“I’m…so…fucking do-done!” she sobs through the line. Jaime isn’t a crier, so it has me panicked.
“What? What’s wrong? Babe, why are you crying, are you ok? Is Marcus ok?”
“I-it’s f-fucking Isaiah! I’m done!” She seethes, sniffling. “Can you come…come over? I?—”
“Say no more, I’m on my way. Let me just tell Jake I’m leaving and I’ll be there as soon as I can, ok?”
“O-ok. Love you.”
“Love you.”
I hang up and make my way back inside, but the man at the ticket desk won’t let me pass without showing him my ticket. Which Jake has. Inside.
“I’m sorry, my date has my ticket, I just stepped out to take a phone call.”
“You should have gotten your hand stamped before you stepped out, for all I know, you’re trying to sneak in.”
Is this guy for real?
“Do people normally try and sneak in to this event?” I ask sardonically. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m desperate to get to Jaime. I’ve never heard her this upset about Isaiah before, she never even cried the first time they split up.
“Listen, I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. But I’m leaving anyways, I just need to get inside to tell my date that I’m going. You can even escort me in if you really don’t trust me to...I don’t even know what it is you don’t trust me to do.” My arms drop to my sides as my exasperation takes hold.
“No ticket, no entry.No excuses.”
What a fucking jobsworth! I step past him and stand at the main door to the room to get Jake’s attention.
“You can’t go in there!” the ticket twat grabs my arm to pull me back just as Jake looks up.
“Jake!” I wave him over before turning my attention back to the man holding my arm. “Let go of my arm, or I will report you for assault.”
“Get your hand off her,” comes Jake’s low growl.
Ticket twat immediately removes his grip, but goes off on his spiel about tickets and attendance and whatever else until Jake fishes our tickets out of his pocket and flashes them in his face.
“Jake, I have to?—”
“Who were you on the phone to?”
“That was Jaime, she’s really upset and?—”
“Jaime? Then why did you go outside to take the call?”
“Because I couldn’t hear anything in here. Anyway, listen, I have to?—”
“You shouldn’t have gone outside, you could have just moved into the hallway there.”
“Jake! Please stop interrupting me. I have to go, Jaime needs me. I was only coming back inside to let you know I’m going to grab a taxi.”
His jaw pulses as if he’s chewing on his words, “You’re leaving? But we’ve only been to one table, I had a whole day planned.”
“I know, and I’m really sorry. But my friend needs me. You stay and enjoy the exhibition, and I’ll call you later. Ok?”
“I can drive you.”
“No, honestly. I want you to stay, you’ve clearly been looking forward to this, so I don’t want you to have to leave just to drop me off.”
“You sure you’re just going to Jaime’s? Why don’t you want me to drop you off?”
