Always Been You

Jensen Packard opened the door to his house and stepped in.

He dumped his phone and keys to the table. He removed his suit and dumped it on the nearest chair. Then he walked to the bar… Taking a bottle of red wine and a glass. Then he went back to the sitting room and dumped those on the table as well.

He walked to the kitchen. He headed straight for the refrigerator, took out a carton of juice, and lifted it to his lips. He drank half of it, then stuck it back inside.

He went to the back door. Through the windowpane, he looked out into the dark night and, after a moment, heard a flurry of movement outside, followed by a frantic scratching at the woodwork.

“Rufus.” He pulled the door open, and a large gray dog burst into the kitchen in a blast of cold air.

“Hey, buddy,” he said. “I missed you too.”

Jensen reached down to pat the dog on its head. “You have an awful breath, do you know that?” He scratched the dog’s wiry head and laughed. “And you are a bit of a scruff bag, too. If you ever hope to interest that little Pekingese down the road, you will have to do something about yourself.”

He heated up some food for Rufus. While Rufus ate, he grabbed something to eat from a cabinet. Then he walked back to the sitting room and sat down. He poured out a glass of wine. He raised the glass to his mouth, took a long drink, and set the glass down on the table.

It was moments like this that made him wish he could cook or at least had someone around to do it. He always said he didn’t need a cook. His sister Elaine wasn’t so far away. His brother Dillon was close, too, though he had a family now. They had wanted to remain close together. Just as they were when they were kids… After their parents had died in a crash. Besides, they all loved the town, so they all stayed. And so he hadn’t seen the need to hire a cook.

Well, right now he wished he had… Too bad he didn’t know how to cook. The smooth flavor of the wine was on his tongue, but what he craved was egg salad sandwiches.

There was nothing he could do about what he wanted, so he did the only thing he could do…

He ate a whole damn bag of barbecue potato chips.

He was tired. After working tirelessly for months, his building ‘Crimson Bay’ was ready. He was happy but very tired. His phone on the glass table buzzed. He ignored it.

He was not in the mood for any more work today. And he was sure the text was about work. What else could it be about? He was tired, and right now, he was going to rest. After so much work, he deserved it. He would check the text tomorrow. Whoever it was from.

He left the sitting room. He needed a shower. But he didn’t think he had the strength to get into the damn bathroom. So he didn’t even bother to shower.

So instead he went straight to the bedroom. He lay on the bed.

He fell asleep.

***

Katherine Kavell stared at her phone.

It had been an hour since she had sent that text… And yet no reply. She began to pace her living room. She began to regret her actions. Maybe sending that text wasn’t such a good idea at all.

She sighed. It had taken her hours… Actually, days to bring herself to send that text.

This was all Jon’s fault. She thought. This was his stupid idea from hell. He was the one who came up with the idea of texting Jensen. Jensen Packard… Who she hadn’t seen in years… Five years to be exact. They hadn’t even spoken to each other… In five fucking years. And she had just texted him… Asking to have lunch with him next week. Like nothing had happened between them. Like they had remained friends these past years. Like they had kept in touch.

Honestly, she would be surprised if he replied. In fact, she didn’t even expect him to. And yet the fact that he had done exactly what she expected bothered her a lot.

She had let her brother Jonathan talk her into this. She shouldn’t have. She realized that now.

“Trust me,” Jon had said. “Jensen’s new building is going to be perfect for you. You gotta see it, dear, it’s amazing.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she had asked. “Considering how things ended between us.”

“Chill,” Jon had replied. “That was five years ago… nothing actually happened. You guys were the ones who made such a big deal. I’m sure it’s not going to be a problem.”

Of course, he would think so. He and Jensen had been friends since forever. And so she had let him talk her into it. Katherine stared at her phone again. Still no reply. She was getting pissed… At Jensen for not replying… At herself for listening to Jon and at Jon for bringing up such a stupid, stupid idea.

She was going to have to yell at someone. And that person was going to be Jon. He really was going to get it from her. She knew he was just trying to help her. But his help was making her look stupid and feel so terrible about herself. She wanted to scream into a pillow.

A noise coming from the hallway interrupted her thoughts. She turned.

Her eight-year-old son, Timothy, stood at the doorway.

“Hey, Mom,” he said.

“Hey, sweetie,” she replied. “Why are you up? You should be asleep.”

“I heard a noise… It woke me,” said Tim, scratching one leg with the other.

“Oh… Must be me then,” Katherine said. “I’m sorry I woke you up. But you need to go back to sleep, honey.”

He frowned. “Why are you up, Mom? Is something wrong?”

“No, not really. I was just waiting for a text… Or a phone call. I’m not sure what I was expecting really…but it’s fine. It’s nothing, really.”

“Is it about us moving? You are not changing your mind now… Are you? You know I really want us to live close to Uncle Jon.”

Katherine smiled. “Yes, I know that. And no, I’m not changing my mind. So let’s get you back to bed.”