Ah, the penny drops. This must be Caitlin. Oh Christ, that’s all I need to deal with, Jake’s scorned ex or whatever the hell she is to him.
“There is no reason for him to lie to me.” Of course I am not going to admit to her that Jake has tried to pass off the vase incident as a mere case of his own clumsiness. Caitlin smirks.
“You’re one of those tramps he likes to screw, aren’t you?” I am gobsmacked at her question.
Before I can form words to answer her, she continues to speak. “For your information, Jake did not have an accident. He was going to throw the vase at me, so I grabbed it off of him and hit his arm with it.”
My mind processes her words. Surely this woman isn’t telling the truth? From what I know of Jake, I am certain that he wouldn’t physically hurt any woman. Then again, maybe I am a poor judge of character? She watches for my reaction, and I don’t know how I manage it, but I don’t move an inch, not even a facial twitch.
“Why don’t you run along home and I will continue to tend to Jake’s needs.” Ugh, this woman is repulsive. I am way too tired to deal with this bullshit, so I decide to play her at her own game.
“Listen here, Caitlin.” Her eyes go wide as I say her name. “I think you need to get the fuck out of this house before this situation gets out of hand. Jake has told me all about you, and you are not welcome here. If you don’t leave then I will be forced to call the police, which I’m sure is the last thing you want.”
Caitlin just stares at me, but I never break away from her gaze. After a few long, tense minutes it seems that she has come to her senses as she grabs her bag and walks towards me. I step back to let her pass. She stops, inches from me and looks me up and down.
I feel my defences rise at her sinister stare. Adrenaline pumps through my system as I realise that this situation could get more heated than it is already. After an unbearably awkward few seconds, she simply smirks, shakes her head, turns away and starts walking to the front door.
She opens the front door and stops, still with her back to me. “Don’t think that this is the last you will be hearing from me, bitch.”
My heart hammers against my chest as she slams the door behind her. I run to it and lock it, leaning my back against the door as I take a few deep breaths.
Fuck, she was rather scary.
In one way, I am proud that I stood up to her, but in another way, I think how stupid I was to confront her. I shakily walk back to the kitchen, feeling deflated as I look at all of the mess she has made. I better clean all of this up before Jake sees it. At least doing this will keep my mind occupied for a while. My life really has become bizarre over the past few days. And now, with this Caitlin issue, it seems that there is more to Mr Waters than meets the eye.
I spend the next half an hour chucking the food Caitlin was making into the bin and washing everything that she appears to have touched. I am half way through the mess when Jake enters the kitchen.
“Having a Gordon Ramsey moment, are we?” he asks with a smile, unaware of the conflict that happened in here not so long ago.
“I wasn’t, but some woman called Caitlin was.” I wait and watch his reaction. He visibly recoils at the mention of her name. I decide now is the time to ask about her, before he has the chance to change the topic. “Who is she, Jake?”
“She’s not important.” His jaw clenches as he looks at his arm.
“Are we really going to do this?” I ask.
“Do what?”
“Skirt around the subject. I know that she was here last night, and I know her version of events, so why not just tell me your side of the story?” It may not be my place, but if I am staying here then I need to know the truth.
Jake runs his hands through his hair and takes a seat at the kitchen island.
“I need scotch for a conversation like this but seeing as I’m on medication, would you mind making me a coffee?” he asks.
I turn and pick one of the clean cups off of the draining board and make Jake his coffee. I make one for myself at the same time, seeing as I haven’t had chance to before now. I walk around the kitchen island and sit on the stool next to Jake. Jake sips his coffee and I wait patiently for him to start talking.
After what feels like an eternity he finally starts to speak.
“I have known Caitlin for three years. She came to work for me as my PA. She had been working with me for over two years when I stupidly decided to mix business with pleasure. I slept with her on and off for a few months, but I was never in a relationship with her. I suppose you could say that I led her to believe that we were a couple because, to be honest, I never told her otherwise.”
I say nothing as I want to hear where he is going with this.
“I stopped sleeping with her after I spent the night with you, six months ago. I just couldn’t do it anymore. It felt wrong after being with you.”
Well, knock me down with a feather, I wasn’t expecting that. I decide not to comment as I don’t really want to bring attention to the fact that we had a one-night stand together, especially as we are starting to form a friendship.
“She took it well at first, but things soon changed. She became erratic and wouldn’t leave me alone. I had to fire her as my PA as she kept messing up my meetings and making me look bad. After I fired her, she said that she was pregnant.” I gasp at this piece of news as it comes as a shock.
Jake puts his head in his hands. “I didn’t want to have a child with her, but I thought that I should step up and take responsibility for my actions. It was coming up to the first scan and I had arranged to meet her at the hospital. Only, she wasn’t at the hospital when I got there, and with a bit of persuasion I found out that they didn’t even have her on their records.
“She lied about the pregnancy. She believed that I wouldn’t turn up to the scan, and she thought that she would get away with the lie for a bit longer. I then told her I wanted nothing more to do with her, but her behaviour just keeps getting more and more crazy. She tries to follow my every move. Then last night she showed up here as you are already aware. She got angry with me, and that’s when she smashed the vase and cut my arm.”
I sit there and take in everything that he has just told me. My gut feeling tells me to trust him, and to trust what he is saying.
“So, what you’re saying is, on top of everything else going on I now have to worry about some lunatic ex of yours that now knows I am staying here? Wow, this has been quite a week, and it’s not even over with yet.” My life has turned into some kind of soap opera.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t think you would ever have the misfortune of meeting her.”
“I understand why you never said anything. I mean, I’ve only been here a few days, why the hell would you tell me? Not to mention that we still hardly know each other. I will say though, if I am going to be staying here until I get myself sorted, then you need to update me on things like this. It would be nice to have a heads up. That way, at least I can try and prepare myself for altercations like the one I had with her an hour ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Jake looks genuinely apologetic, then his face suddenly lights up. “Did I just hear you say that you are going to stay here?” His eyebrows are raised in anticipation. It seems like he really does want me to stay here.
“Yes, Jake. Who else is going to look after you? Besides Caitlin of course.” I smile at my comment. I need to try and make the best of this situation.
“Not funny, Stace.”
“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood.” I get up from the stool and continue with tidying the kitchen.
“Are you really okay with what I just told you?” Jake seems surprised.
“Hey, it could be worse. So you have a psycho ex, big deal. Everyone has baggage.” I shrug my shoulders as I put the last of the pans away. “Besides, life is full of struggles, it’s just how you deal with them that matters.” I lean on the island and look into Jake’s eyes. Something passes between us, but I can’t pin point what it
is.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” I feel myself blush at Jake’s words, but I just want to keep the mood light.
“I do try,” I tease. “How about I cook us some food and you can go and pick out a movie for us to watch?”
In my opinion there are no other words needed on the Caitlin matter. He has told me all that I need to know, and for that I am grateful. It just shows that he must trust me enough for him to tell me. I hear Jake’s stomach grumble at the mention of food.
“That would be great,” he says. I smile at him and I take pleasure in being able to look after him. He gets up from the stool and is about to exit the kitchen when a question pops into my head.
“Just one more thing,” I say. Jake turns around and looks at me. “How did she even get in here? Does she have a key?”
Oh God, please don’t say she has a bloody key.
Jake sighs and looks just as confused as I must do. “No, she most certainly does not have a key. I can only think that I must have forgotten to lock the patio doors last night.”
“Hmmm. Maybe we need to be more vigilant about locking doors from now on then?”
“Agreed.”
“Don’t worry, I locked the front door when she left. I will go and lock the patio doors whilst you go and put your feet up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake replies in a cocky manner. He salutes, and I laugh at his playfulness. I shoo him away and am overcome with a sense that maybe, just maybe, I was meant to meet Jake for a reason. He really does seem to have a way of making me feel at ease, even with all the crazy going on around me.
Psycho ex’s aside, I feel very lucky to have had the fortune of meeting him.
My perfect stranger most certainly is keeping me on my toes.
Chapter Sixteen
“I am so full,” I whine as my stomach hurts from eating too much food.
“That was delicious,” Jake says as he lies back on the sofa. I cooked us a mixture of Indian dishes which, I have to agree, were very tasty.
I ask Jake to pause the film we’re watching as I get up and take all of the plates and dishes into the kitchen. I pile them all on the side as I don’t have the inclination to even place them in the dishwasher right now. There are some left over samosa’s and onion bhaji’s, so I find a container to put them in and I place them in the fridge.
I pour myself a glass of wine from the bottle that Jake opened for me to have with my food, and I head back to the lounge. Jake is on soft drinks due to the medication he is taking for the pain in his arm.
“You know, Jake,” I start to say as I sit down next to him and cover myself with the blanket he is hogging. “I don’t think you could have picked a more inappropriate film than this.”
“What do you mean? It’s a good thriller.”
“You choose a film about a woman who makes her ex’s life hell, and yet we have had your crazy ex here twice in the last twenty-four hours. Are you missing her already?” I tease him. The irony is uncanny. I also think that the wine is making me a little bit more loose-lipped than I normally am.
“Oh God, Stace, please don’t joke about that.” He’s pulling the most ridiculous faces at the thought. I laugh hysterically.
“If someone had told me last week that all these different things were going to happen to me, then I would have thought that they were on drugs.”
“I know. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster,” Jake replies.
I place my wine glass on the coffee table and turn to look at him. I need him to know how much I appreciate what he has done for me, and I feel now is the time to say it.
“Jake, I am so grateful to you for helping me at The Den the other night. You will never know how relieved I was to see you standing there. And I just wanted to say that what you have done for me since then is more than I deserve. I am indebted to you, and I will pay you back one day, somehow… I’m just not sure how yet.” Tears prick the backs of my eyes.
“I haven’t had anyone look after me this way in such a long time. I have no family left, and it’s nice to feel protected by someone. I’m really glad that I can class you as a friend.”
Jake’s gaze penetrates into my eyes. I now feel a little bit silly for being so open with him, but I needed him to know.
Jake cups my cheek with his good hand. “It’s no problem. It’s nice to have someone to look after.”
It is taking all of my willpower not to lean in and kiss him. My body is humming with need for him, but I can’t let myself give in.
I clear my throat and excuse myself to go to the bathroom, choosing to run upstairs and use the one in my bedroom, just to get some space. The moment we just shared was intense, and I don’t want to lose Jake as a friend by doing something stupid.
I pace up and down the bathroom, trying to push away all of the emotions that I am feeling. This would be the point where I would phone Lydia and she would probably tell me to stop acting like a muppet and enjoy myself. I miss her.
I go to the sink and splash some water on my face. It’s in this moment that it suddenly dawns on me that I don’t have my phone with me.
Shit, I can’t believe that I have gone all this time with no phone and I have only just realised.
And I haven’t thought about my laptop either. Mind you, with everything that’s been going on, I’m surprised that I even remember my own name.
I dry my face as there is a knock on the bathroom door.
“Stace, is everything okay?” Jake asks, concern evident in his tone of voice.
Come on, Stace. Don’t let him see that he is affecting you. He’s just your friend.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” I give myself a check in the mirror. My cheeks are a little flushed, but apart from that I look okay.
I take a deep breath and open the bathroom door. Jake is standing there, looking like some sort of God. He may only be wearing jogging bottoms and a T-shirt, but my-oh-my, he looks good enough to devour.
I watch him as he rakes his eyes over my body. I may only be wearing some leggings and an oversized shirt, but Jake manages to make me feel as sexy as hell from his gaze. The heat that emanates from him nearly floors me.
I take in another deep breath and am about to ask him to kindly move out of the way when he surges towards me, grabs me at my waist and places his lips on mine. He picks me up and I automatically wrap my legs around his waist, and our kiss becomes more desperate. He walks us towards the sink unit and sits me on top of the counter. I keep my legs wrapped around him, enjoying the feel of his body so close.
As the urgency of our kiss continues, I run my hands through his hair and hear him let out a quiet moan. What this man does to me is remarkable. The electricity between us is so powerful it’s almost frightening.
Jake continues to explore my mouth with his tongue as his hands tighten their grip on my waist. My sex is already wet with my need for him. I move my hands to the bottom of his T-shirt and lift the hem slightly so that I can feel his skin beneath my fingertips, but that is the moment when Jake abruptly stops the kissing and touching.
My legs break from around his waist as he backs away from me with wide eyes. I frantically search his face for answers, but I find none. We are both breathing heavy and the sound is deafening in the otherwise silent room. It’s almost as if Jake’s shutters have come down and he has blocked out all emotions.
“I can’t do this.”
Those are the only words he speaks as I look at him, dumbfounded. I watch as he practically runs from the bathroom, and I sit, shell-shocked, on the sink.
What the hell just happened?
Why did he leave?
Did I do something wrong?
Am I a bad kisser?
I have a million different questions going around in my head, and I have no answers to any of them. I suddenly feel raw and exposed. It is a stark contrast to the heat and passion I felt only seconds ago.
My body reacts to the rejection. I feel cold and unwanted, not to ment
ion stupid. I shouldn’t have let him kiss me. I shouldn’t have given in to my urges. Now the friendship Jake and I were building has been shattered into a million pieces. We have just begun getting to know each other, and now it is ruined.
The hurt that I am feeling right now is indescribable.
Pain sears through me as hopes for Jake to be a part of my life have been dashed.
Chapter Seventeen
I am barely aware of what I am doing until I am half way down the road and walking in the direction of Lydia’s flat. I know we left things on bad terms, but I need to see her right now. I really hope we can put aside our differences. I need to talk to her, and I really need to be away from Jake. I don’t know where he went after the bathroom incident, but I didn’t see him again.
It starts to rain and all I have on is the same clothes that I left the house in. I didn’t even think to grab a jacket. All I thought about was getting my shoes on and getting the hell out of there. Marvellous, I now get to look like a drowned rat as I walk along the pavement.
I fold my arms across my chest and quicken my pace. It only takes me twenty minutes and I am stood in front of Lydia’s front door. It’s late, so I hope that she is still awake.
I summon up all of my courage and I knock on her door. It takes a few moments but eventually Lydia answers, gasping when she sees me.
“Hi,” I say shyly. I don’t know what else to say. I would normally just walk in, but I wait to see if she invites me in this time.
“Uh, hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you?” Lydia asks a question rather than just making a statement.
“I just um, I just…”
I just what? Got rejected by the guy that I am developing feelings for? How pathetic would that sound?
I search for words, but nothing comes. Instead I just stand there, looking at the floor, feeling like an utter fool.
“You better come in. You must be freezing.” Lydia ushers me inside. “Let me go and grab you a towel. Your clothes are still in the spare bedroom if you want to go and get changed.”
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