Hungover. Got it.”
“Yeah. He also kicked me out of the house.” I said.
“Do you need me to leave work and come pick you up?”
“No. I have somewhere to stay for a few days.”
“Where at? I’ll come see you when the school day let’s out.”
“Um...about that Ri. Do you remember Jack?”
“Of course I remember that prick, why?”
“We ran into each other at the bar. He let me vent everything to him, and now I’m living in his spare bedroom.”
“What?!?” Rian screamed.
“Ow! Stop fucking yelling!” I shot at him.
“Sorry.” He muttered. “But really? Jack? As in Jack fucking Barakat? The one from our college years?”
“That would be the one.” Just as the words left my mouth, the bedroom door opened and I saw Jack standing there with a small smile on his face.
“Mornin’ Alex.” Jack spoke. I sent him a small wave and listened to what Rian was saying.
“Was that him?” He asked through the phone.
“Yes.” I said.
“Ask him if I can come over after work.”
“Uh...okay. Hold on.” I turned my head to look at the man awkwardly standing in the doorway. “Hey Jack, you remember Rian right?”
“Yeah. You guys still friends?”
“Yep. Do you mind if he comes over after work today?”
“Not at all! Would be nice to see him again.” He smiled.
“Thanks.” I said sending him a small smile. I put the phone back to my ear and started talking to Rian again. “He said it’s fine.”
“Good. Send me the address via text, and I’ll see you in about five hours.” He replied. I said a okay and we said our goodbyes. Jack gave me the address of the house and I sent it to Rian.
“Thanks Jack. For everything.” I said.
“It’s no problem. Really. But I do have one question.” He said. Great, I hate questions.
“What is it?”
“Why are you crying?” When the words left his lips I remembered I had tears falling from my eyes and rubbed them away with the sleeves of my sweater.
“Oh. Don’t worry. It’s stupid.” I said, faking a smile.
“That is the fakest smile I have ever seen. Come on Alex, tell me what’s up.” I let out a sigh as he came over to the bed and sat on the edge as I handed him my phone, with the text from Andy pulled up. “Ouch. That sucks. Sorry that happened to you.”
“It’s whatever.” I said, trying to act like I didn’t care.
“We can go over and get your stuff if you would like. I’m not doing anything today.”
“That would be nice. Thank you, Jack.”
“No problem.”
We ended up leaving the spare room and going to the living room and talking for about an hour, about how our lives have been these past five years. Jack told me about how awesome it is to have a very successful touring band, and I told him how much I loved teaching music classes at my old high school. We got a little bit into our love lives, and I told him everything about mine and Andy’s relationship starting with day one, and ending with day 1,826(since there is that many days in five years). He told me about all his one-night-stands, and how he doesn’t have much contact with Zack anymore, even though he lives in Baltimore as well.
“I know this is an awkward question to ask. But, do you feel anything for me anymore?” Jack asked. I knew this question would come sooner or later, so I didn’t mind him asking.
“Honestly. I don’t. That day you left, I put myself before everyone else. Andy helped me with all of it. He helped me move on, and showed me how to love again. So, the truth. No, Jack Barakat. I do not love you anymore.” I said, speaking honesty.
“Okay, good. I thought it was going to turn into something incredibly awkward. Oh, and so you know. I don’t have any feelings for you either. I’m glad you could move on.” He said with a small smile. I returned his smile and nodded my head. About three years ago, Jack saying those words would have broke my heart. I would have died right there on the spot. But no, not anymore. I truly felt nothing for him anymore, and I was okay with that. “Come on, let’s go to that assholes house and get your stuff.” He spoke as he stood up from the couch. I followed his lead and stood up as well.
Going into that house is going to pain me more than anything, and I know for sure he is there right now. I wonder how he is going to act when he sees me walking in with Jack.
Notes
Alex loves Andy. Andy doesn't love Alex.
Alex doesn't love Jack. Jack doesn't love Alex.
But is it all true?
~Jagk
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
8/13/15