Jade: It was truly a sporadic decision. My friend, Craig, agreed to accompany me so I didn’t have to fly upset and alone. The understudy is gonna take my role indefinitely until I get back. I’m here for the long haul.I didn’t think he’d be able to respond, so it shocked me when those little dots appeared about a minute later.Tyler: I’ve been worried about you. I’m glad you’re home.Jade: Me too. It was time.Tyler: Who’s Craig?Jade: I’ve known him for years. He’s like a brother to me. We’ve been in a few shows together, but I met him early on after moving to the city. He’s originally from Sacramento. He’s headed there tomorrow to visit family then flying back to New York in a few days.Tyler: Where are you staying?Jade: Here at Chelsea’s.Tyler: Okay.Jade: Where are you messaging me from right now?Tyler: The kitchen.Jade: You should go back to the table.When I returned, I saw he’d done just that. Nicole was leaning her head against his shoulder. It killed me to see him with her, even though I had no right to feel that way. Tyler had no clue how strong my feelings for him had become. I didn’t tell him I was coming home for the sheer reason that I was hoping not to see him right away. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle that on top of everything else. I guess I should have known better than to think I could hide from him when we were—in his words—practically family.
Now, having to sit across from them while she was leaning into him was a harsh reminder of what I’d been trying to avoid.
I made small talk with Nicole throughout dinner, which was extremely awkward for me. Thankfully, Craig saved the day when he began telling stories from the early days of our theater careers.
Tyler had snuck looks at me all night, and the tension in the air remained thick.
By the time he and Nicole finally left, I was emotionally spent.
My sister snuck up on me as I was pouring the last of the wine into my glass in the empty kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I took a sip.
“I can tell something is up with you.”
It was truly impossible to lie to Chelsea. She was my one confidante, and I could always tell her anything. But Tyler and I had promised each other we wouldn’t discuss the fact that we’d been communicating. Nevertheless, I could feel myself breaking down.
“Where is Damien?” I asked.
“He’s taking a quick shower.”
“If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell him.”
“Why?”
“It involves Tyler.”
Over the next several minutes, I proceeded to tell her the entire story of how Tyler and I first started talking and how we’d grown closer, well, as close as two people could become being thousands of miles apart from each other.
Chelsea seemed upset with me. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this from me.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just better if no one knows so they don’t misunderstand what’s going on.”
“Misunderstand? I’m pretty sure I understand exactly what’s going on.” She shook her head slowly. “Holy shit…you’re having an affair with Damien’s brother.”
Suddenly feeling flush, I shook my head. “It’s not an affair. It’s different.”
“It’s different, alright. It’s called an emotional affair, except have you also seen the way he looks at you?”
“He won’t leave Nicole. He won’t.”
“He told you that?”
“We’ve discussed the fact that the two of us could never actually date.”
“Why is that, exactly?”
“For one, he lives here. I live in New York. But more importantly, he’s like family, and it’s too risky to get involved with someone you’ll always have to see at family functions and so forth. But again…he has a girlfriend.”
She lowered her voice. “Well, between you and me, I don’t really see him ending up with her.”
Even though I was desperate for it, I wanted to the smash the false hope that was brewing inside of me. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s just a sense I get. She’s a little superficial and fake. As much as he likes to portray himself as the flashy actor type, I think, deep down, he’s more like Damien. He wants to settle down, have the type of connection their mother and father had. Their parents were deeply in love before their dad died, you know.”
“Are you forgetting that I’m not exactly wife material, Chels?”
“Says who? Your job is crazy, maybe, but you’re one of the most loving, non-superficial people I know. Ironically, you’re the perfect woman because you look like the type of person whom someone wants to have an affair with, but you’re more the marrying kind at heart.”
“Thanks…I think? Are you saying I look like a slut?”
Chelsea laughed. “No, I’m saying that most men with a pulse can’t resist you. It’s something I’ve observed my entire life.”