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exhausted.
    As she drifted off to sleep, Raven wanted
nothing more than to have Jake next to her so she could tell him everything
he’d done for her and how much it meant.
    But Jake wasn’t there, and even though
she was warm and comfortable and happy in so many ways, one last tear drifted
down her cheek before she finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

 
    ***

 
    The next morning, Raven woke up and made
herself a cup of coffee in the Keurig coffee maker that was sitting on the
counter in the kitchen.   She went to
the breakfast nook and sat and drank her coffee, feeling cozy and happy to be
in her new home as she gazed out the windows and over the harbor.
    Everything was feeling bright and new and
full of possibility.
    Raven pulled out her cell and opened up
Twitter.  
    Don’t
do it, Raven.   Don’t torture
yourself.
    But she wanted to know.   Had Jake changed the passwords on his
social media?   She tried to log into
Jake’s twitter account and the login failed.   Then she tried his Facebook and
Instagram accounts.
    The result was the same for all of them.   She’d been locked out.
    Raven knew she shouldn’t be surprised or
wounded, but somehow she’d hoped that Jake would have given a sign that he did in
fact trust her and wasn’t shutting her out of his life completely.   Of course, even if she had been able to
access his accounts, she wouldn’t have done anything.
    Maybe
look through his messages though—see if he’s talking to any new lady
friends?
    She didn’t think so, and anyway, it was
irrelevant.   Jake Novak had locked
her out of his life, paid her off to disappear and stop inconveniencing him
with her presence.
    He
bought me off.
    Raven hated how it ate away at her.   Moments before, she’d been happy and
content, sitting at the table and drinking coffee.   Now she was desperately sad, lonely and
rejected, wishing that she could talk to Jake and get some reassurance that he
didn’t want to be rid of her forever.
    He
does want to be rid of you forever, Raven.   Otherwise he would’ve told you to stay with him in New York, not rented
you an apartment hundreds of miles away from him.
    She began searching online for news of
Jake, and immediately dozens of articles popped up.   Raven scanned the headlines, her eyes
widening as she read them.
    Jake
Novak Resumes Tour Amidst Bullying Scandal
    Anti-Bullying
Group Lobbies for Boycott of Jake Novak Tour
    Pop
Idol Jake Novak Sitting Down with Oprah To Beg Fans’ Forgiveness
    Jake
“The Snake” Tries to Slither His way Back Into Fans’ Good Graces
    Novak
Tells Fans “I’m Okay, You’re Okay!” Tour’s A Go, Despite Public Backlash
    It seemed (from what Raven could gather
from all the news) that Jake had decided to resume his tour.   He’d refunded Boston fans for the missed
dates, and was picking up the tour for one night in Boston before heading off
to continue the rest of the tour on schedule.
    Her skin prickled at the thought of Jake
being back in Boston, if even for just one night.   She wanted to go to the arena and see
him, but knew that it was impossible.
    He’s
gone.   Try and pretend he never even
existed.   Eventually, maybe you’ll
even start to believe it.
    Raven took a deep breath, closed her
eyes, and prayed for strength.   And
she knew she would need it, because the second her eyes were closed, she saw
him.   She saw Jake as vividly as if
he was right in front of her.   He
was shirtless, his chest glistening, stomach tight, abdominal muscles
flexed.   He was looking at her with those
hypnotic brown eyes and a sly grin appeared.  
    That grin said you’ll never get over me.   You’ll never
find another man who can make you feel the way I make you feel, never find
another man with my charisma, charm, wit, intelligence.   You’ll always remember the time we spent
together, and wonder what might have been.
    Raven opened her eyes.   She needed to get out of the apartment
and do something productive.
    The