Chapter 38: A Heart-Wrenching Talent

[Chapter 38: A Heart-Wrenching Talent]

Aniston woke up early, humming a tune she couldn't quite place, happily bustling around the kitchen. After meeting her father's producer friend last night, she finally secured a role as the second lead in a hit NBC TV series. While it wasn't the leading role, it was a significant opportunity for her as a newcomer, and it would definitely help boost her fame, which was what Aniston desperately needed right now.

"Morning, Jen," her half-brother, Alex Aniston, mumbled as he stumbled sleepily past the kitchen door, scratching his head.

Aniston turned around, holding a packed breakfast and said, "Hey, Alex, breakfast is ready. We can eat as soon as Dad and the others wake up, but I have to run out for a bit."

With that, without waiting for Alex to respond, Aniston rushed out the door.

Declining an invitation to Eric's party had made Aniston a bit anxious. Although the tabloids' portrayal of her relationship with Eric frustrated her, her feelings for him made her care about his emotions. She could tell Eric was upset from their phone call the night before, so she woke up early to make him a heartfelt breakfast, hoping to soothe his discontent while eagerly sharing with him the news of her role.

About ten minutes later, Aniston got out of a cab in front of Eric's house, pulling out the key he had made just for her to open the door and walk into the yard.

...

Unbeknownst to her, about ten meters away, an inconspicuous gray Buick was parked, and a previously sleepy white guy instantly perked up, his face lighting up with excitement. He quickly grabbed a camera, snapping a photo, while kicking his snoozing companion awake.

"Hey, Dave, wake up! There's a great show to watch!"

The black man with the wide-brimmed hat who had been snoring suddenly felt a jolt, and instinctively pulled off his hat, sitting bolt upright, his bloodshot eyes staring out the car window. "Wayne, did Drew Barrymore and Eric Williams just come out? Where are they?"

"Better than that! Eric's convenience store clerk girlfriend just walked in," Wayne said, barely able to contain his glee. "This is going to be wild."

David looked again but didn't see Aniston's figure. He reached to grab Wayne's camera, but Wayne quickly stopped him. "What are you doing? Be careful with the film, or our whole night will be wasted. Don't worry, I already got a shot."

"Good, good," David rubbed his plump hands together, grinning. "I thought catching Eric with Drew would score big, but this is even better. How much do you think we should ask for?"

"At least three thousand bucks. If that old goat Santos tries to lowball us again, we'll just take it to another paper. This story is gonna sell like hotcakes."

...

In a daze from last night's drinking, Eric felt something soft in his hand, comfortable to the touch. He instinctively squeezed it, and as the girl gasped in pain, he opened his eyes, startled to find a warm body leaning against him.

Still groggy from the hangover, Eric mistook the girl for Aniston and, without thinking, pinched the little cherry at the top of the softness in his palm. "Morning, babe."

The girl moaned softly, leaning in to kiss Eric. "Good morning, Eric."

"Whoa... ah!" Just then, the familiar yet unexpected face appeared, and Eric jerked back, surprised, avoiding the girl's red lips.

The sudden movement caused his head to spin. Rubbing his temples, Eric stuttered, "Drew... why are you here?"

Drew seemed just as taken aback, rolling away and pulling up the blanket to cover her pale chest, gazing at Eric with a look of innocent concern. "Eric, you brought me home last night, and then... well, you don't have to worry; I'm okay. I... I'm happy."

I do worry, Eric thought, sighing helplessly as he reached for his clothes, catching a glint of mischief in Drew's eyes.

Suddenly intrigued, he swiftly lifted the blanket to take a look. The sheets were clean, and no scent lingered in the air. He let out a sigh of relief and shot Drew a glare. "We didn't do anything last night, did we?"

"We did!" Drew pouted. "Eric, how could you say that? You can't just deny it!"

"Then why is the bed so clean?" Eric asked, pulling on his shirt casually.

Drew's face twisted in more concern. "You... you forced that thing in my mouth and made me swallow. Then you wanted me to clean up afterward, you jerk! You can't do something so gross and then pretend it didn't happen. You're such a disappointment!"

Feeling overwhelmed, Eric felt like a million horses were galloping through his mind. Where did she learn that? 

"Enough, Drew, stop messing around and get dressed!"

Seeing Eric's disbelief, Drew quickly jumped out of bed, bare as the day she was born, and leaped onto him. "Eric, if you don't believe me, just let me kiss you. I still have the taste in my mouth!"

As she opened her mouth to kiss him, Eric's face turned horrified. If what she said was true, that was just too disgusting.

"Don't... ah... don't do that, Drew! I believe you! Just stop already!"

"Don't you dare duck away! Eric, you're such a coward!"

As they tussled around, the bedroom door suddenly creaked open.

Aniston stood frozen in the doorway, holding a grocery bag.

Silence filled the space, as if God had pressed the pause button on reality.

After what felt like an eternity, the distant sound of a car horn outside snapped the three of them back to reality.

Confusion, hurt, anger, sadness, disappointment... a whirlwind of emotions surged within Aniston, and she inexplicably felt a pulse of relief. Was this how things were meant to be?

"E-Eric, I-I brought you breakfast," Aniston's voice came out fragile, almost like a whisper carried away by a breeze.

She bent down to set the grocery bag on the floor and turned to leave, her footsteps unwittingly growing faster, her high heels clattering sharply against the floor, echoing in the vacant house.

As the tears began to fall, Aniston bolted from Eric's yard, desperate to keep her tears hidden from him; she knew he'd revel in her sadness.

The sound of her heels jolted Eric from his daze.

"Jenny, let me explain..." he hurriedly pushed Drew off him, scrambling to pull on his pants as he rushed after her.

...

In his haste, he almost tripped down the stairs, but thankfully he caught hold of the railing and stumbled out of the yard, only to see a yellow cab speeding away, Aniston's silhouette just barely visible inside.

Returning to grab his car keys, Eric felt like crying. How many times had this happened now? Caught in the act again.

Why did he even say "again"?

There he was, watching sitcoms like Friends where Rachel caught her boyfriend cheating, while in real life, she was tossed into a similar mess with Peter and Jolie, and here he found himself facing it all over again.

This heart-wrenching talent was too much -- would it be easier to give it up?

By the time he hit the road in his car, the cab was long gone, leaving only the vague outline of Aniston's figure in his rearview mirror as he drove straight to John Aniston's place.

Minutes later, adjusting his clothes, Eric rang the doorbell at John Aniston's home.

...

"Hi, um, Eric. You here to see Jen?" Alex Aniston opened the door, recognizing Eric.

"Alex, where's your sister?" Eric asked urgently.

Alex looked puzzled. "She left early this morning. Didn't she go to see you?"

Seeing Alex's expression didn't suggest he was lying, Eric said goodbye and rushed away. If Aniston wasn't home, she had to be at her Burbank apartment.

Arriving at Aniston's little place, he knocked, but no one answered. Scanning the area and seeing no one around, he retrieved a spare key from a flowerpot and unlocked the apartment door.

As he stepped inside, Eric sensed unmistakably that Aniston had been there; her unique scent hung in the air.

Searching around, he eventually found a note on the coffee table: Eric, let's break up.

...

Sighing, he hurried back to John Aniston's home, where he found Alex again at the door.

"Alex, you--"

Before Eric could finish, Alex interrupted, "Eric, just go. Jen said she left for New York early, and we shouldn't tell you."

"Uh..."

Sometimes being a little slow on the uptake was a blessing.

"Is that Eric? Come in." Just as Eric was about to respond, John Aniston's voice sounded from inside.

Hearing his father's voice, Alex begrudgingly stepped aside, letting Eric in.

"Follow me," John Aniston said, his expression devoid of emotion as he glanced at Eric, heading deeper into the house.

Eric nodded at John's current wife, then followed him to the study.

"Have a seat, Eric. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No thank you, Mr. Aniston. Can you tell me which airport Jen went to? I need to clarify some things."

John Aniston gave Eric a glance at his somewhat disheveled clothes and asked, "Eric, did you go to a party last night?"

"Uh, yes."

"After the party, did you end up with another woman?"

"John, it's a misunderstanding. I--"

John waved his hand. "You don't need to explain. I just think you both should split. You might not know this, but Jen has been feeling a lot of pressure lately; she's been rather anxious and on edge."

"Why?"

John Aniston replied, "You've been together for a while; don't you understand her personality yet? Jen is a strong-willed girl. You've achieved such dazzling success, and she's still struggling in the shadows. With everything the tabloids are saying, it's understandable that she's feeling this way."

*****

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