Things That Go Bump At Night Part 8

I swung my feet out and stood, my shakes were gone thank G.o.d- and I felt a little less like a Mac truck had hit me and more like a Mini Cooper.

The door to the bedroom was open and I could hear people downstairs. Voices though they were clearly too far away to make out what anyone was saying- and gla.s.s clinking together. I pulled my sweater and my shoes back on and made my way down, following the sounds down the stairs, down the hall next to it and thru a large doorway that opened up into the biggest kitchen I'd ever seen. There were people standing around a large island in the middle of the room and all eyes zeroed in on me. I blushed and immediately sought out Jake. He came with a gentle smile and an outstretched hand. I took it and he led me to the island.

"This is Remi." He said to the small group. "Remi, this is my dad David." David shook my hand without saying anything. He looked like Jake or rather Jake looked like him. The others made no move to welcome me at all as Jake introduced them. "This is Ryan," he was a blond haired guy in maybe his early twenties with light brown eyes that should have been friendly on that face of his, but weren't. "This is Ana." And she was a brunette G.o.ddess with green eyes nearly as sparkly as Kendra's, and if there were a picture next to the word scowl in the dictionary it would be hers. Oh, but she was beautiful; cla.s.sically so. "They live here too." I was taken aback by that, but didn't comment on it. Because really? What would I even say about it? "And that is my uncle Quinn. He and his wife live in the guest house out back." Quinn was a large barrel chested man with hard, yet handsome features. Though at the moment, they were not friendly features.

I was very clearly not wanted here.

"I hear you'll be staying with us." Mr. Wagner yeah, not quite ready to call him David- said, breaking the tension, his eyes scanning my face.

I ducked my head, I had completely forgotten that my face looked like a bruised apple.

"All our rooms are currently occupied but there is a second room in the guest house that-"

"No." Jake said loudly, getting everyone's attention, but he turned to his dad. "No. She stays with me."

My face felt hot, I knew I was blus.h.i.+ng. I glanced up at Jake's dad, he was looking at me intently and I caught a look that pa.s.sed between him and his son as well, but h.e.l.l if I could decipher it.

"Alright." He finally said.

"What?" Ana barked. "Are you kidding me?" She set the gla.s.s she had been holding down onto the granite countertop with a loud echoing clink. "She can't stay here. You know she can't." Mr. Wagner didn't reply. "Oh, this is rich." She stomped from the room and Mr. Wagner sighed. He shot his son an accusatory looked.

"I thought you had that handled."

"I did. Do." Jake looked over his shoulder at the door Ana had just exited through. "I don't know why she's..." he let his voice trail off on a heavy sigh. "I have to talk to Remi." He had remained holding my hand and now he tugged it to lead me out of the kitchen as well.

"Nice to have met you." I said over my shoulder and gladly let him lead me away. He led me out the front door and sat me in a little wicker love seat. He himself leaned against the porch railing facing me, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You said you don't have things." He said immediately.

Oh yeah. That had completely slipped my mind.

"Um...right." Well, how in the world did I explain this? "Kendra has my things?" Why did that come out sounding more like a question than a statement? But one look at Jake's face told me he got it. And why wouldn't he? He wasn't stupid. I spent all last year and the first couple days this year coming to school dressed as a dirty homeless man, and now the last couple days I've had on two different s.h.i.+rts that I would have to work all summer to afford and I claim Kendra has my things. It would take an idiot not to notice that Kendra's old things were my new things.

"I'll have her drop them off." I mumbled. How embarra.s.sing could I get?

"No." Jake said quickly. "Dad...he likes his privacy. So, we'll just go pick them up from her, okay?" I nodded. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Okay, I guess." Physically I was, the agony I felt this morning was a down to a dull roar this afternoon. But emotionally, mentally, I was lost.

"Come here." Jake held out a hand, as if he could sense I was struggling. I went to him and he tucked me in between his legs and cupped my face. Oh lordy! He was going to kiss me again! And he did. He angled his lips over mine and what started out as tasting, exploring, learning, soon turned into a feast. He kissed me as if he were a man dying of thirst in a desert and I was water. And I kissed him back just as desperately. My arms went around him and my nails dug into the thick muscles on either side of his spine, pulling him closer to me, and yet I still couldn't get close enough. I reveled in the growl deep in his throat. It was as if we were destined to devour each other and I for one was going to feast happily.

And then it happened again. If we were destined to devour each other, then destiny was going to make sure we took our sweet time about it. The front door opened and for a moment we ignored it, too lost in ourselves to care, but when someone cleared their throat I finally snapped back to reality and tried to jump away from Jake like the naughty teenagers we were, caught making out under the bleachers. Jake didn't let me go. Of course he didn't, he was too cool to be embarra.s.sed. His hands dropped to my hips and he anch.o.r.ed me between his legs as he looked over my head. I peeked over my shoulder and watched as Ryan lit a cigarette and looked out at the property while he smoked. Silence reigned for at least a minute before Jake finally heaved an exasperated breath through his nose.

"Really, Ry?"

Ryan looked at Jake, but avoided me.

"What? I wanted a smoke. And I'm supposed to tell you that your dad's called a...family meeting." Now his eyes did flick to me. "In the guest house."

Okay. I wasn't invited. Got it. Obviously they had to have their family meeting clearly about me- in the guest house, far from where I'd be able to eavesdrop. Not that I would have. Thanks for being such jerks and a.s.suming I would.

Jake's hands went back to my face and he turned me to look at him.

"Wait for me in my room?"

I nodded and let him kiss me again. Softly, so very incomplete. Yet he let it linger.

"Get a d.a.m.n room." Ryan muttered and hopped down the stairs. Jake chuckled and pushed off the porch railing, pus.h.i.+ng me back with him, but not away. He led me in through the front door and while I took the stairs up he took the hallway towards the back of the house.

I went to Jake's room and stood just inside his door. Looked around. It was so neat and clean and new. And so grown up. I spied his stereo, his I-pod was plugged into it and I found myself supremely curious as to what kind of music he listened to. I spent a few minutes okay, probably more like closer to an hour- going through his collection, he liked what most people our age liked. But there were a few artists that I didn't recognize. I found myself stuck on a particular song and listened to it a time or two before I sang it out loud. It was my one and only talent; the ability to listen to a song once or twice and know the lyrics by heart, and to sing exactly on key. Kendra always called it freaky, but music was my thing.

So I sat back in Jake's desk chair and sang.

When the song finished I sat in absolute silence for a moment, letting the song linger in my head. A good song could do that, linger long after and leave you thinking about it for a time. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and I spun in the chair, then stood and nearly tripped over my own feet. That was graceful. I felt the heat in my cheeks spread to my ears.

Jake stood, leaning against his door frame, arms crossed, watching me. My mouth went dry. If my thing was music, then Jake's thing was standing, all s.e.xy like, against door frames.

He was very good at it, I could see why he did it so often.

"I-I'm sorry." I sputtered. "I didn't mean to snoop."

Now he smiled, but there was a bit of strain behind it. As if he was holding himself back from me. Was that good or bad?

"Don't apologize for that, anything in here is at your disposal." I watched his throat as he swallowed thickly. Oh yeah, he was definitely holding himself back. "You, have an amazing voice."

I tried not to smile like a fool.

"It gets the job done."

"If the job is to make me hot as h.e.l.l then you are very good at your job."

Okay, that made me a bit weak in the knees, and I did not want to ruin the moment -because I was pretty sure there was a make out session in the very near future- but I was so confused, and I needed a definite answer to a question that had been in the very back of my brain for a couple days now.

"What is this, Jake?" I asked.

He c.o.c.ked his head at me.

"I mean, us. What are we? What are we doing? You suddenly show up in my life, only four days ago. I know absolutely nothing about you but you've kissed me blind a couple times now. You went after my...Bob for me. And now I'm what? Living here? I've heard of friends who have each other's backs, but this is..." I threw my hands up and let them fall back down to my sides with a soft smack.

"I haven't exactly been subtle here, Remi." Jake said in a low tone, but there was a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt to it.

"Well, excuse me for not picking up what you're laying down, but I'm not exactly experienced in the friend area."

His brow crinkled, but I wouldn't exactly call it a frown.

"Friend?" He pushed off the door and came towards me. I held my ground, my chin lifting to keep eye contact with him as he got closer. "I don't want to be just your friend, Remi. I want you."

I blushed again.

"Well, that part I did pick up." I mumbled.

Now he chuckled.

"That's not entirely what I meant. I meant, all of you. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours. I've wanted that since the first day I saw you last year."

That was an admission that I would hold in my heart forever. It left me a little speechless. But only for a moment.

"Like...exclusively?"

He chuckled again. How could he be so cool all the time?

"Yes." He nodded.

I still needed clarity. What was friggin' wrong with me? My eyes dropped to his chest. G.o.d, I could see the outline of his muscles through his t-s.h.i.+rt, it was almost too distracting. What were we talking about? Oh, right, clarity.

"So...I would be your...?" Why couldn't I even say the word?

"Girlfriend?" He said it for me.

I nodded.

"Yes. If you want me too?" Now my eyes flicked up to his, I saw he wasn't teasing me. I nodded again and a corner of his lips twitched in a smile. He reached out and grabbed my hips and pulled me to him, leaned in. My phone chirped behind us.

"Jesus Christ!" Jake growled through his teeth. I had to giggle at the thick annoyance in his tone. Apparently the constant interruptions were not sitting too well with him either.

"That'll be Kendra. If I don't call her, she's going to send a search party out for me." My own tone was laced with humor, but my eyes were apologetic.

"Yeah, I figured." He heaved a deep growly breath and backed away from me. "I'll be downstairs, come find me when you're done."

I watched him as he left and closed the door behind him, then I dove for my phone.

Call me ASAP if not sooner!

I hit the green phone icon next to Kendra's name, she picked up after only one ring.

"Oh my G.o.d homie! I'm am seconds away from death from waiting on baited breath for you all day long. You must tell me everything before I die or you'll have it on your conscience for the rest of your life!"

I laughed.

"Oh, she laughs. I'm so glad you've had such a wonderful day, you b.i.t.c.h!"

"Alright, calm down. I'm fine. Everything is going to be fine, I think."

"Well, good to know. What happened? Everyone has been talking about how Jake had a blow up at you in English today and then carried you out of the school over his shoulder."

I rolled my eyes.

"Over his shoulder? Really?"

"I don't make this stuff up girly."

"He saw the bruise on my face and yes, he did kind of have an outburst, but he certainly did not throw me over his shoulder. I would actually say he stayed pretty calm, given the circ.u.mstances."

"Circ.u.mstances? What circ.u.mstances? Why is Jake Wagner all of the sudden all up in your business? I know I told you to go with it and all, but why did he think that this was his problem to take care of?"

"Um." Hmm. How did I answer that without her getting angry that I hadn't told her the very second it happened. What the h.e.l.l, I'll just tell her. "He asked me to be his girlfriend." I said and flinched, waiting for the screaming. But it didn't come. My statement was greeted with absolute silence. "Kendra?"

"I...he...what? I'm still not wrapping my brain, Remi. You didn't exist to him up until four days ago. I don't mean to make that sound like I'm a total b.i.t.c.h right now, but you've gotta admit, it's very weird." She wasn't wrong.

"Well, apparently he's had a crush on me since last year." I defended.

"So, why wait 'till four days ago to address it?"

"You know better than most, Kendra. I'm not exactly the easiest person to approach."

"So, it took him a year to work up the guts? What a wuss." I heard reluctant acceptance in her voice.

I smiled again. Crisis averted.

"He went after Bob, Kendra." My smile faded, and her voice gentled.

"Went after him how?"

"He beat the p.i.s.s out of him."

"Yeah. That's actually pretty smart, that's the only conversation Bob would have understood anyway. I guess Jake's alright in my book. You're at his house now?"

"Yeah. After he finished with Bob, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me out here."

Now Kendra laughed. Tension diffused.

"I'm glad you're going to finally be okay. I always hated the thought of what might be happening to you over there every day. Worrying if I was going to see you limping or sporting a new bruise the next day. I wish I could have done more for you. I'm glad Jake was able to do what I never could."

"I wouldn't let you Kendra. None of it was ever your fault."

"Yeah. You know I love you like my sister, right?"

I closed my eyes against tears that threatened to well.

"I know. I love you too." I whispered.

There was a moment of silence.

"Okay, enough with your mushy c.r.a.p." Kendra said, her voice normal and peppy again, it made me laugh again. "What can I do now?"

"I hate to ask...but I have no clothes. I have nothing..."

"Say no more. I'll have all your clothes packed up for you. I have to get to cheerleading practice, then give me another hour to pack. So, come by around six thirty or so?"