It's complicated

Janey

Staring out her kitchen window, Jane's eyes stopped at the sun lounger by the pool where she had cried herself to sleep after Jake and kids had left. She half wished she could go out and do the same tonight but crying wouldn't help the situation she was in. The confused state she was in was unbearable, her therapist couldn't get her out of this one.
Jake had been in her house for twenty minutes now and for twenty minutes she had been pacing the kitchen washing, brushing, cleaning, drying, clearing. Anything that would stop her brain from over thinking things was time well spent.
Looking across her spotless kitchen Jane sighed cursing herself for completing the tasks too quickly. What was she supposed to do now?
Grabbing an open bottle of wine Jane set it on the breakfast bar and placed a clean wine glass beside it.
Jane tapped her finger nails off the worktop for a few seconds contemplating drinking wine while Jake was under her roof. Jane's phone vibrating brought her out of her thoughts. Great. Someone to text or even phone. Jane quickly counted in her head how many minutes she could stay away from Jake by having a simple conversation on the phone.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Jane ran her hands threw her hair wondering where it had all gone wrong. It's Valentine's Day, she should be going out with a husband or partner, not be stuck in her kitchen, hiding from her ex-husband.
Flipping the screen of her phone up, Jane narrowed her eyes to read the text she had received.

---
WHERE ARE YOU?!!
-Trisha
---

Jane angrily slid her phone down the breakfast bar, closing her eyes as it slammed against the wall. She didn't care right now as long as she didn't have to read the message again.
There was no way she was going into that room. It was bad enough having Jake under her roof but she couldn't stand being constantly on edge when being in a room with him. His side glances and cheeky smiles made her go weak at the knees and he knows it.
Turning around with one of her hands still over her face, Jane spotted the bottle of wine and the clean glass. She was quick to discard the glass beside her once fully functional cell phone and instead grabbed the bottle, swinging it until it met her lips.
"Jesus Janey" Jake stared at her wide eyed. He had witnessed everything. He had rarely seen Jane angry but hurling things around the kitchen was a new side of her he didn't want to explore.
As the last drop of the red liquid hit her lips, Jane set the empty wine bottle back onto the breakfast bar. Jake sighed, half relieved that the wine bottle hadn't endured the same fate as the phone and wine glass.
"Is it safe to come in..?" Jake threw his hands up in a surrender as he took a few small steps into Jane's new kitchen.
Jane glanced up at him before turning around to look out the small window again, only this time it wasn't the pool she was focusing on, it was Jake's reflection that seemed to be moving closer to her.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say that your hiding from me" Jake smirked at he reached the other side of the breakfast bar. Leaning over his eyes moved down Jane's body before finally focusing on his favourite part.
Taking a deep breath, Jane twirled around raising an eyebrow when she realised that Jake's eyes had been solely focused on her ass. "I was just clearing up"
"I could have done that" Jake quickly stood up straight, trying his best to focus on Jane's face rather than the small black dress that hugged her frame.
"You....clean...?" Jane giggled "why do I find that so hard to believe" she smirked.
"I have been moving between my car and sofa for the past six months. Things have changed" he chuckled.
"You've been kicked out by both wives for cheating. Isn't that implying something to you?" Jane folded her arms as she rested her back against the kitchen counter.
"Yes...maybe I should have stayed with my first choice. I remarried but it seems that even after saying 'I do' for the second time, I still couldn't stay away from wife number one"
Looking at the ground, Jane bit her lip as her eyes slowly edged up to meet his.
"You should come in" Jake smiled, changing the subject as he tried to avoid Jane's eyes "I'm getting grilled by your three best friends and besides...I'm not that scary"
Jane unfolded her arms and pushed her lips together as she watched him walk back down the hallways towards the lounge.

~

Glancing over at the broken phone, Jane pushed herself away from the bench and walked down towards the lounge, taking a deep breath when she heard the sound of Jake's overbearing laugh.
"Jane" Diane exclaimed, moving over slightly to give Jane a place to sit.
Jane kindly accepted her offer after realising it was the furthest away from Jake she was going to get.
"Wine?" Trisha held out a glass.
Jane declined, catching Jake's eyes as she turned her attention back to the three girls.
"Jake here was just talking about you" Joanne smiled as all four girls eyes focused on Jake.
"Oh god" Jane muttered "perhaps I will have a glass of that" Jane outstretched her hand, hinting Trisha to pass her the bottle.
"Do you think that's really a good idea" Jake raised an eyebrow catching the girls attention.
"You gave up the right to decide that about ten years ago.....when you divorced me" Jane narrowed her eyes at him before finally grabbing the bottle of white wine from Trisha's hands.
"Your the one that asked me for a divorce...remember" Jake looked at Jane's shocked expression before taking a sip of his wine. He never could help starting an argument. Any comment that was made to him always had to have a smart reply.
"Yes, I remember" Jane narrowed her eyes at him, purposely filling her glass to the top while her eyes gave him a deathly stare "only what I don't remember is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to sign the papers"
"Right lets....." Trisha interrupted Jane and Jake's argument glancing at Joanne and Diane, pleading for some help.
"No" Jane raised her hand to stop Trisha, her eyes still solely focused on Jake "but you know what I do remember, Jake. I remember you staying late at 'work', constantly lying to me, leaving me on my own with four young kids when you went out to see your whore" Jane spat, raising her voice for the first time since god knows when.
Joanne, Diane and Trisha all stared at the 'happily' divorced couple before awkwardly taking a sip of their wine.
"Now that's not fair" Jake tried to defend himself, setting his glass down on the table hoping that Jane would too.
He didn't fancy picking glass out of his face all night.
"Not fair?" Jane chuckled "you know what Jake....I'm not even bothered that you left me for a hot uptight twenty something year old. What bothers me is that you broke up your family, hurt your kids and all for what?! She left you after a month then came running back to you when she got knocked up, all because she couldn't keep her legs shut"

~
Big Jane and Jake drama coming next!