With that, I climb into the truck before I start pissing my eyes out. Tyler follows, and we get back on the road
“So you really have not been speaking to Luke?”
“The last time I spoke to him was the day I left.”
“Why did you not go to him?”
“He does not love me the way you did. And I wanted to get away from this place and this lifestyle.”
“What do you mean lifestyle?”
“You know what I am talking about.”
“Is that why you stopped writing your article as well?”
“Yes.”
“But he still calls you?”
“Yes, and I don’t answer.”
“I really thought you would have gone back to him.”
“I don’t love him; I was a mess when I got here, and I was a mess when I left. I did not want to be a mess anymore.”
For the next half hour, we drive in silence until he speaks again.
“So you know how to ride a horse now.”
“How do you know I can ride a horse now?”
“Sandra.”
“I am going to kill her. What else do you know about?”
“That you don’t live in the city.”
“Yes, a ranch as far as possible away from the city.”
“Why did you not just stay out on one somewhere around here?”
“I had to get away from here and this lifestyle.”
“I am glad you did; I can see something about you has changed.”
He is avoiding my question about Luke and Clara.
“Tyler.”
“Yes, Jenna?”
“Please tell me what they did? I don’t want you going and killing Luke when we get there.”
“Is it that bad?”
“I don’t want you to know, you have moved on, and you are doing great. I don’t want you falling back into this shit.”
“If it involves me, then I have to know. I won’t fall back into this shit. I can promise you that.”
“I promise when we get there that I will tell you.”
This is a bit harder than I thought it would be, not that I really ever gave it any thought. I just never thought or planned that I would bump into him again. Not the same way we met.
“Oh fuck Tyler.”
“What?”
“Today. It was today.”
“What was today?”
“You know what.”
“Oh fuck, you a right.”
“What a crazy-ass coincidence.”
“You sure you did not plan this?”
We both just burst out laughing and continue driving in silence until we finally reach my old place.
“Let me guess you have to stop at Luke.”
“Yes, I am sorry, but I have to.”
“I will wait in the truck.”
I really planned not to bump into either of them and now I am about to bump into Luke too. As we stop, he is outside standing at his truck, and of course, the first thing he sees is me,
“Luke.”
“Tyler. What do I owe the pleasure?”
“Brought those papers for you to sign.”
“Did you come to rub it in my face?”
“Rub what in your face Luke?”
“You back together?”
“No, I am giving her a lift to her place. She had car trouble.”
“Then you won’t mind me speaking to her?”
“Those papers say otherwise.”
“Fuck Tyler.”
“Just five minutes.”
“Five minutes.”
“She does not know, but I am telling her.”
“You can’t.”
“I can. It is her life that you fucked up as well.”
“You have five minutes.”
Tyler walks up to me in the truck.
“Jenna, I know you don’t want to see him, but he is asking for five minutes.”
“Five minutes, then you come in there and fetch me.”
“I promise you not a second longer.”
I walk up to Luke and follow him into his office.
“Fuck Jenna, I am so happy to see you. Are you back?”
“Just to fetch my stuff.”
“Please stay, Jenna. I will do anything for you. Please just stay.”
“No, Luke.”
“I love you, Jenna. I cannot be without you.”
“Luke, you need to let go. What we had was special, but it could not have gone on forever.”
“We can start over again. Tyler has moved on. We can be together.”
Luke walks towards me and tries to pull me into an embrace. I pull away, and he tries to come back in again.
“Do not fucking dare Luke. I will break your fucking face.”
“Just stay out of it, Tyler. It’s between Jenna and me.”
“Just between how you and your whore broke this woman on purpose apart.”
With that, Tyler grabs Luke by his arm and smashes his fist into his jaw
“Come, Jenna. His five minutes are up.”
When we get to my place, the truck is there, and Sandra is already instructing on what they need to be loading. Tyler pulls me to one side.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. There is like a wildness in his eyes, like a crazy animal.”
“He is not the same person. He is crazy, and he is dangerous.”
“Did I do that to him?”
“He did it all to himself.”
“He is never going to leave me alone, is he?”
“He will; I will make sure of that.”
“What is going on here, Tyler? What is everyone hiding from me?”
“Let me get you a glass of wine, and I will speak to Sandra.”
Half an hour later, I see Sandra leave and Tyler bringing a bottle of wine and two glasses. He leads me out to the pool to the deck chairs from where we can see the sunset.
“Where is Sandra going?”
“I told her it is fine that I will help you, and she is going to sort your car out.”
“Okay, I am listening.”
“What they did was fucked up, and I cannot believe that not even one of them did not try the phone and say sorry.”
“Luke has been going on about something in his messages, but I did not answer to ask what. My brother is the type that would do anything to make a quick buck. He will also say whatever possible to get what he wants.”
“So you saying that half of what he probably told me was a lie?”
“Yes, especially parts about Clara and my father.”
“How does this affect me?”
“You saw Luke today. He is obsessed with you; he would do anything for you to be with him.”
“Just like Clara would do anything to get you back.”
“And which better way to get someone is by breaking them. So you break my heart with my brother, and I break your heart by kicking you out.”
“Yes, both broken and fuckedup.”
“Perfect timing for Clara to come in and comfort me, and Luke come in and comfort you.”
“Tyler, what did they do?”
“They paid my brother to seduce you and make us break up.”
“What the fuck!”
“There is more.”
“What fucking sicker can there be?”
“My brother drugged you so that you weren’t aware what you were doing. You thought you were you, but you weren’t.”
“That is completely fucked up. How the fuck can someone be so sick. Then he claims he fucking loves me. Why the fuck aren’t they in jail or fucking kicked out of town?”
“I can’t kick Luke out. This is not my town. And Clara is paying her debt of don’t you worry.”
“But Luke then just gets away?”
“The papers I gave him is to say that he is not allowed to contact you and if he does, then I throw his ass in jail.”
“How do you know this?”
“That note you dropped from my brother. I knew something was wrong.”
“Why did you not tell me?”
“I really thought one of them would have told you.”
“How can you deliberately break the person that you say you love so that they can be with you.”
“I know it is all different kinds of fucked up.”
We sit there watching the sunset. I feel numb; there is so much pain and anger that I can not even cry. I thought that I knew Luke, but I did not. Every minute I spent with him, all I did was create a monster. A monster that I thought was a friend, a monster that I loved.
I could have been married today if it was not for their evil plan.