Jake sat under the dim light of the lone street lamp, his head resting in his palms as he sat in the darkness. He listened to the quiet snowfall as thoughts of what he’d said ran through his mind. He knew that what he’d done could have variably ruined any and all future with Jessica. He’d said things… things that should never be said to someone who he’d spent the last two years of his life with.

It was around two thirty in the morning and Jake had been sitting on a bench in the park for almost an hour now. He couldn’t remember what had set him off, but it had been like a damn breaking, all his stress and anger poured out onto Jessica even though it wasn’t her that he was angry with. He was angry with work and he was stressed because lately, they’d been being forced to live paycheck to paycheck. The rising gas prices and other assorted bills had forced them to curb any extra spending.

Jake tensed slightly as a car passed by on the road near by. It had been snowing for a good two hours now and about two inches had collected. It was the first snowfall of the season, something that was kind of special to him. He never understood why, but the first snow of the season always made him feel refreshed and ready to face the world. Today, however, just the thought of the rising heat bills was enough to make him sick.

Thinking about that wasn’t helping his current situation either; he’d left in a rage that he’d not intended to set free, especially on poor Jessica. The more he thought about it, the more he heated himself. Jake knew he’d made a mistake and he couldn’t live with himself for it. The only thing that was worse was the fact that he couldn’t even go back to their apartment and fix it. Jessica probably didn’t want to have anything to do with him right now. He mentally kicked himself for being such an idiot.

The last two years of his life had been so perfect; he’d met Jess in a club and they’d hit it off at once. Only a few months after that they were living together in a small, one bedroom apartment, downtown. They almost never fought, and when they did, it was never ever anything serious. It was almost as if they argued just for the hell of it. Their friends described them as a perfect couple, always happy and never bored.

As Jake thought of this, a tear ran down his flushed cheek, falling into the freshly fallen snow, leaving a small hole before freezing with the rest of the while ground. Jake was completely lost. The same question kept repeating itself in his mind like a broken record. “What will happen next?”

“Fuck!” Jake said aloud to no one but himself. “What if this is the end?” He wondered, causing another tear to streak to the ground. The thought of losing Jessica scared him more than anything. He really had thought she was “the one.” To top it all off, he was contemplating proposing to her.

Now all those expectations and dreams had just been washed down the drain by his stupid temper. Jake got up and started walking through the slippery streets. He stopped when he approached a twenty-four-hour diner. He stepped in, grateful of the hearty warmth that greeted him as he entered. He sat down at the counter and ordered a black coffee.

Jack stared at himself in the reflection cast by the dark liquid swirling around in his cup. What he wished he saw was the sharp, astute, well groomed man with the trim black hair and goatee and dazzling blue eyes. What he saw instead was the face of a broken man. When he looked into his own eyes, he almost cringed at the intensity of the pain emanating from their unforgiving gaze.

“What’s up kid?” The one waitress asked.

Jake paused for a moment, wondering if he should take offence to being called a kid, he was after all, almost twenty-seven. On the other hand, though, the waitress looked to be around fifty. He sighed before replying, “Long story.”

“It’s a long night.” The waitress replied.

“So it would seem.” Jake replied before continuing, “My and my girlfriend and I had a fight, if you really want to know.”

“I could have guessed it was something like that.” She replied.

“Really, is that so?” Jake stated more sarcastically then he’d meant.

“I’ve been doing this job for almost thirty years and I’ve seen a lot of sad stories like you.”

“Have you?” Jake asked, this time more sincere.

“Yup, this place seems to be a magnet for them. So, what’s your story kid?”

Jake cringed at the kid reference again. “I don’t know. I think I just blew the best thing I’ve ever had.”

“Tell me more.” She said, filling his now empty coffee cup again.

“Well… Jessica was doing something for work on her computer around one o’clock this morning and she some how or other woke me up. I started to complain that I needed to get some sleep for work tomorrow, and she said something about me deserving it because I’d woken her up the same way earlier that week.”

“I see.”

“I think I took it as a bit more than it was and started going off about god knows what.” Jake paused for a moment, remembering the events that had transpired just hours before. “I started yelling about work and the bills and all sorts of stuff that wasn’t her fault. Once I’d started, I just couldn’t stop.”

The waitress looked at Jake for a long moment before saying, “I understand where you were coming from. You were just stressed and needed an outlet, now mind you, that doesn’t make this ok, it just makes it understandable.”

“Point being?” Jake asked sullenly.

“Point being, that you can still go back there and make things better. If an ornery old waitress can understand what happened, I’m sure the love of your life will be able to also. If she’s really all of what you think she is, then you can get her back.”

Jake starred at the waitress for a moment. Did she just really say all that? Did he just get analyzed by a waitress in an empty diner at three in the morning?

“You’re right.” He said finally, stepping to his feet. He reached for his wallet but a kind hand stopped his.

“It’s on the house, dear. Sometimes everyone needs a little pick-me-up.”

“Thanks.” Jake said, flashing his first smile in hours.

“Go get home kid; it’s a god damn blizzard out there.” She said as Jake walked out the door into the winter night.

“Jessica… are you here?” Jake asked tentatively from the doorway to their apartment.

“Jake? I’m in the kitchen.”

Jake walked into the kitchen and sat down across the table from where his wife sat, clutching a cup of tea. Remnant trails of tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were red with fatigue. The site almost brought him back to tears.

“Honey look, I’m sorry. I know I said some things that I shouldn’t have and I know that I scared you, but I love you and I’m sorry.” Jake said, almost all in one breath.

Jessica opened her mouth as if to speak and Jake cringed, waiting for the harsh words that he was sure would come. Instead, however, those words were replaced by the feeling of soft lips touching his.

At first Jake was taken aback by this unexpected reaction, but quickly returned the kiss.

“I love you too, and I know it’s hard.” Jessica replied, pulling Jake into a hug from across the table.

…End