Learning To Trust Again

It was another two days before Rebecca saw Jake again. After the way they had left things she really didn’t expect to see him at all and because of that she had done her best to put him out of her mind. She hadn’t been very successful, but she had resigned herself to the fact that whatever could have been between them, was over even before it had begun. So answering her door not long after arriving home from work one night, she was shocked to see him standing on her door step. And unprepared for the upheaval of emotions his unexpected appearance caused within her, for a minute she could only stare at him.

He didn’t speak.

 And at length, she breathed ‘hi’

‘Hi’ Jake said with a stern expression. Holding out his hand he looked down at it and added ‘I was wondering if you could redress this?’

Rebecca looked at his hand for a minute without replying. She was wondering if he was just going to ignore the way they had parted last time, pretend it never happened. When she looked back into his eyes and he didn’t say anything more she concluded that he was and all of a sudden she was angry. How dare he just show up again without being prepared to explain anything or at the very least apologise for his odd behaviour?

Furious, but at the same time unable to just turn him away, she frowned and stepped back, tacitly inviting him to enter. ‘How’s it feeling?’ she asked with a hard edge to her voice, her question a need to fill the silence more than anything else. She didn’t look at him but she could feel Jake watching her.

He said ‘yeah not bad, but I’m looking forward to getting the stitches out.’

‘I can imagine’ she replied, still sounding terse. Then holding out a hand, indicating the way she said in the same uncompromising tone ‘you know where the kitchen is.’

She saw the surprise in his eyes before he looked away. Good, she thought, about time he was on the receiving end for a change.

Jake nodded and turned to lead the way.

Gathering the things she’d need to tend to his wound Rebecca moved with quiet efficiency, her steady movements belying the storm brewing within her.  

Applying a new bandage to the nearly healed wound on his hand Rebecca kept her eyes down. She didn’t want to react to him when that clearly wasn’t what he wanted. He hadn’t come to clear the air, to talk about what had happened. He just needed his hand bandaged and that hurt her. What happened clearly meant nothing to him. She seethed that while he could care less she was aware of his every movement without even looking at him.

But as she finished and began packing up he stood and moved towards her. Standing close to her, he said in a whisper ‘hey’ prompting her to look at him.

Rebecca stopped what she was doing and lifted her troubled eyes to his, ‘yes?’ she said, her tone curt.

 Jake didn’t respond, instead he stepped closer still, his body skimming hers here and there, sending jolts of electricity racing through her. Sliding his hands into her hair on either side of her face, he held her head between them. He rubbed his thumbs over her jaw as he looked deep into her eyes.

Rebecca’s breath was caught in her throat as she watched him spell bound. She couldn’t have moved away if she tried.

Lowering his head Jake kissed her.