Nothing Can Keep Me from You

Abel watched her J-Lo-esque bubble butt sway away.

"I thought you weren't coming," Missy grunted from behind.

"Someone should put a bell around your neck. I never hear you coming."

"Who was that skank?"

Abel snickered, "Cindy Marks. She's our local weather girl."

"I see. Can I have the next dance?" She asked.

"I'm going to the bar. I never got the wine I wanted."

He walked away, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the others dancing around her to Lone Star's 'Amazed.'

She thought, "This is going to be harder than I thought."

She knew she had an uphill climb with him at best, but when she saw the way Cindy was looking at him, she knew she might have competition she never expected.

*****

Later, during dinner, Ian asked Abel, "What's with you and Missy? She's been eyeballing you all night."

"I don't know. I think she wants to get back with me and our mothers our pushing it."

"Do you want her back?" Martin asked.

"I don't think so. Once bitten twice shy, you know?"

"I'd be all over that. Fuck the broken heart," Edwin teased to the agreement of the others.

"This steak's pretty good," Abel said to change the subject.

It was so obvious the whole table erupted in loud laughter, making others look at their table with derision.

After dinner, Missy stood behind Abel and said, "Abel."

He rolled his eyes and said, "What?"

"I brought you a drink, could we talk on the patio for a moment?"

He stood and took the proffered glass of wine.

"I guess."

He heard his friends cat-calling and hooting as he walked away.

When they found a secluded spot, he sipped his drink.

"This is good."

"That stuff they have for the open bar is gross. I bought a bottle from the restaurant's wine list."

"I didn't know you could do that," he questioned.

"You can't, but as you can probably tell, I have a hard time accepting no."

He laughed, "That's for damn sure."

Before she could respond, Cindy walked out and found them.

"Abel, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm leaving. I've had all I can stand of that pompous ass for one night."

They shared a laugh.

"But before I go, I wanted to give you my card. Give me a call about what we talked about."

She smiled cattily at Missy and walked away.

"What did that bitch want?" Missy asked.

"I'm not sure. She was Jimmy's date."

Missy's eyes widened.

"We talked about my daughter mostly. She did say she wanted another dance, but we never got to."

She shook her head.

"I can't believe I'm competing with a celebrity for you."

He laughed.

"Competing? There's no competition."

Missy smiled, not realizing he meant she wasn't even in contention if he had to choose between them.

"Abel, can we be friends? I mean, I'd like to explore being more, but we were friends before we ever began dating."

"Why do you want to be my friend now? We were on a level playing field when we were neighbors, but now you're rich and famous, and I don't even own a house anymore. We have nothing in common."

"I don't care about that. The money I got from Jimmy in the divorce was more just to hurt him than help me."

He sipped his wine and remembered some of the good times with her, and there were many.

"Do you remember when we used to sneak out at night and sit behind my deck," she asked as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Your dad thought we were back there fooling around. He didn't believe me when I told him I hadn't kissed you before senior year."

"You were a sloppy kisser," she teased.

"I didn't know how. You were the first girl I kissed."

She smiled, "Remember when we wrote that fantasy story? King Vasil and Queen Mara saved the kingdom from the evil trolls."

He nodded, "I found that binder when I moved back home. Mom saved everything."

"I'd love to see it," she smiled.

"Sure. It's not bad, actually. It's a little rough but was a good read."

Just then, Jimmy walked out and said, "Well, it didn't take long for the slut to run back to the loser."

Abel didn't say a word as he spun around and punched Jimmy. Jimmy was so stunned, he staggered back and tripped over the railing. One of the lessers standing there nonchalantly, may have stuck out his foot to help him lose his balance.

"Holy shit!" Someone shouted as they looked over the railing.

It was only a two-foot drop from the patio floor, and it was lined with bushes. Jimmy lay on top of the thick hedge shaking his head.

"Abel!" Missy shrieked.

He shook his hand and it hurt to bend his index finger. He'd never hit anyone before and didn't realize it would do damage to himself.

She ran to the railing to see what Abel did to Jimmy, and when Abel saw it, he assumed she was more concerned about her ex than she was him.

The truth was, she was worried Abel would get in trouble if Jimmy were seriously hurt. She hoped she could talk Jimmy out of going to the police.

It was all a moot point, however. That night, there was always a camera pointed at Jimmy and the entire confrontation ended up on social media.

*****

Abel woke with throbbing pain in his head and his hand. He looked over and saw the crib where Ava slept was empty, so he assumed his mother tended to the child's morning needs.

When he neared the kitchen he heard the laughter of several women and groaned.

"She's too cute for words, Jenny," Gillian gushed as Missy tickled and teased little Ava. "I could use me one of these, Missy."

"Can it, Mother," she chided. "I'm still young enough to give you some."

"You'll have to find a man to give you some first."

Abel rolled his eyes and turned the corner into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ladies," he smiled as he made his way to the coffee pot.

"Good morning," Jenny answered. "Gillian and Missy brought over some coffee cake for breakfast."

"And a couple of sausage biscuits for you," Missy added.

Gillian said, "I saw you had quite the night, Rocky."

She and Jenny chuckled while Missy looked angry.

"You told them, huh?" He glared at Missy.

He picked up Ava and sat her on his lap.

"No," Missy answered. "It's on video."

Abel deeply sighed.

"You're not in trouble. I explained everything to the police. It also didn't hurt that they were Chicago fans and didn't like Jimmy's poor sportsmanship last time he played them."

He shrugged remembering the post-game press conference where Jimmy said Chicago's defense was so bad, he could've won the game without a running back.

"I guess there's a silver lining then," Jimmy said as he fed a small piece of biscuit to his daughter.

"That was quite a punch, Abel," Jenny smiled. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Me either. He made one too many shitty comments, I guess."

"Maybe, it was who he said it about?" Gillian countered.

Abel looked her in the eye and said, "Maybe, maybe not. But who did she run to when it was over?"

Missy said, "Abel, I was only..."

"Excuse me. Ava needs changing. Thanks for breakfast."

Gillian looked at Missy, "What was that all about?"

"I went to make sure Jimmy didn't cause any trouble for Abel. I thought I could help keep it all quiet."

"Girl, that was dumb," her mother chastised.

Jenny shook her head and added, "He thinks you were worried about Jimmy, and you'll never convince him otherwise. What a mess."

Gillian nodded in agreement. Missy started crying wishing she'd stop making the wrong choices.

*****

Abel sat on his old twin bed and held Ava as she slept in his arms.

"Don't ever grow up, baby," he whispered.

"She'll have to, someday," Jenny said from the doorway.

He nodded while Jenny sat on his desk chair.

"She's afraid you hate her," she said.

"I never hated her, Ma. Not even back then. She just never chooses me."

"You're wrong about that. She's choosing you now."

"Yeah, after Jimmy kicked her out of his bed this morning."

Jenny groaned. "She didn't go with him last night. I saw her pull into the driveway a few minutes after you."

"It doesn't matter; she went to him. She chose him over me last night."

"I'm not going to argue for her on that, but what if she went to you instead? What would you be thinking about her?"

"She said she wanted to at least be friends. We were talking about the old days before he came out. I was remembering the good times before she dumped me for him."

"You two were inseparable then. I'm sure you can still be friends."

"No, I don't think so, Ma. She's in a different Stratosphere than I am nowadays. She's rich and I'm starting over from scratch."

"You're two broken hearts that have fond memories in common. Do you know she regrets breaking up with you? She regrets ever meeting Jimmy."

He laughed. "No doubt. Once she got her heart broken, she got 20/20 hindsight."

"You're too cynical. Just be kinder to her. You may not realize it, but you're breaking her heart now."

"Payback's a bitch."

*****

Later that day, he logged into his social media account and found a number of new friend requests, including one from Cindy Marks, and several versions of recordings of "the punch," as it was being called.

The one he enjoyed the most was the snippet from that morning's news where they made fun of Jimmy for not being able to take a hit without wearing a helmet. The chyron at the bottom of the screen said, "roughing the passer," as the video of Abel punching Jimmy repeated on a loop.

The sportscaster told his co-anchor, "I'd call an illegal check to the head penalty on that play, but it's the wrong sport. That was a hell of a punch."

"And Jimmy Jackson was seen boarding a private plane at Midway Airport wearing large sunglasses and pushing press cameras out of his way."

Abel laughed seeing Jimmy being called out in the press. "Karma's a bitch, Jimmy."

Jenny called him to come for lunch, so he logged off and headed downstairs.

"What's for lunch?" He asked.

"Thai, I think," Jenny answered.

"Where'd you order from? I didn't know there was a Thai place around here."

"There's not. You're going out."

Missy came from the kitchen and said, "Let's take your car. It's already got a car seat."

"So, you think you can keep this set up crap up and I'll be okay with it?"

"No," Missy answered. "This is just two friends going to lunch. Well, three. Ava's my little buddy now too."

Ava reached for Missy.

"See. She loves me."

"She loves anyone with tits, she thinks it's lunch time."

"Abel Morin, you watch your mouth."

"Yes, Mother."

*****

"I can see how much you love her in your eyes."

He ate the last of his yellow curry and put his fork down.

"What's not to love. She's my everything and I've only known her for twenty-one months."

"I thought she was only 12 months?"

He smiled, "She is, but I spent nine months singing to her, telling her I loved her, feeling her kicks. I count that time too."

Missy's heart warmed so much; she fought back tears.

"Your wife was an idiot."

He frowned, "She was a gold digger, and my project wasn't making us rich quickly enough for her. She jumped ship at the first opportunity."

"Project?"

"Yeah, I was working on game-changing AI, but I figured we were a year off at the earliest. She didn't want to wait and had no problem making me sell the company to get all she could out of me on her way out the door."

"So, your company didn't finish the project?" She asked.

"I never disclosed it as an open project. That wasn't exactly legal, but it was completely off the books, so no one knew."

"Is it a valuable tech?"

"Well, if I could have made it work, it would've revolutionized strategic gaming and it could've had some military applications."

"Why not sell what you've completed so far?"

"It's worthless if it doesn't work. I'm not the only one that was trying to perfect it."

"Why did you stop?"

"This curry was excellent," he answered changing the subject.

"Abel?"

"Look, I'd rather not dwell on it, okay? I can't work on it, so I'm gonna focus on being the best dad I can be. The first thing I have to do is get my own place and bring some stability to our lives."

"If you don't mind my asking, why didn't you just start up another business?"

"When I was forced to sell the business, I got around a hundred grand after paying my ex her share. I didn't know if I'd be able to find a job, so I paid off all my debt. That included my share of our hospital bills for my little peanut there. Because I was self-employed and not the best businessman, my insurance sucked. Anyway, when all the bills were paid, I wasn't left with much."

A plan formed in her mind. She knew she had to tread lightly, or she'd risk upsetting him more.

He continued, "So, the reason I didn't start over is money. Without the other programs I had bringing in royalties, I would basically be working full-time with no income for at least a year but probably longer."

"Doesn't sound like that much money," she said as she fed Ava a noodle.

"It is what it is."

The waiter brought the check and Missy playfully slapped his hand when he went to grab it.

"It's my treat as a way to apologize. I know everyone is coming on strong and pushing you into things you don't want. We're not going to do it anymore. I really do want to be your friend again and I don't want to blow it."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Good. I also wanted to say goodbye for now. I'm going back home tomorrow and I'm not sure when I'll be back."

He looked up from wiping Ava's face and was disappointed.

"Where's home? I don't think I ever asked."

She smiled, "You didn't. I live outside of Atlanta."

"Long drive."

"Yeah, but I like to drive and Snoopy likes the ride."

"Okay. Maybe, Ava could play with Snoopy some more before you go?"

"Of course," she said and tickled Ava's ribs.

She was giddy that he wanted to spend time with her before she left.

*****

She left while he was at work the next morning. They'd said goodbye the night before she left, and unbeknownst to each other, it left both feeling lonelier afterward.

One Saturday, Ava was sleeping on his chest when Jenny walked into the room.

"Children can pick up on the feelings of adults," she said as she sat.

He looked at her not knowing what to say.

"You're moping around like you lost your puppy. If you miss her so much, call her."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

"Oh, please!" She said rolling her eyes. "I can tell you're missing Missy. You can't hide it from me."

"Ma, we're never going to be more than friends."

He wondered if that was true. He knew he was in a funk since she left. He even thought Ava missed Snoopy.

Jenny sighed, "You were just kids when you broke up. Neither one of you knew how to handle blossoming love."

He stood, and quietly, so not to wake Ava, he growled, "At least I never looked for greener pastures. I was in love, and that's all I needed to know. Love wasn't enough for her though, was it?"

He stormed off to put Ava in her crib. He stood over her and watched her sleep for a few moments.

"At least you'll never break my head, Angel."

*****

Two months went by before he was sitting out back and Snoopy ran up to lick Ava.

He spun around and saw Missy smiling. He was breathless at seeing her in short shorts and tight tank top.

She strutted over and hoped he would look at her that way forever.

"Hi there," she said as she sat beside him.

"Hi," he answered. "I didn't know you were coming home for a visit."

"That would ruin the surprise, silly."

Ava squealed in happiness as Snoopy pinned her down and licked her face.

"She grew," Missy smiled.

"She never stops. Seems like she's in new clothes every month."

Missy looked at him watch his daughter and took back her previous thought. How he looked at his daughter was how she wanted him to look at her.

"How long are you in town?" He asked.

She smirked and said, "Permanently."

"Oh?"

She nodded.

"What about Atlanta?" He asked.

"I want to live here now. It's where -- hey! Snoopy, come back!"

Snoopy had run off to chase a bumblebee.

"How's work?" She asked as the beagle trotted over.

"Honestly? It sucks. It's way below my skill set, and I'm bored out of my mind."

"I'm sorry," she frowned.

He shrugged, "I need the job though. I have to do it for her." He nodded at Ava.

Missy already had her plan in motion and was resolved more than ever to present it to him. She felt the time was right yet worried he'd be angry with her.

"Abel, I want to talk to you about some business."

"Hm?" He asked as he tickled Ava's side.

Missy smiled at the child's giggling and said, "I want to give you the money to start your business again."

He shook his head; she was glad he didn't yell at her.

"Why would you do that?" He asked.

"Well, for starters, I need a job. I figured I could be the office manager."

He frowned. He couldn't think of a reason to say no that would fly. He just admitted to hating his job and he knew she had the money.

Add to that, his mother and Missy would constantly hound him about it. He didn't see a choice.

"Okay," he answered.

"Okay?" She asked, shocked. "Just like that?"

He shrugged, "Well, I can't think of a good enough reason to say no where you and Ma won't be on my ass about it. Plus, I figure that's Jimmy's money, in a way, and I'd be stickin it to him a bit."

She smiled and said, "You won't regret it. My attorney is ready to get everything started immediately. I kinda got the ball rolling already."

"That's fine. Would Monday be too early to give my two-week's notice?"

She grinned, "Absolutely not. We'll start looking for office space right away."

"If you're talking about something big like that, maybe we could hire a couple of people to develop a couple of apps I've been thinking about."

She nodded, "Whatever you want. It's your baby."

She hugged him, and he wondered if he could really pick it up and start again. He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

*****

"I've hired our team," Abel said two weeks later.

"Really? That's great. Make sure you give me a list of what they'll need."

"I emailed it to you five minutes ago."

"Awesome. When do they start?"

"Piper can start on Monday, and Jeff can start the following Monday."

She frowned at his hiring of a woman but shook that off quickly. It was silly to worry about him falling for an employee.

She didn't realize that she had far greater competition.

"Okay," she said. "I'll have everything ready by Monday."

"Thanks."

"Abel, I was thinking of getting some shawarma for dinner. Wanna join me?"

"Sorry, I can't. I have a date tonight."

She coughed up the sip of water she drank and said, "A date? With whom?"

"Cindy Marks. You met her at the reunion. Her schedule finally had an opening for us to get together."

"Oh. She must be really busy."

"Well, yeah. She does the nightly news and has been doing major network guest spots on her days off for a while. She's really making a name for herself."

She forced a smile and said, "That's great."

"Yeah, I have to go. I need to get something suitable to wear. I need to make a good impression."

"No, you don't," she smiled and touched his cheek. "You're the perfect guy, and if she can't see that immediately, she's an idiot."

She turned and rushed from the room, so he didn't see her cry.

He did notice the sadness in her eyes when he told her. He thought she was past her wanting to be more than friends when she hadn't said anything when she came back. He realized he was wrong and had no idea what he should do.

*****

After a nice dinner, Cindy wanted to go to a big city nightclub. Abel wasn't the type to hang out in a club, he was more a country music bar guy, but what the lovely lady wanted, she got.