17. The Name Game

Tell Her - Del Amitri(Cover)

“Hey! Hey, hey!” Evan giggled into the phone as Alex’s voice came on the line.

“Umm… back attcha… what are you so excited about?” Alex asked slowly, glancing at the Jordan and Max, both of whom were beside him on the couch.

“So listen to this… Jeff isn’t going to be home this weekend, again… he has a game tomorrow night and then Saturday, Sunday he’s going to be hanging out with Mike Richards so… we should hang out!” She squealed, extremely excited to get to see her best friend again.

“… what?” Alex said slowly, his tone of voice, drawing the attention of his room-mates. “What about Jeff…?”

“Oh my gosh!” She gushed, “you’re not gonna believe this! Tonight when we were eating he told me that he didn’t care if we were hanging out again! Isn’t that fantastic?”

“Ummm…” Alex hummed, not sure what to say. Part of him was freaking out at the idea of Jeff spending time with Richards - was that actually where he was going? Could he possibly be dumb enough to go see the other woman, already? The other part of him, was trying not to get too excited at the prospect of seeing Evan. “Yah… that’s great. You want me to go over there? Or… what?”

“That works. I’ll see you tomorrow then? Early evening-ish?” She asked, bouncing back and forth on her feet.

“Sounds good Evan, I’ll see you then.” Alex hung up the phone and flopped back on the couch, earning a shove from Jordan.

“So?!” He asked loudly, clearly angry that Alex hadn’t already spilled.

Alex shrugged. “I have to tell her. I have to tell her the truth… he’s out with ‘Richards’ tonight… now… do you really think he is, or do you think he’s dumb enough to cheat again already?”

“It’s Jeff Carter… he’s a Flyer… he’s dumb enough to put his dick in an electrical socket! Of course he’s dumb enough to cheat right after getting caught.” Max stated, matter-of-factly. Rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jordan nodded, fully in agreement. “Well… I’m going over there tomorrow evening so… I’m gonna tell her. I’m gonna tell her.” Alex said again, trying to convince himself that he was actually going to have the balls to do it.

It wasn’t like it could possibly be that hard, they were just tiny, little, words, after all… right? Cheater, it was just a name, a title. It wouldn't be too hard to say, right?
Alex wasn’t sure how he should spill the news, but now he was sure that he had to.
If Jeff couldn’t even keep his word for a night, how could he be expected to follow along with the whole ‘till death do us part’ thing? He couldn’t, that was it, plain and simple.

“Gogo man… wait up as second… you can’t just tell her, tell her.” Max stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?!” Alex exclaimed, looking over at Max, his eyes shooting daggers. “You were just the one that was making the biggest deal out of this!”

Max held up his hands defensively and nodded along with Alex as he spoke. “I know man, just hear me out…” Max waited until he was sure he wasn’t going to be interrupted, before continuing. “Ok, if you go in there and just tell her, she’s gonna go ape-shit on you… girls always shoot the messenger. They're emotional and crazy… everyone knows this!”
Alex shrugged, waiting. “Bon dieu! So… what you need to do is, catch him… find proof. It’s Carter, like we said, he’s dumb… there's evidence in that house… you just need to go in and find it.
If Evan figures this out by herself, then you’ll just be a bystander… the bystander that she can turn to.”

Alex exhaled loudly and allowed his posture to relax. He wanted to argue with Max and say that the best thing to do was just be open and honest. If he was finally going to do this, then he just needed to man-up and do it.
But everything Max said made sense.

If Alex told her and she did believe him… would she hate him for not telling her sooner? Would she think that she couldn’t trust him anymore? Would this push her away?
Alex leaned forward and dropped his face into his hands. He should have just told her when he found out; then maybe he wouldn’t feel quiet so guilty right now.

He stood up and moved towards the stairs, not bothering to say where he was going; Max and Jordan didn’t bother to ask.
They watched him climb the stairs and disappear around the corner, heading quietly down the hallway towards his room.

When he reached it, he closed the door and shut off the light, crawling onto his bed. He dropped down onto the comforter, resting his head on the pillow as his arms slid underneath it.
He really needed to sort his shit out.

It was easy enough to ask the questions and find the answers that went with them, what wasn’t easy was trying to pull it all together, into something useful.

He allowed his mind to wander away from the questions and back over the wasted years; back to when he was exactly where he was suppose to be. Back when he was in her arms and everything was perfect.
He was so naïve then, taking every second for granted; if only he had of known then, when he knew now, maybe… maybe he would have appreciated it more.

No. If he could go back he wouldn’t have appreciate her more, that wouldn't be possible. Even if he had of known that his time was limited, there was no way he could have made himself love her more than he did; it wasn't physically possible. But he would change it, he would change everything.

She would have fought him, and been so angry at him for getting a real job, for giving up on his dreams. But that’s where she would have been wrong. Yes, he wanted to be a hockey player, he’d wanted it his whole life… but that was nothing. What he wanted wasn’t important, not when compared what he needed; and what he needed was her.
At the end of the day, if he just had of stayed where he was - if he had of just let go of that far away comet and focused on the bright, beautiful, star in front of him - he could have had it all.

He would have still ending up living in a big city somewhere, working in sport-marketing or something similar. Evan would have finished her schooling and gotten a job as a teacher, changing lives… the rest, well, that didn’t matter.
Maybe they would have had kids, or maybe not, either way, things would have been different…

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, turning his face until it was pressed into the soft feather pillow. Desire and want wasn’t going to bring Evan back, and it wasn’t going to change the past… he had to stop thinking about things like that.

He also tried not to think about what he could change. Could he really get her back? Was it possible that he was meant to be with her… her relationship with Jeff was just another obstacle in the road of their lives? It felt right… it had always felt right with Evan.
He trusted her, he appreciated her, he loved her… he had always loved her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wake Up Alone - Amy Winehouse

“So… you’re going out tonight, but you’ll be back later, right? I mean… you have a game tomorrow so… you’ll be home… when?” Evan asked, hands on her hips as she stared at Jeff from the living room doorway.

Jeff was laid back in his lazy boy, watching infomercials in his snuggie and eating popcorn. He glanced over at Evan quickly, catching sight of her stern gaze, before answering. “Yah… I’ll be back sometime tonight, probably after you’re in bed though… just depends what time Hartnell has to go home at.”

Evan rolled her eyes, it seemed like everything revolved around Scott Hartnell now. She didn’t want to be the crazy, jealous fiancé, but really, what about her? She hated the fact that Jeff spent all his time with the guys. Obviously, she couldn’t complain that he travelled with them, and worked with them; she had understood all that when she signed up for this relationship.
But it just seemed like everything else had fallen apart.

There was a time where Jeff use to want to be with her all the time, now he was just uninterested. Not only did he seem like he didn’t care anymore, but he wasn’t even around to act like he didn’t care.
Evan couldn’t blame things on Hartnell though, it wasn’t specifically his fault, and she couldn’t really be mad at Jeff; would she still love him if he abandoned a friend in his time of need?
She wanted to say no, but at the same time, she really thought she wouldn’t mind; not if it meant he was back to his old self.

No. So couldn’t blame Scott, she couldn’t blame hockey, and she couldn’t blame Jeff… so who did that leave her with? Was this her fault?
Was she not giving him what he needed? Was he still attracted to her? “Jeff…” She said quietly, taking a few, quiet steps towards him.

“Sup finger warmer?” He asked, not bothering to look at her this time. Evan exhaled lightly as the name crossed his lips, she tried to ignore it, shaking it off and moving towards him again.

“Make love to me.” She said quickly, simply, throwing herself out there. He finally glanced up at her, tilting his head as she closed the gap between them. She climbed up onto his lap and he turned the TV off, tossing the remote over onto the unoccupied couch.
He licked his lips as she moved closer, gently taking her face in his hands. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do, Evangeline was never one to initiate sexual things, and he had never heard her use those words before.

She stared at him, her eyes watering slightly as her relationship insecurities began to take over. He crinkled his brow as he watched her, confusion taking over. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you think I’m pretty?” She blurted, unable to stop herself as the tears began to overflow her lids, spilling down onto her pale cheeks.

Jeff tilted her face towards him and kissed her on each cheek, both kisses stopping the tears as they ran down her face. “Evangeline, I think you’re beautiful.” He said softly, pulling back to look at her, his hands never letting go of her face. “What’s this about?”

“I just… sometimes I… are you sure you still want this? Are you sure you still want me?”

Jeff exhaled loudly, moving his hands down to her hips, tugging her closer to him. “Baby, I always want you… I love you. If I didn’t love you then, I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with you… you’re… I just love you so much…” Evan bent forward kissing her again and Jeff stood up, carrying her over to the couch and laying her down.

He swatted the remote off with a free hand and pulled off his snuggle before laying down on top of her; his other hand sliding up the smooth skin of her leg.
He loved when she walked around the house in those little nighties. It was enough that he couldn’t see any intimate parts of her body, but not enough that he couldn’t just make out her petite form under the light fabric. He grinned as he nuzzled his face into her neck, her arms wrapping around him.

Jeff allowed his hand to move in between her legs, the tips of his fingers gently brushing her clit. She sighed and he pushed them up further, tenderly working his hands around the sensitive, pink, heat.
He pushed two fingers into her slit, once she was wet enough for him; doing something he hardly did - take his time.

He moved his fingers in and out, lightly at first, picking up momentum as Evan arched her back in accordance. She moaned loudly, spurring him onward. He moved away from her, until he was kneeling in between his legs. His hands quickly fumbled with his button and zipper, undoing them and tugging his pants down.

Jeff loved Evan. For every stupid, horrible, immoral thing he’d ever done, he honestly believed that he loved her more than anything. Maybe it was a guilty conscious, or maybe it was some kind of hidden charm taking over, but he stopped himself from entering her; teetering on the edge. “I love you, Evangeline.” He whispered into her ear, his dick pressing slightly against her opening.

She nodded and pushed her body down towards him. “I love you too…” She sighed, biting her lip and staring up at him.
Jeff moved his arms underneath her, each hand grasping one of her shoulders firmly as he pushed himself into her. She parted her lips in a silent gasp, opening her legs wider to accept him; crossing her legs behind his back and pushing him closer.

He moved steady, each thrust going a bit faster than the one before it, until he was pumping himself into her as quickly as he could.

They were done at the same time, Jeff’s climax, an eruption of force, Evan’s sigh, nothing more than a quiet let-down.

When he finally pulled himself out, with a sigh, he sat up and redid his jeans. Evan laid on the couch, watching him as he stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He smiled down at her and bent low to kiss her forehead. “Alright babe, I gotta go meet Hartnell… I won’t be long…” He gave her one last sheepish grin before heading to the closet to get his coat.

Evan continued to lay, unmoving as she listened to him make his way out the front door. She heard the truck door open, then close, the engine purring to life and moving down the driveway, slowly.
It wasn’t until the sound of Jeff’s vehicle was long gone, that Evan realized he said he was going to meet Hartnell.
She sat up, her breath coming out in quick, loud gasps as she dashed towards the large, bay window, that sat overlooking the front yard.
Wrenching the curtains open she glanced the way Jeff had left.

She could have sworn he said he was going to see Mike early that evening at the restaurant, but now he was going to see Scott? No, he had definitely made a point of saying Mike Richards, she distinctly remembered being surprised by that.
She turned around and ran towards the kitchen, grabbing the cordless off the wall and punching in his cell phone number. “Miss me already?” He quipped as he answered the phone on the third ring.

“Mike. I thought you were going to see Mike…” She said, breathlessly, clutching the phone to her ear.

“Ah… what? Oh… yah… I mean… I am going to see Mike. I guess I just… wasn’t thinking… use to saying Hartnell I guess. I mean, since we’ve been… ah… hanging out so much and stuff…
I’ll, ah, just talk to you later tonight ok baby-cakes?” Jeff stumbled, cursing himself for fucking up his alibi; he knew he just should have stuck with Hartnell… stupid Goligoski… ruining everything.

“Ok… I’ll… see you later on then.” Evan said quietly, hanging up the phone and trying to relax.
It had just been a slip up, no big deal. It wasn’t like it meant anything, she was just being paranoid.