Expect the Unexpected
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Jacob asked his brother. “This is a really big step.”
Sitting across from him, Jordan had his hands clasped together with a dimpled smile on his face and sparkles in his blue eyes.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything!” Jordan responded. “And before you ask, Chloe and I have talked about it before, and we both want the same thing. I think it’s time.”
Jacob smiled at his brother and said “I never thought I would see the day. My little brother’s getting engaged!”
“You’re only 15 minutes older than me.” Jordan said as he rolled his eyes. “So will you help me find the perfect ring?”
“Do you really have to ask?” Jacob responded. “Of course, I’ll help you!”
“Let’s go then.” Jordan said.
Jordan and Jacob both put on their coats and boots ready to leave Jordan’s apartment. Jordan grabbed his car keys and the twins headed out the door.
***
As Jordan drives to Tiffany & Co., he thinks about all the worst possible scenarios that could happen. What if I can’t find the perfect ring? he asked himself. What if she says no? Jacob could feel his twin brother starting to spiral decided to speak up.
“What are you panicking about?” Jacob asked his brother.
“I’m just a little nervous.” Jordan replied.
“About what?” Jacob asked. “You and Chloe love each other. I know she’s going to say ‘yes’. She would be crazy not to. You have nothing to worry about.”
“You’re right.” Jordan replied as he began to smile.
His brother’s short pep talk gave him a little more confidence. As he continued to drive to Tiffany & Co., his thoughts of uncertainty are replaced with thoughts of excitement for the future.
***
Ten minutes later, Jordan and Jacob entered Tiffany & Co. and began to look around. Jordan is quickly fascinated with all the jewelry he can see around him. He saw bracelets, necklaces and earrings but what really caught his eye was the engagement rings. Jordan and Jacob made their way over to the section that housed the rings and began to look around. As the twins looked at the engagement rings, they are approached by a beautiful dark-skinned woman.
“Welcome to Tiffany & Co.!” she said with a smile. “My name is Skylar. What are you guys looking for today?”
“Hello.” Jacob replied for his brother. “My brother, Jordan, over here is looking for an engagement ring.”
“Congratulations!” she said as she turned to Jordan with a wide smile.
“Thank you but I haven’t asked her yet.” Jordan replied with a smile and rosy cheeks.
“Well, I’m sure she’s going to say ‘Yes’.” Skylar said. “So, what kind of ring do you think she’ll like?”
“Can I see the round-shaped rings you have?” Jordan asked.
“Of course.” Skylar replied. “Follow me.”
Jordan and Jacob followed Skylar a little further into the engagement rings sections. Jacob decided to make conversation with Skylar as they continued into the section. Jordan, however, got lost in his thoughts wondering what kind of ring he should get for Chloe. When Skylar noticed Jordan trailing behind them, she slowed down a little bit while Jacob continued to look around.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked Jordan. “If you don’t mind me asking of course.”
“No, it’s totally fine.” he reassured her. “I’m just trying to picture the perfect ring. I want to make sure she’ll love it and say ‘yes’.”
Skylar smiled at him. “I think you’ll know when you see it. You also seem like a nice guy. She’s saying ‘yes’ to you, not the ring.”
“You’re right.” he said. “I guess I’m just a little nervous.”
“It’s totally normal to feel that way.” She replied. “You’re about to get engaged. That’s a huge step.”
Just as Jordan was about to respond, they stopped in front of a display case. Jordan looked in the case and saw beautiful round-shaped rings.
“Here we are.” Skylar said.
“Wow!” Jacob exclaimed from beside his brother. “These are beautiful!”
“They really are.” Jordan said as he looked around the display.
“Do you see anything you like?” Skylar asked.
Jordan browsed the display case until his eye landed on one ring.
“Can I see that one?” he asked pointing to the ring.
“Of course!” Skylar exclaimed.
Skylar pulled the ring out of the display case and showed it to Jordan.
“This is one of my personal favorites.” Skylar said. “It has a beautiful round diamond with six prongs and a pavé band.”
As soon as Jordan saw the ring up close, he knew it was the one. Jacob looked at his brother and saw the sparkle in his eyes and the smile on his face and knew that his brother found the perfect ring. A smile grew on Jacob’s face as he realized how real this just got.
“I think he just found the perfect ring.” Jacob said as he nudged his brother.
Jordan looked at his brother and then at Skylar with a smile.
“You were right.” he said to her. “I knew it was the perfect one the minute I laid my eyes on it.”
Skylar smiled at him. “Well, I’m happy I can help. And you’re sure this is the one?”
“100% sure.” Jordan said with a smile.
“Okay. Now all we need is her size and then you’ll pay.” Skylar said. “It should be ready in about 2 days for pickup.”
“That’s great!” Jordan replied. “Thank you so much for all your help Skylar!”
“No problem Jordan.” Skylar said with a smile. “I’m just doing my job.”
Skylar led Jordan and Jacob to the checkout counter where they discussed the size of the ring and Jordan paid. Jordan said thanks to Skylar once more before he and Jacob left the store. As they headed back to the car, Jacob struck up a conversation with his brother.
“So, you have the perfect ring, all you need now is the time and place.” Jacob said.
“I think I have the perfect place.” Jordan replied. “I just need to figure out the time. Both of our schedules are so busy, and we barely have any free time.”
“You’ll figure it out. Don’t stress about it.” Jacob reassured him. “Now let’s go get something eat.”
***
Two weeks later, Jordan and Chloe both had the week off. Jordan realizes this is the perfect time to propose. He and Chloe planned a walk in Central Park. Jordan told Jacob about his plan and hired a photographer to capture the moment. On the day of his plan, he stood in front of the mirror trying to get rid of his nerves. Calm down. he thought to himself. You have nothing to worry about. After giving himself a little pep talk and making sure he had the ring in his pocket, he was ready to go.
“Chloe are you ready?” he asked realizing she was taking a long time.
“Almost.” Chloe replied. “I just need to grab my shoes.”
Jordan watched as she ran into their shared closet and grabbed a pair of brown boots.
“Okay.” she said as she finished tying her laces. “I’m ready”
Chloe was wearing black jeans and a white sweater along with the brown boots she just put on.
“You look beautiful.” he said as he gave her a peck.
“Thank you.” she said. “You look very handsome.”
Jordan smiled at her as a ‘thank you’. He was wearing blue jeans, a white shirt with a black jacket and black boots.
“Let’s go.” Jordan said looking at the time.
With that statement the couple walked out of the house together and made their way to Central Park. As they got closer to Central Park, Jordan started to feel nervous again. He kept checking his phone for a text from Jacob and his palms started the sweat. Sensing her boyfriend’s anxiousness, Chloe looked over at him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m great.” Jordan replied with a nervous smile.
“Okay.” Chloe said with an unsure look.
As they approached Central Park, Jordan checked his phone one more time and saw a message from Jacob telling him that everything was in place. Jordan and Chloe walked over to Cat’s Rock which provided them a great view of Central Park. Jordan began to look around and saw Jacob and the photographer standing a few feet away from them. Chloe, who had never been to Cat’s Rock, looked around marveled by the scenery. When Chloe’s back was turned to Jordan, he took a deep breath, pulled the ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee.
“This is really beautiful Jordan.” Chloe said with her back still to Jordan.
“Yeah, it is.” he responded while looking at her.
When Chloe turned around to look at Jordan, her lips parted in surprise and her eyes started to water when she realized what was happening.
“Jordan.” she whispered.
“Chloe.” Jordan said as he started his speech. “From the moment I met you, I knew you were going to be in my life for a very long time. You’ve been my girlfriend for the past three years and couldn’t ask for anything better.
“You’re kind, funny, loving, and beautiful. That is everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. Thank you for being by my side and sharing a piece of your heart with me. Will you marry me?”
Chloe had tears rolling down her face as she looked back and forth between Jordan and the ring. After a moment of silence, Chloe began nodding her head up and down.
“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!” she exclaimed.
Jordan slipped the ring on her finger and stood up straight. Chloe looked at how beautiful the ring was and brought Jordan in for a kiss. When the kiss ended, she pulled him in for a hug. They both had huge smiles on their face and dried tears. As they got caught up in the moment, they heard cheers and saw the flash of a camera.
“My little brother is engaged!” Jacob shouted. “Congratulations you two!”
Jacob gave them both an endearing hug as the photographer continues to capture the moment on camera.
“Thanks Jacob.” Jordan replied.
They stayed at Cat’s Rock for a little while and continued to get pictures. After 1 hour, they began to get hungry and decided to go out for dinner. After dinner, Chloe and Jordan returned to their shared apartment where they began talking about the wedding and their future together. Jordan fell asleep that night with a smile on his face and a fiancée by his side.
***
“This is the third time she’s missed dinner with mom and dad.” Jordan said to his brother while looking at his phone. “And she’s not answering her phone.”
A month after the engagement, Jordan realized that the excitement he was staring to feel was starting to fade away. Chloe promised to come to dinner with his parents and brother each Saturday night for the past 3 weeks. It’s a tradition in his family to have dinner with each other once a week. However, she kept missing the dinners and refused to answer his calls. Jordan was starting to become frustrated and was running out of excuses to tell his parents.
“Have you asked her why this keeps happening?” Jacob asked.
“Of course I have.” Jordan responded. “She’s not telling me the truth though. I can tell.”
“How?” Jacob asked.
“She’s not a good liar.” Jordan said. “She refuses to be specific in her answers and she keeps playing with hair. I can’t keep lying to mom and dad for her. It’s becoming annoying.”
Jordan looked at his brother and could tell he wanted to say something.
“What?” he asked. “Do you know something?”
“I wasn’t going to bring this up,” Jacob said, “but considering the circumstances I feel like I should tell you.”
“What’s going on?” Jordan asked.
“Thursday, while I was out,” Jacob started, “I saw Chloe having lunch with a guy. I wasn’t sure if I was reading into it too much, so I decided I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“It was probably her brother.” Jordan responded.
“I don’t think so.” Jacob said. “They were sitting really close, and I think I saw them holding hands.”
“Well, you probably saw wrong.” Jordan said in frustration. “She wouldn’t do that to me or our relationship.”
“I’m just telling you what I saw.” Jacob responded.
“And I’m telling you that you’re wrong.” Jordan replied while he began to grab his things. “I think I should go. I’ll see you later.”
“Jordan, wait.” Jacob said trying to stop his brother from leaving.
Jordan ignored his brother and walked out the door.
***
Jordan left his parents’ house at 10:45pm. As Jordan arrived at his apartment, he saw Chloe’s car. He hopped out the car and got ready to confront his fiancée about where she was. When he opened the door, he saw Chloe on the couch in her pajamas watching Friends on the TV. When she heard the door open and close, she looked up and smiled at Jordan.
“Hey.” she said. “Where have you been?”
Jordan had a sour look on his face when she asked him that question.
“I was at dinner.” he responded. “You remember, we promised my parents that we would be there tonight.”
Chloe stood up from the couch and began to walk towards her fiancé. When she tried to grab his hand, he pulled away and took a step back. Jordan looked at Chloe’s shocked face awaiting an answer from her.
“Jordan, I am so sorry.” she said. “I got so caught up. I guess I forgot.”
“I called you like ten times.” he replied. “Why didn’t you answer?”
“My phone died, and I didn’t check it when I got home.” she responded.
“Where were you anyway?” he asked. “You said you weren’t going anywhere today.”
She began to play with hair, and she avoided eye contact. Jordan could tell she was about to lie to him.
“Well,” she began, “Some of my friends asked to meet up at the mall and I decided I would join them.”
“Why are you lying to me Chloe?” he asked her.
“What do you mean?” she responded. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“You know what Chloe?” he said already fed up with the conversation. “I’m tired and I don’t want to have this conversation tonight. I think I’m going to stay in the guest room tonight and we can talk about it in the morning.”
Jordan walked to their shared room and grabbed some clothes then headed to the bathroom to shower. On his way to the bathroom, he could see Chloe pick up her phone and begin to text someone.
After his shower, Jordan walked to the guest room with no Chloe in sight and fell asleep dreading the conversation they would have in the morning.
***
The next morning when Jordan woke up and headed to the kitchen, he noticed their room door was open, but Chloe was not there. He also noticed that he had a text from his brother asking to meet for coffee. Even though he was a little annoyed with both his brother and Chloe, he decided that he would meet his brother. He made himself breakfast, showered, got dressed and then headed out to meet his brother at Gregory’s Coffee Shop.
Once he arrived at the coffee shop, he saw his brother sitting down with two coffees in front of him. He walked over and sat down.
“Hey.” Jacob said tentatively.
“Hey.” Jordan responded while look down at the table.
After a moment of silence, Jordan looked up at his brother with an apologetic face.
“I’m sorry.” Jordan said. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry at you last night. You were just looking out for me.”
“It’s okay.” Jacob responded. “You were probably right anyway. She wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I’m not so sure anymore.” Jordan said.
“What do you mean?” Jacob asked his brother. “Did something happen?”
“She lied again and before I went to bed, I heard her on the phone with someone.”
Jordan said with a sigh. “I told her that we would talk this morning but when I woke up, she was gone.”
“She obviously does not want to have a serious conversation with you.” Jacob responded. “What did she say to the person on the phone?”
“I only heard her tell them ‘I think he’s onto me’.” Jordan said.
“That doesn’t sound good.” Jacob responded.
“Yeah, I know.” Jordan said. “I’m getting tired of everything now. The lying, the secrets, broken promises. Maybe getting engaged wasn’t the right thing for us.”
“Maybe there’s more to what she’s hiding.” Jacob responded. “What if she’s planning a surprise for you or something?”
“No.” Jordan said. “She would have realized I was upset and would have told me. There’s something else going on and I’m scared about finding out.”
Jacob did not know how to respond to his brother. He wanted to reassure him, but he didn’t know how to make it better. Just as he was about to say something, they were approached by a familiar face.
“Hey.” she said. “I knew I recognized you guys. Jordan and Jacob, right?”
“Skylar, right?” Jacob asked. “From the jewelry store. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise.” she responded with a smile. “How did the proposal go Jordan?”
“It went well.” Jordan said with a hesitant smile. “She said ‘yes’ so that was great.”
“But?” Skylar asked.
“We’re just having some problems right now.” he responded.
“Well, I hope you two are able to work it out.” she said. “I’ll see you guys around.” “Wait!” Jordan exclaimed. “Maybe you could give me a different perspective on my problem. If you have time of course.”
“Sure.” Skylar said. “I’d be happy to help.”
Once Skylar sat down, Jordan explained the situation to her while she listened intently. After Jordan finished explaining, she sat with the information for a minute before she started to give her input.
“Well,” Skylar began, “it sounds like she’s hiding something big from you and she doesn’t want you to find out about it at all. Obviously, there can be a lot of explanations for that, but I think the best thing you can do is ask her. You can come to a lot of conclusions in your head, but you won’t be happy until you find out the truth.”
Jordan thought about what Skylar said and realized she was right. Jordan thanked her and then began heading out. On his way out, Skylar gave him her card in case he needed her perspective again. As he walked back home, he was determined to find out the truth from Chloe, even if it took him all night.
***
As Jordan walked through the apartment door, he noticed that Chloe was still not home. He walked over to the couch and decided that he would watch TV while he waited for Chloe to come home. While sitting, he noticed a sweatshirt thrown across the arm of the couch. Thinking it was one of his, he picked it up and got ready to put it away. As he got a closer look, he realized that it wasn’t his nor Chloe’s.
“Whose sweatshirt is this?” he asked himself.
Jordan brought the sweatshirt up to his nose and could smell the faint cologne scent on the sweatshirt. As soon as he smelt that, he had a bad feeling. While he tried to come to a conclusion about who the sweatshirt could belong to, he heard the front door open and close.
“Hey.” Chloe said as she approached him.
Jordan looked up from the sweatshirt in his hands and stood up.
“Who does this belong to?” he asked her while holding the sweatshirt in his hands.
Chloe looked at the sweatshirt in his hands and immediately began playing with her hair.
“It’s my brother’s.” she responded.
Jordan rolled his eyes out of frustration and exclaimed “Stop lying to me Chloe! I heard you on the phone last night. You’re cheating on me, aren’t you?”
Jordan saw the shocked look on Chloe’s face and realized he had his answer.
Jordan scoffed and said, “How long has this been going on?”
Chloe looked down at her feet and started playing with her fingers.
“Three months.” she said tentatively.
“I should have known something was going!” he exclaimed. “How could you do this?”
Chloe went past Jordan to sit down on the couch.
“I just felt like you were more focused on other things than our relationship.” she said.
“Then why didn’t you just tell me how you felt!” he responded. “I would have changed that. You know I would!”
“I know!” she shouted at him. “I don’t know why I did it, but it happened. I’m sorry.”
Chloe stood up and walked towards Jordan. As she reached out toward him, he took a step back.
“Jordan I’m sorry.” she said. “Please forgive me. Let’s fix this.”
Jordan scoffed. “Forgive you?” he responded. “How could you think that you apologizing would just fix this. You cheated on me. There’s no fixing this.”
“Jordan come on.” she pleaded with Jordan. “There has to be something I can do.”
“You should have thought about that before you cheated.” he replied. “I don’t even think you’re sorry that you did it. You’re only sorry you got caught.”
“That’s not true.” she said.
“It is.” he responded. “It doesn’t matter anyway because we’re done. I’m going to stay with Jacob for the night. When I come back tomorrow, I want you gone.”
“You can’t kick me out!” she shouted.
“I’m the one paying rent so yes I can.” he responded while he began to grab some of his things.
As he began to walk out the door, he could hear her on the phone with someone saying she needed a place to stay.
***
It has been three weeks since Chloe cheated on Jordan, and he felt miserable. When he returned home the morning after finding out, he noticed Chloe was gone and her engagement ring was on the kitchen counter. Every time the events have replayed in his head, he has felt like screaming. As he laid on his bed with Chloe’s ring in his hand, he does not know what to do with the ring now. After a while of staring at the ring, he realized he should probably try to return it. He also remembered that he had Skylar’s card and could discuss it with her. He grabbed his phone and Skylar’s card and dialed her number.
“Hello?” Skylar said as she answered the phone.
“Skylar, hey.” Jordan responded “It’s Jordan. You gave me your card in Gregory’s last week.”
“Hey.” she responded. “How’re you doing? Did you and your fiancée solve your problem?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling.” he replied with a sigh. “We’re not together anymore. She was cheating on me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” he lied. “I actually wanted to know if I could return the ring.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t do returns.” she said. “All sales are final.”
Jordan sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that. I’m honestly not sure what to do with it.”
“Well,” Skylar began, “maybe you should keep it until you finally find that special person. I saw how you looked at that ring and I know you’re going to find someone who’s worthy of it.”
Jordan smiled at her statement and said, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“It was no problem at all.” she responded. “You’re welcome to call me or text me at any time.”
“Thanks.” he said. “I’ll see you around Skylar.”
“See you around Jordan.” she replied.
As he hung up the phone, he felt a bit of happiness as he replayed Skylar’s words in his head.
***
“Who’re you texting?” Jacob asked his brother.
Jordan looked up from his phone and replied to his brother. “Skylar.”
“You two have become really close, haven’t you?” Jacob asked.
“Yeah.” Jordan responded. “After I tried to return the ring three weeks ago, we just kind of clicked. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
“It kind of seems like you have a crush.” Jacob teased his brother.
“What?” Jordan said while blushing. “No. I just got out of a relationship.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a crush.” Jacob said. “It also doesn’t stop you from moving on. Chloe hurt you and you’re finally starting to look like yourself again. Don’t stop yourself from being happy.”
Jordan thought about what his brother said and realized he was right. He shouldn’t let what Chloe did stop him from being happy.
“You’re right.” Jordan replied. “Maybe I do have a crush.”
“I knew it.” Jacob said.
“There’s just something about her.” Jordan said. “Even before she knew me, she cared about me and made sure I didn’t feel bad about myself for what happened. And now I just find myself smiling when talking to her.”
“Are you going to ask her out?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know.” Jordan responded.
“Well, I think you should.” Jacob said. “Just think about it.”
***
As Jordan returned home, he kept thinking about what his brother said and decided he should just go for it. Once he sat down on his couch, he pulled out his phone and dialed Skylar’s number.
“Hey Jordan.” Skylar answered her phone. “What’s up?”
“Hey.” he said. “I have a question for you.”
“Go for it.” she responded.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” he asked with a hopeful voice.
“I’d love to.” she said. “Just name a time and place.”
“Great.” he replied. “I was thinking 7pm tomorrow at Gotham Restaurant.”
“Perfect.” she responded. “I’ll see you then.”
“See you.” Jordan said as he hung up the phone with a huge smile on his face.
***
“I’m really happy you agreed to go out with me.” Jordan said to Skylar.
They were at the restaurant and had finished their dinner.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Skylar responded. “I like you and I wanted to get to know you better.”
“I like you too.” Jordan replied. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“I’d love to.” she said.
After Jordan had paid for the dinner, he grabbed Skylar’s hand and walked out of the restaurant. As they walked toward Brighton Beach, they made conversation which continued to strengthen their feelings for one another. As they arrived at the beach, they looked at the beautiful water and Jordan realized how happy he was. He looked at Skylar with a smile on his face.
“I’ve had a lot of fun tonight.” he said.
Skylar turned towards Jordan and smiled. “I’ve had a great time too.”
“I honestly never expected this to happen.” he said.
“Always expect the unexpected.” Skylar replied.
As Jordan and Skylar made their way back home, Jordan realized that he couldn’t imagine a better ending.