Red Flags (32 page)

Lunch was another exquisite affair. Jason
secured a private dining room at Restaurant Guy Savoy at the
Caesar’s Palace. The dark, sleek, sophisticated marble detailing
ornamenting the restaurant and us, in our lazy beach attire just
didn’t mix. Jason had no reservations when purposefully striding
into the restaurant and jokingly reminded all of us that, “lunch is
on Cara, so be sure to order whatever you want.” I shook my head
and nervously laughed. This was his money, not mine.

After a hearty lunch, we lazily walked back
to the Raptor, a few thousand dollars poorer, and started the trek
back to San Diego.

I let Hunter take the front seat so Chelsea
and I could have some chat time in the back. She was beyond
thrilled for me, and while she was accustomed to spending large
amounts of money at once, courtesy of her parents, this was new and
unsettling for me. She reminded me that I didn’t ask for it, so I
shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

About two hours into the drive, after having
fallen asleep, I awoke to a buzzing from my phone. Hunter and Jason
were chatting away, and Chelsea had passed out. I looked at my
phone to find a notification. I tapped the screen to find a message
from Jacob.

From Jacob Bradley

Hey! I’m sure by now you’ve seen the video of my
brother, completely out of control. Heather brought it to my
attention, after Stacey sent the link to her. Shame he hasn’t grown
out of that adolescent way of handling his problems, guess some
people never grow up. Anyway, I hope he changes that crap, and hope
you don’t have to endure too much more of that. How are the plans
for Texas?

I made no sound or movement, not wanting
Jason to know that I was still speaking, or rather, messaging
Jacob. He had no idea behind the reason of that outburst by Jason
and I felt compelled to tell him.

To Jacob Bradley

I have seen the video, but more importantly, I was
there, living in the moment. Jason may have overreacted, but he was
protecting me from some drunken ass wipe who thought it was a good
idea to aggressively grope me. Before you crucify your brother,
please find out where his actions are coming from. Plans for Texas
are in order. Only a couple more weeks until graduation, and then
we will be there.

He didn’t respond and I lay my head back
down, and drifted off to sleep for the duration of the trip.

When I awoke, Chelsea and Hunter were
unloading all of their belongings and I sleepily made my way out of
the truck. I hugged Chelsea and Hunter, a little too long for
Jason’s comfort I assumed because he was making a
clearing-his-throat sound to break us up. I adored Hunter and
Chelsea, and appreciated that they were always there for me no
matter what. Chelsea made the signal for “call me” and I nodded,
and they loaded their things into Hunter’s car to make their way
down to San Diego.

Jason unloaded our things and dropped them in
the living room of his large, expansive property. It was strange
that after everything we had been through, his place felt like home
to me. He went to clean out his truck, and on the kitchen counter
his phone buzzed. I took a peek at it and two text messages from
Mila lit up. Because they were still coming in, I could read the
messages on the top of the screen without having to actually open
the texts.

Mila

Are you alone?

Call me!

Mila and Jason both swore, repeatedly, that
there was nothing between them, but the fact that they texted and
talked, when I was not around, and in such a secretive manner
boiled me. I felt like going straight to Mila and ripping her hair
out, but the rational side of me told me to sit back and watch it
unravel. They wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.

I heard Jason come through the door, and I
stepped up to the fridge, making it seem as if I never encountered
the blood curdling text messages on his phone. He walked through,
kissed my cheek, and grabbed his cell phone, checking the messages
left behind by Mila. He didn’t look at me, made no mention of the
texts, and simply placed the phone into his pocket.

Careful not to stir his suspicions, I stood
behind him at the counter, and placed my hands into the back
pockets of his shorts and rested my cheek on his back. He sighed a
welcome sigh, and softly asks, “Your birthday is coming up, what do
you want to do?”

I removed my hands and he turned to face me.
“I don’t know; something with you that’s for sure.”

“Well, that cocktail dress you bought today,
make sure you wear that Saturday. I have a nice dinner surprise
planned for you.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, surprised that he had
already put so much thought into my day.

“Yes, but that's all you’re gettin’ so don’t
ask anymore, because I ain’t tellin’.” He kissed my forehead and
walked to the bathroom.

I heard the distinct sound of rushing water
filling the bathtub, and I gallantly jogged to join Jason. He
poured the bottle of bath bubbles, and turned the music on to a low
instrumental. Undressing me with his exquisitely talented hands, I
surrendered myself to him. As much as he pissed me off, I thought
about the beautiful moments that we’d shared; the attentiveness
that he’d shown me and it made the bad thoughts disappear. Lifting
me up with his amazingly toned arms, he slowly lowered me into the
lavender scented bubble bath. My facial expression must have given
away my thoughts because Jason quickly stated, “I laid out your
pajamas, but I have to go and finish up some work for my dad,”
before I even had the opportunity to ask him if he would be willing
to join me. He knelt down next to the bathtub and delicately kissed
my lips, then gracefully walked out of the room.

Resting with my body against the back of the
bathtub, I slinked down in the water and allowed the music to sweep
me away. The thoughts of the Vegas trip flooded my head and sent me
on a rollercoaster of emotions. The time with my parents, the fight
with Mila, the game, Coyote Ugly, the catwalk, Jason’s gambling,
our upgraded suite, the shopping spree; everything was vivid, and
fresh. Amazement quickly sprang to mind when thinking of all I had
been through since meeting Jason and where we currently stood. I
was learning more about him, and although I would be lying if I
didn’t say that his ambiguous nature didn’t bother me, I was
gaining small bits of information.

Thoughts of Jacob charged in my mind. His
messages, although elusive, contained a hint of antagonism aimed at
Jason. The term sibling rivalry didn’t adequately describe the
tense relationship between the Bradley brothers, and I was
determined to figure out why they were at such as impasse. My heart
began to ache for Jason as I thought of a father who labeled him
the black sheep, and a brother whom he shared mutual hate for. I
hadn’t learned enough about his mother to know if he had anyone in
his corner.

My own family crept into my thoughts. Ryan
and I were close, and we didn’t even share the same mother. My dad
was my best friend, my mentor, and my inspiration. He took Ryan
when his own mom couldn’t make time for him. My dad was exactly
what I wanted in my future husband, and while I saw that Jason was
a work in progress, the blame couldn’t be laid squarely at his
feet, since he hadn’t had the foundation laid for him to become
that man. Maybe my dad could spend more time with him?

Making my way to the bedroom, I threw on a
satin night gown that Jason laid out for me, rubbed lotion onto my
freshly shaved legs, and lay my exhausted body down in the bed. I
turned on the TV and stopped on a sappy love story. My mind was
filled with happy thoughts, and I fell asleep in what was probably
the best mood that I had been in -- in a long time.

<>

The next morning, after sleeping much too
long, Jason and I hurried out of the house and drove back to campus
so that I could make my turn-in meeting. I was unashamedly jealous
at the fact that he could throw on a t-shirt, jeans, and sandals,
and look impeccable, while my shorts and t-shirt attire, with hair
thrown up on my head, had me looking more homely than anything
else.

Mila consciously avoided me, but out of the
corner of my eye, I caught a few glimpses of her looking at me. Her
expressions gave off the impression that she wanted to say
something to me, but she didn’t give in to her feelings. I decided
to give back exactly what she is giving off to me -- nothing. We
may have had a decent time in Vegas, after sweeping the problems
under the rug, but nothing had been solved. Chelsea spoke to her,
but even that conversation was cold and short. It was disheartening
to see the transformation of a perceived friend in such a short
amount of time.

We turned in our gear and were almost out of
the building when Coach called me back to speak to me about a job
opportunity that he thought I would be perfect for. Chelsea went
ahead and drove back up to the apartment, and I tried to make the
meeting brief, knowing that Jason was waiting outside for me. Coach
informed me that a Sports Marketing Firm in San Diego was looking
for a couple of Entry Level Marketing Managers and he believed that
I was well qualified for the position. He also informed me that he
knew the founders and had thrown my name into the hat, and sent in
a copy of my transcripts. I was floored and overwhelmed by the
news. Thoughts of life after college had been on my mind, but
really, there were no immediate plans.

I rushed out of the athletic building and
down the hall when I heard Jason speaking. I moved a little closer,
wondering who he was speaking to when I realized Mila was the other
party in the conversation.

“Hey, don’t worry about her okay…” Jason
said, and I my heart began beating like it was ready to pump itself
right out of my chest.

“I don’t know how much more of her stares and
comments I can take Jason…”

“Not much longer, please Mila. Don’t say
anything… not yet.” He said, almost begging her.

“I don’t like all of this sneaking around,
and I want to tell Ryan so badly. Are you sure you don’t want to
just tell them, and end this? I don’t think it’s worth it anymore…
I’ve pretty much lost my friend.”

“Trust me, and don’t say anything.” My chest
felt like a flame had been lit on the inside, my heart was rapidly
expanding, and my anger, jealously, and hurt were all at an
all-time high. Thoughts of running out and beating the crap out of
both of them ran through my mind, but sanity prevailed and I
quickly dismissed them. Should I step into their view so they can
see that I have been here, and have heard every ounce of this vile
conversation?

I couldn’t bring myself to face either of
them at the moment, so I turned and went back into the building.
Luckily, Coach had left so I was able to run to the other exit door
on the far side of the room without anyone seeing me. With my cell
phone in hand, and more tears streaming down my face faster than I
could wipe, I called Chelsea, and through sobs, asked her to please
come down to the athletic building to pick me up. Thankfully, she
didn’t ask any questions and rushed down to get me.

A few minutes later, Chelsea, with damp,
freshly showered hair, pulled up in her sleek Infinity. She rushed
out of the car and over to me, pulling me into her and led me into
the car. The ride up to our apartment was unusually silent, with
the exception of a few sobs here and there. Chelsea still didn’t
ask any questions – she just drove and kept her hands on my thigh.
My phone started buzzing and through my tear stained eyes, I saw
Jason show up on the caller ID. I silenced the buzz and put the
phone into my bag, only to have it buzz a few more times. Chelsea
looked over and gave a warm, compassionate smile, but still said
nothing. I tried my hardest to return her gesture, but the unease
of my stomach didn’t allow for much of anything but a frown.

Our arrival to the apartment was much of the
same – quiet. I lugged myself into the apartment and made my way to
my room. The feeling of utter defeat had occupied my body and I no
longer felt the capability to control myself. That is, until I
heard the door open and Jason’s voice calling out my name. I jumped
up, only to hear Chelsea asking Jason, “What the hell did you do
now?” He tried to sidestep her, but she didn’t budge and demanded
to know what had me so deflated. Mila chimed in to try and subdue
Chelsea, and that was when my adrenaline perked, and I darted out
of my room.

I rushed to where Jason and Mila were
standing next to one another, and lost myself to an ugly, fit of
rage.

“Get the fuck out,” I screamed at Jason,
while pushing his chest with every ounce of the energy I had
somehow gathered. “Just get the fuck out.” His face read confused,
and Mila tried to come to his defense, but I cut her short. “Don’t
say a fucking word to me.”

Her mouth dropped, and she gaped at me, while
holding the very bottom of her neck.

Chelsea was noticeably confused, and jumped
in to sort through the unspoken keys to the conversation. “Wait,
what am I missing here? What the hell is going on?”

I turned to her and with my breathing erratic
and uncontrollable, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “My
ex-boyfriend and your fucking friend here, that’s what happened.”
Chelsea’s eyes shot open, and as she turned to face Mila, Mila
stepped forward to defend herself.

“Pinks,” I interrupted her and warned her not
to call me Pinks, “Cara, I have no idea what you’re talking
about.”

My irritation sky rocketed to an un-chartable
level as she tried to deny the very words and actions that I had
witnessed over the course of weeks. Jason tried to rub my shoulder,
but I quickly moved away while shrugging off his advances. I
couldn’t even stomach his touch; it felt so dirty and wrong.