Wes
Three months later
Wes had no idea how much he would enjoy learning to throw a knife.
He loved it.
He had improved by leaps and bounds in the three months since he took his first lesson with Jolene. She was a patient teacher who took pleasure in being a part of his progress.
During that first lesson, she had made it seem as though she didn't want teaching him to be a regular occurrence. She kept insisting that she would do one lesson and then he could follow up by watching her videos or practicing at the dealership with her brother, Luke.
Wes thought it was really cute that she assumed she could get rid of him that easily. He was persistent, and he really did want to learn how to throw a knife. He thought it was a cool skill and would stop at nothing to secure some lessons with someone he knew would be a great teacher.
He had been intentionally ignoring the fact that she was a beautiful woman. This became increasingly difficult as he spent more time with her, but he never overstepped the bounds of their friendship. He had been focused on winning the affections of Shea Shelton for so long that letting feelings develop for anyone else was simply out of the question.
He had a completely different relationship with Jolene than he did with Shea. The one he shared with Jo was honest and easy compared to the frenzied, on-again-off-again, hot/cold pace of the one he had with Shea. Jolene (or Jo, or JoJo, or Double J) had quickly become one of his best friends (hence the ever-growing selection of nicknames).
That one reluctant lesson in her flat had turned into a twice-a-week appointment, which turned into three times a week, and then four. Now they hung out all the time. At first, he was paying her for the lessons, but lately she had refused to let him. In his recent visits, he helped her film her YouTube videos and had even been in a couple of them. Every time they were together, it was less and less like a lesson and more and more like they just hung out and practiced together.
He had a lot of fun with Jo. They had both grown up in the States and had similar experiences with the TV and pop culture they were exposed to as children. Hanging out with her felt like home in a lot of ways.
He also liked that she was quiet.
She was friendly, and she had a successful YouTube channel and everything, but she was also a quiet person. Her YouTube channel was all about throwing knives, and that's exactly what she talked about on her videos. She didn't feel the need to talk about her personal feelings or post a bunch of pictures of how great her life was. She truly didn't need anyone else's approval.
This caused Wes to like her and, more importantly, to trust her. He had innately trusted her from the moment they first met, and that trust had only grown in the months since they had been friends. He had shared more about his personal life with Jolene Wright then he had with anyone else in all the years he had lived in London. He had opened up to her about his family and his childhood, and she had freely shared with him as well. They had an open, honest friendship, and Wes had no fear that she would talk about his personal stuff with another soul.
Jolene was real.
There were no games or hidden intentions with her. Wes already dreaded the day when she would leave London—and he knew that day would come. Jo enjoyed living there and experiencing Europe, but she had already told him she would eventually make her way back to the States. Even though she didn't have plans to do it in the immediate future, Wes already knew he would miss her a great deal when she left.
He was thinking about it as he knocked on her apartment door. It was a Sunday afternoon, and his visit was unannounced. He was in a melancholy mood and perhaps that's why he was thinking about Jo's move and other problems that really didn't even really exist yet.
Jo must have seen him through her peephole because she asked, "What are you doing here, Buggy?" before she even got the door open.
He smiled at the sight of her. She was wearing lounge clothes and had a towel wrapped around her head like she had just gotten out of the shower. She had a curious expression on her face, but she stood back to let him come in. She smelled like fruit or berries or some other kind of sweet, edible substance. Wes was completely comfortable in her flat by this point, so he kicked off his shoes, walking across the living room and collapsing onto her couch.
"What's going on?" she asked. "You look sad."
"Elvis died this morning," he said. He put his arm over his face and let out a sigh.
"You mean the bird?" she asked.
Wes nodded. He felt her sit next to him on the couch. His face was still covered, but he felt her cold delicate hand as it reached out to touch him.
"I'm sorry," she said, letting her fingers rest on his forearm.
Elvis was a parrot that had been a part of the Bishop family since the 60's. His home was the Bishop Motorcycles Headquarters, and he had been prancing around, talking up a storm, and giving people a hard time since the very beginning of the business. Wes had lots of memories growing up around the shop, and many of them included that bird.
The bird was old, and Wes knew in his heart that it wasn't really a big deal that he had died, but the news of it had stirred up all sorts of other emotions inside him. He hadn't lived near his family and been a part of their lives for so long that he almost felt as though they were all stuck in time, invincible—like they would never change, and he could just go back whenever he wanted and pick up where he left off.
But that wasn't true.
That wasn't how life worked.
Birds got old and so did people.
Ever since he got the news about Elvis, he had been thinking about his family—his grandparents, his siblings, his cousins, and everything he was missing by being in London. Guilt and regret had been plaguing him all morning, and even though Jo wasn't expecting him to come over and collapse onto her couch, he did it anyway. He felt like he wanted the comfort of her presence, and he knew she would welcome him.
"I'm sorry," she repeated as he stretched out on her couch, considering all these things.
"It's not just Elvis," he said with a sigh. "I mean, it is, but not entirely. I don't know. I'm not sure how to explain it. I just kind of thought that no one would die while I was away, and now that this has happened it's making me feel like, geez, my grandparents are getting older. Nana and Pa are super old. What if something would happen to one of them while I'm over here? I mean, Daniel already has a kid, and Owen's about to have twins in just a few weeks. It feels weird missing all that."
"Why don't you go home for a little while when your brother and Darcy have the twins?" she asked. "You already mentioned doing that. You should just buy the ticket and go. You could take Shea. Spend a week there—catch up with your brothers and sister, your cousins, everyone. It would do you some good."
She was so sweet and sincere that Wes uncovered his face to look at her. She was sitting on the edge of the couch next to him, and she scooted back and straightened once he opens his eyes.
"I'm not taking Shea to my house," he said. "There's so much over there she doesn't know about, and it would end up just being awkward with her and my family."
"That's your problem, Wes. You keep so much hidden. I don't know how you do it. Or why. You need to be honest with your girlfriend."
"I don't even know why I'm not honest with her. When I first decided not to tell anyone about my family it was because I wanted to make friends on my own. I didn't want anyone to know I had money. I wanted to just be poor for a little while and live a normal, college student life, but the longer I didn't talk about my family, the more my intentions about it changed. At first, it was about trying to get people to like me for who I was, and now it's different. Now, it's more like my family is sacred to me. I love them. They're my roots, and I'm protective of them. I don't want anybody speculating about them, or talking about them, or asking me to meet them just because they're famous. I don't know. It doesn't even make sense in my own head anymore. All I know is that Shea would try to be Courtney's best friend just because of who she is, and that would do nothing but make me mad at her. I just don't want to deal with that. I like Shea better when she doesn't know my family. I know that probably seems stupid, but it's just the truth."
"I don't know what to tell you," Jolene said, staring straight at Wes. "I don't know Shea well enough to know how she would act around your family. I get sad for you that you don't feel like you can be honest with her, but that's you. That's your relationship, and you can do whatever you want with it. I do think you should consider going back soon, though. You'd get to meet Owen's twins and see Daniel's little boy. He's gonna be two soon. I bet he's growing fast. Ivy's gonna be out of school for summer break. You could spend some time with her. It would probably feel good to go back and see your family."
Wes blinked at her. He didn't even realize how much he had shared with Jolene in the time they had been friends. There was nothing he kept from her, and he truly cherished their friendship because of it.
"It probably wouldn't be a big deal if you canceled the gig at Hope Street," she added. "That would free up a lot of time for you."
His band played the third Saturday of the month at Hope Street Inn, and Jo was right, cancelling it and a couple of other things would free up the weeks at the end of the month, opening up a window where he could take an extended trip home to see his family. He sat there and stared at her as he thought about it. The funny thing was that Shea wouldn't even know about his gig at Hope Street or the fact that canceling it would do him any good. She definitely wouldn't know how old Daniel's son was or that Ivy was on summer break.
"Come with me," he said.
Jolene's face became a mask of confusion as she stared at him.
"Seriously," he said, sitting up a little. "You should come with me. I told you all about my family. You should come meet them. They'd be happy about it. They wonder why I never take a girl home with me."
"I appreciate the offer and everything, but that's just ridiculous, Wes. That's a terrible idea. Your girlfriend would kill me. She already hates me enough as it is."
"She doesn't hate you," Wes said. "She likes you. She said you were cool."
Jolene let out a sigh and shook her head at him. "You're funny," she said, standing up.
He reached out and tugged at her flannel pants as she started to walk away. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm getting dressed. I have to leave in twenty minutes and I haven't even dried my hair. I still have to put on makeup and get dressed."
"Where are you going?"
"I have a date, Wes."
He sat straight up, regarding her with a look of surprise and dismay. "A date? With who?"
"Colton. I told you that."
"I thought that was last week."
"It was. We're seeing each other again."
"You said that date was boring."
She breathed a humorless laugh. "It was, kind of. But I'm giving it another try. He's a nice guy. There are way worse downfalls a man can have than being boring."
"It's Sunday," he said. "What kind of date happens on Sunday?"
"A dinner date," she said with a little smile. "Last I checked, I eat dinner every day."
He let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear about Elvis," she said. "Don't let it worry you too much. Your family knows how much you love them. Just call them and tell them that, if it's heavy on your heart."
"I thought you'd just be chillin' tonight," Wes said. "I thought we could hang out."
"You can hang out here if you want. You can use the wall. Just lock up when you leave."
Jolene turned and continued toward the hallway, pulling the towel off of her hair as she walked. Wes watched her long, damp, wavy hair fall onto her shoulders and down her back as she disappeared into the other room.
He flopped back onto the couch. His heart was pounding and his blood pressure was through the roof. He was already in a bad mood, and this news of Jo having a second date with stupid, boring Colton was enough to make his blood boil. What was she thinking? She deserved so much better than boring.
Wes technically had no claim on Jo, but that didn't stop his body from feeling like he did. He was all amped up with jealousy and frustration. He didn't like the fact that she had agreed to see that guy the first time, and he was relieved when it was over and she said she hadn't had the greatest time.
He thought for sure they wouldn't see each other again. He thought for sure she would stay home and hang out with him tonight. He also thought asking her to go to Memphis with him was a wonderful idea, and he couldn't believe she said it was ridiculous. He heard the blow dryer running from the bathroom. He could imagine her standing in the mirror while her long hair hung over her shoulders. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling frustrated with himself for having these feelings about Jo when he should be thinking about Shea.
Shea was the girl he had been trying to impress for two years. She was the one he wanted. Then why did he feel so sick at the thought of Jo seeing that guy again? He sat up on the couch and ran his hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture.