The Other Side - Chapter 38

"The Other Side - Chapter 37" 

It was obvious that Delany was not cut out for the world of acting. She had made sure to say loudly that she did not want to talk to him, but couldn't help but reach for the phone in the middle of her sentence. As angry as Becky was with her, she smirked as she handed it over, and then walked back to Gary.

"You better be nice, I'm doing you a favor."

Jim's laughter sounded in her ear. "Right, like you don't want to hear about everything that I've been doing. Come on Del, I don't have that much time. Do you think you could forget that you're angry with me for a while and just tell me that you love me? I could use it right now.

Delany hesitated. "I don't know if you deserve it -"

"I love you, Del."

She didn't miss a beat. "Oh, Jim. I love you too."

Jim breathed a sigh of relief and then filled her in on everything he had just told Becky. Delany bit her lip when Jim mentioned her name.

"Yeah... Becky... Jim I wish you were here to talk some sense into her."

"It's that bad?"

Delany nodded, forgetting that Jim couldn't see her. "Jim... she spent the night at Gary's house last night. I was so shocked. And now she's super touchy about everything I say. I know I'm not the most subtle of people but usually she'll at least try to listen..."

"She should be - and maybe she'll come around. She has to know that you only want the best for her." Jim hesitated. "I've talked to Jake, you know. He still loves her, Del."

Delany sat from up her relaxed sprawl on the bed. This was not the news she expected to hear. "Are you serious? He told you?"

"No, he didn't tell me, but he couldn't even hide it. He's a wreck and he barely even knows it. I doubt that it makes a difference since I don't know if Becky can ever forgive him... for something that he didn't do... but I thought I needed to let you know. Del, they were so happy together."

Delany sighed. "I know. I'd never seen her so happy. There was something special there. I barely even noticed it during those few days but once it was gone... well... let's just say Jake took half of Becky with him when he left."

Their conversation went off into a different direction and was rather pleasant until Jim make the mistake of mentioning that he was working with some "beautiful" people. Delany's good-natured attitude was completely destroyed and she made sure to give him the 3rd degree before telling him that she loved him, for good measure, slamming the phone into the ground in classic Delany tantrum style.

She had already calmed down when Becky came into the room looking puzzled. "Are you all right?"

Delany nodded, even smiled. "Yeah! I just couldn't end the conversation without him feeling a little guilty, you know. Um... what are you doing?"

"Gary left." Becky gave a fake smile and stood awkwardly in the doorway. She really wanted to talk to her cousin about what had just happened but knew she could never take the look of superiority. Instead she just nodded and turned to walk out the room.

Delany just shook her head. For all the little problems she and Jim had it was nothing to what her cousin had been through. Delany sighed. In a way she hoped she was wrong about Gary - the last thing she wanted to see was her cousin hurt again. But Delany had a haunting feel that was inevitable.

---

Becky giggled as she munched on some popcorn. Her feet, covered in blue, ultra-fuzzy slipper socks, were propped up on Gary's row of unpacked boxes that he liked to call a coffee table. Ok, so maybe his apartment wasn't decorated in completely good taste.

"Maybe you were right - Austin Powers is kind of funny..." She turned to look at Gary, fully prepared for him to pelt her with 'I-told-you-so's but instead found only his dark, intense eyes staring at her.

Becky bit her lip. "Hi...hi honey?"

Gary took her chin in his hand and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "You're so beautiful." He whispered. Becky felt her heart melt. Putting down the bowl of popcorn, she snuggled in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She sighed.

Whatever crazy mood he had been in earlier had completely dissolved. It had been so silly of her to jump to conclusions. He wasn't being jealous and he wasn't trying to intimidate her. She nuzzled in even closer. He just didn't understand what Jim and she had - and why would he? She'd explain it to him. He'd get used to it.

Gary put his arms around her. Austin Powers did something funny on the TV but Gary didn't laugh, Becky looked up to find him staring at her again. "Honey, you're missing your movie you know." She said as she gave him a soft kiss.

"It's worth it."

Becky smiled up at him. She thought back to last night on the roof when she was contemplating love. Jacob Jones seemed like a million miles away (even if he was more like 160 miles). That instant love, that love at first sight, was a joke. A myth she regretted believing in. This kind was real.

When the night was finally over, Becky had to pry herself away. Gary begged for her to stay the night again, but she had to resist.

"I have classes early tomorrow, I really can't."

"We can set an alarm! You don't have to worry -"

Becky shook her head and gave him one final kiss. "Really, I just can't. I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?" Then, after another five minutes of good-byes, she was gone.

----

Becky walked into the apartment and threw her keys in the basket by the door. The lights were off and she thought maybe Delany had gone to bed until she noticed the light on in the kitchen to her left. Becky poked her head in.

"Hey Del."

"Mmm. Hey."

Becky raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Delany looked up from her bowl of baby carrots. She was sitting on the counter top, the ranch dressing bottle sitting next to her. "Well... what?" She asked, dumping a little of the dressing on her vegetable before popping it into her mouth.

"Are you going to apologize to me?"

Delany stopped mid-chew, looking at Becky with her eyebrows raised. When she realized that her cousin was serious she started chewing again, slowly. "Um... apologize? For what?"

Becky crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "For being wrong about Gary?"

Delany looked around the room as if trying to trying to find what Becky was referring to. "I'm sorry, I think I missed something here. Did you prove that I was wrong about him sometime when I wasn't looking?"

Becky rolled her eyes. "Come on Del, you know you had no right to say any of the things that you did and - "

Delany's eyes grew fiery. "What are you talking about? I had no right? I have every right to say what I am feeling to my cousin about her well being. I mean - just look at you! Since when do you pick fights? You aren't acting like yourself at all and it's really starting to scare me."

"I am not picking fights - I just want you to support me for once!"

"Support you? Becks that's all I ever do is support you! You know that! Listen, go ahead and do whatever you want. All I have been trying to tell you is that I don't like the feel of his Gary guy. And from what Jim is hearing he doesn't like it either and -"

"Excuse me?! Jim? What have you been saying to him behind my back?" Becky turned as if she was going to storm out of the room.

"Just what I have been seeing! The way you're acting while you're in this apartment I don't even understand - you won't even listen to anything -"

"Well, maybe I'll just start sleeping over there, Del. Believe it or not he makes me happy. Unlike you! You're making life in this apartment unbearable!"

Becky thought that Delany's eyes were going to pop out of her head. "What? Are you suggesting that you'll move in with him?! Jesus, Becky! You've been together like a week!"

"Oh, you know what, just be quiet. I am sick of you taking your jealousy out on me. Just because my man didn't run off on me doesn't mean you get to break up my relationship."

"Becky are you even listening to yourself? You barely even have a relationship!" Delany put up her hand, through with trying to reason with her. Her eyes blazed fire. "You know, I just find it ironic that you talk about Jim running away from me when he still calls me every day and tells me he loves me. Last I knew, a certain someone up and left you in the middle of Africa. Remember that?"

Becky snapped her mouth shut. Her fists were clenched. "Good night, Delany." And with that she turned and left the apartment.

----

Jim knocked on Jake's door. The star let him in mid-yawn.

"Hey, for a while there I wasn't sure if you were coming."

Jim shrugged. "Yeah, I know, my phone conversation took a little longer than I expected."

Jake chuckled and offered him some of the chips they had been eating earlier, but he waved them away. "Delany actually allowed you to speak to her?"

Jim laughed and nodded. "You know, for only knowing her for about 9 hours you got a pretty good impression of her."

"And her hand." Jake winked and pointed to his cheek, remembering the way she had wailed on him after the whole kissing fiasco. Jake watched as his friend flopped himself down on the couch, his laughter had been far too short for how quality the memory had been. "Everything ok?"

"Man, I know you don't want to hear it but I have to tell someone or I'll explode. Becky is ruining her life!"

Jake stiffened but kept his cool. "What do you mean?"

Jim quickly relayed everything that Delany had told him. He casually left out the part about her having spent the whole night with Gary, but alluded to it as much. Jim decided to stop talking when he noticed a green-ish tinge on the actor's face.

"I feel like I need to go home and clear it up. She isn't listening to a word Delany is saying because she just assumes that Delany is taking her frustration about me being gone on her..."

Jake shook his head, having a hard time taking the fact that Becky had really and truly moved on. "But you can't go, Jim, you're working..."

"Yeah, I know..."

Jake sighed, leaning his head back on the couch. The image of Becky just after her shower on that first day that he met her, hair wet with her khaki skirt and red sparkled tank, floated in his mind. But, unlike on that first day, she was smiling at him. Jake sighed. He turned his head to look over at Jim. "As cool as it is to see you again man... you suck."

Jim could only laugh.

"The Other Side - Chapter 39" 

Madame