What Connects Us: Jessica and Jeremy

Fragment Eight

Jessica shot up at the vibration of her phone on her thigh, it was a message from Holly

*Paying attention?* 

       Jessica sighed and refocused on the discussion their department was having in their meeting. She had grown tired and worried that nothing could soothe her, not even her doubling the amount of her daily coffee. The woman had become more and more distant ever since the last encounter with her husband. He hadn't replied to her texts or messages except for three days after, which soon multiplied to six, then eleven days and now she hadn't heard from him in two weeks. Of course returning her phone calls did not mean he would apologize wholeheartedly for the delay. She replayed her last phone call with him. 

       She was in her office on a lunch break when she decided to call him, and the long number composed of over ten digits was eched in her memory. Their phonecalls were a game of duck duck goose, to her at least. After the twelfth beep her heart skipped a beat when the anticipated thirteenth beep did not occur; it was substituted by the voice of the man she'd wanted to hear from for so long.

           "Hello?" Jeremy replied, and Jessica bit her lip afraid she might've woken him up.

            "Jem, hey," Jessica said in surprise while sitting up.

           "Is everything alright?" he asked. 

          Jessica nodded subconciously, "Yes, yes, I'm sorry if I woke you up or anything, I just wanted to hear if you're fine. I mean, you haven't responded to any of my calls, Jeremy. I got worried," she confessed.

          There was a momentary pause before he spoke, "I'm alright, I was really busy with everything. I barely pay any attention to international calls."

         Jessica wasn't convinced, "But can you at least reply to my texts?"

          "I told you I barely have time for anything other than work," he reminded her, and she could sense she was getting on his last nerve. She shook her head in disagreement.

           "Jeremy you promised me you'd call everyday. You and not me. So why is it that I'm doing all the calling and you never reply? Why is it that you're so cold towards me? I'm not even sure it's my Jeremy I'm talking to," she broke down. 

           The pause reoccured as she waited for him to make his move, but this pause was longer than the last one. "I'm sorry you feel this way. I have to go."

             Repeated beeps on the other end did it for Jessica as she slammed the phone hard and burried her face in her hands. 

       Jessica snapped out of her memory just as her sister-in-law sent her a second text.

*Coffee?* 

      She shook her head at Holly and glanced at the calendar on her phone; almost one month had passed and things were on the rocks. After a long night of contemplation, she finally decided to send the text to him she had composed.

*Jeremy, 

I'm sorry if I ever am considered heavy weight to your already busy life, and I'm sorry if I asked for too much even though you'd offered it before.

So from this day onward, to the last day of the six months I won't be doing the calls. You will. I hate to put you in this position, but you are making me do so. You're all I have and all I will have, Jeremy, which is why you mean the world to me.

I love you.*