Keep The Light On - ch. 2

“I thought it was you, but I couldn’t be sure!” he replied as he pulled me in for a hug. My heart was beating a million times an hour. This was crazy…

*

The thing with Jeremy and I was complicated. We’d gotten together in my first year of university because he was persistent. When I finally really fell for him we spent an amazing six or so months together over summer holidays, and then when we went back to university he decided it was becoming too much for him and we broke up. Over the course of the next year Jeremy and I would hook up every now and then, and I never quite got over him. I loved him too much. Apparently he’d told his friends – who were also my friends – that although he didn’t want to be with me then, he’d marry me one day. He’d also told me once after we’d broken up that he thought we’d just found each other at the wrong time and that when he eventually did want to settle, there was only one person that he would want to settle with.

Me.

Well. That was long winded. In a nutshell, I fell for him hard and fast and this scared him. He always cared about me and loved me but not in the right way. After he graduated and left town, we kept in touch a little, and caught up a few times when he was in town, but I had no idea that he was going to be in town that weekend.

*

“I even saw your brother the other day at the sports bar, and he didn’t mention a thing about you coming home!” I said. We’d been standing by the bar for a few minutes catching up while his school friend Alex and his girlfriend Jessie were buying drinks.

“Yeah, I told Mum to keep it a secret from Steven and Lewis, and Dad of course. There was no way he would have kept that secret,” Jeremy replied, handing me a corona with lime.

“Haha, true. How long are you in town for?” I asked, wondering what my friends were thinking of me talking to the guy who had been staring at me all that time. Clearly we knew each other, and they’d heard my ex-boyfriend story before, but they wouldn’t have figured it out.

“I’m not too sure. At this point I’ll be here for a month or so. My cousin’s got a birthday, Mum and Dad have a wedding anniversary, and Granddad’s pretty sick so I want to spend some time with him up at the beach,” Jeremy replied.

A month? Jeremy Collins, former supposed love of my life, was going to be in town for a month?

“Hey, I think Alex and Jess want to go somewhere else… But I’m really glad I saw you!” Jeremy said, glancing over my shoulder to where the pair was waiting patiently.

“Oh! Sure… Yeah, it was awesome to see you,” I said, feeling a pang of sadness hit me in the stomach. I’d just hello and now I was saying goodbye again.

“Look, I’ve still got your number, and I really do want to catch up, so how about I give you a call tomorrow or something?” he asked, touching my arm lightly. It was a warm touch, one that I thought I’d forgotten… but it was still there in the back of my memories.

I nodded. “Sounds good. We should meet up sometime.” I smiled, and he leaned in to give me a quick hug. I watched the three of them walk to the door and as they walked out, Ryan and his friend from football, Andy, walked in.

“Hey babe,” Ryan greeted me, and gave me a kiss. I met Ryan Dean at his cousin’s wedding. My mum had asked me to work in the bar of her hotel that night, and he was one of the groomsmen. After several glasses of champagne and a lot of beer, Ryan decided to tell me he thought I was gorgeous and wanted to take me out. Surprisingly, even though he was drunk, he still managed to charm the pants off me – figuratively speaking, of course. With his smiling hazel eyes and his blonde hair, he was hard to say no to. We went out a few times and hit it off, and a year later we were still together. I loved him and trusted him completely, and he was in love with me too.

“I was wondering if you guys would turn up,” I grinned, and took Ryan’s hand before leading them to the table where my friends were still waiting for me to return. I couldn’t wait to tell Gemma about seeing and speaking to Jeremy after months.

*

“So, let me get this straight,” Gemma said slowly in the bathroom a half hour later. “Your ex boyfriend, the one you are still carrying a torch for, is out in this town tonight and he wants to catch up. This is crazy,” she continued.

“I know,” I replied feebly. “But it’s not like he’s come back for me or anything. We used to talk about it when we were younger… he always thought we’d end up like his parents. They always got together when they were in the same town, then leave and split up… and then they got married finally.”

“But you have Ryan. Does Jeremy know that?” Gemma asked. I shook my head.

“The last time I saw Jeremy was just a couple of weeks after I met Ryan. Things weren’t official so I didn’t feel the need to say anything.” I sighed. “It’s just stupid because all these feelings came back when I saw him and in the back of my mind all I could think about was how good it was to see him and how much I missed him.”

“Tayna, that’s normal. Of course you’re glad to see him. But remember, what he used to say to you was pretty unrealistic. It was two years ago, and you’ve moved on.” Gemma’s tone was sympathetic yet firm. She was right – Jeremy was my past. Ryan was my present.

“I know. And when Jeremy calls me, we’ll catch up and I will be friendly and honest and it will be fine. Besides, a month will fly, won’t it?”

Gemma hugged me and sighed. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”