Is It Revenge Or Love?

Cat Got Your Tongue

~Monroe~

I was surprised to learn that Jaylene is quite the mover and shaker. Once I got her information and decided to act on it, finding her became extremely difficult. Without the resources to do what I like, I would not have been able to find her.

My information allowed me to track her down to an apartment building. It also told me that a company tied to her family had just purchased the building. I still have no idea what that’s about, but I plan to figure it out.

By the time I got there, her apartment was cleaned out. I didn’t bother contacting her family because the information I received told me she’d had limited contact with them for years. I kind of figured that she wouldn’t be there. I went to her job and was surprised to learn that she worked with children. The Jaylene I know would never be that selfless.

When I went to the school, she wasn’t in, of course. I had to do a deep dive into her life, and from that, I found Amber Kavanagh. I remembered her from high school and remembered that they were always pretty close. My search was rewarded when I caught video footage of Jaylene going in and out of Amber’s apartment.

I stand in front of her open door, amused at the expression on her face. Her mouth is hanging open, and she looks like she’s seen a ghost. I hate to admit it, but she’s still the goddess she was in high school. Unlike the night of the party, her hair is down, sitting on her shoulders. Her skin is still the perfect shade of mahogany. That face is the same face I dreamed of as an adolescent, and I have that it’s doing things to me. I chant the word ‘revenge’ in my mind over and over. I don’t want to lose sight of why I came looking for her. I’m not that silly teenage boy anymore, and I won’t let old memories pull me under. “Are we going to stand here all day, or do you plan to invite me in?” Jaylene closes her mouth and stumbles to the side. I suppress my laugh and walk through the door.

This is a nice place, but I knew it would be once I saw the name of the apartment complex. It isn’t a place someone who works at a school could hope to rent on their own. I would assume that her parents are funding her living arrangement, but I looked at her financials, and that’s definitely not the case.

The entryway leads to a living room decorated in teal and gray. It’s a nice look, though it's a bit too much color for my tastes. There’s a lot of high-end art on the walls, which screams wealth. It’s easy to see this is all Amber’s doing. I’m sure that the only remnants of Jaylene are in her bedroom.

I quickly turn and put my eyes on Jaylene. She’s standing in front of the closed door, staring at me. I clear my throat, trying to keep my face neutral. “Hello, Jaylene.” Her mouth opens, then closes without her saying a word. I take a few steps toward her, making sure to move slowly. “Cat got your tongue?” Jaylene visibly swallows and opens her mouth again. Still, no sound comes out before she closes it. I want to laugh aloud, but I don’t think that will help my cause right now. I stop a few feet from Jaylene and wait.

“Mm…. Monroe Rivers?” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and the astonishment in her tone is unmistakable. I let a smirk grow on my face.

“In the flesh. How have you been, Jaylene Mackey?”

~Jaylene~

I know I’m hallucinating; I must be. I’ve been telling myself this since I opened the door and saw him standing there. I kept saying it as I stepped aside to let him in. I said it as it walked over to me, and when I said his name. “In the flesh. How have you been, Jaylene Mackey?” A shiver runs through my body. He still has that deep, velvety voice. I remember loving to listen to him talk to me in high school.

“Uh, I…we…uh, what are you doing here?” Fu.ck me if my voice isn’t breathy as sh.it. I feel like some young teen standing in front of her dream boy. I’m a grown-ass woman feeling this way; how embarrassing.

“I came to see you, of course.” He came to see me, duh. My heart flutters and I feel giddy until reality sets in. I literally just started staying here, and I’ve only told Nancy where I moved. How would he know I was here?

“Ho… how did you find me?” He looks away briefly before looking back at me.

“I saw you in the building and I had to be sure it was you.” He saw me in the building, so he must work here or something.

I take a moment to take in his features. He’s a bit different from high school, but not much. The biggest difference is the scar that sits on his neck. He definitely didn’t have that scar in high school. Those hazel eyes still make my stomach do flips. He’s wearing an expensive-looking three-piece suit, but his muscles are not hidden under the fabric. That’s another difference, his fit body. “Jaylene?” I shake my head in an attempt to silence the lustful thoughts invading my mind.

“Uh, do you want a drink or something? Care to have a seat? I haven’t seen you since high school. Where have you been? Why didn’t you finish with us?” I feel like I’m struggling to pull air into my body. I know I’m talking fast, but I can’t help it. I am beyond nervous and don’t really know what to do with myself.

Monroe throws his head back and laughs, exposing his muscular neck. “Just breathe, Jaylene. You’re burning through a lot of questions.” He looks around before letting his eyes land on me again. “It looks like I interrupted something. What were you doing?” I look down at myself and see remnants of food.

“Oh, uh, I was making dinner.”

“Don’t let me interrupt. I will follow you.” I inch forward a bit and then stop to look at him. I shake my head and walk past him, catching a whiff of his cologne. I swear my knees get weak, and I silently pray I won’t fall in front of him. I continue into the kitchen and go back to what I was doing. His presence is hard to miss as he sits at the island, facing me. He watches me in silence while I continue prepping the ingredients. “You cook.”

“Of course I do, don’t you?” Monroe chuckles, and the schoolgirl in me giggles uncontrollably.

“Yes, I’m just surprised that you do.” I know what he’s implying, but I don’t want to acknowledge it. I continue to get everything prepared and mixed. I feel his eyes on my every movement, and it’s making me become unnerved. I put the food in the oven and turn to Monroe, wiping my hand on a towel. “What are you doing here, Monroe? Where have you been all of these years??