Page 24 of Bad Star

Chapter Twelve

Jack sat on the floor, cell phone in hand and wondered what to do next. He waited and hoped for it to ring as he stared at his surroundings at nothing in particular. He was camped at Rainn’s door, outside the empty house and had decided not to move. It was a chilly day and he hugged his coat tightly to his chest as he again threw a glance at his surroundings. He thought of the many times he had tried to reach out to her and felt even more frustrated. He had spent the past few months calling her and trying to appease her with gifts and flowers, but he would never get any response from her. No phone call, email, text or even letter. The thought of rejection and the feeling of frustration made Jack reach into his pocket and pull out a flask. He took a long gulp from it and welcomed the ever familiar feel of burning liquor on his throat. He shut his eyes tight, again looking around at his surroundings. He noticed that the neighbors had started looking at him weirdly, but he simply did not care. Jack got to his feet when he remembered that if the press were to take a snap shot of him drinking at the front of Rainn’s door, she would get into trouble. He walked over to the plant that was perched next to the front door and began fishing through it for a key. He let out a victorious yelp when he finally circled his palm around it. Jack then staggered slightly to the door and turned it open. He was greeted by the familiar scent that he had gotten used to and he could feel his heart melt at the memory of it. He closed the door behind him quietly and took a few steps around the apartment. His footsteps echoed throughout the house as the loneliness of the place acknowledged the human presence that had just intruded. The dust on the furniture and the few cobwebs that had begun forming on the walls confirmed the fact that Rainn had not been at the house for quite some time. He wondered what to do and kept on walking around the house; he could hear distant nostalgic laughter as he recalled the good times that they had together in that apartment.

Jack placed his left hand on his chest and let out a resigned sigh. He sat down on the floor in a lump and again reached out for the flask from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Be still my heart,” he sighed as he again looked around the room, before taking a longer gulp from it, letting his head rest on the wall that was behind him. His phone rung a few times and he ignored all the calls; he eventually decided to switch it off and sat in silence, deep in thought. He buried his head in the palm of his hands for a minute before looking up and combing his right hand through his hair. He was so engrossed in his own concerns that he didn’t hear the door open, or realize that he was no longer alone until Rainn spoke up.

“How did you get in?” she demanded curtly as she stood over Jack, facing him.

Jack felt a mixture of both excitement and shock when he heard Rainn’s voice. He looked up her and realized how much he had missed her. She was looking particularly lovely; he especially loved how the low cut fitted blue dress hugged her body.

“I let myself in.” Jack answered eventually, after letting his eyes hungrily feed on Rainn’s lovely body.

“I can see that, but why? What do you want?” Rainn went on to inquire in the same tone.

“I have been trying to call you,”

“I know, I’ve been busy,” Rainn replied and started walking towards the living room to sit on the sofa. She was well aware that he was closely behind her and loved how his scent overwhelmed the room. He sat on the sofa next to her and Rainn could feel the alcohol stench in his breath.

“You’ve been drinking.” she stated.

“Yes I have.”

Rainn could think of a few choice words to say to him at that moment, but knew they would all lead to an argument with him and she decided to remain silent.

“So how have you been?” Jack asked as he tried to lift the awkwardness from the room.

“I’ve been well.” Rainn answered. She really wanted to provoke him by saying a few things about his drinking but decided not to. Hearing his voice was soothing and she didn’t want to ruin the moment with an argument.

“What about you? What else have you been up to, other than slowly ruining your liver?” Rainn asked and was sure that Jack got the disapproving tone in her question.

“Nothing much, I was working on a movie in New York.”

“New York?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in New York? You knew I was performing there and staying at Margaret’s,” Rainn complained. She wasn’t really sure whether she actually had wanted to see him, especially after avoiding his phone calls.

“Well, if you would have picked up your phone, you would have known that I was also in New York,” Jack answered smartly.

“You should have tried harder,” Rainn said this as she slammed a fist on her knee to prove a point “You should have come over to see me at Margaret’s!”

“I did.”

“You did?”

“Yes, several times.” Jack answered and watched as Rainn’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of these words.

“How come I was never informed that you came?” Rainn asked in a confused tone.

“Margaret said that you did not want to see me and that you needed some space to clear your head from all that was going on in your life.” Jack stated, before watching Rainn’s disturbed expression and went on” She said you didn’t need any distractions.”

Rainn went silent and pondered those words for a minute longer. She intertwined her palms and let her head bend low when she heard this. It indeed sounded like something that Margaret would say and she knew that she was only looking out for her. She however felt slightly disappointed for meddling into her business.

Jack seized the opportunity, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder, he waited for her to resist and pulled her closer when she didn’t.

“I missed you,” he whispered as he ran his hands through her hair and let her head rest easily on his shoulder.