"What's wrong honey? You look troubled." Mum asks, sensing my withdrawn presence. I finish the tea's and pass them to Mum and Myra.
"I need to talk to you both," I say quietly, taking a seat beside them at the table. They both turn to look at me with a worried expression.
"You're not in trouble with the police again, are you?" Mum asks, her tone worried. I shake my head, opening my mouth to explain the situation. Auntie Myra cuts me off —
"You haven't killed Tobias, have you? God damn it, I knew leaving you two alone wasn't a good idea."
I widen my eyes at her, my stare flickering between the two of them.
"No and no. Wow, it's nice to see what you both think I'm capable of." I mutter unhappily. They both give each other a smirk before turning back to me.
"So what is it?"
There's no point beating around the bush so I tell them about Emily moving in because she needed a place to stay. I explain her situation vaguely, leaving our Trevor's role in her running away. From the look on both of their faces, I know they've pretty much worked it out anyway. They both turn to look at each other again as I wait for their response. My leg begins to bounce up and down nervously under the table. Finally, Mum is the first to break the silence —
"She sounds . . . Nice. Is Emily a good friend of yours?" She asks, suggestion lining her voice. I nod, scratching the back of my neck as I know what I'm about to be asked next. Both of them are way too predictable.
"Are you dating her?" Auntie Myra asks me, confirming my suspicions. What is it about parents being way too involved in their kids relationships? I shake my head at her answer, biting down onto my bottom lip.
Why am I not dating Emily yet?
Because I'm scared of that kind of commitment.
"But you want to?" Auntie Myra adds and I glance up to find her watching me, waiting for an answer. I clear my throat, feeling uncomfortable with the conversation subject.
"Jake, you know you're allowed to have friends stay over and if it's a girl you're interested in, I'm happy for you, really." Mum says placing her hand over my arm. I turn my head, giving her a grateful smile.
"How long will she be staying?" Mum asks and Auntie Myra nods, wanting to know the answer too.
"I'm not sure yet. She's having a rough time at home with her Mum and stepfather and she needs somewhere safe to stay, is that cool?" I ask, lifting the mug to my lips and taking a drink. The warm liquid soothe my body and I sigh, leaning back against the chair.
Mum nods, taking a sip of her own tea and I turn towards Auntie Myra for her approval. I live under their roof so it was my responsibility to ask. It's respectful and the right thing to do.
"I don't have a problem with her staying, the house is big enough and I can see she means a lot to you." Auntie Myra finally responds, eyes shining brightly. I groan at her words, knowing exactly what she's thinking. Auntie Myra grin at my uncomfortableness, knowing she's right over her suspicions.
"When can we meet her?"
"She's sleeping at the moment," I lie not wanting to worry them. Technically Emily is asleep.
"In your bedroom?" Auntie Myra asks, her eyebrow raised at me. I clear my throat and nod silently.
"Yeah she wasn't feeling well so I let her stay in my bed. Don't worry Auntie Myra, you're still my favourite lady." I joke, making light of the situation.
She laughs, shaking her head at me at me in response. We chat for a while about their business trip before they both decide to go up to bed, exhausted from the plane ride. I'm left alone in the kitchen, giving me time to think through everything on my mind.
I hear someone walk down the stairs and the kitchen door opened to reveal Emily, her skin pale and her eyes brimmed with redness. I sit up straighter, giving her a small smile. She doesn't smile at me back and I sigh quietly, knowing I have some explaining to do.
"Mum and Auntie Myra are back," I say quietly letting her know. I watch as her eyes widened and she swallows nervously. I tilt my head, low key finding her nervousness a little adorable. "Does she know about me?" she mumbles, staring at her feet.
"Yeah, she's cool with it, don't worry." I add quietly, sensing the obvious tension between us. Emily nods and walks over to the sink, pouring herself a glass of water. I reach out and grab her wrist, forcing her to look at me. Her entire body stills and she turned slowly, gestures flashing with pain.
Pain that I caused.
My heart deflates as I search her eyes. I want to wrap my arms around her and let her know how I feel about her but I physically can't get my words out. Why is this so difficult?
There's firm wall built around my feelings and no matter what I couldn't break it down to let her in. I drop her wrist sadly, knowing she doesn't deserve the heartache I'm causing her. She deserves better. She remains still for a minute, giving me another chance to explain.
"Jake?" she whispers, urging me to explain. I drop my gaze to the floor, my heart thumping against my chest as I tried to form the words correctly before I speak them. I couldn't do it, my mind becomes a blank canvas. Moments of awkward silence pass between us before I hear Emily clear her throat.
Without saying another word, she turns and leaves the kitchen, leaving me alone with only her scent lingering around me.
*****
Emily's POV-
I tip-toe up the stairs, tears pricking the back of my eyes. I was so sure Jake was going to say something, let me know what was really going on in his mind. When he dropped my hand and turned icy towards me, I couldn't help but feel hurt as hell. I've given him a second chance to explain but even still, he decided against it.
I flop down onto my bed and close my eyes, sighing in relief. Within seconds, my eyes grow heavy and sleep takes over, pulling me into a whirlwind of nightmares throughout the night.
I'm falling through a dark hole and I desperately try to cling onto the sides to pull myself back up. Screams echo around me and I slap my hands over my ears, wanting to block the noise out but it only intensifies it.
My fathers voice pleads for help.
Trevor's voice is loud and vicious.
My mother's voice is extremely high pitched, calling my name over and over again.
All three of them are yelling at me, their words stabbing me through my heart, over and over again. I shake my head furiously, wanting them to stop and then suddenly, everything goes eerily quiet. I remove my hands, shaking with fear and glance around. I'm on my old bedroom floor and everything looks so realistic. I shut my eyes and will myself to wake up, knowing this nightmare wont end well.
The bedroom door bangs loudly causing me to scream and Trevor pounds it from the other side, beating the door as if he's beating me. I huddle into the corner and whimper, my hands hiding my face. I feel vulnerable, like a scared little child.
Wake up Emily, wake up!
"Wake up Emily, wake up!"
My eyes fling open and I scream out loud, tears falling down my cheeks. Jake stands over me shirtless, his hair sticking up in different directions. I look around in complete fear to find myself back in Jake's house, safe. I sob in relief, my face completely drenched in tears.
Jake is looking at me wide eyed, full of concern. He pulls back the covers and climbs in beside me, pulling me into his chest.
"You're safe Emily, you're safe. I won't let him hurt you."
My entire body is shaking and I force myself to calm down, breathing normally once again. I'm drifting back into a sleep when I feel his lips press against my forehead softly —"I'm sorry Muffin.”
Chapter Twenty Four - Mine, all mine.
I wake up the next morning, a cold chill in the air. My body is shivering and I turn around to bury myself back under the duvet but I hit something or someone. I slowly turn and close my eyes, wishing it isn't who I think it is. . . Jake.
Jake Melvin is in my bed.
I take a deep breath, feeling myself beginning to panic. Calm down Emily, just think.
I replay last night events and vaguely rem
ember the terrible nightmare. After that Jake climbed into my bed to comfort me and I let out a small groan. I shuffle away from him, very aware of how close our bodies are. He's sleeping soundly, his dark hair sticking out from under the duvet. His scent is everywhere, on the sheets, in the air and ravelled around me. I curse under my breath, tip toeing out of my room to head to the bathroom.
I don't want to wake him and face the awkward encounter. Tobias' words continue to play inside my mind and I blow out the breath I'm holding, my eyes wondering over to him. I watch him for a few seconds, feeling a twang of pain jolt through my heart.
Maybe Jake Melvin isn't ever going to be ready for a relationship.
I have to prepare myself for that because right now, my emotional state is on the line. How can I tell him how much I care about him anymore than I already have? I'm not prepared to stand by and allow him to use me and throw me away once he's done with me. If Tobias' words are true, I need to distance myself away from Jake and be nothing but friends.
I don't plan on avoiding Jake but somehow I'm aware of every step he takes and the small movements of his head as he turns to look at me. I can't bring myself to maintain eye contact with him because I'm afraid I'll break down in frustrated tears. Why do boys have to be so damn complicated?
I focus my energy on Ivory because right now, I need a friend.
"I can't wait to go back to college and see Trish. I'm seriously missing her chatting my ear off." I tell Ivory, glancing at my watch. There's only two weeks to go before we're back in school and my best friend comes home from being on holiday. I feel like I've lost my right arm without Trisha Lockwood in my life. Ivory nods, agreeing with me.
"Trish definitely needs to throw some fun in our direction. I feel like a slob binge watching Netflix all day." She chuckles, taking a bite from her toast. I giggle with her, lifting my mug and taking a sip of my coffee. Jake enters the kitchen, his shoulders physically tense and his jaw locked with tension. I avert my gaze, studying the fascinating checkered print on the dining table inside.
Ivory notices the hostility and awkward tension hang in the air and she raises an eyebrow —
"Trouble in paradise?" She asks us both. Jake turns to glare at her. "Shut up Ivory."
She lets out a low whistle. "What's the deal between you two?" This time, the question is directed at me. I simply shrug my shoulders, a burning sensation rising to my cheeks. Ivory looks up at Jake and waits for him to respond but he never does. The air grows increasingly thick with tension and I feel myself beginning to shrink inside my chair. Eventually Jake leaves, slamming the door behind him.
"Tobias is such a jerk." Ivory mumbles, knowing exactly what the issue is between Jake and I. She was there to witness him break me down with his words.
"What's his problem?" I blurted out, annoyed at the mention of her brother. Ivory stood up, walking over to the sink before turning round.
"Jake and Tobias have always been really close, like brothers. Two years ago, Tobias did something that hurt Jake. He still hasn't let it go and neither of them have been the same since. All they ever do is fight."
"What did Tobias do?" I ask, intrigued to know. Ivory gives me a small smile before adding —
"Its not my place to say, you should ask Jake. He's a good person Emily, he doesn't trust many people. What Tobias said wasn't true, even I can tell you that."
Ivory smiles at me before reaching for her keys, leaving me alone. I sit in silence for a few moments, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
The kitchen door opened, pulling me away from my distressed thoughts. I looked up to see a women dressed smartly in a deep plum suit that contrasted perfectly against her skin. Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft dark curls and she had strikingly similar features to Jake. I stood up, pulling my PJ shirt down, feeling incredibly under-dressed.
She smiled at me warmly, showing off a set of perfectly white teeth. Okay, she is definitely Jake's mum. They both had a gorgeous smile. I held my hand out nervously and she looked at it slightly amused before shaking it.
"It's nice to finally meet you Mrs Melvin," I said politely, pushing down the nerves. She smiled at me before walking over to the kettle.
"You don't need to call me Mrs Melvin, that title dissapeared a long time ago honey."
Her voice was smooth with a hint of maturity, she oozed sophistication. I nodded at her words before taking a seat, placing my hands in my lap. I fiddled with my hands nervously before remembering I had to thank her.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Miss..."
"Call me Michelle darling, and don't look so worried. I won't bite your head off."
"Right, thank you again Michelle," I said truthfully, feeling at ease from her friendly smile.
"You're a friend of Jake and Ivory's, right? That means you're welcome anytime. We definitely have the space and the kids seem to love your company."
"You have a lovely home. It's fun living with them both and it's a far better option than my own home."
Michelle gave me a comforting smile. I cleared my throat and stood up, motioning that I was going back upstairs.
"It's nice to meet you." I said and Michelle put down her coffee, turning towards me.
"You too, I'm sure we'll get along fine," she smiled and my heart warmed a little from her words. She was so nice and caring and it made me miss my own mother. The mother she was before Trevor came along.
I shut the kitchen door and headed upstairs to get dressed for the day, going over my first conversation with Jake's Mum. I know I have to talk to Jake at some point for first, I need to fix my appearance.
I wear my baby blue jumper before pulling on a pair of white jeans. I notice my bruising has completely faded and I'm rarely in any pain. My body has definitely healed over the past few weeks and I'm extremely grateful for it. I can't remember the last time I've gone this long without feeling discomfort or pain from one of Trevor's bearings. I glance at myself in the mirror noticing I'd put on a little more weight from the food I'm constantly eating now.
I look healthy.
I run a brush through my dark hair making it pin straight and applied some concealer underneath my eyes. I finished off with a pale pink lipgloss and quickly applying some mascara.
I took a deep breath, knocking on Jake's bedroom door. I heard a few grunts come from inside and scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. I knocked loudly, causing the door to shake from the impact. Oops.
The grunts stopped and I heard Jake come towards the door. He swung open the door and we stood silently, staring at each other for a few moments. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt with some boxing shorts swung loosely on his hips. His arms and chest was glistening with sweat but on him, it was ridiculously attractive. I felt his eyes roam down my body and a deep blush crawled up onto my cheeks. He leans against the doorframe, looking surprised to see me.
"Can I come in?" I asked quietly. Jake walks back a few steps, opening his door for me to enter. I walk in and sit on his bed, noticing the boxing gloves. The boxing bag in the corner of the room is rocking back and forth slightly.
So that explains the grunts...
Jake walks to the other side of the room, grabbing a towel and wiping his face before taking a seat in a chair, opposite to me. I sigh, fiddling with my hands, desperate for one of us to break the silence.
"What Tobias said isn't true Muffin."
Muffin.
"What Tobias said hurt me, a lot." I tell him firmly. I turn to look at him and we hold eye contact, both of us staring at one another. My stomach tightens with knots as I feel myself being sucked in by the beauty of his blue eyes. I don't think I can ever be friends with Jake Melvin, not when simply his eyes have the biggest effect of me.
"You didn't explain yourself, I gave you the chance and you rejected it." I tell him, my voice lined with hurt. Jake winces, reaching up to run a hand through his dark hair.
"I know, I'm sorry. I don't know how to handle this Emily, I've never had t
o do this before. Everything I feel with you is so different, special. Give me the chance to explain now, I know I don't deserve it but please." He begs me, taking a step forward. I see the desperation in his eyes and I silently nod, holding my breath in anticipation.
"I like you Emily Wentworth, I like you a lot. Sometimes I don't know the right things to do or say but I'm learning. I've never truly needed anyone but I need you. I care about you and Tobias knows that which is why he's trying his damn hardest to hurt you. What he said isn't true, I would never treat you like that. Please believe me even though I've given you a million reasons not to." Jake says, taking slow steps until he's standing directly in front of me. We don't break eye contact once and I feel my lungs tighten as I struggle to breathe normally.
"Do you really mean all that?" I whisper, my stomach twisting with nerves. Jake nods firmly, his eyes softening —
"I mean every single word."
Butterflies explode in my stomach and I release the breath I'm holding. Jake suddenly reaches forward, taking hold of my hand. He lifts it up, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. I watch him, wide eyed.
"I don't know why I've waited so long for this. If I could go back and change everything, I would. You deserve the world Muffin." He murmurs. He looks up at me from under his thick lashes, his features so beautiful and mesmerising.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asks, completely taking me by surprise. His words are a shaky whisper, his breath trembling as he waits for my response. Moments of silence pass between us and finally his words register inside my mind.
I feel my heart squeeze with love for him and I squeal loudly. . . A full on embarrassing squeal. Jake looks at me me in alarm an I stop, composing myself.
"What the hell was that Wentworth?" He smirks, blue eyes lighting up with amusement.
"Let's forget that happened," I mutter covering my face with my hands. Jake chuckles softly, a sound I didn't realise how much I've missed.
His Mission (HIS SERIES Book 1) Page 16
