With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 15

Audrey didn't know what to do. She should just ignore it and let the call go to voicemail. Part of her wanted to hear his voice, find out why he was calling. Jake had sent her a text when her mother had passed away to say that he was sorry for her loss. She hadn't heard from him other than that. She looked from Macy to Sergio, who were both staring at her. Excusing herself, she walked into the house.

"Hello" she answered.

"Audrey, how are you?"

"Umm...I am good. You?"

"Pretty good. It's good to hear your voice." Jake said. Something in his voice made Audrey's breath catch. She wasn't sure if it was remorse or just Jake's usual cockiness. She didn't reply.

"So yeah...I am back in Colorado for a bit. Visiting family and such and was wondering if maybe you wanted to get together. You know, catch up and all that."

"How long are you in town?" Audrey asked.

"I go back to Los Angeles the day after tomorrow. It's a quick trip. I should have called you sooner. I understand if you have other plans." Jake said. He doubted that she had plans and if she did, he was sure that she would change them for him.

"I am actually out of town." she responded.

"Oh really? Where are you?"

Audrey chuckled.

"Madrid."

"As in Spain? What the hell are you doing in Spain?" he asked, shocked.

"Macy and I took a little vacation."

"Oh, wow. Well I guess I will catch up with you next time then."

They sat there in silence for a moment. Jake was the one that broke the silence.

"I miss you, Aud."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I do. Do I really need a specific reason to miss you?" he asked. She could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Well the way you left and the things you said...they led me to believe that you were happy to be rid of me, Jake."

"Yeah, I am sorry for that, but that's in the past. We could move on from that. I really want to see you. When do you come home?"

"I don't know." she lied.

"How do you not know when you come home? If you don't want to see me, just say it, Audrey."

"I don't want to see you, Jake. You broke my heart. I will relive that moment every time I see your face. Hell, I am reliving it now, just hearing your voice."

"Fine. Someday you will grow up, Audrey, and when you do...you will realize that people make mistakes and maybe leaving you was a mistake. I realize that now. Let me know when you do grow up."

With that, Jake hung up the phone. Audrey stood there staring at the wall. She wanted to break down and cry. No, she wanted to throw something more than she wanted to cry. She had given Jake enough of her tears over the years. How dare he? Jake was the one that needed to grow up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. Turning, she saw Sergio standing there.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"I just walked in. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." she said, sharply.

"Are you sure? You seem pretty upset. We could hear you from outside."

"What did you hear? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who I was talking to if you heard what I was saying." Audrey said, glaring at Sergio.

"Hey...baby...calm down. I didn't hear anything; just your voice was raised. That's all. I can tell that you are upset. You can tell me anything. If you don't want to tell me, well that's fine too."

Sergio pulled Audrey into his arms. She immediately felt horrible for taking her anger toward Jake, out on him. Sergio was nothing like Jake. She hardly knew him, but just knew that he was different.

"How about you go change. The four of us can go to dinner and it will take your mind off of what is bothering you. Or we can go upstairs, leave Karim and Macy alone for a minute and I can take your mind off of it myself."

Audrey laughed. She smiled up at Sergio, thankful that he was here right now.

"As amazing as the second option sounds, I am starving."

"Alright, baby. Go change." Sergio said with a laugh.

****

Madrid. He could hardly believe that Audrey was in Madrid. She never did anything remotely interesting. He had hung up on her. When she said that she didn't want to see him, he feared that she was slipping away forever. He thought for sure she just needed some time after her mother had passed away and he would be able to convince her to come to California with him. She was the only thing he had ever been able to depend on in his life. The last ten months without her had been hard. The Los Angeles lifestyle had its perks, which had made it bearable. Models and aspiring actresses were at his disposal. Not to mention, the girls flocking to Hollywood trying to be the next Britney Spears, who didn't bat an eye at sleeping with a producer to try to get their foot in the door. But he still wanted Audrey back. He could still enjoy a few of the perks on the down low if he managed to get her to California.

As boring as Audrey had been sometimes, she made up for with how utterly amazing she was. He had to admit that walking away from her like he did, was quite possibly the biggest mistake he had ever made.

He could extend his stay in Colorado, see if she came back in the next couple of days, he thought. That's exactly what he would do. She wouldn't be able to deny that she still loved him to his face.