Chapter Thirty Six

An hour later Jared walks into his bedroom and was surprised to see Cale sitting on his bed looking through his homework packet that he refused to do. Not because he didn’t like the subject but only because he felt uninterested in the project. Cale looks up from the pages and smiles.
“Why hello there Jared, been waiting for you to get home.” He puts the papers down on his lap and looks at him expectantly.
Jared shuts his bedroom door. “Well I hope you haven’t been waiting to long.”
“Eh, no more than twenty minutes or so.” He waved off.
Jared paused a moment before sitting into his desk chair. “Must be important if you decided to wait for me that long Cale.”
The old man took a deep breath. “Your sister called me Jared.”
He looks away in annoyance. Cale gave him a good hard look. “Care to tell me what’s been going on with you?"
As proof that something was wrong he held up the homework packet and waited silently for him to answer. Jared took a moment before he got up and sat down next to him on the bed.
"Mila and Evan got together." was all he said.
Cale raised his eyebrows. "Well, this is news to me." He frowned then nodded to himself. "Stop mopping around Jared, if I know my pumpkin it’s something she must figure out herself."
Jared looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Cale scratched his chin ignoring Jared’s question and said instead, "You feel in Conflict between wanting her yourself, but being loyal to your best friend so you don't know what to do or how to act."
Jared stared at him for he completely nailed it on the head.
"I’m guessing there are times you want to hate Evan?”
He looked away feeling guilty. "I can’t help feeling that way. In my mind he doesn't deserve her, but at other times he’s like a brother to me and I don’t want anything to jeopardize that." he tells him.

Cale was nodding his head as if he completely understood. "I'm going to tell you a story on how I met my very first love. I was eighteen, I was getting ready to ship out to Vietnam, at that time she was already engaged to my best friend George. She was the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen. At first we didn’t hit off to well. I accidently pushed her in a pile of mud. Completely by accident of course. But for the next three days all we did was argue about anything. Even though I knew she couldn’t stand me, I fell in love with her.”
“The day I was to leave she came to me and cried in my arms. She told me she and George got into bad and that he threatened to call off their engagement. I told her that George would never do that I mean how could he? She was beautiful, talented, smart and caring. I told her that if he called it off then he was a complete dumb ass. She looked up at me and you know what she said?"
Jared was completely in raptured of the story. Cale stared him down. "She told me, ‘I'm not crying because George wants to break it off, I'm crying because if he does I will never see you again.’ She was from France and her parents only agreed to let her stay in America because George proposed to her. if George broke it off she would be deported back the next day and that’s when I knew."
Jared was shocked. “Knew what?”
"That she loved me and not my best friend." Cale said softly.
Jared was speechless. There were so many things that matched the same as own story. Cale got off the bed and took the packet and threw it down on Jared’s lap. "You should finish that." And he went to go leave.
"Cale," Jared says, making Cale turn back around. “What happened? At the end of the story?"
He smiles at him. “I married her.” And with that he shut the bedroom door.
Jared sat there and thought about Cale’s story. Finally coming to a decision, he thought it was time to visit his best friend.

***

Mila knocked on Evan’s front door trying desperately to prepare herself of the breakup she was going to have to make with him. When he finally answered the door she was taken aback at his appearance. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His clothes were rumpled, and he looked pale. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and he looked guilty and embarrassed about something.
"Hey, Evan may I come in?" she asks him.
She had talked to him earlier on the phone, which he called every half hour, but she wanted to do this in person herself. He stepped aside to let her in. After shutting the door they walked to his bedroom. She held her breath the whole time until she finally reached the inside of the freshly cleaned room. She turned around quickly after he shut the door. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. But she hoped that they can stay friends at least.
"Look Evan I can’t stay long, there’s something we really need to talk about." She said hastily.
He stares at her and for a moment she thought he was on the verge of tears. He went and sat down on the bed, and she decided to sit next to him. She looked at him for a minute taking in his appearance again.
"What’s been going on with you lately?" She wondered.
Evan didn't immediately reply. He gave a big exhale and grabbed her hand looking at her with pleading eyes. "Mila..." he started, then in a rush he tells her, "I can’t tell you at the moment it’s something I have to figure out but just promise me that you'll hear my side of the story before everything gets was out of control."
She was completely confused now. "Evan what are you talking about?"
Suddenly he grabs her face with his two hands. "I Love you Mila."
She tries to push him away. "Evan Listen-"
But before she could really say anything he kisses her. At first she tries to fight him off but then she felt wetness on her face. He put his forehead against hers and to her complete surprise he was crying. And seeing it broke her heart. She didn't understand what was going on with him. But she could sense that he needed someone to hold onto. She gathered him in her arms, and he held on tightly.
"Promise me you won't leave me?" he whispers.
She looks up and squeezes her eyes shut. "Evan I can’t-.”
"Just don't say it. I... I don't know what to do."
He sounded so broken und lost and her heart went out do him. Right now wasn't the time to break up with him if anything he needed her. They broke away from each other and the next thing Mila knew they were making out like there was no tomorrow. She didn’t realize that Evan had laid her down on the bed with him on top of her. She was so caught up in the kiss and the roaring emotions that she couldn't fathom that somehow this seemed familiar to her.
Suddenly an image of Jared flashed through her mind and a strong feeling that this wasn’t night. Then an image slammed into her of Jared being the one doing this, not Evan. She quickly turned away from the kiss and gasped.
"Evan wait.."
But when she looked over she froze because standing night there in the doorway was Jared and she saw complete rage and shock on his face. Mila was horrified and ashamed.
"Jared!"
Evan immediately get off the bed. And that’s when she realized that her button up blouse was completely wide open revealing her white bra. She gasped again and tempted to cover herself. She hadn’t even felt Evan undressing her.
"No please don't let me stop you." Jared snarled and stormed out of the apartment.
Mila was speechless and suddenly tears came to her eyes. This is not good what must he think of her now! Over an hour ago she had told him she was going to end it with Evan only for him to find them like this. She quickly buttoned her shirt up and wiped her eyes. She wanted to go after him and explain. But then she thought why should she?
"Well that was awkward." "Evan states flatly.
He looked at her and saw her stricken face and that she was trembling. He sat back down and put his arm around her. "Don’t worry Mila, Jared won't say anything."
She quickly looks at him and to her it seems that Evan wasn’t in the least bit embarrassed or felt ashamed at what they had almost done. "I don’t care about him saying anything Evan!" she almost yelled at him.
She stood up quickly getting angry mainly at herself. “My intention wasn’t to come here and do this!" She swiped her arm at him and the bed.
He slowly got up. "Calm down, your just embarrassed because we got caught doing a little more than just kissing." he says.
She stares at him. He didn't look like he was embarrassed at all, he actually looked pleased with himself. She felt tricked like it was all an act on his part and all she could think about what was what Jared must think about her now. Evan grabs her by the shoulders and says to her,
"Well there’s no harm into doing it now, he already thinks we did it and we are together."
Mila slaps him away. “How dare you! You want to know why I came here Evan?!” She was screaming now as she advanced on him. "I came here to tell you I want out of this relationship; I no longer wish to be your girlfriend.”
He rolls his eyes. "You’re only saying that because you’re all pissed off right now. Because if that was really the reason we wouldn't have gotten all hot and heavy just a moment ago."
She snaps her mouth shut. How was she supposed to argue with that? She didn't understand it herself except for the fact that she felt sympathy for him. "Think whatever you want Evan, I'm leaving."
She went to walk out the door, but he blocked her way with a frightened look on his face and she wondered at it. But then decided she didn’t care. She gave an exasperated sigh and gave him a scathing look that he ignored completely.
"Your being serious right now aren't you? Look I'm sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. I was being a complete asshole." he sounded so desperate and choked up.
All Mila could feel was pity for him. "Oh Evan, it's not about what happened just now. I made my decision about it earlier. That’s why I came over to talk to you."
He bit his lip; he couldn't believe this was actually happening. right now. "Mila please don’t do this to me. Can we at least talk about what went wrong? Try to give me another chance." He begs her.
She felt indecisive on whether she should or not. She thought about Jared again who for some reason wouldn’t stop popping into her mind recently. Even though she had no owning up to what he walked in on. She still felt like she should explain what was really going on. "Okay, let's talk about this at least.”
He looked a little relieved and the more she stayed here with him the worse she felt. "First things first, you have got to stop calling me every second of the day "
He scratched his head. "A little too much huh?"
"Um yeah. Look if we are going to try and make this work there have got to be some ground rules about how possessive you have been."
Mila finally left an hour later wondering if she made the night choice. She just didn’t have the heart to tell him no. He was going through something that she again asked about, but he wouldn’t give up about it, so the subject was dropped. He agree to all her terms which actually wasn’t very much. She cared about him, she really did, but did she love him? She didn't know. It was way too soon, and she wasn’t even sure what love is. She’s only sixteen! It freaked her out when he confessed he loved her. She’s not ready for such a confession and commitment yet. He had hugged for so long when she left, and she gave him a quick kiss and walked down the street in a power walk wanting to desperately get away from this whole day.