by Stephens, L.
Sarah knew, Jake knew, but David didn’t. He was no match for Jake. He was larger than Jake by a good thirty pounds, and he went to the gym every single day, but, unfortunately for him, half that time was spent walking on the treadmill and the other half was hitting on women using the stair machine. Jake didn’t flex or curl his fist into a ball. He just watched David coming at him and assessed how he was going knock him out cold. Sarah slipped between the two dueling bucks, her arms stretched apart to keep them at bay.
“Enough,” Sarah demanded. “I don’t need this right now.”
“Listen to her buddy. You don’t want any of this. You look like you just got shat out of a fucking dumpster as it is,” Jake said with a smile as he turned to Sarah. “Sarah, are you seriously still with this fucking guy? I mean, that hurts my feelings, you know that right? You’re supposed to upgrade not downgrade! Please tell me this piece of shit is not an upgrade, because if he is, I’ll fucking leave right now and blow my fucking brains out.”
“Shut up, Jake. You’re out of line right now and you shouldn’t be here!” Sarah said with a shake of her head. “You’ve got less than five seconds to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here or I’m going to call the cops!”
Jake frowned and let out a breath. He opened the music box in his palm, revealing a porcelain ballerina pirouetting to a music box melody. The room slowed down again as Sarah watched the ballerina spin, performing the perfect pirouette to the song that defined her relationship with Jake.
CHAPTER 60: FLASHBACK: TAINTED LOVE
A FEW MONTHS EARLIER
She lay there, catching her breath, as a faint sheen of sweat glistened on her skin. It was amazing, maybe the best ever, she thought. He had made her feel things during sex that no man, guy, dude, asshole or lover had even come close to making her feel. But the feeling didn’t last long. All she could think, as he reached over and put his arm around her and kissed her on the neck, was how heartbreaking it all was, even after all this time. He was still a mystery to her. Even when they were lying together like sweaty cutlery, he felt an ocean away.
Sarah had put up an invisible relationship wall at an early age. You had to in the television business, and if you didn’t you had one built for you to rival the Great Wall of China from all the despair and anguish you had suffered. She still described herself as a hopeless romantic, and she didn’t shun the chance to be happy like some of her friends, but there was always the persistent drum of doubt relentlessly beating in the back of her mind.
When the invite to a friend’s birthday party had arrived and she had seen it was at a nightclub, she hadn’t balked, even though she loathed nightclubs. Sarah had just put on her micro mini and dusted off her Louboutin’s. She was a great friend after all. Jake had been at the V.I.P. table next to theirs. She had noticed him almost instantly. He had a rough look to him, but there was something sexy about it. Her friend’s boyfriend and all his douchey buddies had piled into the table, all of them seeing how low they could slip their hand down her back as they talked to her. Sarah had kept it civil. She didn’t want to ruin her friend’s night or take any attention away from her, but she didn’t fail to notice by stark contrast that Jake’s table had just three guys sitting calmly, sharing a bottle of vodka. It seemed like just another day at the office for them. They had even fended off a few bottle rats coming along to try to sit with them. The attention they had gotten from bottle rats had become so regular that Jake had stood up and called a large security guard over, pulling a hundred-dollar bill from his billfold and handing it to him, and from that moment no girls got past the security guard, and the guys went back to talking and laughing amongst themselves. The two guys who sat with Jake had looked like gangsters, both wearing tailored suits and thick shiny jewelry. Jake was dressed in a plain black shirt and black jeans. His sneakers had definitely seen better days, but he wore it all well, and she could tell it wasn’t just a budget brand shirt. The fit was perfect, and the jeans had subtle designs to them. What had caught her eye the most, other than his sexy face, was the razor blade dangling from a chain around his neck. It was badass. She had never seen anything like it. She knew this guy was something else. He had caught her looking at him more than once, but she knew he wouldn’t come over, and after what she had seen of the bottle rats she definitely wasn’t going over to him.
Sarah had known the likelihood of getting slipped a mickey from the douches at the table was high, and even though the line for the bar was long and the amount of guys hitting on her would be insane, she ventured out into the wilderness. It really was like the wilderness. It was like the guys were tag-teaming each other; as soon as she shot one down, another appeared in his place to have a crack at the title.
“You’re quite popular aren’t you?” came a voice over Sarah’s shoulder.
Normally she would flinch away and drop some bitch face on the creep, but she knew who it was, so she turned slowly and gave him a small smile.
“It’s not easy walking around with a pussy,” Sarah said with an eye roll. “Especially in here.”
He just stood there, gob smacked, until he burst out laughing, which then turned into the most devious smile she had ever seen.
“I’m going to have to use that one day,” he said with a chuckle.
“Be my guest,” Sarah said, doubling down. “But don’t be shocked if you get a lower back rub for your trouble.”
“Of course!” he said without skipping a beat. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I’m Sarah,” she said with a flirty smile as she extended her hand.
“Jake,” he said with a nod.
It felt like Sarah’s hand was growing moss, it had been out there so long. She could feel her face going red.
“I’m not fucking shaking that!” Jake said with a touch of seriousness. “The minute I shake that hand is the minute your—I’m guessing now—beautiful pussy shrivels up and you paint ‘friend zone’ on my forehead in the color of nail polish that you like the least.”
Sarah had managed to get this far straight faced, but he had definitely got her. She laughed, and in the same motion she reached up and put her arms over his shoulders and hugged him.
“It’s okay, that area above my ass and below my shoulder blades is yours, have at it,” Sarah whispered into Jake’s ear.
“Wait, I don’t get ass privilege?” Jake whispered back. “I thought we had something real.”
“Uh, no,” Sarah whispered playfully. “I’m the one who has ass privilege. I’m a modern woman and I have modern needs.”
Sarah squeezed Jake’s ass with both hands but not in a sexy way. She squeezed his ass like an old man would, feeling the weight and the size, and they both laughed.
“I feel so fucking dirty now,” Jake cooed. “But I like it!”
They dated for six months. He was elusive, he was secretive but he was amazing. His honesty was brutal, and there were no games. But as suddenly as he had come into her life, and just when she thought she had found her forever, he broke up with her, and within the space of twenty-four hours was out of her life completely. It had been devastating for Sarah, the love of her life had come to her and said it was in her best interest to forget about him, to move on, find someone safe who wasn’t preoccupied with himself. There was no argument. He didn’t give her the chance. He just assured her there was no one else, got his stuff from her house and disappeared.
David had come into her life soon after, but the void was still there. Sarah didn’t pine for Jake, though she had been upset. She had thought this was it, but it was only another set of battlements on her Great Wall, always under construction. The relationship with David had been turbulent. He was in the process of a divorce, or so he said, but it was still more conventional than with Jake. David and Sarah were quick to move things along and do the cliché couple things, and it had its fair share of great moments, but where Jake was secretive and elusive, David was sneaky and deceitful.
On one of David and her
extended breaks—and there were many—she had gotten a text message from Jake. He hadn’t just fallen off the face of the Earth. He still touched base to make sure she was doing alright, but part of her wished he wouldn’t. She wished he would just let her live without him. In the message that had come at 10PM on a Tuesday night, Jake had said he had something for her and wanted to make sure her address was still the same before he sent it, but there was only ever one thing she was going to reply to that and that was:
“If you send me anything, Jake, I guarantee you that my pussy will definitely shrivel up and the return to sender will be written in the limiest of green nail polish.”
It could have been read two ways. She purposely left it ambiguous but she knew Jake would see the message for what it was.
“I’ll be there in 30,” was the text response that came back ten seconds later. Sarah didn’t reply. She just jumped up and ran to the shower, and true to his text message he had been at her house in thirty minutes. He let himself in and her heart began to race as he bounded up the stairs. Sarah was wearing heels, thigh high stockings with suspenders, a garter belt, a sleek corset and nothing else. It was his favorite. She knew that, and she wasn’t trying to lure him back, this was just lust. She was going to enjoy it too, and she had.
After they had been lying there for what seemed like the whole night, Sarah got up and walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of comfortable yet sexy panties from the drawer, and Jake rolled on his back with his hands behind his head. Sarah saw him do it in the mirror above the dresser, and she hated it. He could ask her to do anything when he did it. He didn’t know it, and she would never tell him that truth, but the option was there if he ever cottoned on to it. They looked at each other via the mirror for a while. They both smiled. There were no games—that’s what made them. Jake got to his feet and put his underwear on.
“Don’t think those are staying on, mister,” Sarah said, still looking at him in the mirror.
“You started it,” Jake said playfully.
He kissed her neck as he slipped behind her. His warm chest felt like the Sun on her back, and she closed her eyes and leaned her head against his. That moment felt like forever, and Sarah wished she didn’t have to go back to reality ever again, but when she eventually opened her eyes there was a wooden box in front of her.
“I saw this in Santee Alley, and I knew you had to have it,” Jake whispered into her ear before kissing her cheek.
“What is it?” Sarah asked coyly.
“Open it,” Jake said, handing the box to her.
Sarah slowly and carefully opened the box. It was too big for a ring or anything like that, but a girl can always hope. The box opened and a beautiful porcelain ballerina emerged, spinning elegantly.
“It’s beautiful, Jake!” Sarah said with tears welling in her eyes.
“Wait for it,” Jake said slyly.
The melody from Tainted Love was undeniable, even in the broken-down music box form. Sarah snapped her fingers.
“Get away!” Sarah and Jake chimed in together.
They both laughed, and he put his arms around her waist. Sarah didn’t know that it would be the last time she saw him and that David would worm his way back into her life again, but that was the future. Sarah was just living in the moment as they watched the ballerina spin.
CHAPTER 61: SHITTY MEN
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
― Dalai Lama XIV
The ballerina made a full circle before Jake took hold of the tiny figure and ripped it out of the box, taking its mount with it.
“What the hell, Jake!?” Sarah yelled, trying to reach for the box.
Jake turned his back, blocking Sarah from reaching it.
“What the fuck you doing with that, you asshole?” David spat.
“Not now, dingus,” Jake said over his shoulder.
Frustrated, Sarah turned around and ran her hands through her hair.
“Goddamnit, Jake!” Sarah said, turning back to him. “This is just typical of you.”
Jake tussled with the ballerina and the box before spinning around to face David and Sarah. He held out his hand with the closed box sitting in his palm. Sarah didn’t fail to notice he slipped something in his pocket.
“Look!” Jake proclaimed as he opened it, showing that the ballerina was back to her rotating best. “See, good as new.”
He always thought he was such a magician, trying to catch the eye while doing something shady in the background.
“I don’t want that anymore,” Sarah said as she put her hands on her hips.
“Wait, this asshole gave you that?” David said, storming around the room. “I fucking knew it! I fucking knew you were still seeing this mother fucker!”
“Not now, David,” Sarah said, picking up her running shoes from the side of the room.
“Yeah, not now, dingus,” Jake said with a grin.
Jake closed the box and set it down on the dresser where he had found it.
“I told you, I don’t want it,” Sarah said, bending down and putting her shoes on. “Just get out of here and take it with you.”
“Okay, I know when I’m not wanted,” Jake said solemnly. “But you’re keeping that box. You know how much that fucking thing cost to make?”
“I thought you said you found it in Santee Alley,” Sarah said, not looking up.
“Found it?” Jake said with a snigger. “You think some asshole would sell a line of music boxes that feature a spinning ballerina to an 80s pop song? Of course I got it fucking made!”
Sarah felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, but she tried not to show it. He was thoughtful, he was caring, he was the love of her life and he had just disappeared like she never mattered at all to him.
“Alright,” Jake said, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah good riddance, asshole,” David said, using his hand to show Jake the door.
A loud message alert chimed in Jake’s pocket, and he pulled his phone out as he walked towards the door. A small velvet bag was pulled from his pocket by the phone and landed on the floor at Sarah’s feet. Jake looked at the bag, then looked to Sarah, but before he could even think about reaching down for it, Sarah had grabbed the bag.
“Sarah, wait,” Jake said, putting his hand up hoping he somehow could stop her.
Sarah opened the bag and poured the contents into her hand. The sun wasn’t shining into the room, but they still sparkled. Her palm was full of small diamonds.
“This is what you came here for?” Sarah asked, looking away from Jake.
“Holy shit!” David said in amazement.
“You’re unbelievable,” Sarah said, pouring the diamonds back into the bag.
“Come on, Sarah,” Jake said softly. “Now is not the time for this.”
“Fuck you!” Sarah said, standing up and slamming the bag into Jake’s chest. “When isn't it the time? You are a fuck up 24/7!”
Jake took the bag and put it back into his pocket.
“You’re such an asshole!” Sarah said as she grabbed a hair band and pulled her hair back so she could tie it up.
“You heard her, asshole. Hit the bricks!” David said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door.
“You too, David. I want you out of here, today,” Sarah said swiftly. “I’m going to go hike Runyon, both of you better not be here when I get back!”
Sarah opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out a sports bra. She turned her back on Jake and David and took off the tank top she had been wearing.
“Damn!” Jake said, comically, as he looked at her ample side boob.
“What the fuck are you doing, Sarah?” David spat.
Sarah slipped the sports bra on and then put the tank top over the top of it. Jake took a moment to look her up and down, pausing on her ass.
“You can’t go hiking today,”
Jake said, still checking out her ass.
“Don’t tell me what to do, you fucking dick,” Sarah said, heading to the door. “I’m sick of both of you thinking you have the smallest say in what I do.”
Jake blocked her path and grabbed her by both arms.
“Hey, don’t touch her!” David said, moving towards them.
Jake kept hold of Sarah, turned his head to David and gave him his best “Don’t fuck with me right now” look. Once he established dominance, he turned back to Sarah.
“You shouldn’t go anywhere, Sarah. Even this asshole shouldn’t leave the house,” Jake said, throwing a thumb at David.
“Jake, it’s too early for your bull shit,” Sarah said, looking up at him. “What have you got us in to?”
“Me?” Jake said, letting go of Sarah’s arms to raise his open hands. “I’ve got nothing to do with this.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Sarah said, poking Jake in the chest. “Let’s go over the facts. We get woken up to a hail of gunfire, you waltz into my backyard with some fucking guy and then you come into my home unannounced to get back what I’m assuming is a stolen bag of diamonds hidden in a music box you gave me months ago.”
“Months?” David interjected.
Sarah glared at David for a nanosecond then returned to Jake.
“This is exactly the kind of shit you thrive on!” Sarah said angrily.
“What? You mean you guys don’t fucking know?” Jake said, looking from Sarah to David and back to Sarah again. “How could you not fucking know? There are literally zombies, running rampant, two blocks away, and you guys are standing here oblivious to this?”
“What are you talking about?” Sarah said, dumbfounded. “This is not funny!”
Jake lifted his hands out in front of him, tilting his head back and twisting his face as he staggered around the room acting like a zombie.
“You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen the movies, you’ve seen the TV shows. This time it’s real life. I’ve seen it! I’ve been fucking chased by them. It’s zombies. It’s fucking real,” Jake said emphatically. “Look, I didn’t believe it either. It’s like a bad dream out there. You got to believe me, Sarah!”