Jealousy (30 page)

“
Can’t you see how beautiful this place could be?” Nick asked.  “The whole thing will be brand new.”

“
That’s not it.”  She bit her lower lip and looked at the floor.  She didn’t want him to see the tears that moistened her eyes.  She hugged her arms around her waist and turned away.  She couldn’t bear to see his face when she rejected his thoughtful and generous offer to provide them with a beautiful home.  “I’m sorry,” she said, in a voice barely above a whisper.  “I can’t live here.”

Nick picked her chin up with the knuckle of his index finger. 
“Why not?  What’s wrong?”

“
I’m sorry.  I can’t live this far from Justin.  What if I need him?  Or he needs me?”

“
It’s less than an hour away – only a couple of exits on the expressway.”

“
I know it sounds stupid.  I’m sorry.  We’ve never lived more than a few blocks from each other.  I need to know that he can be there in five minutes if I need him.”  She looked away, embarrassed at her dependence on Justin.  She knew Nick could never understand her rationale.  She didn’t fully understand it herself, and she didn’t know how to explain it.  She felt guilty and ungrateful.  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do.  It’s a wonderful gesture.  I know I’m a fuckin’ idiot.”  She felt her lower lip quiver, and she slapped her thigh with frustration.  “I know I sound like an ungrateful bitch.  I don’t know why . . .”

Nick silenced her with a hug. 
“Don’t get upset.  I’m the idiot.  I should’ve known you weren’t going anywhere without Justin.  I just wish the property was bigger so I could build a house for him and Kenny to live in.”

Heather quickly looked at him with amazement. 
She expected him to be mad, but instead, he was understanding and sympathetic and a warm feeling melted her heart.

#

Nick ended up buying the house anyway.  Over the next several months, he renovated it and sold it for a quick profit.  When a house went on the market only a few blocks from Justin and Kenny, Nick snatched it up right away.  He wouldn’t let Heather use any of her money for the down payment either.  He wanted to use the money he made from the sale of the house.  It was his wedding present to her.

The house was another three bedroom colonial, but it was smaller, with new vinyl siding and professional landscaping.
It needed very little work.  Nick updated the kitchen and two bathrooms and built a large cedar deck off the back of the house.  New hardwood floors and a fresh coat of paint completed their dream home.

On their first night in their new home, Heather was too excited to sleep.  She remembered Nick
’s eagerness to buy the house as soon as she mentioned it was for sale.  She was afraid he wouldn’t want to live so close to Justin, but Nick was ecstatic from the moment he saw the house.  She propped her head up on her elbow and nudged Nick awake.  “I love this house.  Thank you so much for making us a beautiful home.”

It was the third time she
had thanked him in the last twenty minutes, and Nick chuckled softly.  “Go to sleep.  It’s after midnight.”

“
I know.  I’m sorry to keep waking you up, but I want you to know something, and I want you to be awake to hear it.”

Nick sat up with his back
against the leather headboard.

“
I . . .” she hesitated, unsure how to put her feelings into words.  “I want you to know how much it means to me that you understand me.  No one has ever cared enough to even try before.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I mean . . . me and Justin.  I know it’s crazy.  I know it’s a lot for a guy to handle, but you never seem to be jealous of him.”

“
Jealous?”  Nick squinted one eye.  “What reason would I have to be jealous of Justin?”

“
You know.”

“
No.  I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She sighed and stammered over her words.  She was unable to complete a coherent sentence.  She finally gave up and threw her hands down in her lap. 
“I don’t know how to explain it.”

“
Just tell me what you’re thinking.”

She was silent while she collected her thoughts. 
“I was lying here remembering how I never thought I would find someone who accepted my relationship with Justin.  Men were always threatened by him.  They didn’t like the idea that I had a best friend that was a guy, or maybe they just couldn’t accept Justin because he’s gay.”  She threw her hands down in her lap again.  “I don’t know.  I guess what I’m trying to say is, that when I told you I didn’t want to live in the other house because it was too far away from Justin, but wanted this one only five blocks away from him, I thought it would send you running in the opposite direction.”  She slowly turned her head toward him.  “But it didn’t.  You were OK with it.”

He smiled. 
“Of course I’m OK with it.  I want what you want.  I want whatever makes you happy.  There’s nothing I want more in the world than to see your beautiful smile.  And as far as Justin is concerned, I love that you love him so much.  It makes me see what a loyal and devoted person you are and what a big heart you have.  He’s a great friend to you, and I like knowing he’s around to take care of you when I’m not here.  Me and Justin have gotten really close, and you know how buddy-buddy I am with Kenny.  I hang out with him while you do your thing with Justin.  I feel like they’re two of my best friends too, and I hope they feel the same way about me.”

Heather was overwhelmed by his answer and swallowed the growing lump in her throat.  She cuddled in Nick
’s arms, and drifted off to sleep, happier than she had ever been in her life.

Chapter Sixty-Six:

Justin knew
that Heather would be upset and overreact.  He reached out to her, but she pushed him away.

“
No. Don’t touch me.”  Her voice waivered, and her lip trembled slightly.

Justin jumped back, hurt by her remark. 
“What do you mean, don’t touch you?”

“
I mean exactly what I said.”  She turned her back to him, folded her arms across her chest and hung her head.

“
Oh, honey.”  Kenny placed his hand on her shoulder.  “Don’t be like that.”

Heather fell into Kenny
’s arms.  She clutched onto him and buried her face into his chest in the same manner she always sought comfort from Justin.  It caught Kenny totally by surprise, and it infuriated Justin.  This was his domain, not Kenny’s, but Justin knew exactly what Heather was doing.  She was trying to make him jealous – and it worked.

“
Heather!” Justin snapped at her, but she ignored him.  “Heather, stop it!”

She wasn
’t crying, but she was on the verge of tears, and you heard it in her voice as she mumbled a feeble, “Leave me alone.”

“
Leave you alone?  Don’t talk to me like that!”  Justin held his arms out to her.  “Come over here, right now.”

She peeked up from Kenny
’s shoulder, and a tear glistened in the corner of her eye.  She shook her head, and buried her face in Kenny’s chest again.

Justin had no idea her rejection would affect him so much.  He watched Kenny rest his cheek on top of Heather
’s head and rub his hand up and down the center of her back with a loving touch – and Justin didn’t like it.  Not one bit.  “Kenny, what are you doing?”

“
What do you expect me to do?  I can’t push her away.”

Justin stomped his foot, paced around the living room and almost collided with Nick when he entered through the front door.  Justin was glad that Nick was there.  Nick had a way of taking control and smoothing out a difficult situation.  Maybe he could put things into perspective an
d talk some sense into Heather.

Justin stood with his hands on his hips
, and his mouth pressed into a tight line, while Nick assessed the tension in the room.

Nick took a double take at Heather in Kenny
’s arms.  “What’s going on?”

No one answered.

“Heather, what’s wrong?” Nick asked again. When she still didn’t respond, Nick looked to Justin, but Justin was too upset to answer, so he snorted and turned away.

“
They’re fighting,” Kenny said.

“
About what?”

Again no one replied.

Justin threw his hands up in the air. “It doesn’t matter!  I’m leaving!”  He had enough.  He wasn’t going to waste anymore time arguing with Heather.  When she was ready to make up, she would call him.  Until then, she could stay mad at him.

Nick blocked his path. 
“You’re not going anywhere.  Sit down.  You know damn well you’re not leaving here when she’s this upset.”

“
Look at her!”  Justin flung his arm at Heather, still in Kenny’s embrace.  “She’s using Kenny to get to me!”

Nick gently took Heather
’s arm.  “Let go of Kenny.”

She withdrew from Nick
’s touch and tightened her hold on Kenny.

“
C’mon,” Nick said.  “You don’t want Justin to get upset with Kenny, do you?”

Heather slowly stepped out of Kenny
’s arms and dabbed at the corner of her eye.

Justin waited, but she still wouldn
’t look at him.

“
Why won’t you tell me what you’re fighting about?” Nick asked her.

Again, Kenny was the only one to answer.
“Because it’s stupid, that’s why.”

“
The two of you act like kids sometimes,” Nick said.  “You’re going to stay here until you work through whatever problem this is.”  He waved for Kenny to follow him, and they went outside.

Chapter Sixty-Seven:

They did act like kids sometimes, Kenny thought to himself.  He didn
’t know who was worse – Heather or Justin.  They both could be as stubborn and defiant as a 4 year old.  Kenny and Nick took a seat on the deck out back, while they left Justin and Heather alone inside the house to settle their differences.

Nick ran his hand across
his short beard.  “What was that about?” he asked.

“
Heather’s mad because she just found out that Justin took one of his clients out to dinner last night.”

Poor Nick looked confused, and it made Kenny smile.
He hoped Nick was prepared to handle the dynamics of Justin’s and Heather’s relationship.  They were a complicated pair that defied explanation.  “It was a female client,” Kenny said.  “You know how possessive Heather is over him.  She’s pretending that she’s mad because he didn’t tell her about it beforehand, like he did it behind her back, like he was hiding something, but we all know that she’s just jealous.”  Kenny sighed with a dramatic roll of his eyes.  “God forbid Justin has any other female friends besides Heather.”

“
Why didn’t he just straighten it out with her first?” Nick asked.  “He had to know she’d be upset.”

Kenny raised his eyebrows and lowered his chin. 
“Do you really think Heather would be OK with Justin going out to dinner with another woman?  It might as well have been
you
taking another woman out to dinner.  She would have had a meltdown.”  He shrugged.  “Justin didn’t know what else to do.  He cut this woman’s hair for years.  She’s moving away and wanted to take him out to dinner before she left.  He couldn’t say no, and he was afraid to tell Heather because she would never let him go.”

“
I don’t understand,” Nick said.  “What’s the big deal?”

“
Nick . . . honey . . . don’t you know them by now?  There’s no talking sense into them sometimes.  He’s the exact same way with her.  We were together for years before Justin would let me call Heather or let me see her without him.  I couldn’t just stop by and visit without Justin.  I’d get the whole ‘she’s my best friend, not yours’ lecture.  Eventually he chilaxed, but it took a long time.  And he still gets jealous, like before, when she was upset and hugging me instead of him.  He’s just as possessive of her as she is of him.”

Nick wrinkled his brow and was quiet for a few seconds. 
“He’s not jealous of me, is he?”

Kenny laughed. 
“Of course not!  You’re not a gay man, honey.  It’s the friendship thing that makes them jealous.  Don’t try to make sense out of it.  Whatever they have, it’s extreme.  It’s almost supernatural.”  He shook his head and glanced up to the sky.  “They better both die simultaneously in a car crash or something, because I don’t think either one of them could live for one second without the other.”

#

Justin opened the sliding glass door for Heather, and she smiled at him as she stepped out onto the deck.  She placed her arm around his waist, and he put his arm around her shoulder, as they walked together to the patio table to join Kenny and Nick.

“
Did you two kiss and make up?” Nick asked.

She lowered her eyes and nodded.  She was embarrassed by her behavior.  She knew it was childish, but she had no control over it.  Justin was always the one constant person in her life.  Her father abandoned her and her mother when she was just a baby.  She had no brothers and sisters, and she lost her mother years ago.  Justin was everything to her
– friend, confidant, adviser. He was the rock she leaned on. 
Her
rock, and she would never share him.  She was the woman in his life.  There was no room for another.  She required his all.  As overbearing as it sounded, she knew he cherished her possessiveness, and she felt the same way about his claim over her.  They were one and the same, both greedy for the other’s attention and savoring the protection it offered.