Broken Hearts & Busted Stereos Ch. 09

Janey sighed. Mika was in the shower, her family otherwise gone off to eat dinner. She felt like she had barely seen any of them in the time she had been home. The TV was on but she was staring past it, a jumble of bright color and muffled sound. Her mind returned to the incident with Ted this afternoon, her chin resting on her knees which were curled to her chest with arms wrapped around her shins. She wanted nothing more than to take it back. Not the fact she had said something so much as the way she had chosen to say it. The intercom chirped, breaking her line of thought. 6:15.. too late for a delivery. She shrugged and stood, she was never much of one too worry about her appearance when she got into one of these melancholy moods of reflection. Brown curls hung loose and wild, a tank top and a pair of boy shorts hugging her hourglass curves. She swung the door open without checking and could only bite her lip and stare when Ted appeared on the opposite side. She took a moment to collect herself before speaking.

"Ted.. um... I didn't realize that you and, uh, Mika, had plans tonight, she's still in the shower, but um... I'll let her know you're here." She went to vanish up the stairs, leaving the door open for him.

"Janey... wait." She stopped, turning to look at him standing barely within the door, uncomfortably. "I'm, um, I'm here to see you." She turned fully then, staying on the stairs as though she were afraid of startling him. "Can we, uh, talk for a hot minute?" Janey simply nodded descending back down the stairs. It didn't help the whole situation that she was basically in her underwear. The only time he had seen her in so little was a bathing suit, he could see why Matt had such a hard time keeping his hands to himself.

"Wanna go in the living room?" Her voice was so small and childlike, he knew that voice, it was the voice she always took on when she couldn't read a situation. He nodded and followed her as she walked, watching her grab a seat on the couch Indian-style and pull a throw pillow into her lap to lean on. He sat on the opposite end, looking at her for a moment before speaking.

"I'm sorry about the way I ran out of here this afternoon. I just-"

"Don't worry about it. I, um, shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It wasn't fair."

He sighed and continued, "Janey, when this whole you and Matt thing started, I thought it was just this casual, one time, drunken thing. I thought that I would be able to tell him the truth about how I felt and then he would back off and I could step in. But then you both seemed so happy, and so, I don't know. It was like every time I saw you two it was more obvious that behind closed doors it wasn't so casual and.." he paused as Janey looked at him with her lip back between her teeth.

"Ted..." She was trying to stop him but she had nothing to follow his name.

"No, let me finish. You're right. You and I aren't right for each other. But I can't be your friend right now."

"But you can be Matt's?"

He sighed, "He's not what I can't have. And as long as I don't see you two together it's like..."

"Like what?"

"Like you don't exist." She looked down then. He hoped she wasn't crying. He didn't want to make her cry. In truth, she didn't know which stung more, the fact Ted wished she didn't exist, or the fact that Matt didn't talk about her when she wasn't there. "It's like, you're this made up girl he talks about, I can distance you, make you someone else." She hid the small smile that curled her lips when he put her fears to rest.

"So should we say good byes now?" She looked up at him. Her sadness made her eyes shine with unshed tears, it was quite beautiful, the way her blue eyes shimmered. He wanted to kiss her now more than he ever had. He rose then, walking to her and kneeling in front of her, his eyes fixed on hers before fluttering shut as he brushed his lips against hers. It was something pure, the way her lips barely returned his attention. Chaste. Loving but not passionate. There was a finality to it. A kiss good night, or good bye. When he reopened his eyes a tear was sliding down her cheek, he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Janey, how about we see where life takes things instead. I can't be your friend right now, but maybe someday I can be." He wasn't sure if it was the truth, but he wanted it to be. He wanted to be able to laugh with her again. Her silent nod was all the agreement he needed, he stood then, surprised to see Mika standing in the doorway diagnolly behind them. How long had she been standing there? Her face was difficult to read, as though she was arguing with herself. He stopped dead, frozen to the spot he stood in.

Janey looked at him puzzled before turning to look over her shoulder. Mika stood there, simply staring, and by the look on her face she had been there just long enough to see exactly the wrong part of this whole interaction. "Mika..." her voice was quiet, afraid to break through the wall that seemed to be holding her friend together. Mika simply turned and walked away.

How was it that Janey could just do that. And why was she so upset. Mika barely knew Ted, he was just some boy. She didn't get attached, she always just enjoyed things until they fell apart. Besides, this was a whole weird love triangle thing. And how could Janey do that to Matt. She gushed about him non-stop and the second she got a chance to cheat on him were lips were glued to... she shook her head, trying to block the thoughts as she made her way upstairs to the guest room. She jumped a bit when she felt a hand on her wrist and turned, and was even more surprised to see that it was Ted who had chased after her. He tugged her close, holding her body firmly against his with one arm as the other lifted his hand to bury itself in the hair at the back of her head, pulling her lips to his and kissing her hard. She sighed into his lips, as much as she wanted to resist his kiss felt too right.

When he broke it she found her lips chasing his, only stopping when she felt his forehead against her, her eyes fluttering half open. His voice was soft and soothing.

"I'm sorry. I just had to do that once, to make sure."

"To make sure of what?" Her anger flared as she pushed away from him. "That you didn't need to run off in the sunset with Janey?"

"No, to make sure what I thought was true."

"What?"

He grabbed her then, kissing her again. "That it could never feel like that." Mika blushed. "I'm sorry. I had to know. But if you want me to leave, I understand." She sighed. She should make him leave. But she couldn't. She looked at him.

"How about you come back in a half-hour? I need to get dressed." He nodded and smiled, kissing her once more.

"Okay,"