Alpine Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

            The girls headed toward the stands to find their friends and try to see Mike before the game started. Jen did her best to look confident as she got closer to the stands. Inwardly, however, she just wanted to find a trash can and release her nerves into it. After all these years, she was going to see the man that had shattered her heart.

                        “Relax, Jen,” Lynn said as she looped her arm through her best friend’s. “You look amazing, that alone will make him wish he’d never left.”

                        “I’m fine, Lynn.” Jen tried to say.

            Lynn raised her eyebrows at her.

                        “Okay,” Jen gave in. “I’m not fine. I’m nervous as hell. This is the man that decided I wasn’t good enough for his future and left me. This is the man I have set every other man up to, so why should I be so nervous about seeing a man who made me feel so bad about myself. I’m good…really.”

            Jen feigned a smile for Lynn’s sake.

                        “Well, I think you should just kick his ass like he deserves when you see him, but that’s just me.” Lynn squeezed her arm as they got to the field. “Hey there’s Aaron and everyone, why don’t you head up and I’ll try to find Mike real quick. After all, it would be good to actually see each other during our date.”

            Jen laughed as she left Lynn and went up to the top of the bleachers.

                        “Hey Red,” Aaron said as he held out his hand to help her up to their seats.

                        “Hey,”

            He pulled her into him for a hug and whispered, “I’m sorry about the other night, I believe you are capable of doing whatever you need to and support you whatever you do.”

            Jen squeezed Aaron a little tighter, “thank you.”

            When they released from their hug, other friends were starting to arrive. Jen was busy saying hello to everyone that she didn’t see who was walking up to her.

 

           Thomas left Mike at the locker room and went search of a place to sit in the bleachers. He saw Lynn and Jen walk up on the opposite end. He stopped for a minute and watched their interaction. While Lynn looked like she was embracing the date in a cute above the knee cream color dress and chocolate waist length jacket with cowboy boots, Jen looked….he couldn’t come up with the right word. Jen was dressed in jeans that appeared to hug a tight butt with the pant legs resting on the instep of black boots hiding under the jeans. She also had on a blue jean jacket, but even that seemed to hug the curves of her chest.

He took a breath and started to walk toward them. He continued to watch as he moved closer. Jen’s hair was long and laying softly against her back. He had always loved her hair, both the color and the length. He had spent many afternoons with her in his lap just playing with her hair.

            Lynn met him half way down the walkway before he realized the girls had separated. He looked up briefly to see Jen headed toward Aaron. When he looked back down, Lynn was standing before him.

                        “Hello, Thomas,” she said.

            Thomas winced at the cold in her voice.

                        “Hey, Lynn,” he said. “How’ve you been?”

                        “Oh, I’m good.” Lynn answered.

            Thomas glanced back up to where Jen was now hugging Aaron. He felt Lynn lean into him.

                        “I don’t know why you’re here,” she started to say, “but if you have any intention of hurting her again, I’m telling you now to stay the hell away.”

                        “I have no intention of doing anything of the sort, but anything that needs to said will be between her and I.”

                        “That’s fine.” Lynn said before she walked off, “but you’ve still been warned.”

            Thomas watched Jen interact with the group she was with as he moved up the bleachers to her. He stopped right behind her.

 

             Jen caught Aaron looking behind her. She could feel someone standing there, but was too afraid to turn around.

                        “Hello, Jen,” said the voice of the person behind her.

            She knew instantly it was Thomas. She looked briefly at Aaron and flashed him a warning look before turning around to face her past.

                        “Hello, Thomas.”

            God, he was beautiful. His short brown hair was styled perfectly. He stood at five feet ten and it appeared he kept his body in perfect form. Jen looked into the brown eyes she had loved so long ago and felt all her nerves melt away. Instead, she found herself resisting falling into his arms to search for the kiss she had longed for so long ago.

                        “Listen,” Thomas said to break the silence. “I don’t want to bother you during the game, but do you think maybe after we could meet up and talk?”

“Sure,” Jen answered. “Meet me at the Railroad Bar after the game.”

                        “That place still in operation?” he asked surprised.

“Yeah,” Aaron said from behind Jen. “I own it now.”

            Jen’s back stiffened at the sound of Aaron’s voice. Before he could say anything else, Jen reached out and hugged Thomas.

                        “We’ll see you later at the bar, okay?”

            Thomas was shocked by the hug and took a second to answer.

                        “Okay.”

            Jen watched as Thomas went back down the bleachers, passing Lynn on the way. She turned and looked at Aaron.

                        “I’m sorry, Red,” he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s hard not to be protective of you.”     

                        “Well, you need to turn it off for tonight or something. I need to talk to him and you need to let happen.”