With other places to be that afternoon, Megan said her goodbyes leaving Jake and Chelsea to have a few hours of quiet time together before her nephew packed up and headed back to college. They put on some music and lounged in the afternoon light while Jake edited a video on his laptop and Chelsea read. Both enjoying what they were doing, and time slipped by until the sun began to fade from outside the window.
"It's getting late," Chelsea noticed while setting down her book. "You really should get going,"
"I always hate this part," he said closing his computer. "Good thing I only have nine weeks left."
"Is it that close to graduation already?
Jake nodded. "It'll all be over in nine weeks, and then I hope you won't mind if I move back home. I guess you could say I have attachment issues."
Chelsea gave a laugh all the while thinking about the future. "Your father and I will be officially separated by then. I may be living someplace else, but I hope you'll join me."
"Do you think the divorce will get messy?" He asked knowing his mother might need to talk about it.
She shook her head. "I don't think so. Considering he was the one caught cheating, I would be able to demand everything. But I'd rather just split things right down the middle and move on."
"You make it sound so civil," he commented. "Don't divorces always have a way of turning nasty?"
"They don't have to," Chelsea said taking a breath. "It'll be unpleasant enough going through the motions, but I don't think either of us really hates the other. We've just grown apart. And at this point, we'll both be relieved to put that chapter of our lives to rest."
They talked a bit longer until Jake really did have to go. He reluctantly loaded his bag back into the car and turned to give Chelsea a final kiss. They held each other for what felt like a lifetime before finally, he climbed in the car and drove off into the darkness.
Being in a long-distance relationship wasn't thrilling, but Jake was determined to make it work. He had to balance weekends with Chelsea with devoting weekdays to school. A two-hour drive wasn't horrible, but it might as well have been two hundred miles between them since Jake had to restart the clock every Sunday night so he wouldn't allow himself to return home any sooner. He had to make smart decisions, and he knew Chelsea would also be patient and think all the more of him for it.
Dropping off his bag at the dorm, he opened the door to find a letter lying on the floor. Shoved under the door, it could've been waiting there since Friday for all he knew. He tore open the envelope and let out a deep breath.
Vanessa had sent him an apology. She admitted to messing up in the worst of ways and couldn't come up with a single excuse for treating him so awful. If he chose to forgive her, she promised that something like that would never happen again. Reminding him of how they used to feel about each other and that sex like the kind they shared last week didn't happen unless real fire still existed, she hoped they could find a way to move forward letting this indiscretion be a thing of the past. Jake shoved the letter back in its envelope and put the whole thing into a drawer.
Though Jake was glad to receive the letter, it never crossed his mind to give Vanessa another chance. He had fucked her senseless not for the purpose of showing there was still something between them but rather to prove that he was now capable of such a thing. And more importantly, it allowed him to choose Chelsea because he wanted her as a partner and not because he needed her as an instructor. Though he was still certain he could learn a lifetime of interesting things from the woman that he used to call mom, it was no longer for the purpose of satisfying an ex. He didn't think any more of it and unpacked his bag.
The week had been long. Forced to stay at work long after everyone else had gone home because of an error on her boss's part, Chelsea ordered takeout and came home to an empty house. Her texts with Jake reminded her to look forward to the weekend. And while each message continued to be the source that brightened up each day, it gave her a glow to realize that home really meant wherever they were together.
She had made it to Thursday and was already on her second glass of wine when the front door suddenly opened. It wasn't like Jake to arrive a day early, she thought sitting on the couch. It was a nice surprise regardless.
"You're a day early," she said smiling as her lover's footsteps approached. "But I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here anyway."
Chelsea's smile instantly faded as her husband came into the room. Still in his work clothes, he looked at her curiously and stared back.
"Who's a day early?" He asked suddenly feeling suspicion creeping in. "Were you expecting someone else?"
Knowing the truth would be the easiest way out of this, she decided to be honest. "Jake's been coming around on Fridays," she reminded him. "Don't you remember? I sent you a message about it close to a month ago."
Peter nodded and felt his suspicion deflate. "I remember now," he told her. "It's just been a long trip, and I had a lot on my mind."
Chelsea watched her husband come over and take a seat in the chair. He looked restless and out of sorts. She waited for him to say something, but nothing happened.
"Where's all your luggage?" She asked at last.
"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about," he said as if the words had been waiting on the tip of his tongue.
She had a suspicion what it meant, and felt her mouth go dry. Trying to recover, she took a sip of wine only to be uncomfortably certain of the conversation they were about to have. "You didn't bother bringing anything back because you're not planning on staying."
"No," he confirmed. "We haven't been happy for a long time and staying together would just prolong the inevitable."
"I agree," she said taking him by surprise. Chelsea forced the faint lines of a smile onto her face to show that it was alright. "I've known about her for a long time, and it sounds like she's the one that makes you happy. That's really all there is to it."