Fourteen

"Help me Andrea ... I'm in so much trouble," she pleaded. She told her everything that went on while she was away, and now she didn't know what to do.

"Yeah ... I saw how you looked at him that day at the shooting scene ... I thought there was something going on."

"I can't stop thinking about him ... and I want to see him all the time," she cringed at her own feelings.

"Did you tell him?" Andrea's question stopped her cold.

"No ... I couldn't bring myself to tell him," her voice trembled.

"You know you have to tell him?"

Sandy didn't reply.

"He is probably the most perfect guy you can have in your life ... but think about it for a moment, babe, John Brady? He's a tough ... tough guy to hold on to." She had a really good point.

Sandy thought about it for a moment, "I think I'm going to stay at my mom's house for a couple of days ... would you stay at my place?" she asked.

Andrea beamed with joy, "Would I? To stay at the same compound with John Brady? Get his autograph and selfies ... maybe occasionally stalk him as he showers?"

It used to sound benign when she didn't know him the way she did now, but now it sounded weird like Andrea was going to stalk her friend.

"I'm just teasing you ... just imagine, how many women all over the world are thinking the way I'm thinking right now? And how many would jumped on the first chance they get to get him to bed ... and you know I masturbated over him like thousands of times ..."

"Oh eeew jeez ... stop it you pervert! Okay! Okay! I get the point!" she covered her ears.

"I'm just looking out for you, babe ... and you have to tell him the whole thing ... I want you to be happy ... who knows? It could work out ... but lay down all the bad shit up front ... there's a lot in stake here." Sometimes Andrea makes a lot of sense.

"Are you going to tell him that you'll be staying at your mom's?"

"Yeah, I'm letting him know right now," she said, and texted a message to John.

John   : So I won't be seeing you for two days?

Sandy: Yeah, I have to be with Kevin for awhile.

John   : You know you can always bring him to the cottage?

Sandy: I know ... I just don't want him to spend too much time at the cottage.

John   : Why?

Sandy: It's safer that way ... there's a pool at the cottage, and the yards are huge ... you know?

John   : That's a strange reason :) but okay ...

Sandy: Andrea's gonna be staying at my place if you need anything.

John   : I need you to come back :( :( :(

Sandy: I will :) :) :)

John   : Come to the set?

Sandy: Not today ... after I get back

John   : :( :( :(

Her heart was pounding, even when they were only texting. Sometimes she browsed the internet just to see a picture of him, and her heart sunk.

"What the hell am I going to do?"

He didn't text her the whole day that day. She kept her mind busy with Kevin, the love of her life. She was stronger because of him. She could've given up on herself when the world crumbled around her, but Kevin was her sail. He kept her going. She was lucky to have a friend like Andrea, who stood by her in the darkest times. Her mom was also there to support her every decision, and helped her took care of Kevin when she couldn't.

Sometimes she looked at Kevin and wondered how could a person came into her life through her body and changed her life completely. She suffered a terrible baby blues period after she gave birth to him. She sobbed whenever she looked at Kevin and how much he looked like his father. She thought she could never loved him the way he deserved to be loved, but she did it effortlessly.

**********

"John? Sandy's not here," Andrea opened the door to a knock in the middle of the night.

"I know, she told me, ... actually, I'm here to see you," he said.

Andrea was surprised, but she was ready to have a conversation with him as well. She let him in. She knew that if something was to happened between Sandy and John, she should at least warn him of the consequences. She loved Sandy more than she was a fan of John Brady.

"Have a seat, you want something to drink?" Andrea opened the fridge and found some beer.

"Sure ... thanks," he seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

Andrea sat across from him, admiring his incredible good looks. She understood completely why Sandy had fallen head over heels for this man.

"Did Sandy told you that we spent the night here last night? ... just talking but ... she was on a date and ..." he stuttered.

"Oh yeah ... the 'not a date' ... she might have mentioned it, why?" Andrea said lightly. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" she bluntly asked.

John sipped on his beer, "I have yet to find out ... did she say anything?"

"No ... she didn't, but I know you spent a lot of time together lately, and I was wondering if ..." she didn't continue.

"No ... we were just talking ... a lot ... which I don't do very often," he laughed a little.

"Neither does she." She took a deep breath, "John ... I'm sure you're a kind and decent man, Sandy's my best friend and ... she had gone through something terrible in the past, it took her years to overcome it ... I'm not even sure she has gotten over it completely," she let it out in the open. She's got his full attention.

"I don't want her to get hurt, because having a relationship with someone with your stature ... is not a conventional one, and I don't think she can handle it," she blurted out the truth.

"Is that why she's staying at her mom's?"

"No, she's not avoiding you or anything ... this is just me being concern because I care about her very much.

"I do too ... I mean, I know we've only known each other for a short while, but I feel like I've known her all my life ... it's weird."

Andrea saw the honesty in his face, he wasn't just looking for someone to hook up while he's away for work. "There's something you should know about her before you decide to proceed with this."

John looked at her intently, he knew about her ex and what an asshole he was, but it seemed like there was something else.

"She was engaged once ... a few years back ... they were going to start a new life here and made a huge investment on this property," she began to tell the story.

John sat back and said, "She told me that, and then she got pregnant, and he left."

"What else did she tell you?"

John looked confused, "Was there something else?"

"She was raped ... by a mutual friend ... and then she got pregnant," Andrea paused.

John's face lost it's color, he was stunned before he sighed in agony, "My God ... she didn't tell me that ... so Kevin's not her ex's child?"

"No ... she was brutally raped and got pregnant as a result, the bastard couldn't handle it so he left without even a note ... she had to carry the child on her own ... it was horrible," Andrea held back her tears remembering what it was like.

John rubbed her face, tried to absorbed the news. "How did it happened? Who was this man? Is he in jail?"

"He was a business associate of Trevor's ... Sandy's ex, he was sentenced to two months in jail and got deported after that ... she had a restraining order against him for five years ... and that was it." Andrea wiped a tear from her eye.

"What? How fucked up is that?" his tone of voice was heightened. "Do you know where he is now? Does he know about Kevin?"

Andrea shook her head, "I don't know anything about it, I think he might have known something because he was a mutual friend, he could've asked around ... he was deported back to Algonia ... we tried not to talk about him with Sandy, it took years to recover from that, I saw how she struggled and I just have to tell you this ..." Andrea touched John's arm with a serious look on her face.

"Please ... she doesn't know that I'm telling you this, but I just can't let you walk into her life without knowing this."

John looked her in the eyes and didn't say anything. His jaw was clenched, his eyes darkened. He tried to keep his cool, but he was raging inside. "What's the guy's name?" he asked calmly.

"I can't tell you any more than that ... it's her privacy, she will tell you when she's ready ... I hope you can talk about it, but I hope you will take some time before you decide anything with her," she pleaded.

John nodded, his mind was somewhere else. "Does Lucas know about this?"

"Yes."

John didn't look very pleased to hear that. He stood up looking grief-stricken. "Okay ... thank you for telling me this ... I think I should head back." He withdrawn into himself and build his barrier. He was overwhelmed by what he just learned and the walls were high and thick. Andrea didn't have a choice but to let him leave without even glancing at her.