Hold My Hand || J.Seresin

Chapter 12

I was nursing a cup of coffee, re-thinking my argument with Jake, when there was a series of knocks on my door. I set my cup down and padded across the kitchen to the front door, my feet still wearing the plush socks I'd slipped on after I woke three hours ago. When I opened the door, I couldn't say I was surprised to see who it was.
"Hi." I said softly. Jake was in a black t-shirt and jeans, his hands tucked into the front pocket of his pants.
"Can we talk?" He seemed nervous, which I wasn't used to. I guess I was nervous too.
"Come in." I stepped aside and he walked in. Jake saw the cup of coffee on the island and slowly started moving towards the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee?" I asked, trying to break the silence.
"That'd be great." He responded cordially before sitting on one of the bar stools. I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured in the coffee. I wasn't sure how many cups I'd had this morning, but the current brew was still warm.

I took the stool next to him and set the coffee down in front of him. He didn't meet my eyes as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip.
"I'm sorry for lying," I started, but Jake cut me off,
"Lila, you don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"That's true," I responded, a small smile on my face, "But I do still owe you an apology. I never meant to lie to you and I'm sorry that I did. I know it doesn't change the past, but I won't lie to you again."
"Thank you." He said genuinely, "I'm sorry too. I never should have yelled at you, that was uncalled for. I'm not going to apologize for what I said to Rooster. This mission is life or death, there can't be secrets or grudges."
"I wouldn't accept it anyway. You need to apologize to Bradley, not me. But I know you, and Hangman doesn't apologize. Even when he's wrong and is being a dick."
"You think I'm a dick?" He asked, a smirk forming on his face.
"Yes. Sometimes. Definitely yesterday." I could feel things returning to normal between us.
"And yet you still sleep with me?" He taunted, his arms pressed into the seat so he could lean closer to me.
"Well, a girl has needs, ya know." I responded, coyly, not moving an inch. He just watched me and I couldn't help my gaze as it drifted to the muscles in his arms.

Jake closed the distance between us and kissed me. At first, it was slow, but then his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. He was cinnamon and sweat and it was intoxicating. My hands snaked around his neck, fingers interlocking in his hair. The kiss was passionate and fast; Jake slipping his tongue into my mouth to take control. The pressure of his body against mine had us leaning back and I wasn't sure how we hadn't tipped the chair. I didn't really care though, I just wanted more of him. He seemed to feel the same, pulling me impossibly closer. We only pulled away when we needed air.
"Got any plans today?" He said, still catching his breath. I shook my head, not breaking eye contact with him.
"Good." He told me with a smile, "We're spending the day together. Go get dressed." He gave my hips a quick squeeze before pulling away.
"Where are we going?" I asked, standing from the stool. Even though Jake had pulled away from me, his hands were still on my waist, although they were sliding lower towards my butt.
"It's a surprise, darlin'." He still made no move to let go of me. My hands ran up his arms, stopping when they reached his cheeks. I leaned down slowly, kissing him, before pulling back and out of his arms. Jake was resistant for a moment, but then let me go.

I dressed quickly once I was in my room. Surprises weren't my favorite thing, mostly because I liked to know what was going to happen. Jake wouldn't tell me though, even if I begged, and I wouldn't beg. Looking through my closet, I grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a light brown scoop-neck long sleeve, figuring that was my safest option. My eyes caught on my reflection in the mirror, briefly looking at the long vertical scar on my thigh. Instinctively, my hand brushed over the scar. It didn't hurt anymore, but it still triggered memories of the crash. Not wanting to go down that road, I shook the thought away and slipped on my white sneakers, before leaving the bedroom.

Once back in the kitchen, I did a little twirl in front of Jake, silently asking if my outfit was acceptable for whatever he had planned.
"Do you have cowboy boots?" He asked. Clearly nothing was wrong with my outfit, as I could see Jake checking me out.
"Yes." I responded, confused as to why he was asking.
"Go grab them." He told me. Even if I asked, he wouldn't tell me, so I obliged. I hadn't worn them in months, so they were tucked at the back of my closet. I grabbed them and a pair of socks to go with it and went back to the kitchen. Jake took them from my hand and walked to the door. I followed after him, grabbing my keys, phone and sunglasses.

Unlike other houses, my garage was in the back of the house with a long driveway leading to the street. Jake's truck was parked in the middle of the drive. He didn't seem worried that anyone would see him or recognize his car. He hadn't waited for me and was already at the car, putting my boots in the backseat. The front passenger seat door was already open, Jake standing next to it. I kissed his cheek lightly, climbing in the truck. Before he closed the door, he leaned his head in and kissed me again, slower than before, but I still knew the passion was there.

He hurried around the front of the truck and slipped into the driver's seat. Jake's arm moved to hold onto the headrest as he looked back, putting the truck into reverse and backing out of my driveway. I slipped my sunglasses on, one because it was already bright and sunny out and two because it made it easier to stare at Jake without him noticing.

Once the car was in drive, Jake slipped his sunglasses on. His right hand went to rest on the gear shift.
"No more lies." He said, looking at me. It wasn't a question. I wasn't scared of it though,
"No more lies." I agreed. "On the subject of being truthful, there was something I wanted to tell you."
"You're just full of secrets, Barb." Jake joked. Jake had a thing for nicknames that were just shortened versions of my name.
"It's not a secret, Bagman." I joked back, keeping my tone light. I could tell he glared at me even with his sunglasses on, "I caught up with Banjo last night and she's always suspected that I've been seeing someone, so I admitted it and told her it was you."
"Banjo's back?" Jake asked. That's not what I thought he'd want to ask.
"Yeah, just got back yesterday." I hesitated for a moment, "So you aren't mad that I told her?"
"No. I've actually already told someone about us."
"What?" I spluttered out, completely caught off guard.
"Back when I was stationed in Souda Bay, I told one of the Greek soldiers I'd been working with."
"Why him?" I asked. Jake hesitated, "What?" I pressed on.
"It was when we were in Greece. I guess he had seen you while you were in town, recognized the uniform and asked if I knew you. He wanted to ask you out, so I told him we were together."
"Oh really?" My voice was alight with laughter, "I could be dating a hot Greek man right now!"
"You'd ditch me for a Greek man?" When he started the question, his tone matched my own, but by the end it had dropped slightly, like he was serious. Thank god we were stopped at a red light since Jake was looking at me and not the road. Even with the sunglasses on, I knew he was staring at me. I gulped, my throat suddenly feeling dry, my body too hot.
"No." I breathed out. The word had come out low, but I knew he'd heard me. He leaned forward slowly, closing the distance between us. I sucked in a breath, licking my lips, waiting for him to kiss me, but then the car behind us honked and the moment was over. I whipped my head to face the front, taking in deep breaths to try and calm down. What just happened? Was he wanting the same thing I wanted?