Adultery Life After We by xleglover-COMPLETED

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"I can't be?" Mike said, his words coming out like a derisive scoff.

"I know you Mike," she said. "You need someone not serious. Not as serious. Someone fun."

"Jasmine's fun," Mike said. In his head he added "sorta" but he didn't say that.

Jen looked away, a pained expression on her face. "It's just ... you won't be happy with Jasmine." Looking nervous, she began playing with the buttons of his shirt. "She's beautiful, nice. I just know, you won't be happy with her."

Mike grabbed her hand to stop her playing with his shirt. "Why are you here Jen?" he asked irritably. Again he remembered what he saw at Belinda's party. He said angrily "What right do you have telling me what to do?"

"I care for you Mike, I -."

"You care for me?" Mike said with a bitter laugh. It was like the anger, disappointment and humiliation from Belinda's party opened a floodgate of pent up emotions. "You care for me so much, you lived with Drums while I rotted in jail!" he said bitterly. "You let him move into my house! Mine!" The flood of pent up emotions overwhelmed him. "You fucking let him get you pregnant!" he said choking off a sob.

"I'm so sorry!" Jen cried desperately. "I tried, I ... I couldn't handle it, not knowing where you were, what was happening, if they'd let you go! I lost it, Drums was there -."

"He was there, that's your excuse?" Mike said incredulously.

"Mike please, what can I do?" Jen cried, sobbing now. "Tell me how I can make it up to you." She reached for him but he pushed her away. "Mike don't," she begged. "Please! You think I didn't hurt?"

"You, hurt?" Mike said sarcastically. "How were you hurt? You were going to concerts, riding bikes, fucking Drums every night!"

"You left me!" Jen cried, tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. "You swore you never would, but you left me!"

"After what you did -," Mike started, but Jen interrupted him.

"You promised no matter what, you'd never leave me!" Jen cried. "Then you left, just like ... just like my shit father!" She wept as she pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs.

Jen's words hit him like a physical blow. It was true. "I'll never leave you, I'll always love you, no matter what you do," he'd promised repeatedly. More than once he used that promise to convince her to go farther into the game. Like pretending they were separated and dating Drums like her real, exclusive boyfriend. He looked away, feeling guilty and ashamed.

They were silent for long moments. Jen wept silently, curled into a ball. Mike looked down, feeling like a shit.

Mike finally glanced at her. He frowned. She wore no rings on her left hand. "Where's the engagement ring?" he asked.

"What?"

"The engagement ring," Mike said. "I saw you showing off a big diamond ring at the party."

"Diamond ring?" Jen said confused. Then she opened her mouth as if saying "oh." "It wasn't an engagement ring," she explained wiping tears from her eyes. "I mean, it was, but not mine. Remember I told you Belinda's a jewelry designer now? She's doing cosmetic jewelry. The party was like her trunk show."

"Oh," Mike said processing this. She wasn't engaged to Clint?

Jen wiped the tears from her cheeks. She put her feet down and pulled her skirt down, and then edged closer to Mike on the sofa. "You thought I got engaged to Clint?" she asked hopefully. When Mike didn't respond she said "We broke up, in Vegas."

"You broke up?" Mike said his head spinning. She hadn't spent the week with Clint in San Francisco? "Why?" he asked.

"I don't love Clint," Jen said. She reached for his hand. This time he didn't push her away.

Mike stared at her. He was lost for words. They weren't engaged? They broke up?

Jen looked nervous and started playing with the buttons of his shirt again. "I love you Mike," she said tears welling up in her eyes again. She urgently hugged herself to him. "I never stopped loving you. I know I'm a fuck up. But you loved me before, right?" She pulled away and looked desperately into his eyes. In a pleading voice she asked "Do you think you could love me again? I know you have Jasmine -."

Mike interrupted her. "Jen -."

"Please let me finish!" Jen said looking urgently into his eyes. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She said desperately "I'll do anything for you Mike. I know I didn't help when you were in jail. I made things worse. But -."

"Why didn't you change your name back to Johnson?" Mike asked.

"I wanted you!" Jen cried, tears falling again. She clutched his hands and looked desperately into his eyes. "Jasmine will never love you like I will Mike! No one will! I'll do anything for you, you know that! Please give me another chance!"

"Jasmine and I broke up," Mike said. "That's the big announcement."

Jen stared at Mike for long moments, her mouth open in surprise, shock on her face. Then she collapsed into his chest, weeping and clutching him.

Mike took her into his arms. "I don't love Jasmine," he said hugging her and kissing the top of her head. "I love you. I'll always love you." With each of his words her sobbing grew louder and more out of control.

They held each other a long time, Jen sobbing uncontrollably. Finally she calmed down, although they kept holding each other. They had a lot to talk about, but that would come later. They had time now. The rest of their lives. For now they just held each other.

~~~ The End ~~~

Director's Cut - Extended Scene #1

(From Life After We - Part 8)

Allie tilted her head as she looked at Jen. She said, "I gifted you a song."

"What?"

"I gifted you a song, on iTunes," Allie explained. "You like Pink?"

"Um, I don't know, I guess," Jen said.

The bartender came back. "Another one?" he asked Jen, looking at her mostly empty martini glass.

"She's had enough," Allie told the bartender.

"I'm fine Allie!" Jen hissed. She wasn't in the mood to be handled. "Yes, another one," she told the bartender.

Allie sighed, thinking that Jen was more drama than Mike. Behind Jen, she motioned two fingers close together, telling the bartender to go easy on the alcohol. The bartender gave a subtle nod and put half the usual vodka in Jen's Cosmo.

Allie walked back to the rest of their group. Jen huffed and said under her breath, "I'm fine, I can handle myself." But she felt unsteady in her high heels and had to sit down. She decided maybe the third Cosmo WAS too much and pushed it away, asking the bartender for a big glass of ice water.

As she sipped the water she downloaded the Pink song on her iPhone. It was called "Just Give Me a Reason."

She hit play. Her lips parted in surprise as she listened to the opening lyrics:

Right from the start

You were a thief

You stole my heart

And I your willing victim

I let you see the parts of me

That weren't all that pretty

And with every touch you fixed them

She hit pause and stared at her iPhone. The song seemed to be about her and Mike. They were the unlikeliest couple. People always said that. But opposites attract, right? From the moment she met him at the sorority party, she never seriously thought about being with any other man. No matter what she did - the parts "that weren't all that pretty" - he always made her feel good about herself.

Until he left her.

She hit "Play" again. Her heart was in her throat as she listened to the refrain:

Just give me a reason

Just a little bit's enough

Just a second we're not broken just bent

And we can learn to love again

It's in the stars

It's been written in the scars on our hearts

We're not broken just bent

And we can learn to love again

Her heart beat wildly as the song finished. She played it again, and then again.

She hurriedly walked over to Allie, the song sobering her. The lyrics "We're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again" rang in her ears.

"Do you really think so?" Jen asked Allie urgently.

Allie smiled understandingly at her best friend. Next to Mike she knew Jen better than anyone. "He went away for a while, I get that," she whispered into Jen's ear, hugging her. "But he'll always be bubble boy to me."

********************

Director's Cut - Extended Scene #2

(From Life After We - Part 11)

After speaking to Maggie, Jen went to her room. "I've got to go to San Francisco, we're pitching Disney," she told Clint, grabbing her suitcase to pack.

"That's wonderful!" Clint gushed. "You can stay with me at my place." Clint's brownstone was in Nob Hill close to Chinatown.

"Yeah ..." Jen said. She looked at Clint for a moment, then kept packing.

Clint put his hand on Jen's arm, stopping her. He asked "I know you're rushing, but can we talk a minute?"

"Sure, of course," Jen said. They both sat down on the edge of the bed.

Clint took her hands. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"Um, yeah," Jen said with a nervous laugh. All day she'd thought of nothing but his proposal of marriage.

"I don't want to rush you, take as much time as you need," he assured her, squeezing her hands. "But I didn't get a chance to show you this."

Jen's breath caught when Clint took out a small box. He opened it. Her eyes went wide. Inside was the most amazing ring she'd ever seen. The diamond was incredibly big, and it sparkled like a million suns.

"Your engagement ring," Clint said hugging her. "Let's try it on, to see how it looks."

Jen offered the ring finger of her left hand. Her hand was shaking. First Clint took off his Jacob ring. Then he slipped on the engagement ring. It fit perfectly. He put the Jacob ring on her right hand.

Jen looked at the engagement ring on her finger. It was so amazing. It was meant for a queen, a goddess, not her.

"Goddess." That was what Mike used to call her. She immediately started crying.

"What's wrong?" Clint said taking her into his arms. She was sobbing.

"Nothing, it's just ... I thought of something Mike used to say," Jen said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"It's okay, I know you were with him a long time," Clint said, trying to be understanding. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back.

"We were young," Jen said, as if trying to explain why this was so hard for her. "I was just a sophomore in college. He helped me so much. I treated him like shit. But he was always there, helping me." Tears continued flowing down Jen's cheeks.

"I know, I know," Clint said trying to comfort her. "I know it's hard. Take as much time as you need."

Jen took his hands. She kissed his hands, then pressed them against her cheek. She kissed his hands again, as if never wanting to let him go. Then she looked into his eyes. She said, "I don't need more time, I know what I want."