It Began When Her Car Stopped

Author's Note: Why are the updates taking so long now? Because I have more ideas for future chapters than I know what to do with. And thank you, T.K. for inspiring this chapter. At first I didn't want to do it, then I didn't know how to do it, now it's here because I realized it needs to be here. So, I hope you all enjoy.


Chapter 8:


"We’re in," Jas said with a smile as he came out of Doug's office.

Lana smiled back and asked, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he told her. "There's just one thing."

"Isn't there always?"

"There's a rule about employees fraternizing like we do."

"Figured. Well, I guess I can keep my hands off you for eight hours out of our days."

"Man, I hope that doesn't include our days off," he said softly.

Lana laughed slightly and asked, "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow."

Those seemed to be the last words the lovers said to one another over the next several days as they began work at the gym.

Aside from the smiles they shot each other during the day and occasional touching of hands to arms, there was very little contact between the two.

They knew they needed to keep a low profile during work, but it was becoming steadily more difficult. Especially when they would get home and find themselves too tired or too sore to do anything but sleep.

It wasn't all bad though. Still, they were seeing each other each day, making good money doing what they were loving and making some good friends with their fellow employees and clients.

But despite their efforts to keep their relationship from their boss' watchful eyes, another week later Doug saw an exchange of unmistakable glances before a short kiss between Jas and Lana.

He knew already that they were living together, but they had claimed to be no more than roommates. It was then Doug decided it was time to put the gym first. Knowing he needed to keep his newest most popular trainers, he couldn't fire either of them. But decided on something he considered better.

"Lana, can I see you for a moment?" Doug called from his office.

"Sure," she answered as she looked to Jas for a moment as she had been standing next to him.

"Have a seat," the tall, well build slightly thinning blonde haired man instructed when she walked in. Once she took the seat across from his desk, he continued, "Recently I've had some time to consider your employment here."

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked, secretly wondering if he knew and was about to fire her because of it.

"No, no, no, no," he replied quickly. "I'm looking to promote you."

"Me?!" she cried in surprise.

"I know you're still new here, but I've seen what you can do and you seem to be quite popular with our clients. And in six months when I leave here, you'll be much more experienced and I want this gym left in your, by then, much more than capable hands."

Lana could not believe what she was hearing. She had only been there for two weeks! And having this gym as his own had been Jas' dream for over ten years. With that in mind she could only reply, "I don't it because I wouldn't know what to do with it. If you want to leave the gym in a pair of more than capable hands, then give it to Jas. He's always loved this place."

Doug was almost as aware as Lana was about that being the truth. That was why he had decided on this. Hoping that what Jas felt for the gym was stronger than what he felt for Lana and would get them to be his star trainers while taking away what he felt was a distraction for them.

Bad enough they should be in a relationship, but to have that relationship with each other and have them working there together made it blasphemy in his mind.

"I know how Jas feels about this gym," Doug assured. "But I feel that it needs new blood running it and all the better that you're so highly thought of just in your first weeks."

"This isn't right," Lana insisted. "This should go to Jas. Or someone who's been here longer. But not me."

"It's too late for that now," Doug told her. "Arrangements have already been made. It's six months, this is yours," he told her truthfully. Days ago he had made calls and he had filed the paperwork. His mind was made up and he was not going to let anyone get in his way if he could help it.

"Who's telling Jas?" was all she could ask.

"Well, you are his roommate," Doug said.

"You're his boss," she shot back as she stood suddenly. "And you used to be his friend," she added as she stormed out of the office.

"Hey, what happened?" Jas asked as he stopped her, putting his hands at her shoulders.

"You need to talk to Doug and you'll want to sit down," she answered. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" he asked as he saw tears stinging her eyes.

"I can't tell you. It was Doug, you should hear it from him. Jas, I'm so sorry."

Just then Lana slipped from his grasp and he could only watch as she walked quickly to her next class at the other side of the large gym.

"Something you want to tell me?" Jas asked as he walked into Doug's office.

"Jas, hi," he replied with mock care. "I assume your roommate told you."

"That you wanted to speak to me," he answered.

"I know running this gym has been your dream for a long time," he began, "but it seems your roommate will soon be the new owner."

"What?" he asked, just as surprised as Lana had been.

"She met with the backers days ago it seems and there was nothing I could do," he answered. "I'm sorry, I wish I could've been there and could've stopped her, but it seems she's the type who really goes after what she wants and really won't stop until she gets it."

Jas felt ill. As though everything he had ever wanted to believe was being ripped from him. And the fact that Doug would say that it was because of Lana only made it worse. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he knew a few days previous she had gone out, saying she was meeting some new friends from the gym.

And with how she had just apologized to him and that it was Doug telling him this, he couldn't see a reason not to believe him. Aside from that he didn't want to. But he had to admit, so far it didn't seem like a lie.

He took a few seconds to compose himself before going back out into the main area, knowing he had a class soon himself. Still, he didn't want to believe Lana would betray him like this, but he couldn't understand why Doug would lie.

When Lana got another break, Jas took one himself and asked, "A couple days ago, when you said you were hanging out with friends, who were you with?"

"Ashley and Melanie," she answered truthfully. "Why? What's wrong?"

"What about the backers?"

"What backers?"

"Please, please, Lana, don't lie to me," he said. "I can take the truth, hard as it may be, but just please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you. I've never lied to you. What's going on?"

"Congratulations on getting the gym," he stated with as much of a smile as he could give her.

"I didn't ask for this," she replied. "Doug just called me into his office and said it'll be mine in six months no matter how many times I told him you should have it."

Another sharp pain entered Jas' chest at that. He knew then one of the people he cared the most about was lying to him. The friend who had been like a brother to him or the woman he was falling harder for each day.

As he tried to figure it out, Jas was growing quieter by the hour until finally he was not talking to anyone really at all.

Lana knew he was hurt, but could not think of anything to say or do. He wouldn't say more than a few words to her at a time and no matter how she tried to explain, he didn't want to hear it.

The days passed painfully slowly and Jas still wasn't any better. Hearing Doug's seemingly endless details of the changes that were in store was not helping.

But as he always did when he fell into this sort of mood, he poured himself into his work. Working continuously with clients from open to close. He knew it was dangerous, but he couldn't stop. Mainly because each time he stopped and gave himself a chance to think he only thought of Lana and Doug's words about her.

Doug had gotten to him, convincing him that Lana was using him. That this had been her plan since she got there and that had Doug known he would have done whatever he could to stop it.

Jas had tried to fight believing it, but it was easier for him to believe Doug was right as he didn't want to believe he'd lie to him like this. But at the same time, he didn't want to believe the worst about Lana. But to hear Doug tell it, it sounded more than possible.

Lana had poured herself into her work just as Jas had as it was what she always did herself. Her clients were appreciative, but that only added to her own foul mood. She was as depressed and hurt as Jas was, but did what she could to fight it. Though she had to admit there wasn't anything that would work until he began feeling better himself.

"Are you gonna mope all day?" Melanie asked Lana on the fifth afternoon since getting the news.

"Try all week," Lana answered in a low tone.

"You wanna talk about it?" the tall, slim brunette young woman asked.

"Not with you," she said before she could stop herself.

"Wow," Melanie stated.

"That's not what I meant," she said quickly. "It's just that they only one who I should be talking about this with won't even speak to me, Doug says it's too late to do anything and I don't know what to do."

"Why did Doug give you the gym?" she asked.

"Great, now everyone knows," she said, her voice choked in sadness at realizing Jas had to be getting this from Nick, Melanie's male counterpart, just as she was getting this from Melanie.

"Well, it is pretty big news," she told her. "Well, why?"

"I don't know," she said, still on the verge of tears. "I didn’t ask for it. I don't even want it. It's Jas'. It's his dream. It's been his dream for so long. I just can't believe someone who claims to be his friend would do this to him. He doesn't deserve to be betrayed like this and what's worse is he thinks I'm the cause of it."

That night was more of the same for Jas and Lana. They had dinner together at home, but he rushed through it and didn't say a word.

"I'm sick of this," Lana said finally when he came back into the kitchen to get a bottled water out of the fridge as she was about to start stacking the dishes in the dishwasher. "I know you're hurt and I know you're angry, but you have to believe this wasn't my fault."

"Why do I have to believe that?" he asked.

"What about me has you thinking I could be so cruel?"

"When we got to the gym you just dove in like you'd been doing it all your life and I had to wonder if maybe this wasn't your dream once, too. I'm still not sure."

"I told you what I could do, you got to see some of it for yourself. I thought I was helping you by signing on with Doug. Now, he has you thinking I'm this mean spirited I don't know what who's using you."

"Well, you were going at me pretty hot and heavy until we got to the gym," he commented.

Lana wanted to cry. But she would not give him the satisfaction. Nor would she give him the satisfaction of getting her to slap him. Though she couldn't deny she wanted to in that moment. "Going at you hot and heavy? It's called there's no one I've ever wanted more and couldn't help but want to show that. The only reason I haven't since is because I haven't been able to."

"And why is that, I wonder?"

"Have you seen what Doug has me doing for sixteen hours a day, six days a week? I'm barely able to walk! How can you expect me to able to do anything else?!"

"You would've done it before!"

Lana moved closer to him, just inches from him and as she looked up at him, said, "Look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don't see what you saw the day before we started working for Doug, when we were on the beach."

"I don't know what I see anymore," he answered. "For all I know, everything on that beach could've been a lie!"

"Doug's the liar here, not me, I just hope it's not too late when you finally realize it."

"It may already be too late."

"You know what? I don't need this!" Lana fired back. "I never asked Doug for anything! So, if you wanna believe him, fine! Sleep with him tonight!" she added as she slammed the dishwasher door shut.

"It'd be better than sleeping with you tonight!" he shot before she stormed up the stairs to their room, slamming and locking the door behind her.

Still she would not cry, but she wanted to, more now than ever. Just the thought that he could not tell what she felt for him was real had her feeling lower than dirt and she could not believe that it was Jas making her feel this way. Anyone else she could handle, she would expect it even. But not him. He was supposed to be the exception.

Jas followed a minute later, heading into one of the guest rooms and slamming the door loudly behind him as well while locking it another second later.

He hated that he was being lied to. Honesty had always been extremely important to him. But what made this worse was that he didn't know who or what to believe anymore. Truthfully, he wanted to believe Lana. He had almost lost himself in her eyes again, but fought in case Doug was right. But now it was beginning to seep in that Doug would have a lot to gain by lying like this.

Neither of them slept that night, both unable to shake the images of each other from the previous days. But also from their days on the road.

The next morning Jas got up first and headed to their room to shower, but found the door still locked. He raised his hand to knock, but decided against it. The last thing he wanted was another fight when he was this exhausted and he was not too sure he wanted to see Lana so soon after the previous night.

Instead he went down the hall and took his morning shower in the guest bathroom and wore to work what he had worn the day before, not seeing the point in changing into anything else.

Lana redressed in her work clothes from the day before herself once she had hurried through her shower as she just wanted to get the day over with.

The day seemed to progress like the last several, but tonight Jas stalled a bit before going back home. Though he had really seen her all day, he still wasn't ready to see Lana again so soon. He hated hurting her, but he wasn't completely convinced she didn't deserve it.

That was about to change.

Jas showered quickly after his last class and changed back into his regular clothes of a red t-shirt and black jeans just before pulling his still dampened shoulder length locks into a ponytail.

As he made his way to the doors clear across the large gym, he heard voices coming from Doug's office. He wasn't the type to eavesdrop, but when he heard someone other than Doug say his name in a question, he decided to listen in from beside the open door.

"Don't worry about him, Billy, Jas is playing right into my hands," Doug answered his friend and one time co-worker.

"How'd you manage that?" Billy asked.

"Well, we know how I feel about employees sleeping with each other, right?"

Billy nodded as he answered, "You don't want anything to distract from the business. That nothing should matter more to your employees and you'll see to it that certain distractions are done away with."

Doug nodded and said, "I promoted his; whatever she is, and am giving her the gym. This way I don't have to lose them as trainers, but their distractions are gone now that they're over and I can know I don't have to worry about them sneaking around behind my back again because I have that conceited attention whore thinking she asked for this."

"I can't believe you still call Jas that," Billy said with a laugh. "You haven't seen the guy in ten years."

"Yeah, and now he's back and trying to take over like before. I still say they guy's overrated," Doug replied.

"And you don't care that your trainers are probably getting into dangerous territory with what you're doing to them?"

"Not as long as I'm still making money off of them," Doug answered with a smile. "The clients can't get enough of them, the employees love them and now that my plan's in motion, all is sure to be right in my world. Plus, now I don't have to worry about Jas taking over my gym."

"What do you mean?"

"Both times, he's come in here and has taken over. He claims he doesn't mean to, but somehow he always manages to be front and center and I'm sick of it. As long as he's thinking the girl is using him, he won't even think about how to make this gym his and every client I worked to get. And with the girl convinced he hates her, she won't be thinking about anything else either."

Jas didn't need to hear any more. Once again he felt ill, but refused to give in this time. Especially since though he knew Doug had betrayed him so intently, Lana had not been lying. That she did care about him and would never intentionally hurt him.

He turned from Doug's office and made his way home, relief flooding through him all the while. He was pained by what Doug had done and said, but right now his sole focus was on apologizing to Lana as he had never imagined having to before. He could only hope that she would accept it.

"Hey," Jas said softly when he came into the darkened dining room, seeing Lana sitting at the table, picking slightly at her nails as she wasn't hungry or ready for bed.

"Come to yell at me some more?" she asked, her voice shaky and low, almost making her sound like she was two again instead of twenty years older.

'Ouch,' Jas thought at her statement, but he knew he deserved it. It was obvious to him then why she had the lights off. She had been crying and didn't want him to see it. "I am so sorry, Lana," he told her.

"Why?" she asked, still not looking over to him.

"What?"

"I stole your dream, you should be mad at me," she told him, her voice still the same. "It's okay, I can take it." It was a lie and they both knew it. But now she felt she deserved it.

Jas knelt beside her and softly said, "I'm not gonna yell. And I'm not mad at you. I'm not sure I was ever really mad at you. I just didn't know who or what to believe. You didn't steal my dream, Doug took it."

"Where is this coming from?"

"I was passing by his office tonight and heard him talking to a friend of his. He did this to get to us. He knows."

"It was just a matter of time, right?" she asked. "Do you think you could answer a question for me?"

"Sure," he answered softly.

"What made you think I could ever do that to you?"

"Doug," he answered. "He got to me where he knew he could do the most damage. He wanted me to believe that you were using me. And I'm ashamed to admit that it worked. But only for so long."

"But if you hadn't heard it from him, you'd still hate me," she said, her tears creeping back.

"I never hated you," he told her soothingly, wanting to touch her but unsure if he should or if she wanted him to. "I never could."

"But still you believed I could hurt you so badly, intentionally. What am I supposed to think?"

Now Jas was feeling her pain. He didn't know what to say or do. All his life he had been a fighter and only now did he feel he was in a fight that he would lose. He could choke on the irony of it being the one fight he most wanted to win.

"I wish you could know for yourself that I could never do that to you," she told him as she was no longer fighting her tears as there was really no way for her to.

"I do," he replied. "I know now. Please don't cry. You crying is hard enough, but knowing it's because of me just kills me."

"I just wish there was something I could say or do to prove how much I care about you. Because after all of this, you still being able to think so little of me hurts more than I could ever hope to express."

"Lana -"

But before he could finish his sentence, she stood though she was still shaking and said, "I think I'm gonna stay with Ashley tonight," as she moved towards the living room to leave through the front door.

"Please, I'll sleep in one of the guest rooms again or the sofa, or on the beach if you want, just please, don't leave me," Jas practically begged.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "Nearly a month ago I walked into a bar and met the most incredible man I've ever known. He went on to save my life, repeatedly. Even got me to save his once or twice. Now, I care more about him than I've ever cared about anyone. Yet, somehow you can look at me and think that all of this is an act. I just don't know that I can stay here like this."

Jas knew then it was time to damn his pride, Lana deserved the truth. "Lana, you're the only woman I've ever needed. I look at you and wonder what I did to deserve you. No part of me can understand how you've wanted to be with me. And if you really want to stay with Ashley tonight, I won't stop you. Just know that I'll still be here if and when you come back."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Every word," he answered truthfully.

"It's funny because all this time I've been wondering what I did to deserve you, before Doug's plan reared its ugly head, that is." She paused for a moment and thought. She didn't want to leave. But she was hurt and she really didn't know what else to do. But she had an idea. "I'll stay," she said finally. "And I'll leave the door open. I'm just not sure I'd be the best company right now."

"You may not think you're the best company right now, but you're still the only company I want," he told her.

Lana gave him as much of a smile as she could and turned to head back up the stairs to their room.

Jas let her have a few minutes before following. When he reached their room he could see she had left it open as she had said and was already lying down, waiting for sleep to come to her.

He wanted to give her space and time, but he had already spent one night without her and he didn't feel he could do it again. But had she wanted him to, he would have, anywhere she wanted. Especially if it meant her staying there and not going anywhere else. All he could think was that he would never see her again if she left and that was a pain he knew he would never lose.

"Morning," Jas said when Lana came into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning," she replied.

Neither had slept entirely well, but at least they had slept some this time.

"Thank you for staying," he told her.

"You're welcome," she said with a slight shrug.

Lana wasn't doing a great job of concealing her still present tears. But she was too hurt and tired to really try.

"Tell me what I can do to make you feel better," Jas said. "Anything, I'll do it."

"You could trust me," she answered.

"I do," he told her.

"Since last night?" she asked. "You can't just start trusting someone -" Her last word would have been 'overnight', but then it hit her that she began trusting Jas within a half an hour the night they met. What he'd had in his eyes had revealed it to her that she could trust all he had to say. So once again her dark orbs locked on his, searching for what she feared she would not find.

But as he looked back to her, a tear or two stinging his own eyes at knowing he was why she was so hurt, what he truly felt for her would not be hidden.

In that instant Lana really didn't know what to think. She had found the same look in his eyes that she had seen so many times before. When they danced, when they laid down for the first time in their bed. It was then she knew she could trust him now just as she had then. But still she couldn't help but be afraid of just what Doug had done to them. Unsure if this wouldn't happen again.

"Do you really trust me?" she asked.

"You may be the only person I'll ever trust again after what Doug's done," he answered. He didn't feel it was an exaggeration. Everything she had said and done she had meant. While honesty had always been very important to him, he was not used to people being so honest with him. And now that he was faced with the one person who had been, he could only hope that it wasn't too late to fix this. "Do you think you could trust me again?" he asked.

"I do," she told him. "Just please, don't ever listen to what Doug has to say about me again. He doesn't know me and you know me better than anyone ever could. Please don't doubt that."

"Who's Doug?" he asked as he gave her as much of a smile as he could.

It was too soon for a joke, but still Lana moved closer to him when she saw him open his arms to her. Being back in his warm embrace, Lana never wanted to have to leave it again. She had missed this, longing for this. But though this was not who she had dreamed of it coming about, she was still thankful for the moment.

The same was true for Jas as he felt her arms move behind him, her palms resting flat against his shoulder blades and her head was against his chest.

For Lana, trust had always been an important thing to her. Mainly because when she was younger she didn't get much even though she had earned it. And it was now she was discovering that she had never completely recovered from it.

When they released their holds a minute later, Jas once again saw the tears in her eyes and asked, "What can I say to make you feel better? What haven't I said yet to make these go away?" He wasn't asking for himself, he just hated that she was hurt.

"There might be one thing," she said as she looked up at him. She wasn't looking for the words neither could bring themselves say yet. Just the one word that came from him. The one she couldn't remember hearing from anyone else.

"Anything, Beautiful," he replied.

She smiled slightly and said, "That was it."

"I am so sorry, Beautiful," he told her. "It was never supposed to be this way."

"I'm sorry, too. For all of this," Lana told him. "I told Doug no. That I didn't want it. That -"

"Shh," he said soothingly, not wanting her to cry again. "I know. It's okay."

"But it's not," she insisted. "You're still hurt and I can't take that. It's worse when I know it's because of me."

"Hey," he said just above a whisper, "it was my idea for us to work together. Doug wanted to get to me and he did. Doug's the bad guy here, not you. Now I want to hear you say it."

"Doug's the bad guy," she said.

"Again," he said with a slight smile, wanting to see her smile emerge. Wanting to see her laugh. Wanting to get her back to her normal self.

"Doug's the bad guy," she repeated, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"One more time," he said.

"Doug's the bad guy," she said again, a faint laugh finally emerging at the thankfulness of knowing he had forgiven her.

"That's what I wanted to see," he said at her smile as he raised a hand to wipe the tears from her reddened cheeks. He paused for a moment and asked, "Do you think we'll be okay?"

She nodded slowly and answered, "I am if you are." Jas simply smiled to her as he nodded himself to which she could only breathe, "Jas?"

"Yeah, Beautiful?" he asked, his smile softening, but not fading.

"Could you kiss me?" she asked softly. Never before had she needed to ask, but it had been a long week since their last and she could tell he wanted to, but was too afraid of it being too soon.

He smiled still, but didn't say anything else as she had just asked what he had been longing to hear since he had walked in the night before. Slowly, he leaned down and let his soft lips brush hers first, wanting to know she was really ready.

Lana let him, unsure if he was fully ready himself. But soon their lips were truly meeting again. A long, slow and tender lip to lip kiss that neither wanted to break as they moved closer to one another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Apologies all around again for another sexless chapter, I didn't mean for it to be. It's just that this was another chapter that started out being the size of three, so it needed to be split up. Chapter 9 will be up as soon as possible. And no, I have not forgotten about my other stories, they will be updated as soon as possible, too. But first, let me know what you thought of this one.