Jessica awoke in the early hours of the morning feeling sick.
She glanced around, blurry-eyed.
Where was she?
A bizarre feeling took hold of her. She knew where she was, but she also felt completely and utterly lost.
The bedroom was decorated in a masculine fashion, with deep blue walls and hard wooden floors. The comfy bed was a double with grey sheets that felt new and fresh under her fingers. The room was surprisingly very clean—no rubbish on the floors, no clothes hanging out of half-closed drawers.
She hugged the pillow close to her, and a familiar scent filled her senses.
Jake.
It was intoxicating; she breathed in deeply, wishing she could bottle the scent up and live in it forever.
How did he smell so good? She made a mental note to ask him what aftershave he used.
The sick feeling returned, stronger this time. Bubbling away in her stomach and travelling dangerously up her throat.
She was going to be sick.
She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, moving with such speed that she was shocked but also impressed.
She dry-heaved into the toilet, her stomach feeling like someone was punching her over and over again. Finally, bile followed, and her stomach twisted and twisted until she felt like she was going to pass out.
Her eyes streamed with tears, and her nose ran as she slumped against the toilet.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Jess grunted and gave them permission to enter.
Jake swung the door open. He was wearing deep blue checkered pyjama bottoms, and his feet were bare. A tight black t-shirt sat snugly around his torso, straining against his biceps. If it wasn't for how shit she was feeling, Jess knew she would admire the look more.
Without saying a word, Jake came and kneeled behind her, holding her hair back as one palm spread over her back, rubbing up and down soothingly.
Just knowing he was there helped her.
She rested her head on her arm, which was awkwardly placed over the toilet.
"How's Amanda?" Jessica asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
He made a low groan but didn't remove his hand from her back.
"Fine, I'm sure. She went home when everyone else did." He replied.
That made her feel a bit better, so she softened her glare at him.
Jessica licked her dry lips, trying to get rid of the bad taste in her mouth.
She heaved again, and he rubbed her back comfortingly. After she was done, she adjusted her head so she could see him, and their eyes met in a long stare. His grey eyes bored into hers, a mixture of grey's swarming like clouds before a storm. She didn't feel awkward as she stared at him. All she felt was confusion.
Why was there jealousy raging through her like a fire? Why did she want to go and claw Amanda's eyes out for thinking that he was available for the taking?
"Why did you dance with her?" She inquired, her question leaving her mouth as quickly as it entered her mind.
"Because she asked me too."
"I wanted to dance with you." She muttered and directed her gaze to the white tile floor. It must have been the alcohol making her speak; she would never have said these things otherwise.
She saw the way his chest moved up and down as he sighed. She felt the way he slowly dropped his hand from her back and let her hair go, leaving it to fall around her face again. Without his touch, she felt hollow and empty. "You didn't ask." He told her, matter of factly.
There was nothing left in her stomach to come up, and Jess leaned back into him. Allowing herself to feel his body against hers. He felt so sturdy, so solid.
He wiped the sweat from her nose and pushed the stray hairs from her eyes. "Feel better?" He inquired, a worried expression on his face.
She shook her head and shivered.
"Come on, I'll help you back to bed." He helped her up and walked with her the short distance back to his bed. He gave her some water to get rid of her dry mouth and then wrapped the blankets tightly around her when she shivered harder.
He sat next to her on the bed, running his hands through her hair. It felt amazing. She felt like a cat curled on his lap, purring happily with each stroke.
She was such an independent person, even more so since Adam died. But she allowed him to take care of her. She needed it.
"What aftershave do you use?" She asked, breathing him in again.
"Diesel, only the brave, why?" he frowned.
She sighed dreamily, "You smell amazing."
She thinks she heard him chuckle, but she wasn't sure as she started to fall asleep again.
***
The next morning, she woke up to the smell of bacon frying. Her stomach rumbled, and she basically floated out to the kitchen, following the smell like a shark after blood.
Jake was basking in the morning light that streamed in from the windows; his back was to her as she entered the kitchen. He was still in his pyjamas, still barefoot. It made her heart swell at the sight.
When he heard her enter, he turned and handed her a warm cup of coffee and two paracetamols. She took them desperately.
"I'm never drinking again." She promised.
"Hmm," he hummed sceptically. "I think I've heard that one before. Go sit; breakfast is almost done."
She obliged and moved around the breakfast bar that led to the living room and sat on the wooden stool, waiting eagerly. All signs of the party last night were gone; he had either cleaned before going to sleep or this morning. Either way, she felt guilty for not helping.
He placed a plate full of fried goodness in front of her shortly after, including bacon, sausage, eggs, and fried bread. It looked divine, and her stomach told everyone so with its loud grumble. She wasted no time, basically eating a sausage whole.
He leaned on the counter opposite her, his eyes flickering with amusement as he watched her, and ate some eggs on toast.
"Where is your fried deliciousness?" She asked between mouthfuls.
"I've been working out more lately; it seems pointless if I eat shit, so I tend to stay away from the fried deliciousness."
She scowled, her mouth dripping with fat from her bacon. "Working out. Bleh." She fake vomited.
"I think you did enough throwing up last night."
She pulled a face. "Ha Ha Ha."
There was nothing ladylike about how she ate. She shovelled the food in as if she'd been living on rice and beans for years. Looking up, she found Jake smiling at her. She couldn't help but return it.
"Thanks for looking after me last night; I'm such an idiot sometimes."
"Sometimes?" He joked. She made a face, and he looked down at his food with a smirk. "I'll always look after you, Jess."
He said it so casually, like it was common knowledge. Jake would always look after her. She tried not to notice the way her stomach fluttered at the sentence.
When food was done, she took his plate away, insisting she clean up while he went and got changed.
The hot water burned her hands as she washed the dishes in the sink. But she barely gave it a second thought. All her mind was thinking about was the way his hand felt, flat and strong, against her back last night as he comforted her. Or how she shivered as his fingertips grazed her neck when he moved the hair away from her face.
She involuntarily shivered again.
"I'll take you home if you're ready?" He asked, coming back into the kitchen.
She ran her hands down her dress self-consciously, trying to iron out the wrinkles, and nodded.
It was a 5-minute drive, but she was grateful. The last thing she wanted to do was walk home with her head pounding like it was. His car was a Ford Ranger, and she had to jump to get into the seat, hoping no one got a flash of her knickers in the process. Being 5'3" wasn't good for anyone. But Jake got in easily with his over-6-foot height.
She'd always been jealous of tall people.
Once inside the car, she turned on the radio, keeping the level low for her own sake. He drove slowly, taking his time with the window rolled down and his arm resting on the frame. It was an unusually hot and sunny day for November.
"How are you feeling now?" He asked, glancing at her quickly before turning to face the road again.
"Awful." She admitted, leaning her head against the side window.
He patted her thigh, and she bolted, sitting up straight at the contact. "Rest today; you'll feel better tomorrow." He told her.
She watched his hand with wide eyes, hoping he would linger on her leg for longer. But he was respectful and pulled back, his hand tightening around the wheel instead.
"Do you have any plans for Christmas this year?" She asked.
"Nope. I was just going to Graces for Christmas Eve, and then I was going to stay in and watch shit TV on the big day. What about you?"
"Do you want to come to my mother's house with me?" She asked.
He glanced at her.
"Be warned, my family is crazy. My uncle Joe will be there, and he thinks he can see dead people. He will be sitting there one minute, all normal, and suddenly he's up talking to himself in the corner of the room. It's bizarre. Then there's my aunt, Jean. She's got five kids who run around like lunatics, pulling your hair and stealing food from your plate. They are little savages. But I love them. My mother, on the other hand, is nice." She told him, the words falling from her lips quickly.
"Well, at least your mam's nice..." He scofffed. "What about your dad?"
"Oh," She froze for a moment; no one had asked about her dad in so long that it took her by surprise. "Um, he died. When I was a child, sorry, I'm surprised I never told you that."
Jake looked at her apologetically, "I don't really know much about your family." He confessed.
She turned away from him and watched out the window. "I don't see them as often as I should. They live in the country; it's only a two-hour drive from here. Not far, really. But I always find a reason not to go home."
They sat in silence for a breath before Jake signalled for the car to turn into her street. "I'd love to come for Christmas. Thanks for inviting me."
"Are you sure?" She undid her seat belt as he pulled up outside her house. "You're not going to see your foster family or anything."
She knew that he grew up with a foster family, but she didn't know why. It always felt like a subject she shouldn't ask about, so she never did.
He shook his head. "No, I don't see them as often as I should either." He admitted. "I like them; they're great people, and they were always nice to me. But being with Adam at Graces felt more like home to me than their house ever did."
Jess nodded understandingly and said, "You're all very close."
"I thought maybe after Adam died, things would get more distant with them all. But it hasn't. Grace is such a great person, a true kind soul. She's like the mother I never had."
Jess took his hand, her heart aching at how sad his face was.
Jake had been through a lot; she didn't know the full story, but Adam had explained that he'd had a terrible childhood and even worse parents.
"She's the best." Jess agreed, squeezing his hand.
He glanced at her shyly and said, "You get inside and rest; you look awful."
Jess rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks for the confidence boost." She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek as a quick goodbye. "See you tomorrow in the bakery; there's a cherry bakewell with your name written all over it."
She climbed out of the car, shutting the door firmly behind her, and quickly made her way up the front porch steps to her house.
He opened his car window. "I told you, I'm trying to eat better!" He called after her.
"That's impossible with me as your best friend!" She shouted back before closing the front door.
***
Thank you so much to everyone for reading!
Another update is coming on Sunday!
Shunice x