Love Drunk: Chapter Thirty Two

After almost dying in a fire, Lainie put her feelings into perspective. After kissing Dexter abruptly at the park, rather than make him want to be with her she drove him further into Jenna's arms! Dexter proposed to Jenna as Lainie was breaking up with David! How will the gang take the news of Dexter's impending wedding?

Dexter had his friends and family gathered in his flat. "Guys, I asked you all round here today to tell you something..."

"...Jenna and I are getting married!" Ash, Drew, Erin and Charlotte all congratulated the couple as Lainie felt faint and had to excuse herself taking Keira with her. 

Dexter saw how shocked she was and it made him feel bad, but this was for the best. This was how they would move on and concentrate on their other halves. But David, Lainie's other half was conspicuous by his absence. 

As Roxy headed after her Dexter mumbled, "Where's David?" as Charlotte gave him a surprised look,

"Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Lainie broke up with him, last night!" Last night? When he was proposing to Jenna? She was breaking up with David? 

His heart began to race and his palms were sweating...he was excited over this news! Lainie was single again! But he wasn't! He was with Jenna! They were getting married! He had to focus on that! "You okay bro?" Ash cut into his thoughts.

"Y-yeah!" he mumbled and put on a fake smile as Jenna took hold of his hands.

"Hey there future hubby!" she gushed as Drew shot him a disapproving look!

"Hey!" he kept that smile plastered on his face, focus on Jenna!!!

Lainie fought back the tears as she cuddled her daughter. Roxy tried to comfort her but it wasn't working. "Hey, Lain!"

"Roxanne, I've been an idiot!" she cried.

"What? How..." Lainie turned her head.

"I kissed him! I kissed Dexy, he kissed me back..."

"What???"

"But then he got angry and told me I shouldn't have done it and...I asked him if he loved me and he said he did but...then he left and now he's engaged oh Roxanne what's going on???"

Roxy had no answers, she was just as confused as Lainie was. But she felt she had to hint to her friend about her knowledge of Dexter's feelings, "Lain, all I can say is he does love you and this wedding won't happen! She's his rebound girl and everybody knows it! He couldn't have you so he settled for her instead! He's always wanted you Lain! He stepped up when he found out you were pregnant with Keira and he knew there was a bigger chance of her being Alex's but he still stood by you! Who else would do that Lain??? He did it because he loved you!"

Lainie couldn't think about that right now, all she could think about was losing Dexter to another woman, Dexter's ring on Jenna's finger! "No Roxanne, we've only ever been friends! And I have to accept that I was foolish to kiss him and confuse him like that! We shared a very big moment together, we made a baby! It will always bind us together. But it's not love! It can't ever be that!"

Roxy watched her best friend trudge down the stairs to their flat. She was still so blind even after all this time!

Grabbing Dexter by the arm and taking him outside, Roxy wanted some answers, "Okay Maloney! What the heck is going on???" He looked confused.

"What do you mean? I got engaged, why?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you know and I know you love Lainie!"

"DID!" He shouted, "Jen and I are getting married Rox, Jenna loves me!"

"Funny, you never said you love her, just that she loves you!" Roxy smirked.

"Well I do, why would I marry her if I didn't?"

"You tell me Maloney! You flippin' tell me!!!" She seethed and left him on the landing.

Drew stood behind him as Roxy stomped off, "Yeah Dex, you really kinda have some explaining to do!"
"Please don't do this to me Drew! I've finally settled down, I finally found someone who loves me!" Drew grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Dude, you're still in love with Lainie and everybody knows it!"
"No, yes...Drew don't!" Dexter shook his head sadly.
"Dex? Why are you marrying a girl you only met a few months ago? Do you love her?"

Dexter looked him in the eyes and replied, "I never thought it could be possible..."
"What?"
"...to love two people at the same time! I want Lainie, I've always wanted her! But it was like there was a glass wall between us, I kept knocking on it but she would ignore me! Then Jenna came along and she just...she had time for me! She saw ME! She fell in love with me without any effort on my part and..." Dex smiled despite his sadness.


"...that made me fall in love with her! Drew please be happy for me? I'm finally putting Lainie behind me, she thinks I'll always be there when she needs me and I will be. But I'm not going to sit and wait for her to see me as more than a friend, more than her daughter's father! I wanted to marry Lainie, I did! Way back when she was pregnant with Keira, if she asked I would have married her and taken care of her and my daughter!"

"But she doesn't want me! She's made that pretty clear over the past three years! I'm chasing shadows man! She thinks she can just pick me up and drop me but Jenna...she gets me! She can look into my soul and see me!" Drew smiled too, convinced that his friend was doing the right thing...

"Well then, congratulations my friend! As long as you're happy then I'm happy! And yeah, Jenna is a lovely girl, just make sure she's the one! Don't use her to get to Lainie!"
"That's not what I'm doing believe me. She is my key to forgetting Lainie once and for all! Because when I'm with her, Lainie just melts away! This is it Drew, I've finally found someone I can live my life with!"

Dexter wasn't telling the whole truth, Lainie was always on his mind. And after she kissed him at the park and he didn't stop her, in fact he encouraged her, the guilt was more than he could bear! As he watched Jenna sleep that night, he knew he did love her just as much as he did Lainie. But now that David was out of the picture? Bad timing was all it was! He was marrying Jenna! He was going to be happy with Jenna! Lainie had her chance, time and time again, she blew it!

She blew it and now he had moved on!

The next morning Dexter went down to visit his daughter. Roxy was there, but no Lainie. "She's gone down to the diner, she got some bad news today Maloney so don't give her a hard time okay?"

Dex left Keira with Roxy as he went down to see Lainie. She was standing in amongst the debris, looking lost. "Hi!" he called to her.
"Hello Dexter!" she replied sadly.

"What happened to Dexy?" he laughed nervously.
"Oh I think we've grown out of that now..." she looked him in the eyes, "...don't you?"
"Um, not really no. Roxy said you had some bad news. Can I do anything?"

Lainie sighed sadly and looked down at the charred rubble at her feet, "No, not unless you have £23,000 handy!"
"What?" he gulped.
"Yeah, the insurance company won't pay out! They tend to frown upon arson you see!"
"I don't get it!"

"Well the fire was set deliberately so I'm on my own! My diner is finished!" she seemed rather calm about it, which worried him.
"I'm sorry freckles!" he wanted to hug her, comfort her, but her next words chilled him to the bone.
"Dexter I think you should stop calling me freckles! Your new wife might take exception to it! After all, we aren't as close as we once were. Our special friendship is no longer acceptable!"

"I don't care, I've always called you freckles! Why should I change now? No matter what happens, you'll always be special to me! We made a baby together, that kinda thing never goes away! Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean we can't still be friends, best friends in fact!" 

Lainie laughed bitterly, "Sometimes I don't understand you! I never know where I stand with you! It makes me so mad!" 

Dexter felt the fury rise up in him as he spat,
"DITTO!"

And left her standing alone in the ruins that used to be her diner!

"You know she has some NERVE!" Dexter yelled at his brother as he packed. "SHE doesn't know where she stands with ME???"
"Dexter calm down!"

"We were in a lift together, it broke down and she leaned on me and looked into my eyes, she whispered my name and we kissed! I took her in my arms, I SHOWED her how much she meant to me! We made Kee Bee right there! I gave her my soul, my everything! And SHE has the cheek to say that to ME???"

"Dexter, women think that men give away sex like it's nothing! It's just an act, something we do to get gratification...a moment's pleasure! Women think we just want to get laid and it doesn't mean anything, it's just sex and nothing more!" Dexter looked shocked,
"No! Well not always!"
"Exactly!" his brother nodded.

"What they don't get is that sometimes it means just as much to us as it does to them. But because we're such horny beasts, they can't tell WHEN we're giving them our hearts and souls! They can't tell when it's making love or just...you know...sex!"
"Well they should pay more attention!" Dexter huffed.
"Yeah well we don't make it easy for them! Look you and Lainie need to draw a line under this and forget it! Because you're driving round in circles at the moment!"

Dexter was angry at himself for getting angry! "I know, and I'm trying but she's not makin' it easy! First she kisses me and then..." 
"Whoaa! Back up there little brother, she WHAT?"
"She kissed me! At the park! Well when I say she kissed me I didn't exactly stop her, I kissed her back and..."
"Dexter!" Ash looked disappointed with him.

"I know I know, she caught me unawares! But I told her it was wrong and...then I decided to propose to Jenna!"
"Dexter, this is a mess!" Ash shook his head.
"No it's not, I'm marrying Jenna!"
"If you're doing this to get over Lainie then..."

"WHY does everyone keep saying that???" Dexter's voice was getting louder, "Is it not possible that I want to get married to Jenna? Is it not possible that I AM over Lainie?" Ash looked intently at his brother and replied,
"After the way you just went on about her? No! Not possible!"

"Okay fine, I love them both! But I told Drew and I'll tell you, Jenna knows she wants me, she knows she loves me! Lainie doesn't know anything and that's too bad!" Ash had nothing more to say to his brother. What he was saying actually made sense, even if Ash thought he was bonkers for marrying a girl he'd only been dating for nearly four months.

Lainie couldn't sleep that night, she felt like there was a hole inside her since the fight with Dexter in the diner.

She seemed to be in autopilot as she headed out of her flat and upstairs to Dexter's. He was now living alone after Ash had found a place and moved in with Erin. She knocked loudly and it took him a while to answer.

"Lainie? Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Dexy I'm sorry!" she blurted out as he raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to Dexter?"
"We're being stupid! Nothing has changed, you and I are always going to be special to each other you're right!"
"Freckles..."
"No let me finish! I'm sorry for being such a flake lately, near death experiences do that to you, you should know after your accident!"
"I do!" he nodded, still in shock over her change of heart.

"Dexy I love you! You're the best male friend I have ever had! We're the parents of a beautiful little girl and I think we need to stop being so childish and just...forget our petty little feud and make up! What do you say?" Dexter smiled broadly and pulled her in for a hug.

Lainie struggled with the urge to grab him and kiss him again as the feeling of his bare chest against her made her tingle. "I would love that freckles, I really would! Because I want you and Jenna to be friends! It's important to me that two out of the four most important women in my life get along!"
"We already are Dexy, and I'm sure we'll be even better friends as time goes on. We both have Keira in common so..."

"Thank you!" Dex sighed and let her go.
"For what?"
"You've really made this easier! It was tearin' me up us fightin' all the time!"
"Me too! Goodnight Dexy!" she struggled to look away from his big blue eyes as she thought about going back downstairs.

"Night freckles!" he replied with that broad smile of his, and went back inside his flat.

Jenna was standing in the living room looking worriedly at him, "Freckles? What does she want at this time of night?"
"We fell out, she wanted to apologise!" Dex was still smiling and didn't seem to notice Jenna's concern.

"Dexter? Is there something going on that I should know about?"
"Huh? Apart from us falling out?" he looked confused.
"Yes, like...you two still being...close?" and now his confused look was replaced by an insulted one.

"Jen, I'm not cheating on you! I'd never do that, you're the only girl for me! We're getting married!"
"I...never said...I'm sorry!" she mumbled and hugged him.

"In fact, tomorrow I think we should set a date for the wedding!" he rubbed her back to calm her.
"Really?"
"Yep, I can't wait to make you Mrs Jenna Maloney! The sooner the better! How does two months time sound?" Jenna let out a little girly squeal and kissed him excitedly.

"Are you sure?" her eyes were wide in surprise.
"Yes, I am! Let's do this!" he gave her a wink and held her in his arms. Draw a line under it was what his brother said, so that's what he was going to do!

Roxy had been visiting Matthew during everything that had gone on, and he had turned out to be her little secret. Not because she didn't want to tell anyone about him, she just never got the chance with the fire and the engagement...the opportunity just never arose.

Matthew was still trying to cope after losing out on the CEO position, work was hell on earth with Graham in charge and his constant conference calls from Bridgeport. The highlight of his day was her visit, she brought him food and company. He felt awful about the diner burning down and the fact that Lainie couldn't refurbish it without the insurance money. What he hadn't told Roxy was that daddy was rich and he could easily give them the money they needed. But he was scared how Roxy would take it!

That day he felt he had to come clean. "Roxy?"
"Yes Matty!"
"There's something I need to tell you..." Roxy wouldn't let him finish.

"Well before you do, I got you a little something to cheer you up!" she placed a flat brown paper bag on the table.
"What's this?"

"Well I had some money saved and I saw that your special comic in the cabinet over there says one of two so..." Matthew's face fell, if it was what he thought it was...she couldn't afford this!
"Roxanne!" he shut his eyes and sucked in a breath.

"What? I thought you'd be happy I..."
"Why did you spend your money on me?"
"Thanks Roxy, that was really nice of you! Last time I ever try to cheer you up!" she huffed and stomped towards the door.

"No, you don't understand!" Matthew called to her.
"Oh I think I do! Don't worry Matthew, I won't come bothering you again!" and she was gone.

"Great!" he sighed and looked down at the very expensive comic she had bought him. He had to tell her the truth now!

After a walk to clear her head, Roxy arrived home half an hour later to the overpowering smell of...

...FLOWERS! "Yeah they just arrived by lorry!" Lainie called to her. "All for you girl!" Roxy surveyed the sea of flowers all over their living room floor as Lainie read from one of the cards...

"Ready? 'Dearest Roxy! Thank you so very much for the comic book, it was so kind of you to do that! But since my father is the owner of the company I work for, I could easily afford'...wait!" she stopped and grabbed another card.

"...ah! 'The comic myself. I just didn't want you spending your money on a spoiled rich kid like me'...next card!" Lainie grinned.

"Okay! 'I just wanted to say that I cherish each moment we have together and all I ever want from you is your company, gifts are not necessary'...next card!"

"Awww...ahem 'All I want is you! And besides it should be me giving you gifts because you're just that special! Please don't hate me because I adore you, all my love Matthew!' Aaaah!" Lainie sighed mockingly...

"Who's Matthew?" she tilted her head to the side in confusion as Roxy smiled to herself!

After his chat with Dexter, Drew felt a hint of jealousy over his engagement. He wanted so badly to marry Charlotte it made his heart burn!

She was oblivious to how torn he really was. She was enjoying their newfound intimacy over these past few months and even commented that she'd never felt more comfortable with a man. Drew tried to get her to open up about her previous marriage but she didn't want to drag up the past. The future was what mattered! "So I'll have to give up my job at the cattery, pregnant women can't be near cats, or so I read!" she frowned.

"Char, we need to try first! I take it by this conversation that you're...ready?"
"Yes Andrew! I am ready, it's time!" she smiled sweetly at him and snuggled into him...

...but Drew wasn't so sure this time! He wasn't ready!

Lainie was on the phone to the insurance company again, but they couldn't help her. If the fire had been an accident then they would have paid out no problem, this she knew as she argued with the woman on the other end inside her charred diner, "So you think I would burn down my own diner? How stupid do you think I am?" She shrieked down the phone as a hand grabbed it from her ear...

..."Oh no miss, she wouldn't do that! I know that for a fact..." Liv looked sadly at her sister...

"...because it was me!"

Oh dears! What is to become of Lainie??? :/ And poor ole Drew! And what of this wedding of the year? Will it happen? Or will Lainie do a Dustin Hoffman and stop proceedings? ;)