Fever Pitch (10 page)

I felt awful for her. I would die if I listened to a message like that. I hoped she wasn’t in love with him, but she probably was. It’d been a long relationship, as Jake said. I could have cried for her. Part of me wanted him to call her back, but no one wants to hear that shit over the phone, but how else? It was probably more treacherous for her not hearing his voice and to have a message left like that.

“If she calls you back, Jake, you need to take the call. If she wants to hear it over the phone, then she wants to hear it.”

Sophia certainly wanted to hear it. Jake left me sitting there again, this time for about fifteen minutes. I watched as Henry’s clan moved to the bar area. I ordered another beer. I was now warmly buzzed and happy that Jake was telling Sophia that he had a change of heart. I stared at my ring, moving it over to my
left
finger. I wanted to leave it there so badly. I jumped when noticed Jake standing there, watching me ogle the ring I’d moved to my
other
finger.

“You caught me.” I raised my hands in mock surrender and smirked. I could feel the heat on my face.

“You’re so fucking cute when you’re embarrassed.” He sat next to me, taking me in his arms. “I love you to the moon and back.”

“Only to the moon?” I teased. “I love you to Pluto and back.”

He gave me a challenging look. “Hmm. I don’t think Pluto is a planet anymore, it’s like a number or something.”

I laughed and shoved him. “So?”

His eyes darted around the room. “So, it’s done.”

What does ‘done’ mean anyway? Should I ask more questions or let it be? Ugh.
“Ok, then,” I said, a bit terse.

“Look. I told her that I was seeing someone here. I reminded her of our understanding.” He took a breath. “She didn’t say much, to be honest.”

“But you didn’t tell her it was me?”

“Aly, it doesn’t matter, and I’m not gonna kick her while she’s down. I told her we’d talk when I got back.” He took his phone and turned it off. “I don’t need this to be on, I have you here. I wanna disappear from the grid.”

That was it on the matter. I’d learned a long time ago not to browbeat him. We said our goodbyes to Natasha and Candice, and sure enough, Henry and his troop quickly came outside as we took our few first steps away from the door. They didn’t have their coats on. Jake quickly took care of business by posing with his adoring fans. The girls hopped around, blowing into their hands as they listened to Henry gush about how Jake changed his life.

He changed mine too,
I thought. My boyfriend was a real-life rockstar.

13

              It snowed for three days straight, and Jake used it as an excuse not to venture out, not that I wanted to. It was blowing sideways and coming down in white cotton sheets. I was perfectly happy playing house; lighting citrus scented candles, cleaning, cooking the food Emily had prepared for us,
and
feeling the weight of Jake on me and his warm skin pressed to mine. I was lost in a Jake drug haze, like I was stuck in an opium den. We were settled into our temporary bubble of faux-wedded bliss. I glanced down at my sparkling stone-laden ring, the one I’d never moved back to my right hand. I would keep on pretending while I was there.
Will this be what it’s like once we move in together in New York? I’m sure it would be, why not?
I asked myself and reasoned.
This is proof of what it would be, right?

I began counting down the days I had remaining as I played with the pages of the book I was reading. The fourth day had begun.
My trip is half over
. My stomach sank at the thought. I listened to Jake as he began to strum his guitar. I wondered where he was at and rolled over, glancing around. He sat at the edge of his seat at the far end of the flat, wearing only his black sweat pants, and looked deep in thought. He was writing a new song—humming and jotting words down in his leather journal. I rolled back and stared at the industrial-looking ceiling with its exposed pipes and beams, bringing the bed covers over my chilled arms. I began to obsess about what the remaining months would hold, until I graduated and was with Jake again. My thoughts went to
Sophia
. I was glad Jake turned off his phone. I hadn’t seen it once, since.

“I can hear you moving around over there.”

I stretched out, humming, and tossed my book to the side. “Mhmm.”

Jake plucked at his chords. “I think we may be able to venture out today. It finally stopped snowing.”

I turned onto my stomach and our eyes met. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Nope.” He smiled at me softly and brushed his hair to the side. “How you feelin’?”

“I’m feelin’ tortured,” I said, propping my chin up by one hand as I pouted and poked at the pillow with the other. “I only have three more days left with you.” As soon as the words fell out of my mouth, my stomach tightened even more.
Wow
.

His eyes dulled, almost going gray, and he nodded. “I wish I could go back with you,” he said sadly.

“In a perfect world.” I laughed ironically. “But nothing in our world has ever been perfect.”

“It’s perfect for us now.”

I smiled, feeling uplifted by his words. “True enough. I’ll stop being a Debbie-Downer…as my mom would say.” I hopped out of bed, fixing my panties.

“Mmm,” Jake moaned as he watched me continue straightening myself in the mirror. I ignored his alluring sounds, smiling despite myself. “Come over here and sit on my lap.”

I looked at him with sly-seductive eyes, mockingly.  “Oh, are you sure that
this
is what you want? Do you really want all of my fresh-out-of-bed loveliness?” I prowled towards him, giggling.

“Oh alright.” He threw his hands in the air. “What I really meant was come over here and sit on my face.”

I guffawed and picked up his t-shirt from the back of the sofa and threw it at him (He knew I didn’t want to go there yet, and kept asking me at every turn). He gently laid down his guitar. His blue eyes shimmered as he stared me up and down. Then he suddenly jumped up, scaring me, and I gasped. He charged me and I screamed louder turning to run away, but I was in his grip in a flash.

He twirled me into his chest and breathed me in. “Ew, stop!” I cried through staggered laughs. “I can’t stand myself right now.”

“I can.” He dragged me toward the bed.

“Let’s get ready. You said it stopped snowing. I wanna go see stuff.”

“No, I changed my mind.” He muscled me down onto the bed, tickling me.

I was breathless from laughing and fighting him, so I went limp. He released his tight hold on me but remained lying next to me. He lifted my shirt as he kissed my neck and caressed my stomach. The chills ran up and down my body, making me curl into him. “Jake,” I sighed. “Come on. I only have a few more days.”

“Even more reason to stay here. We can come back whenever you want once we’re living together. I wanna be warm and cozy next to you, not freezing my ass off.”

“But you said we’d explore.” I poked his chest firmly, pouting.

A knock came at the door and we both froze, holding our breath. My heart was in my throat. I felt like I’d been caught red-handed, but there was no reason for me to be worried. I was no longer hiding from anyone.
Old habits die hard
. Jake pushed himself up and stared off into nothing. His eyes darted around the brick wall as his mind searched for who it could possibly be. “No one knows I live here except for Emily,” he whispered and stood.

Knock, knock. Buzz –
the doorbell vibrated
.

I gulped. I had a bad feeling and my mind stopped at Sophia. What if she came here anyway? The flight to London was only five hours.
Holy shit.
Jake said he had lived in the same building before he moved, just a floor below. Jake crept to the door and looked through the peephole.

“You gotta be kidding me.” His shoulders slumped as he looked back at me. “It’s my mother.”

I laughed. “Shut up!” I covered my mouth in dismay, hoping he was kidding. By the look on his face, he wasn’t. Stress etched across his brow. He ran his hand through his hair and paced back and forth rapidly. “Put some clothes on,” he ordered and walked over, picking his shirt up off the ground, sliding it over his head. “Put your clothes on!” I scrambled to my sweats, forcing my legs in as quickly as I could. My heart raced. I felt like I was back in the 9
^th
grade.

“
Jake?”
I heard her voice faintly through the door.

Oh. My. Fucking. God! It really is her!

“Get ready,” he said unhappily and unlocked the door.

“Mom, are you ok? What are you doing here?”

“Yes, yes I’m fine.” She walked through the door swiftly. “I’ve been trying to…” As soon as she saw me, her eyes flashed open wide and her mouth hung open in shock. “Alyssa?” She questioned, unbelieving. I hadn’t seen Kate, other than from a distance, in years.

“Mom, Alyssa just arrived a few days ago.”

Kate just stared at me, blinking like I was some sort of an apparition. The seconds ticked by, and she looked back at Jake and gulped, wringing the black scarf she held in her hands. The air grew thick, and with each passing second, I felt my throat closing. I stood there, frozen, wondering what was happening and why she was there, unannounced.

“This is certainly a surprise.” She stared back at Jake as he shut the door.

“Yeah, well, you standing there is a surprise,” he said dryly and walked over standing next to me. “Where’s Notting?”

She took a beat, deciding to ignore Jake’s question. “When did you move? I’ve been knocking on some poor man’s door since yesterday.”

“Mom, what’s going on? Why are you here? And why didn’t you let me know?” Jake’s voice rose in frustration.

Kate walked over and put her bag down on the sofa and looked around, her eyes landed on the messy bed at the other end of the room.
Great,
I thought. I clutched at my chest, feeling my sweater beneath my hand, though I felt naked. I felt as if I was floating on a cloud. I was light headed from the blood rushing too quickly though my veins. My knees felt weak and I walked over sitting on the arm of the sofa. Jake followed me and placed his arm around my shoulder in a reassuring manner. All Kate did was stare at us, perplexed.

“Alyssa, aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Mom. What’s going on? Stop avoiding my questions.” Jake’s voice was calm, but I could hear his restraint beneath it.

She took in a deep breath. “I just wanted to come see you. I felt a sudden urge.” She paused, looking at me. “Now I see it was a bad idea. I’m sorry to burst in on you two like this.”

I instantly felt bad. I could tell she was trying to get a grip on the situation. She was here for a reason. Jake walked over to her, giving her a hug, and I wondered how long it’d been since he’d seen her. Now I felt like I was the one who shouldn’t have been there. I looked down at my hands and my stomach sank when I saw the ring Jake gave me. I tucked my hands under my thighs.
Shit.
I was thankful it wasn’t a traditional engagement ring, and that we’d decided to hold off on all that. I moved my hands behind my back and placed the ring back to my right hand.

“Where’s Notting?” Jake asked her again, holding her at arms-length by the shoulders, forcing her to answer.

“He’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Are you two okay?”

“Yes.” She moved to take her coat off. “I’ve been trying to call you for a couple of days. I was extremely worried about you. You obviously didn’t get any of my calls.”

Jake looked at me and bowed his head, holding back a smile. “I turned my phone off so I could enjoy my time with Aly, without any distractions.”

Kate looked over at me with resignation and smiled weakly.
Smiled!
Okay, it was a small smile, but maybe she’d be ok with all this. “It’s nice to see you, Aly. I’m just stunned to see you here…in London.” She shook her head, still in disbelief.

14

Kate left Jake and me after only a half hour more of strained conversation. Something was on her mind. It was written all over her face when she stared off in preoccupation, starting and stopping conversation. I knew that’s why she’d flown out to see Jake. She had something to talk to him about. I worried that it was something serious, like with her health. After all, our parents were getting older, right around the age that those things start to go wrong. Jake blew off my concerns. “She’s just being her dramatic self. She probably wants to sell the house or something and’s guilt ridden about it,” he said coldly, and got in the shower. Gone were his playful gestures. He didn’t ask me to take a shower with him for the first time since I’d arrived.

I watched Jake carefully while I rushed to get ready. He was rigid, commonly so whenever his mother was around. Even after all these years, she had the same effect on him. He wore a defensive air, like a break wall at the ready for the next towering wave to hit. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to hurry, but it felt right. As soon as I put my socks on, he called out, “Are you ready to go?”

My mind raced, wondering what my remaining days would hold now that Kate and Notting would be around. The silence Jake exuded was excruciating for me, but I remained silent. Jake sat at the kitchen counter, thumbing through some papers, when he finally spoke. “Hey, I’m really sorry about this. It’s the last thing I would have thought would happen. I mean really?” He looked at me, bewildered.

I walked over to him and embraced his back, resting my chin on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. She came for a reason. I think maybe you should call her and go and meet her.”

“I don’t want to.” He dropped his fists to the counter, shaking his head. “I seriously can’t believe she’s here.”

“Aren’t you worried that it’s something serious?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know her, it’s never a serious thing.” He swiveled to face me, shifting me between his legs. He viewed me thoughtfully for a moment while I played with his hair and traced his eyebrows with my fingertip. He looked and smelled fresh, making me take his head into my chest. I breathed him in. “Let’s go,” he said, giving my waist a squeeze.