Behind Blue Eyes
Copyright© 2025 by DB86
Chapter 20
Janice did a lot of soul-searching during the flight back home. The weekend with Robert and Benji had been among the first moments, she actually felt happy.
The lack of a real family had haunted her every holiday, every birthday, every gathering ... Spending the weekend with Robert and Benji had given her a taste of family life. She wanted more.
It wasn’t too late when Janice arrived in Middletown, so she went to The Gazette and found Rain, sitting at her desk, typing on her computer using two fingers.
“Hi, Sis. Welcome back. How was your flight?” Rain greeted her.
“Uneventful.”
“Did you enjoy your visit to New York?”
“I had the best of times with Benji and Robert,” Janice admitted with a dreamy smile. “What are you doing here so late?”
“I was typing the recipe for my moussaka. Some people have asked me for it since the last church event. I thought we could start a food section in The Gazette.”
Janice took a moment to collect her thoughts, and then smiled, “Not a bad idea. People could share their favorite recipes and tell us the story behind them. We could call it ‘Recipes with stories.’”
Rain pointed a finger at Janice. “Great minds think alike.”
“Why aren’t you at home with your better half?”
Rain pouted. “Rolf is doing some cyber-thingy for my friend Lukas’ business. I’m alone for the weekend. So I came here to hold the fort,” Rain explained, making a sloppy military salute. “Are you up for a game of cards?”
“Sure, why not?” Janice realized that she didn’t want to go to an empty house.
She sat down at the desk and Rain dealt cards. However, Janice’s mind was not in the game.
“Gin,” Rain said triumphantly, laying her cards on the table. Janice tore her gaze from the ceiling and reached for a card from the deck.
“Hello. I said gin,” Rain repeated, making Janice pause and blink at her in confusion. “You aren’t even paying attention, Jan.”
“Sorry,” Janice muttered, and then a small smile tugged at her lips, and she set her cards down, saying, “Bobby used to call me that.”
“Jan?” Rain asked, collecting the cards and beginning to shuffle them again. “How are things between you two?”
“They are great. I shared the most amazing weekend with Robert and Benji.”
“Well, you need to work on looking happy. What’s wrong?”
Janice let out a sigh. “We spent all Sunday together.”
“As a family?”
“Kind of. They gave me the grand tour of New York. My relationship with Benji is great. However, my relationship with Bobby is...”
“Complicated?” Rain offered, as she began to deal cards.
Janice nodded.
“Robert and I shared a moment. He was about to kiss me, but at the last moment he backed up.”
“How rude of him!” Rain said with mock exasperation.
Janice shrugged, her eyes sliding to the cards without really looking at them. “After the talk, I had with you, I was willing to give us a try, and see if the college love we shared could be rekindled, but I don’t understand what the deal is.” She dropped her cards on the table.
“Maybe he wants you back in Benji’s life, but he’s not interested in a romantic relationship,” Rain opined.
“No, Rain. Robert wants me. I may have been out of the dating pool for years, but I can still tell when a guy is attracted to me.”
“Okay. Are you attracted to him?”
“That’s a tricky one. On a physical level, hell yes. Bobby is still hot. Just thinking about him makes my body feel hot and restless. Emotionally ... I don’t know. He comes with risks.”
“How did you feel when you met Robert again and knew he wasn’t the bastard you thought he was?”
“Hopeful,” Janice muttered under her breath. “I began to toy with the edges of a fantasy in which we become a happy family.”
“All the feelings you had locked deep inside came rushing back.”
“Yes, they did,” Janice reluctantly admitted.
“Why don’t you ask Robert to go out on a date?”
“Because I don’t want to complicate things between us. We live on opposite sides of the country. Long-distance relationships never work.”
“I know,” Rain rubbed the back of her neck, thinking, “I think Robert’s attitude has to do with Benji, and not you,” Rain added quietly, setting the cards on the table.
Janice sighed again. “I was thinking the same thing during the flight back home.”
“Did the subject of you moving to New York come up?”
Janice shook her head.
“Robert knows I’m not made to live in a big city. New York is fine for a weekend but that’s all, I’m used to a quiet life here. New York is too noisy, and too hectic, without counting that I’d never get a job as a reporter there. I’d be lucky if I get a job at McDonald’s. Besides, it holds a lot of emotional baggage for me.”
“You two met and fell in love in New York.”
Janice nodded.
“Okay, scratch you moving there. Did you talk with Robert about him and Benji moving to Middletown?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.