Learning To Trust Again

For the next few weeks Jake and Rebecca spent most of their free time together, getting to know each other. There was no pressure and Rebecca loved the uncomplicated nature of their relationship. It was easy. She was able to relax with Jake, to be herself. That was something she’d never felt with Mark. With him she always had to be what he wanted her to be. She felt tremendous pressure to perform, to live up to his expectations. Back then she believed he was a good influence. She told herself he was making her a better person by setting impossible standards for her to follow. But she was never able relax and just be Rebecca, not even when she wasn’t around him. All her spare time was taken up with working to fulfill his exacting requirements of appropriate appearance and behaviour.

However with Jake, there were no such expectations, only a quiet appreciation. While he didn’t always say things in words, he had a way of looking at her that let her know he liked what he saw. He never criticized her or put her down, he listened to her and was interested in what she had to say. It made her feel special and valued for being just the way she was. Jake too seemed to have changed. She noticed that he had lost the dark brooding mask he’d worn when she’d first met him. He smiled more and ever since that day he’d come back to apologise, he’d shown no hesitation or confusion with her. She now had no trouble reading his feelings in both his touch and his expressions.

 One Saturday night Jake took her to his local pub and taught her to play pool. To her surprise she found that even though she had never played the game before, by the end of the night she had got the hang of it. She could hit the white ball into one of the coloured ones and at least some of the time she could get it to go in the general direction she wanted it to go. Putting it in the pocket was of course another matter, but she did her best.

Of course Jake beat her in every game but she improved with each attempt and had fun learning. He was a quiet and patient teacher with a wicked sense of humour. He didn’t rub it in her face that he was better than she was and he encouraged her to keep trying. She enjoyed every minute of it and couldn’t wait to be able to do it again.

‘Thank you’ she said as they walked back to her apartment.

‘Sure’ he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders ‘you did good.’

She smiled ‘I did okay’ she corrected ‘but thanks for not laughing at me.’

‘You weren’t that bad’ he said smiling ‘with a bit of practice, you could play really well.’

Rebecca smiled ‘I would like to play again sometime.’

‘You’re on’ he said ‘before you know it you’ll be beating me.’

‘I doubt that’ Rebecca said ‘but I did enjoy playing.’

‘Me too’ Jake said and leaning down he gave her a quick kiss before they continued on their way home.