His Maine Target

“We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cozy A-frame cabin.” Andy said, grazing his hand against my leg.

The muscles in my body tensed up. I thought it was only because of the stress of weddings, but I was lying to myself. I’ve been tense for the past 6 years.

The cabins were lined up in a circle, almost as if we landed in a cult in the middle of nowhere. Creepy but also weirdly cute.

“Look who it is!” Jackson yelled as we hopped out of the van. Andy and Jackson walked to each other with open arms, both ready for a pat on the back, as straight men are incapable of giving real hugs to other straight men.

Jackson then walked over to me, “I told you, you’d finally make it to Maine, Leila.”

“Only for your wedding…and 6 years later,” Jackson gave me an eye roll into a real hug and I continued, “but it sure is gorgeous. You guys picked a great place!”

“That was all Chelsea’s doing.” Jackson said, but for some reason I felt that wasn’t the truth. Little did I know there was much more than that.

***

The air in the cabin was thick. I thought this would be comforting from the outside chill but instead it made me antsy, like I had to get out.

“What was that all about?” Andy announced.

“What do you mean?” I knew what he was talking about but I acted confused. I didn’t want this to turn into a whole thing. Andy’s his best friend but he always seems to push his buttons, accidentally, that is.

Andy started to get agitated, “What was he saying about Maine and everything?”

“Oh, I just wanted to go to college up here. Scholarship down at Moylan was better though.”

He nodded and walked away and I knew it’s been a long time since I could read him, since I could understand what he wanted to say without saying it. I just stood still, not sure of what I should do, if he was mad at me, he would surely want to be left alone.

Andy turned back saying, “You coming?”

He hooked my arm in his and headed for the main banquet hall.

***

The entrance was stunning, the marble stairs on both sides of us wrapping to meet at the top. Before heading up, I saw a shimmer of light coming from the ballroom.

I peaked my head through the tiny opening between the doors and was immediately awestruck. The lights, the tall curtains, the windows overlooking the mountains, the decorations, it was all gorgeous, like something out of a fairytale. Like something that I would’ve wanted.

After only a glimpse, Andy pulled me out of the ballroom and behind us, we were met with Chelsea.

“Congratulations! Look at you!” I squealed.

I admit, it was an overly excited welcome but I was happy for her, I was happy for them.

Chelsea twirled in her white skirt that just about hit the floor, and gave a side hug to both of us at the same time.

“We don’t want to keep you from your guests,” Andy said, “Let’s go head up.”

***

After what felt like forever mingling with Jackson and Chelsea’s friends and family, I was ready to take a second for myself.

I looked down at my watch…it had only been an hour.

Locking eyes with Andy across the room, I mouthed “I’m going to the bathroom,” and stepped out of the shimmery room.

Instead of the bathroom, I found myself back in the ballroom. I got lost in the time until I heard a creak coming from the door.

“Jackson? What’re you doing down here?” I said, knowing how many rounds he had yet to make upstairs.

He replied, “Just needed a second, you?”

“Me too.”

We stood there in comfortable silence for a few moments. It was nice that we didn’t need to talk, I needed a break from talking.

Until he said, “You know, this was all in my head for someone else.”

My heart dropped to my stomach. There was no way that we would be having this conversation. Not now, not like this.

“Jackson, don’t–” he cut me off.

“Sorry, I know, you’re right.”

“I know I am.” I replied, ready to walk out of the room.

Instead, he continued, “But Leila, we never talked about this. About me getting married.”

“Jackson, it’s been 6 years since we were together. 4 years since you’ve been with Chelsea. We didn’t have to talk about it.”

He continued, “Yeah, you’re right. You know, I wonder how things would’ve been different if I hadn’t become friends with Andy.”

I took a sharp inhale, “Look, Jackson, you really can’t think about it like that.”

He immediately shook his head, “You’re right, you’re right, I’m just getting cold feet that’s all. Forget this happened.”

“Forget what happened?”

Jackson chuckled and looked at me through my eyes. I don’t remember the last time Andy looked at me like this, “Well, are you guys at least still happy?” He said in almost a whisper.

I didn’t know how to respond. No, I physically couldn’t respond. I had been hurting for a while now, I was waiting for someone to bring it up but I didn’t want it to have to be Jackson. Not on the weekend of his wedding.

I began to take a step back, a first instinct, trying to find a way out of this conversation, out of this room, out of this state, when my heel caught my dress. I started falling backwards and in just enough time, Jackson wrapped his arms away and saved me from cracking my head open on the marble below me.

Too much adrenaline was running through us to move, I was stuck, suspended off the ground, being held by Jackson.

That’s when I wished I fell instead.

“What the hell is going on in here?” I expected a scream but rather, there was a quiet rage coming from the doorway. Andy’s deep gravelly voice took all the air out of my lungs, “Get your hands off of her.”

Jackson immediately pulled me up and turned towards Andy, he walked over to him with such a force that made me realize he knew what was going on, how Andy was to me.

Jackson put his hand on Andy’s chest and calmly stated, “And, she fell, I caught her, why don’t we go back upstairs, give her a second.”

Andy pushed past him, shaking Jackson’s arm off of him, and started charging towards me, pointing his finger, “Is that true? Is that what happened?”

My head nodded up and down quickly, almost as if I had a twitch in my neck.

“I don’t believe you,” Andy said. He was starting to get louder, “either of you!”

That’s when I knew, there was no going back from this. Andy was no longer himself, whoever that may have been.

“You know, I should have never believed the two of you when you said you were done. Leila, when I became friends with Jackson to win you over, I should have stopped myself from letting you both–”

I cut him off, “What do you mean you became friends with Jackson to win me over?”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant when I became friends with Jackson so that I could also become friends with you, I shouldn’t have–”

“ANDY,” I stopped him again, “I didn’t know you before you were friends with Jackson.”

I looked over to Jackson to see if he knew what Andy was saying. He didn’t.

Andy kept pushing, “You’re wrong. You did know me, I was always friends with Jackson. From the first day of classes.”

“I met you on Halloween, you know that.”

“That isn’t true!” Andy kept saying this over and over.

He was pushing a lie onto me because he didn’t want me to know the truth. He didn’t want me to know that I was his prey from the moment he laid his eyes on me. After all 6 years.

Jackson stepped in, not sure what Andy would do with all his rage, “Hey man, why don’t we step outside for a breather, just take a second to–”

Without warning, Andy wound his arm back and punched Jackson right in the face.

I wonder how long that had been wound up in him.

All I could think about was how sorry I was for Jackson. Punched two days before his wedding, all for dating in high school and staying friends. And then becoming friends with the wrong person.

How sorry was I for myself though? That could’ve been me on the floor, blood seeping out of my nose. Yet, I still couldn’t feel sorry. Because I hadn’t opened my eyes soon enough and the person I truly loved was laying on the floor concussed.

I ran over to Jackson, grabbing his handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and held it to his nose.

“We need to get you to a doctor,” I whispered to him, “your pupils are different sizes, we should get you checked out.”

“Okay.” Jackson let out with such defeat.

I pulled Jackson off the floor and once we stood up, noticed that Andy was no longer in sight.

“You’re going to leave him, right?” Jackson asked me with such a friendly hope in his voice.

“I will. I should’ve a long time ago.”

“Good.”

***

Chelsea heard the commotion and came running in. She went into problem-solving mode immediately, found a staff member that was working to get help and let them know of the nearest doctor.

I let her do what she does best and went back to the cabin.

Andy’s things were no longer there. I looked out the window and the car was gone. All I had been left with was all the times I brushed his violence off. The number of times I told myself he was just strong, that he would never actually hurt me.

Hours must have passed, it was dark outside and I was on the brink of falling asleep, when I heard a knock on the cabin door.

I knew better than to just open it, knowing who it could be, “Who is it?”

“It’s Jackson, can you open up.”

I hop out of bed, speaking through the door, “I’m so sorry, again, Jackson, how was the doctor, are you–”

And that’s when you come in. Jackson was standing there with you all. The three of you officers standing in the doorway.

That’s all I know.