it to her with the caption, we miss you.
As much as I’d like to be in New York with Janny, I have a business to run. It’s not fair to Derek to make him shoulder all the responsibilities. I need some time to regroup and come up with a game plan to win her back. She’s not like other women; she’s special. I really fucked things up with us and I know I have a lot to make up for. I’m not sure how to go about it though. What should a guy do when they’ve fucked up the best thing that ever happened to them? I’ve never had to do this before; never cared enough to do this before.
“Kyle.” Derek walks into my office. “This is for you.” He hands me a large priority mail envelope. There’s no return address on it and my gut’s already clenching; my instincts telling me whatever’s in there isn’t something I’m going to like. I pull the tab along the top and tear it across. I look inside and see photos. When I remove them and take a closer look, I realize there are numerous pictures of Janny and Zack. Most of them are innocent enough; just walking side by side or talking. When I get to the last five or six pictures I clench my teeth while my blood boils. I flex my fingers and my knuckles crack as I try to release the tension taking over. I’m so fucking pissed I can barely see straight while I study the pictures of Janny in Zack’s arms. Her head is on his chest, her eyes closed like she’s lost in the moment. Fuck. I don’t need this shit right now.
“What is it dude?” Derek asks, interrupting visions of me choking the life out of Zack. I hold up one of the incriminating pictures and he whistles under his breath.
“What do you think is up with that?” He tips his chin toward the picture.
“I hope nothing, but I don’t know.” Jesus. Please tell me she hasn’t moved on.
“Do you know who this dude is?” Derek asks, picking up one of the pics.
“His name is Zack and he works with her. I met him when I was in New York. They went to lunch together the first day I saw her.” I throw the pics down on the desk and rub my eyes with my fingers. “She told me he’s just a friend – a co-worker.” I wish I could erase the visions of them embracing from my mind. The thought of her being in his arms, of him kissing her lips has me exploding in anger. I jump up from my chair and sweep the pictures off my desk. Goddammit. I start to pace back and forth in my office. My hands grip my head. I can’t lose Janny. I need her too much.
“Kyle, settle down, man. Getting fired up isn’t going to help the situation at all. We need to be methodical about this and find out as much as we can about this guy. Figure out who took these pictures.”
“Fuck that. I need to get to New York and kick his sorry ass.”
I arrive in New York four hours later. I had to go home first to pack a bag. I check into the same hotel I stayed in last time, making a note of the time. It’s three o’clock now. I have a couple hours until she leaves work.
It’s game time. No more Mr. Fucking Nice Guy.
I’m waiting inside the lobby of Janny’s building when she arrives. She doesn’t notice me at first, her eyes are on her phone. When she looks up and sees me standing next to the elevators she slows down. Her eyes are clouded with confusion.
“What are you doing here?” She asks, her tone is sharp.
I smile. “What? No hello? No nice to see you Kyle?”
She closes her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts, or maybe she’s trying to calm down. When she opens them, the angry look is replaced with sadness. That’s a look I can relate to. I’ve been seeing it myself, every time I look in the mirror.
“Hi Kyle. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a bitch to you.” She chews on her lower lip. “Do you want to come up with me and we can talk?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
On the elevator ride, I find myself getting angry when I think about the pictures I received in the mail. Those combined with