Jack and Diane

"But you're divorced now though, right?"

"No, not yet. I filed for divorce when I was still in New York, but it takes time. He keeps calling and texting me too, he keeps saying he's sorry and will never do it again, but I know he's lying. I want nothing more to do with him."

"Do what again? Did he cheat on you?"

"Oh, I shouldn't have said anything. Don't worry about it Jack, please."

"Tell me Diane, do what again, exactly?"

"Okay, he got abusive, he started hitting me, so I left."

"What the hell? Why would he do that?"

"I think it's because he could tell that I wasn't in love with him anymore, that I was finally seeing through his bullshit. He couldn't handle that."

"Did you go to the police for domestic violence? Why are you letting this guy contact you still?" I ask, getting frustrated by what Diane is telling me.

"I did get a temporary restraining order while I moved out, staying with friends. But he challenged a more permanent one later at the hearing, and I was unable to get anything further placed against him. Look, I don't think he's a threat to me anymore now, he's still back in New York and I'm here. When the divorce goes through soon, all this will be over for good."

"Christ, Diane. How'd you fuck all this up so much? It should've always been us getting married, and you wouldn't have gone through any of this shit, not one bit. You know I'd never lay a hand on you, and I'll tear that fucker apart if ever I meet him." I reply, somewhat angrily.

"I know, that's why I shouldn't have said anything. And you're right, it should've been us all along. For that, I'm so sorry." Diane responds as she gently takes my hand once more.

Just then, Gabby comes outside to join us, giving us both a hug.

"I'm going to go home, Jack. I'm tired, and I've got nothing left." Gabby informs me.

"Can you give me a moment and I'll drive you home. I just need to go thank Cliff and Charlotte for everything they did for us today."

"Yeah, of course. I'll stay here with Diane while you pop inside." Gabby replies.

I slept well considering, it's still a bit weird waking up in my old bedroom, however. I made my way out to the kitchen where I could already hear my sister making something. Then the smell of bacon and coffee, okay, now I'm hungry.

"Can you grab some plates and knives and forks, Jack, It's almost ready." Gabby tells me, as I set the table for the two of us.

"You can't beat bacon and eggs in the morning." I tell Gabby as we sit down to eat, taking a mouthful of my coffee first.

"We need to discuss a few things before we go over to see Cliff this morning for the reading of the wills. Have you got any ideas about what you'd like to happen?" Gabby asks me.

"Assuming that everything is being split 50-50, I guess the easiest option is to sell both the house and the business." I respond.

"Yeah, but selling the house we grew up in, that has all our memories of mom and dad, that's not going to be easy." Gabby replies.

"I know. But I don't know what else to do, though."

"Yeah, I understand. And what about the business?" Gabby continues.

"Well, I've been thinking about that. Something Ryan talked to me about last night. He thinks I should come home and run it myself. That there'd be plenty of people that would help me while I get my feet under me."

"Really? Is that something you'd want to do? It's a lot to take on and you'd have to move back home."

"Yeah, but the idea does interest me. I mean, I'm running a business now with a few employees, it'd be no different with mom and dad's hardware store. Ryan said he'd help teach me the business too."

"You have given this some thought, haven't you? Well, I have no complaints if you want to take it over and run it. It'll be good to keep it in the family, I'll leave that up to you."

"But what about your fifty percent share?"

"I guess I can always be a silent partner, or you can buy me out later. I don't really need the money right now, Jack. We're doing okay, better than okay actually."

"I just want to make sure you get your half; I'm not asking you to give me anything with the house or the business. I'll always feel better if I can make sure you get your share too."

"Well, what about the house then? Do you want to live here if you take over the business?" Gabby asks me.

"No, I can't do that. It'd be too weird living here without them, sleeping in the same room that used to be there's."

"Okay, what if we get the business evaluated, and then you can use the money from your share of the house to buy my half of the business if it's a similar amount. Will that work for you?"

"Yeah, actually it would. Are you sure about this, Gabby?"

"Of course. I'd probably give you the business for free if you wanted it, but I know you're way too proud for that and this way Jimmy won't complain then either." Gabby responds with a chuckle.

We made our way back over to Cliff and Charlotte's house for the reading of our parent's wills. It was exactly as we expected, their assets were split 50-50 between Gabby and me. We then informed Cliff what we were planning to do, and he told us he'd arrange for the evaluation of the business, along with placing the house on the market.

I saw Diane as we were leaving, and it still feels a little strange to be around her. I know I still have feeling for her, I probably always will. But I don't know what to do with those feelings, whether we can be just friends again, or if I'd want something more than that. I just know that I always feel better when I'm with her, I'm guessing that too will never change.

"So, are you selling up and heading back to Des Moines then?" Diane asks me as we stand outside her parents' home.

"Just the house. I'm thinking of taking over the hardware store, running it myself."

Diane's eyes grow a little wider, a small smile grows across her face.

"So, does that mean you'll be coming home for good?"

"Yeah. If it all goes well. I need to go back to Des Moines first, to resign and get my stuff sent here. I'll stay at my parent's house until it sells, and your dad is going to keep looking after the hardware store until I get back."

"Maybe I'll help him too. I need something to do anyway." Diane replies.

"Well, we have to get it evaluated first so I can give Gabby her half. Maybe you can put that finance degree to some use and help your father figure out the books."

"Yeah, I can do that. I won't even charge you for my services." Diane replies with an even bigger smile.

The next three weeks were busy, Gabby had flown home to Chicago, while I had a two-week hand-over for my old job while arranging all my stuff to be moved home. The business evaluation was done, and the house was also now on the market. So, hopefully I'll need to find a new place to live again shortly as well. For now though, my old bedroom will do.

Ryan kept his word about teaching me all about the business, I'd never previously got that invested in my parent's business before, I was always too wrapped up in my football. Diane stayed on to help out as well, with her father going back to his regular job after taking some time off over the last three weeks.

Just having Diane there reminded me of my own parents, and how they ran the store together. And we've been getting along great, too. It feels like it always has between us, best friends once again. I know my feelings for her will grow with us spending so much time together, it's probably inevitable. But for now, I'm just enjoying having her with me, learning the business together.

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It's Friday afternoon, the end of my first month in charge of the hardware store. I received a call from the real estate agent earlier this afternoon, the buyer's bank loan has been approved and the sale of my parent's home is done. Now I need to find somewhere new to live, but first, we're all going to the bar to celebrate.

As Diane and I close up the store, my two employees, Kathy and Ramerez join us as we all stroll to the nearest bar to celebrate the impending changeover of ownership of the business. It's only now that I'm fully coming to grips with how to run the hardware store, something that I wouldn't have been able to do without the three people with me, and Ryan too, he's meeting us at the bar as well.

We find a table and I get everyone a round of drinks, tonight's going to be a good night. Ryan arrives with two other tradesmen that are also regulars at the store along with becoming good friends, I'm starting to feel at home again at last.

Diane is sitting beside me; at some point she takes my hand under the table and leans in to talk with me.

"I'm so happy you've come home, and that you're enjoying running the business. I love seeing a smile on your face Jack, after everything that's happened."

"Yeah, in no small part to you. You've been great in helping me through this, both with my parents' funeral and now with the store. Thanks." I reply.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. By the way, now that their house is sold, where are you going to stay? You know Ricky's old room is still empty." Diane giggles.

"Yeah, right. Can you imagine your parents having to put up with the both of us under the same roof? I'd feel like a teenager again trying to sneak into your bedroom late at night."

"I'm being serious though Jack, at least for a little while, until you find a place. There'll be no sneaking into my bedroom though, I'm not ready for that yet."

I look into Diane's eyes for a moment, trying to read her. We've been getting closer over the last month, and we're sitting here in a bar on a Friday night holding hands under the table, yet she's telling me she's not ready yet?

"Jack, I know what you're thinking, and I too can't help but want to be closer to you, to hold you all the time. But I'm being honest when I tell you that I'm not ready. I don't want you to be the rebound guy, I'll never want that with you. I just need some time to move on from where I was with Jason, it's like a healing process, and being with you is helping me a lot."

"Okay, I get it. You want to take it slowly; I can do that."

Diane leans over and kisses my cheek, before resting her head on my shoulder. Alright then, back to the fun, as I order another round of drinks, including some shots.

As the evening progresses, Diane and Kathy go up dancing and are clearly enjoying themselves. Ramerez and one of the tradesmen are off playing eight-ball, Ryan is in an in-depth conversation with his other friend about something to do with plumbing, as I am sitting back with my drink in hand, watching Diane having fun up on the dance floor.

Just watching her with that wonderful smile on her face, the way she moves that sexy body of hers, those curves, her eyes, those legs. Who am I kidding, I'm falling for her all over again. She broke my heart a few years ago, am I truly prepared to expose it to her once again?

Yes, I really am.

Just then my mind is dragged out of my thoughts, I'm watching some guy trying to dance with Diane, getting way too close and trying to touch her, clearly making her uncomfortable. Without thinking about it, I'm up there and find myself shoving the guy onto his ass.

"Try that again you prick, and I won't just push you to the ground." I say forcefully.

"Alright, keep your fucking shirt on, I was just trying to dance with her." The guy responds as he gets up and walks away.

I turn to face Diane; she gives me a small smile while shaking her head before grabbing my hand and leading me off the dance floor and back to our table.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I can deal with some drunk guy trying to dance with me."

"You looked like you weren't happy about him trying to touch you, getting way too close to you. After what you've been through, I didn't want you to have to deal with some asshole getting aggressive with you."

"So, you thought you'd be aggressive instead. Huh?"

"Well, yeah. But not with you."

"I'm just teasing, Jack. I should've known you'd come running to my rescue, just like you always have. My very own knight in shining armor." Diane whispers as she again kisses my cheek.

I did move in with Cliff, Charlotte and Diane while I'm busy looking at houses while also trying to run the store. I haven't tried to sneak into Diane's bedroom yet either, I'll take it slow like she asked me to. I'm happy with how things are going, I may have lost my parents, but at least I feel way more at home now here in Iowa City than I ever did in Des Moines.

Another fortnight has passed, and my time at the Thompson residence has come to an end as I've found a house to rent and have moved all my stuff in. The hardware store is going well, and I'm even paying Diane a wage now, against her will mind you.

To 'celebrate' moving out of her parent's house and into my own, I've asked Diane out to dinner, being careful not to call it a 'date'.

As I'm eating my meal, I can't help but look across the table at the gorgeous woman sitting with me. I know I told her I'd be patient, but I'm struggling with that. Maybe if we talk about what happened with Jason, maybe it might help her to move on a bit quicker.

"So, you told me briefly before about what happened in your marriage, is there anything more to it? You never really explained how he went from loving husband to horrible human. What happened between you two? Why did he get abusive with you?"

"Not really a fun dinner conversation, Jack. Why do you want to know? Why do you want to drag this all up?"

"I want to know everything about you. I want to know how the same guy that you wanted to marry, changed so much so quickly to a guy you want to run away from."

Diane sighs, before taking a large mouthful or wine.

"Fine, I just find it hard to talk with you about me being with someone else. It kinda feels like I cheated on you when I never did, but it feels that way now."

"I'm not mad at you for being with him, maybe I'm still a bit pissed that you broke up with me to start with, but I'll get over that if I win you back."

"Oh, really? Is that your plan, to win me back?"

"Of course. Don't you want me to?"

"Yeah, I do. Very much so."

"So, spill all the juicy stuff. I want to understand what the hell happened with you guys."

"Okay, well, at first I'll say that he was very charming, extremely so. Looking back, I was so naïve, I was still a freshman, and he was a senior, I'm sure he thought I was just ripe for the picking."

"Was he the first guy you dated after breaking up with me?"

"No. I went on two other dates before that, arranged by some of my friends, but I wasn't into them. I first met Jason about two months after we broke up, not long before the summer break. He was good looking and charming, so confident and outgoing. He was fun to be around and was very ambitious too. I found out later that most of it was just his persona that he puts on, what he shows people to progress his career, and with me too."

"Yeah, you can't fake it forever. Sooner or later people will always see the real you, especially if you're living with them." I respond.

"I just wish I'd seen him with the mask off before we got married. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. There were signs, I just ignored them, I think I wanted to ignore them, if that makes sense."

"It does. You always only want to believe the best about the people you're in love with, to think otherwise means that you're not really in love with them anymore."

"I guess. But he was good at keeping his image up, I'll give him that. After he left college, he did very well, he had two big promotions in just two years. Everything was going well for him, and we got engaged and soon got married. Then he got promoted again to their head office in Manhattan, and we both moved. It seemed like everything was going great, he didn't even want me to work because of the salary he was on with all the bonuses as well."

"What did you do? I can't imagine you sitting around your Manhattan apartment like some kept woman. That doesn't sound like you at all." I respond.

"It wasn't, you're right. I got myself a part-time gig doing some basic work for financial advisors, not for the money, but just to get some experience using my degree. And to get out of the apartment, I was going crazy being there while Jason worked long hours."

"So, when did the New York dream unravel? So far, you're newly married, just out of college and living in Manhattan, what changed?"

"Well, some of the financial investments Jason had made at work began to falter, I could tell that he was under increasing pressure at work to turn it around. That's when he began to have his 'mood swings', it's when he started to drop the façade with me. I just put it down to him struggling with adversity, but you know what they say, that you should always judge a man by how well he deals with the bad times, not the good. And he was shown to be left wanting. I should've seen what was coming."

"Hindsight's always easy. I would've won a lot more football games if I could've played them again after they happened."

'Yeah, that's true. It's just that all the signs were there. I was trying my best to make him feel good, to give him encouragement and support, and he didn't want it, not from me at least. It's like he was almost offended that I saw him as anything but super-successful, that I was attacking him just for wanting to comfort him in what he was going through. Then the accusations started, the paranoia."

"What was he accusing you of?"

"That every guy I came into contact with was trying to sleep with me, that I was encouraging them. That I wanted to sleep with them, to cheat on him."

"Why would he think that? Were there guys you knew that were trying to get with you? Or was he just imaging it?"

"There was no-one. He just wanted something to blame me for, it made it easier to use me as a verbal punching bag if he had something against me. I think he was always just putting up a front of being successful, being the guy everyone wanted to be around. When that started to fail, he needed to vent his frustrations, and he couldn't do that with people he worked with, but he thought he could with me."

"So, when things at work went bad for him, he started venting his frustrations at you, accusing you of cheating on him just so he'd have a reason?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it went. I was dead against him accusing me like that, blaming me for his own failings. I wasn't there just so he could use me like that. I wasn't putting up with it, so I argued back, at first. That's when the verbal attacks got worse, got vicious. He even thumped a guy at a bar one night who only said hello to me. That's all he did, and Jason went over and slugged him. I should've left at that point; I was becoming scared of him and shouldn't have hung around any longer."

"How long was that before you left him? When are we talking about here?"

"Not long before, and that was right before he started hitting me too. He accused me at a bar one night that I was flirting with some other guy, I hadn't even spoken to that guy, let along flirt with him. When we got home, no sooner had we stepped inside the apartment, than he backhanded me, sending me to the floor. I couldn't believe he did that at the time, I was so shocked."

"Did you leave that night?"

"No, it was a few days later. I honestly don't know why I didn't leave that night, maybe it was shock, I can't explain it."

"Did he hit you again before you finally left him?"

"Yeah, that was a few days later, he got home from work and just started yelling at me, calling me a slut, a whore, all sorts of stuff. I can only assume something happened at work that day, and he was taking his frustrations, his anger out on me. When I told him to fuck off, that I wasn't going to take this anymore, he punched me, almost knocking me out. It took me several minutes just to clear my thoughts. I was afraid he'd hit me again, but I also didn't care anymore. I packed my clothes and left."