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@jaceharlcw
QUICK STATS ;
Name: Jace Harlow
Age: 39
Gender & Pronouns: Male & he/him
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Time in Covington: Born here, then left for college. After college, Jace returned every now and then to visit family, and fully moved here in his mid 30's
Occupation: Attorney
Neighbourhood: Riveroak Farms
Relationship Status: Divorced, single
CLICK BELOW FOR QUICK INTRO & MY DISCORD!
WHO — @jaceharlcw WHEN — late evening or whenever works! WHERE — heavy hitters bar
Fairly freshly divorced and his ex-wife within the limits of the same small town, her hometown, Seth tossed back a shot of vodka. He always preferred his drinks straight and unmixed. This move, two productions pretty much right in front of Michelle's face, would likely seem vindictive on his part. Surely, her and her friends would think it so. Maybe some small part had been out of spite, but this had been set in the works long before any ink went onto those papers declaring finality on their marriage. Seth was hurt, he felt used and discarded, and that left bitterness wherever Michelle was concerned. There was no denying what a mess his head was and perhaps drinking into oblivion wasn't a smart move, he just didn't want to know anymore thoughts and feelings for the time being. "Here's to divorce, huh?" Seth toasted, raising his next shot.
Jace couldn't help but chuckle deeply at Seth's choice of words. Despite his own divorce being done and dusted two years ago, Jace had quite the skillset to surrounding himself with like-minded people. People who had been burned by failed relationships or scorned love, and relished in the bitter taste of swearing off any further relationships. It was how Jace kept himself away from the dating pool and allowing himself to feel any kind of emotion all this time. "You can fucking say that again." he raised his own shot, before swiftly downing the harsh liquid. "Correct me if I'm wrong but, doesn't movie and TV production take a long time? You sure you wanna be living in Covington instead of Atlanta?" Jace wondered lightly.
LOCATION: Heavy Hitters Bar WITH: @zchidavci
"Not to be a dick or anything," Jace began, which usually meant he was about to be a dick. But, at least he was being kind and giving his friend a warning. "How are you getting laid while living with another woman?" he pondered aloud. "Don't tell me you guys are secretly fucking and you just haven't told me?" Jace pushed, raising his eyebrows just slightly to see if it was enough to get Zahid to confess something.
LOCATION: The Walk Shopping Strip WITH: @georgie-abhrams
Jace knew those perfect blonde curls anywhere, he had seen them enough times sprawled across his pillow beside him in bed. He quickened his step to hurry alongside Georgie's, his hand moving to tug on her arm as he pulled her aside into a small alley between shops. "This game of cat and mouse is awfully tiring when the mouse isn't around to be caught." Jace pressed his palm against the cool bricks beside her head, his body leaning into hers just slightly. "Where have you been?"
Ozan knew love. Romantic love though, as much as he knew that he had felt it for years, he had never acted on. Jace was much more experienced when it came to a relationship, being married, putting in the work. "She told you this? That you didn't make her happy?" He couldn't assume that love could fix anything though, because if that were the case, Ozan would be happier now. But he could also imagine everything Jace had to tell himself to move on. The fact-of-the matter was that Ozan didn't know how Camila felt, he only knew how Jace felt, everything that his friend had given up for letting her go because he thought that she deserved better. It was just not fair though, what was the point of falling in love if you had to give up so much when you loved someone so unconditionally?
Ozan's eyes softened at the next question though, taking a sip of his own drink before he answered. Perhaps Jace had the right idea, something stronger could be good. "The fact that you just asked me that question tells me that you would probably do anything to be one." He started, taking a deep breath. Ozan knew what it was like growing up with someone careless, someone that had never given having a child a second thought and he still carried scars in his heart from her. He knew the other side though, someone that despite not knowing anything about raising a kid had put in the work and made things so much better for him. "Jace questioning yourself or your abilities to do something does not mean that you won't be good at it. It just means that you care. You care so much, that you are willing to give up on your dreams to make sure that you don't mess up. Do you know what that says about you as a man? As a person, even?"
"She didn't have to. She's the one who came to me with divorce papers, remember?" Jace almost rolled his eyes at his own words. At the time, he had known his marriage was going downhill at a horrifying speed, but he had always been pretty good at ignoring things. The irony of an attorney choosing to live his life in blissful ignorance. "What I could give her, it wasn't... Enough." Jace held onto his glass of whiskey with an iron grip as he swallowed heavily. "We were pulling in two opposite directions and I couldn't meet her in the middle." and what a fool he had been for acting so stubbornly... In the years gone by, Jace was becoming acutely aware that he had been the problem, but it was far too late now to rectify any of it.
"What if its too late? With Cam?" he turned to look at Ozan, his eyes soft and sad. He had mused this over time and time again, and often returned to drinking to forget. "What if the damage we've caused is irreparable and bringing a kid into it would just fuck it up even more and in turn, fuck our kid up and then we're back to square one?" of course Jace knew his friend didn't have all the answers, but he needed to air his grievances because Jace had never been an overthinker. Not until Cami happened, and their divorce. And then he questioned every move he made, every word he spoke to her.
She couldn't ignore the way that her stomach twisted uncomfortably when he mentioned why the two had ran into each other, how the thought of Cruz being involved with anyone caused her to feel this discomfort that she had thought she had shaken years ago. "He always knew how to keep everyone on their toes, didn't he?" She asked, no amusement in her tone. "It was just an accidental run in then?" She peered to the side he stood on, her eyes offering a questioning glance. She knew Jace had stopped being friends with Cruz years ago, but had that reconnected in anyway over the years that she was unaware of? She shrugged her shoulders at his own inquiry, "I mean, sort of, yeah. We ran into each other at the cemetery while I was visiting my mom. He was there to visit his dad and his sister. I didn't really know what to say to him, I didn't want to say much." Brie. "Did you know? About his sister?"
"Guess he hasn't changed all that much." Jace raised his eyebrows, a ghost of smirk tugging at his lips. He had fond memories of the three of them, always hanging around each other at school, trying to keep to themselves but always somehow finding themselves in trouble one way or another. "Just accidental." he nodded at her words. "I can't even tell you the last time I spoke to the guy, or hung out with him." he confessed, although he could probably guess it was well over ten years ago.
Jace's head hung low at the mention of Cruz's sister. "I knew." of course he had known, word got around town pretty fast when you lived in Covington. And sure, Jace had reached out to offer his condolences but he had always felt like he should have done more. "We should've done something, Blair." Jace confessed with a heavy sigh.
It truly took a lot these days to shock Arjun. As a doctor, he sometimes felt like he’d witnessed a lot of wacky scenarios, but this was by far the strangest conversation he’d ever had with a person. He looked down at the bottom of his glass where the last sip of his drink lay waiting for him, but he wondered if maybe he’d had a little more than he thought. What was this guy talking about? Arjun didn’t generally make it a habit of hitting on married women so whatever this was, was definitely news to him. “Excuse me?” he asked frankly, because fuck if he knew what this was about.
"You don't remember?" Jace questioned with laughter. "How could you forget Cami?" because he sure as hell couldn't, no matter how hard he had tried. "It was at the Valentine's Auction, you remember, right?" he inched closer to Arjun, his elbow slipping slightly on the bar top causing his drink to slosh in his hand. "Shit," Jace grumbled, shaking his hand that had gotten wet from the whiskey. "Anyway, anyway," he continued. "You won a date with her at the auction, right. And then you took her on a date, because, have you seen her? Why wouldn't you take her out on a date?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I want to be honest with her, but I also don't want to confuse or hurt her, you know?" Roman said, his brow furrowing slightly as he considered what the future might hold. It wasn’t an easy question to answer. "I figure I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I'm just focused on giving her the best life I can." That was all he could do.
As Jace shared his own experience, he listened with open ears and nodded along. "I get that, man. It's a tough situation to be in. But you're right, having a kid to try and fix things is never the answer. It's gotta be something you both want, for the right reasons." He said, sympathetically. He definitely would never want to be in his friend’s shoes. "You ever think about giving it another shot? Finding the right woman and starting a family with someone else? I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I think it’ll be nice to give Ivy a sibling." What he didn’t consider was finding the right partner.
"Everyone deserves the truth, one way or another." Jace shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not saying she needs to hear the truth right now, because that shit would confuse the hell out of her. But, which would you prefer? To be told the truth, or find out it was hidden from you most of your life and you were betrayed by the one person you never thought would hurt you? I don't know man, just food for thought, y'know?" he offered tentatively, taking a swig of his beer. Jace didn't know much about raising a kid, but in his job, he knew a lot about knowing when the right time was to confess the truth.
"I don't know if a woman would want to be stuck with me for the rest of their life." Jace exhaled an amused chuckle. He was well aware of just how difficult he could be at times, and how much strain his career could put on a relationship. "Maybe." he finally confessed. After all, he had seen the way one of his best friends had effortlessly stepped into the role of being a caregiver, and Jace often watched on wondering what that could look like for himself. "My career would take some serious rewiring though." Jace explained, his hand reaching to rub across his beard. That was one thing that tugged on his mind, if he could ever compromise on his career.
“And once again, I end up as the collateral damage in the messes you create for yourself,” he scolded with feigned indignation. It was true though. Jace held a number of his secrets. And while Jace dramatized in suggesting that they were ones that would ruin him were they to come out ( seeing as Jamie’s life was far too boring to have salacious secrets ), they were still ones that Jameson preferred he took to the grave. Moments of weakness in which he’d lay his heart out bear for the man that was his closest friend. Nothing would come if those confessions saw the light of day. But Jameson knew that they wouldn’t, because that was the nature of their friendship. “Besides, don’t forget that if I go down, I have plenty of ammo to take you down with me,” he countered as he began to plate up their food for them. The threat was as empty as Jace’s.
“That’s right Ashy. Don’t listen to silly Uncle Jace. Especially when you turn 18,” Jameson warned with a soft smile given to his nephew who watched the two men with disinterest. He was far more focused on the food that looked more appetizing than whatever Jameson had offered him for dinner. As he brought the plates to the table while Jace fetched them both drinks of their choice, knowing his way around the kitchen that he’d been in multiple times in the past, Jameson looked up at his friend while he cleared the mess that Asher had made of his food on the highchair.
“Did you bid on anyone?” After all, they both knew it would be unfair of him to be upset that Cami was dating when Jace himself had promptly found himself a few different women to share his bed. One of whom was Jameson’s assistant and his client’s daughter. That said, Jamie also knew that the reason that Jace was bitter was because though he let his ex-wife go, he never really had moved on. A doctor. His tone was acerbic, and he could have sworn no one ever sounded so disgruntled discussing a doctor before. “I don’t know him. How’re you feeling about the whole thing?” Not that Jameson really needed Jace to verbalize how he was feeling. It was clear in his tone. But maybe it would do Jace good to put into words the reason he was so obviously irritated. | @jaceharlcw
"Please," Jace scoffed with a knowing look. "And I allowed you to reap the rewards of my messes during high school." he rolled his eyes with his teasing words. "Well, that's if your parents ever let you out of your bedroom. I mean honestly, what kind of trouble did they think I was going to drag you into? Me? I was a model student." he puffed with a smirk. He had been a model student whilst at school... The rest of the time? It wasn't uncommon for Jace to get himself into questionable situations, and it was safe to say he hadn't changed all that much in the time since. "If you go down, ain't no way I'm not going with you. I'm not doing this life on my own." he warned Jameson, even pointing his index finger at him for added emphasis.
"Fine, we'll make it 21." Jace added with a jab mostly for Jameson's expense, before turning to look at Asher with a devilish grin on his face. "He's going to need someone he trusts when he drinks too much at a high school party and needs a ride home." he countered, knowing that he sure as hell could pull off the cool uncle look, perhaps not so much the father figure.
"I bid on Blair. It wasn't the first time I've bid on her, and it won't be the last. I've known her since we were in diapers. It's Blair, you know?" Jace explained as he stabbed his fork at the piping hot food. A gentle frown settled upon his forehead as he wondered if his actions could have been perceived as something else by Cami. But then his mind snapped to Arjun, and the disgruntled displeasure of knowing the man simply existed fell upon Jace's expression. "I was thinking of digging through some of his old patients, see if there's any cases for neglect or malpractice so I can sue his ass and take him for all he's worth." obviously Jace was only kidding, but he hoped that was enough for Jameson to understand just exactly how he felt about the whole thing.
Some may say that Jace lived two lives, with two versions of himself. There were the friends he had from Covington, his hometown. These were the people who had grown up alongside him, who had watched his development over the years. And there were the friends he had in Atlanta, where he had shrugged on a whole different persona of himself. In Atlanta, he was a hotshot lawyer at a big firm who went out for expensive drinks and luxurious meals with all of his equally successful and obnoxious friends. But never did he think the two lines would mix.
Until Birdie. He had known Brett for some time, and she had the unfortunate experience of being married to him. Now Jace wasn't exactly an angel himself, and he was no fool to believe that Brett wasn't either. In fact, Brett was catastrophically everything Jace never wanted to be as a husband. It was even more catastrophic for Birdie, who Jace had to stand by and watch be treated with such misfortune. He had tried, of course, to speak to Birdie, to plead her to see that she deserved better. But Jace knew all too well the toll a marriage could take on a person.
Through the grapevine, he had heard she had moved to Covington with her children. And it was almost to no surprise that she hadn't reached out to him. Jace was likely a reminder of the life she used to have, of the person she used to be. He wanted her to feel free, and be happy. And so he mostly had kept his distance, not wishing to be a constant reminder of the pain she once endured.
Or at least he tried to, although timing didn't seem to be on his side as he crossed the quiet road to greet her with a smile. "I was wondering when I'd bump into you." Jace confessed with a wide grin. "I guess time flies when you're opening your own store." he continued his smile as he briefly glanced up at Floral & Hardy. "I'm good. The firm is good, busy." although it was very clear he cared very little for talking about himself. "How are you? I hope Covington is treating you far better than Atlanta." he commented pointedly, meaning in more ways than one.
It'd been no secret that Brett White was a terrible husband, at least not to anyone who took the time to look past his loud mouth and inflated ego. Brett could put on a show at first, but it was impossible to ignore the little things as time went on, and that's exactly what Jace had come to witness. Birdie had always had an excuse, writing it off as not a big deal or just how he gets in public, but the truth was that she wasn't happy in her marriage a long, long time ago. Because Brett never laid a hand on the kids and was mostly not going to lay one on Birdie, she stuck by him as long as she had so their children wouldn't have to deal with a divorce. That didn't make it a happy marriage by any means.
"I'm glad it finally happened," she admitted, reaching out to give his arm a reassuring squeeze to drive home the fact that she meant it, no matter how much she'd seemed to avoid him thus far. It wasn't an intentional mission, really, more of just a happy little accident in her book. Birdie smiled when he asked her how she was, knowing full well she wouldn't have to lie one bit this time around. "It's been crazy, but so totally worth it. I'm really happy to be the boss, you know? Don't get me wrong, it can be stressful but what part of life isn't stressful now and then, right?" She knew he had to see it, the way she carried herself more confidently and more self-assured. Brett wasn't here to tear her down, and as much as Maggie sometimes reminded her mom of the man, Birdie didn't feel as trapped anymore.
Jace had known that after the divorce, the friends he shared with Cami would ultimately have to pick a side. Naturally, most followed his ex-wife because, well Jace was a dick, at times. But Birdie, she somehow masterfully toed the line between the two of them, without any major fallout. The woman had been through a lot already, Jace wasn't about to throw her ass to the side purely for the fact she had remained friends with both himself and Cami.
"You're telling me." he raised his eyebrows with an amused chuckle. Jace knew all about life being stressful... From work, to his divorce, to his old boss going missing, and his sperm demons showing up at the most inopportune moments. "I gather this means Covington is permanent, then?" he wondered as he took a longer, more purposeful glance at the flower shop. "Didn't feel like sticking around in Atlanta?" the two places were vastly different from one another, and Jace had wondered if her move here had been thought out or just a knee-jerk reaction from losing her husband.
The idea of sending Ivy away didn’t sit well with him. Roman might have freaked out in the past, but not once did he consider letting anyone else care for her. "Yeah, I couldn't bear the thought of her ending up in foster care. She's been through enough in her short life." When asked if Ivy ever asked about her mom, Roman shook his head. "She did at first, but now, it’s like she doesn't remember her at all. As far as she's concerned, I'm her dad." He supposed he should feel sad about that, but honestly it made things simpler. If Ivy asked for Jasmine anymore now, he wouldn’t know what to tell her. While raising her had been a huge adjustment, he couldn't imagine his life without her bright smile and infectious giggles anymore. She depended on him fully, and he took that responsibility seriously.
"I hope not. Jesus, I’m already having trouble taking care of this one, I don’t need an army at home.” Now his tune might change if he met someone, but he didn’t see that happening now. “People have done it for years and years, it’s doable, you just have to want it.” He took a sip of beer before continuing, “Don’t tell me you’ve never considered it if the right woman comes along…”
"You gonna tell her the truth one day?" Jace wondered aloud, out of genuine curiosity at how Roman even navigated the situation he had found himself in. Jace had a lot of respect for the man, knowing that choosing to raise another man's child wasn't exactly a simple decision to make. Hell, if Roman could raise someone else's child, then surely Jace could have a child of his own, right?
Jace exhaled a heavy sigh at Roman's question, his hand idly swirling the beer in his hand as he mused over exactly how he was going to answer. "Yeah, I guess I have." he finally confessed, moving to run a hand through his hair. "But by then it was too late, the marriage was fucked. And it ain't right having a kid and hoping it'll fix things." he shrugged his shoulders lightly, taking a heavy swig of his beer to wash down his words.
Arjun wasn’t exactly looking for company, but when the other man came over to him and deliberately struck up conversation, he found himself stuck. It was his upbringing that denied him the privilege of just nodding and ignoring him. His parents had always taught him to be polite when someone spoke to you, but then again, his parents also did teach him that talking to strangers was a big time no-no. Arjun felt like he could take this guy if things boiled down to a fight, but something told him he was safe; especially when said stranger asked if he was a doctor. “Yeah I am. A cardiologist. The name’s Arjun.” He took a sip of his drink before promptly joking, “Please don’t ask me to look at any questionable moles.”
Jace hung his head low, chuckling deeply at Arjun's words. Whatever the man had chosen to say, it would have risen a similar reaction within Jace because he had already decided he loathed the doctor before he had even met him. Sure, it probably wasn't Arjun's intentions to get in the way of Jace and his unrelenting jealousy. But, here they were, and Jace never really understood when he should back down and walk away. "Please don't tell me you used that line on my wife before you took her on a date." Jace turned to look at the man, his gaze heavy and holding strong as he lifted his whiskey to his mouth for a heavy swig.
Ozan knew it all-too-well; that feeling of loss that followed you when you were making what you thought was the right decision according to your brain, but your heart was set on something else. He could see it written all over Jace's face now, had seen it there many times before. There was something about it tonight though, that made him wonder if his friend really thought this was the end of his relationship. He patted Jace's back gently, taking a deep breath. "Don't be an idiot. No one would be better for her, look at you. If this isn't how a woman deserves to be loved, then what is?" Ozan murmured, taking a sip of his own glass.
"Yeah, you don't have much to worry about when it comes to me getting married." He admitted slowly, staring at his drink. It wasn't that he was cynical, Ozan believed in love. He always would. He did not believe, however, in tying someone else into all the issues that came with being with him. He'd put his friends through hell before, he hated to think what it could be like for someone in love with him. Tonight wasn't about him though, it was about Jace. "You and Cami don't have to be over and you know that. It's not over until it's over for both of you, signed papers or not. A paper is just that, a piece of paper. I don't have to explain this to you, you're a lawyer."
Jace forced himself to take a heavy yet shaky inhale at Ozan's offering of reassurance. Love had never been the issue between Jace and Cami, if it was just feelings involved then the pair would have never parted ways. It was everything that had gotten mixed and churned up in between that had been the problem, and still was. "Love doesn't equate to happiness." Jace spat, almost bitterly. Not in annoyance at Ozan's attempt, but in annoyance at the truth of Jace's own words. "She wasn't happy with me." the hard truth caused him to down his drink, quickly signalling to the bartender that he required another.
Jace sat there silently, tossing and turning the words from Ozan. If it was truly over, then Jace knew he wouldn't be feeling this way two years later. Two whole years of wishing and waiting, to see who was going to make the first move. But foolishly, neither of them had taken that first step. "Do you think I'd be a good dad?" Jace finally blurted out as he turned to look at Ozan with a sense of desperation in his eyes.
Ever since Blair had seen Cruz at the cemetery, her world had felt a bit off kilter. She had managed over the years, damn near twenty years, to put their past behind her, but all it took was one run in to throw everything off - all the work she had put it to forget him, or at least try to, seemed to be wasted now. She hadn't told anyone about seeing him, unsure of how she herself felt about it completely, and she hadn't seen Jace or Tess in a minute, so it wasn't like she really had anyone to tell. But here, walking along the strip of shops with Jace, she still kept silent about it. Cruz had been Jace's friend too, she wasn't quite sure if they had ever spoken or not, so she tried to not mention it as the years passed. She definitely didn't expect Jace to utter that name. "Of course you did," she replied, shaking her head, "I did, as well. It's like the Ghost of Christmas past has come back to haunt us." She kept her eyes forward, a mask falling over her face, "How was it? How was he when you saw him?"
"He was insufferable." Jace confessed. Although was he just insufferable because Jace had convinced himself he needed to be in order to continue hating him? Jace was loyal to Blair through and through, there was never a single fibre in his body that shifted away from that. But there were times when he would see Cruz, or hear of him, and wonder how the other man was doing. Jace had no doubt the two men would get on like a house on fire, and likely find themselves in situations that would lead to hilarious stories somewhere down the line. But a friendship with Cruz wasn't worth losing Blair over, and that ultimately had made Jace step away from the man.
"He was using me a shield to hide from a couple. Naturally, Cruz has been sleeping with the man's wife and didn't want the confrontation." he rolled his eyes at how much of a cliché Cruz had become. "Did you two talk? When you saw him?"
Refused. Rejected. Denied. Shot down.
It didn't really matter how you packaged it when the outcome was the same: Cami wasn't getting her loan. The very loan she'd been counting on to even start her goal of opening a sanctuary and rehabilitation facility on stable grounds.
She could blame it on her fathers bad investments years prior, could blame it on some combination of a few late payments, good but not great credit, and only breaking even most months with the way things currently stood... but did that really matter, either? Whatever the reason for the banks choice she was still out of luck.
Her vision, her dream— It was officially (and perhaps permanently) paused.
And since everyone back at Willowing Pines was waiting for news upon her return she'd taken the cowards path. Rather than heading straight home she fled for that little bench off the beaten path at Lake Shoal.
Technically, it wasn't and never had been her spot, if anyone could lay claim it was Jace, but over the years she'd borrowed it from time to time. Mostly, when she needed a hug and couldn't just go straight to the source. When she couldn't fall into the waiting arms of the one and only person who'd ever been capable of healing her hurts.
Being there was like being with him when she couldn't be with him.
Well. Him, figuratively, and a handful of ducks. Literally.
Crumbling off another section of the stale bread in her hand, Cami moved to fling it forth when a branch snapped underfoot. She froze, but didn't look.
She didn't need to look.
There was only him. Had only, and probably would only, ever be him.
So no, she didn't look but, leg still pulled to chest and cheek still pressed to knee, she finally scattered her offering just as the other side of the bench creaked.
For all she knew it could've been a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days before Jace broke the heavy silence but it was definitely less than half a second before it was her sharp inhale that fell in response.
What business of it was his whether or not she was?
Except that, too, she knew.
The ink on their divorce papers might've been two years dried but that invisible tether between them? It hadn't gone away. It was still there, latched into the bleeding mess of her heart. She felt its hooks sink deeper every day.
Except on the nights she caught wind of his exploits it felt less a hook and more a blade.
For that reason alone - the one that was an inconsistent parade of blondes and brunettes and leggy redheads with the immaculately scultped sort of bodies she'd have to pay for - Cami almost didn't deign to answer. Almost.
"What makes you think I am?"
Okay, so she didn't actually answer so much as pose a question of her own, and one needing no reply because, again, she already knew. Or at the very least she could guess.
The auction. The bids never meant to be made. The night only meant to be support for a friend that turned into a massively unexpected, all around regret.
Still— When he hadn't exactly vied for the title of Mr. Celibate 2022, 2023, or 2024 she wasn't sure he was entitled to that truth.
Cami weighed the list of ways she could elaborate, if at all, before settling on a very much reisgned: "I'm not." At last she lifted her cheek from its resting place, but only to sigh in the general direction of the lake. "Not seriously, at least."
A dinner here, a movie there, and the occasional hookup that lasted only as long as it took to get off once or twice didn't really count as dating.
"But why does it matter if I was?"
Apparently she hadn't learned how not to press at each and every 'them' shaped bruise. She liked that tiny bite of pain it inflicted. Relied on it, even. It reminded her there ever was a them at all.
"Last I checked you signed your name on the dotted line the same time I did, Jace." In fact, technically, if memory served, their lawyers prompted him to sign first. "We both know your bed's not growing cold so why should mine?" | @jaceharlcw
He scoffed loudly, shaking his head as he willed his gaze to focus on anything in front of him. Even if it was those damned ducks squawking for food from Cami. It seemed he wasn't the only one at this god forsaken place who wanted her attention, and that thought alone caused the muscles in his jaw to tighten.
"Because you displayed yourself on stage to everyone in this town. You may as well have paraded yourself with a sign with your phone number on it." Jace didn't know what he felt the most hurt for. That she was moving on, or that it felt like she had made a mockery of everything they'd had. The way she had so publicly showed not just Jace but everyone else that she was ready to date again, it was that part that had cut him deeper than he realised.
Then hit the next question, the one that Jace had lost many hours of sleep over. Why did it matter if Cami was dating again? It was pretty hypocritical of Jace, especially considering he hadn't always been entirely discrete in his exploits. But somehow he knew they had all been to fill the gaping void that Cami had left behind, the one that Jace had no idea how to heal. He had tried to fill it with other women but none of them seemed to fit right. He would always rush them out of his bed just as quickly as he had ushered them in.
"I signed it because you wanted me to, remember?" Jace harshly snapped, his own words leaving a bitter taste on his tongue as he finally turned to look at Cami. That was a mistake in itself, and he quickly turned back to the ducks mindlessly circling on the water. Funny, how he could feel him resonating with a duck. Seemingly unbothered on the surface, but beneath fighting for its life.
"I'm not publicly announcing to the town that I'm ready to fuck whoever offers me the highest bid." he suddenly snapped, and rose from the bench. With his hands shoved stubbornly into his coat pockets, he paced back and forth a few steps. He pulled a hand to his mouth, rough fingers rubbing his lips as he fought for something else to say. Something to try and distract from what he had just blurt out.
"You know, I really thought you'd have a little more respect for me after everything we've been through. But your little play for attention was desperate, even for you."
Fuck fuck fuck. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean a single word, a single syllable that just fell from his lips. But all he could see was red. And all the voice in his head could repeat was the fact that Jace wasn't good enough for Cami. He would never be good enough.
As much as he wanted to act like the auction hadn't been a huge deal, it clearly had been for several people and knowing Jace as well as he did, Ozan knew that this had very little to do with the date. It had more to do with the fact that he could have won that date with his ex-wife but he felt like he couldn't. He felt helpless and men like Jace didn't handle that well. Ozan knew it, because he was on the same boat. Where his own decision was to blame for not getting the results that he wanted not only for the night, but for his life in general. "You're right and I get that...but I'm gonna play the devil's advocate and hope that you don't punch me for asking this: don't you think she could be wondering about why you didn't try to get that date with her?"
Relationships were complicated, but Jace's was more than usual. his divorce didn't happen because they weren't in love anymore, it was for other reasons. Ozan didn't think that it would ever be possible for his friend and Camila to ever really be over. He couldn't answer that question though, even if he thought he had the answer because as much as he knew how Jace felt about his ex-wife, Ozan knew nothing about how the woman felt for his friend. "Have you talked to her recently?" He asked instead, taking a sip of his beer, deciding he was going to take it easy as he expected Jace to end the night in quite the state.
"Because I can't." Jace groaned, turning to look at Ozan with a dull expression in his eyes from the alcohol he had ingested. He had tossed over that very same question in his mind over and over again and had always come back to the same answer. "I gave up that opportunity when I signed those divorce papers." he was quick to remind his friend. Jace paused for a moment, watching the deep golden liquid as he swirled his glass. "She deserves better. Someone who can giver her... More." and with those heavy words, Jace mirrored them with a heavy gulp of his whiskey.
He shook his head in response to Ozan's question, followed by a slow sigh. "Not since the night of the auction." in fact Jace tried his best to not talk to Cami. "Word of advice, don't get married. Or if you do, don't get unmarried." his marriage had been great, until it wasn't. And then the aftermath that followed was even worse. But there were times when Jace had been happy, the happiest he had ever been, even. But now those moments felt like distant memories, hazes of dreams, almost.
To the old Cruz, his words may have stung. The old Cruz wanted the family, and the marriage, and the white picket fence. But that was the thing, he wasn't that person anymore. He hadn't been in a long time. Most people would say he was wrong, and hell, he sure was. But the thing was -- he didn't like married women. He liked unavailable women. Now if those unavailable women were just as fucked up as he was, then aye, even better. He never went out looking to destroy a marriage. They came to him, and who cared about what was right anymore? All he has ever done was what was right. And now, now -- he was an empty shell of himself for it. So, no, the words, or indications, or even disgust, Jace threw at him barely landed. He was amused, though. It was a small town, after all, people were in everyone's business. Therefore, he may not be friends with the man anymore, that didn't mean he hadn't heard his own stories. "Careful, Harlow, you know what they say about stones and glass houses."
Now that was the million dollar question. Because the truth was, Covington was the last place Cruz would choose to live. However, his dad and his sister were buried here. His mom refused to leave them, and his nephew was also here. A lot has changed for him, but the one thing that remained the same was the solider he was for his family. "Obligations." He'd finally respond, "Got to do what I got to do." If that wasn't the fucking motto of his life, then he didn't know what was.
"I don't sleep with another man's wife." Jace was quick to snap, his gaze hardening upon the male sat across from him. Perhaps Blair had been lucky to sidestep the trainwreck Cruz had become. If she hadn't experienced the heart ache with him years ago, then she would've experienced it sooner or later it seemed. No doubt with Cruz cheating on her with another man's wife... She sure as hell dodged a bullet with that one. "At least I haven't ruined another man's marriage, or tried to." Jace pulled a thin smile. No, the only marriage he had ruined had been his own, ironically.
"Obligations?" he scoffed. Surely the man could get a job at any hospital working as a surgeon, it was a well sought after skill. Why he insisted on remaining in Covington, Jace never knew. Unless his sole purpose was to piss everyone off... Then, well he'd certainly completed that goal. "To who?" Jace questioned, his eyes narrowing slightly.
