Here is my final submission of Operation: Final Fantasy.
Edited by Wolf Vixen, with much thanks. And again, thanks to HLD for inspiration through his masterpiece "Impersonating Brianne". Also thanks to Sidney43; because of his insightful comments left in earlier chapters, I actually changed quite a bit of this chapter in an attempt to capture the characters more clearly. Hopefully I succeeded.
XIII
No luck,
Ryan thought to himself as he opened his cell phone, immediately snapping it closed out of frustration. Only yesterday Ryan left her a message asking her to call him back in the hopes that they could get together that weekend -- just as friends of course, nothing more. The return phone call he was expecting -- or at least hoping for -- wasn't there. Not even a single text, either. He'd been getting a lot of that lately.
Since his phone was on vibrate, he already knew she hadn't called him, but he still held a small amount of hope that she may have called, and that maybe he simply didn't feel it ring.
He walked away from the restroom trying to hide the irritation on his face from the rest of the public as he walked back to the table. He slid into the booth, joining the other guys while trying to tune out the blaring noise of countless college football games playing on the surrounding televisions.
"Took long enough," Charlie said, taking a swig of beer. "We were wondering if you fell in." Ryan gave a fake chuckle at his skinny brown-haired firefighting buddy.
"Nope," Ryan said with a straight face. "The only falling today was you. Off the ladder."
Jeff laughed wildly, slapping his rookie teammate on the back. Ryan snickered and winced at the same time as the slap on Charlie's back was hard enough to echo; Jeff was a big man and sometimes seemed to forget his own strength.
"Hey, I slipped a couple rungs, but I didn't fall," Charlie said in protest, pushing Jeff off of him.
Jeff continued to poke fun at him.
"Too much weight from the gear. Just because you aren't getting paid doesn't mean they won't fire a volunteer fireman. You need to replace those bb guns with howitzers like mine," Jeff said, pointing to his bicep and flexing his arm.
"Genetics didn't make me a freaking six-foot-seven grizzly bear like you, Jeff," Charlie said, defending himself.
Ryan told Charlie, "It's not all genetics; a lot of it is because he hits the gym like I do. You should join us sometime."
"It's true. Sure, I look like a Greek god now, but until I hit the gym a few years back, I used to be scrawny like you. Soft and gooey and stuff..." Jeff and Ryan both started cracking up.
Charlie shoved the large hulk of a man. "Alright bastards, you both can eat me."
The waitress came by, dropping off the check. Jeff had been flirting with her all night, trying to get a phone number out of her, but he had come up empty every time.
After she walked away, Ryan said, "I'll get this one, guys. Mostly because you keep getting rejected and I feel bad for you, Jeff. Next time, though, you're still paying. Even if the next waitress turns you down. I won't feel sorry for you, either. You've had enough chances."
"Yea, right. Like you're doing much better than me in the chick department?"
Ryan gave a slight smile and an indiscriminant shrug.
Well, not anymore,
he thought to himself.
If only you saw me when Jessica was on my arm.
"Touché. I'm off to class, fellas. Jeff, make sure you're driving Charlie. He's a lightweight."
Charlie gave him the finger. "I'll beat you both up the ladder next time, Patton. You wait and see."
"You're on. See you guys tomorrow."
---
Ryan pulled out the keys to his car while walking across the parking lot. Since he had to park out in the sticks, he had a little bit of a hike ahead of him. It wasn't a surprise; he expected it even before he pulled into the parking lot because this area of town was always busy this time of night.
As he walked by the new French restaurant Chez Fleur, twirling his keys in hand, he wondered if Jessica had been there yet. He wanted to take her to the grand opening back when she was with him, but the timing didn't work out; Chez Fleur didn't open until just a few days after his time with her was up.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan noticed a Mustang pull into one of the valet parking spots at Chez Fleur. It was a familiar looking red Mustang -- a Race Red color, to be exact.
The first thing he noticed that stepped out of the car was the long legs all the way down to her firm calf muscles, ending in a pair of four inch black stilettos. His vision shifted to the rest of her; she looked gorgeous in her little black evening dress. Her blonde hair had been styled with her trademark beautiful ringlets and her makeup was perfect. Jessica had never looked so good.
Ryan was stunned. He quickly changed his path and started walking towards her when it became apparent that two men were waiting for her. One of men was the valet; she dropped the keys in his hand, allowing him to drive her car despite an obvious reservation. He didn't blame her; it was a nice car.
The other man was a little older. He stood there waiting for Jessica, adjusting his fancy suit and tie. Ryan didn't recognize the man, but the man clearly recognized Jessica; with a large pearly-white smile, he opened his arms and gave her a hug. Leaning in, the man gave Jessica a kiss on each cheek. She turned her head each time, accepting the man's kiss.
Ryan felt his face turn flush. Instinctively he gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. He wanted to run over and deck the guy, and just might have, until he remembered Jessica wasn't really his girl.
He sighed. That was the problem with the fantasy he set up; eventually it had to end and now he was stuck in the world of reality. To make matters worse, Jessica as of late made it clear she wasn't even interested in friendship. Anything more than that was out of the question, obviously, but losing her friendship hurt.
Ryan put on his sunglasses despite the sunset, ducked his head, and kept walking towards his Challenger. He made it all the way to his car, even had his hand on the door handle, when he heard someone behind him.
"You're looking good."
He quietly sighed out of frustration; he didn't need this. Turning around, trying to keep his eyes above her neckline, Ryan took off his sunglasses and told Jessica, "You're looking good, too."
She gave him a playful smile. "I was talking to Charlene. You, on the other hand, are looking absolutely astonishing."
He couldn't avoid a small smile creeping up on his face.
"Oh, Ryan, I've missed you. How are you, really?"
She had a genuine look of concern on her face as she stepped forward to reach out and touch his arm.
Even though the smile looked genuine, he knew better. She was amazing at her job and specialized in making men melt; with her beauty and acting skills, it was a wonder she wasn't on television. Still, the touch on his arm felt electric. He was far from being immune to her.
"I've been fine, same old stuff like the last time when we talked." His eyes darted from Jessica to the guy she was just with, who seemed to be patiently waiting at the entrance to Chez Fleur, and back to Jessica within a split second. But it was long enough for Jessica to realize what he was thinking.
"I should probably go Jessi..."
Before he could finish, she interrupted him. "No, wait. Oh, Ryan, I am so sorry." Nodding her head in the direction of the older guy in the suit and tie, she meekly told Ryan, "It's not what it looks like. It's not what you're thinking."
Ryan opened his car door and said, "I don't think you have any idea what I'm thinking right now. Besides, you're a big girl and can do whatever you want. It was good seeing you again; I'll see you around."
Angrily, Jessica moved forward and slammed the car door shut before he could get in. Ryan had moved his fingers out of the way just in time before getting them smashed in the car door. "Jessica! Are you crazy?"
She looked frustrated, "Ryan, will you listen to me for a moment?"
Jessica completely lost her train of thought -- she was distracted by the picture she saw through the driver side window of Ryan's Challenger attached to the visor. At first she thought it was a picture of Amanda, but it wasn't. It was Jessica's profile picture from the agency. How did Ryan get that? Did Madeline have something to do with it? She quickly went from frustrated to flustered. Why did he have her up on the visor, and not Amanda?
"Just... just, don't go. I..."
It was clear she wasn't going to say anything, so Ryan took the initiative to speak. "Look, Jessica, I promised you I wasn't going to lie to you anymore, and since I'm already pouring my guts out to a counselor I might as well tell you how I'm feeling. I owe you that, at least. Then I'm out of here."
Jessica flinched at the way he announced his inevitable dismissal, but remained quiet.
Ryan took a deep breath, "When you promised me you'd be by my side, I guess I took it a little too literal. I thought I'd be seeing you more. Obviously that didn't happen, not even through phone calls and texts."
Jessica looked guilty when he said that.
Ryan continued, "I'm sure you were busy with important things, so I don't blame you for that. And," he sighed, trying as hard as he could to admit the next part, "I guess I forgot that you weren't mine." He nodded over to the old guy, still patiently waiting for Jessica. "That was my fault."
She quietly said, "You mean you forgot that Amanda wasn't yours -- at least, that she's not anymore?"
Ryan shook his head, "No, Jessi. I meant you."
Jessica blinked. His honesty didn't surprise her nearly as much as the fact that she melted so easily.
