His Mission

Chapter 12

The sun streams through the window, torturing me with it’s blindness. A low groan slips through my lips as I run a hand over my face. There’s a small pounding in my temples that I’ve never experienced before.

"Is this a hangover?" I mutter rhetorically to myself, clutching the sides of my head. I blink several times as my vision adjusts to the room inside Ivory’s house.

"Happy Birthday to me . . ." I sing bluntly, massaging my sore temples. My thoughts turn back to last night and I suddenly realize what I’ve done. I spring upright in bed and stare at the wall with wide eyes.

“I told Jake my secret, holy shit.” I say out loud. My stomach tightens as I remember the way he comforted me and held for until I fell asleep. I spring out of the bed and ignore the pounding in my eyes. My eyes drift down the outfit from last night and I grimace at how rough I must look.

I’m alone in the room which only causes my anxious thoughts to spiral further. Did Jake bail on me last night? Is it because of what I told him?

There's a soft knock on the door which snaps me out of my thoughts. I smooth down my clothes and brush through my hair to fix my appearance.

"Come in," I call out before clearing my throat. The door opens and Ivory pops her head around. Her auburn hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail and dark rings circle under her eyes.

"Hey, good morning." Ivory says softly, entering the room and closing the door behind her. I give her a small smile and take a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks for letting me crash here. I don’t remember much after Jake had the fight with Austin." I mumble. Ivory watches me closely, almost like she wants to say something. I glance up at her nervously and wait for her to respond.

“Yeah, that fight was crazy. I can’t believe Austin was such a jerk.” Ivory responds. I nod my head in agreement. She leans back against the wall and groans as she presses her palms into her eyes.

“I-am-so-tired. Why do I never learn?” Ivory complains as she nurses her hangover. I laugh and feel myself beginning to relax.

"Good night?" I ask her. She nods despite looking like she deeply regrets it.

"Great night. I always forget about the day after. I feel like I've been dragged through a rose bush backwards." She groans. Her eyes drift across the room before connecting with mine. There's a brief silence in the room and I suck in a sharp breath. Does Ivory know why I stayed here?

“Did Jake say anything to you last night?” I ask her, feeling the awkward tension in the room beginning to grow.

“He didn’t say much. He told me not to disturb you, that’s all.” Ivory replies. My shoulders sink with relief and I smile back at her. I’m so relieved Jake didn’t tell her my secret. Ivory gestures at the door and smiles reassuringly at me.

"Do you want breakfast? Food might help take away the drilling inside my head." Ivory mumbles which earns a giggle from me. I nod my head and step off the bed. When we begin heading downstairs, the scent of pancakes and warm chocolate floats through the house. My stomach rumbles loudly and Ivory giggles in response.

"I guess I'm hungry." I state obviously. I follow Ivory into the kitchen and glance around at the empty alcohol bottles littering the kitchen side. My stomach churns so I quickly avert my gaze in case I throw up. I suddenly connect eyes with Jake who’s standing at the cooker with a spatula in his hand. My eyebrows raise in surprise and I automatically stand up straighter.

“Hey,” Jake smiles warmly. I reciprocate his expression and try to hide the blush creeping up my cheeks. Jake didn’t bail, he must have stayed the night too. My heart flutters inside my chest as I take a seat at the kitchen table. Ivory glances between Jake and I before grabbing an aspirin box off the counter and clutching her head.

"I'll leave you two alone. I have to go sit in a dark room and re-evaluate my life decisions." Ivory says. I laugh and watch her with sympathy as she leaves the kitchen, shutting the door softly behind her. My attention turns to Jake and I watch as he flips pancakes. He's also wearing last night's clothes, his dark hair ruffled messily across his head. The silence in the room is deafening so I try to make conversation.

"Last night was interesting." I say quietly, hating that I’m bringing the topic back up. I need to address the elephant in the room so the awkward tension can disappear.

“Are you talking about the party?” Jake says quietly, briefly glancing at me. I intake a sharp breath and shake my head. His blue eyes cloud with darkness as he realizes I’m talking about Trevor.

“I guess so.” Jake mumbles, looking like he’s deep in thought. His movements turn rigid and his shoulders square up defensively. There’s another silence in the room which causes my palms to grow clammy with nerves.

"So you cook pancakes?" I ask him, amusement lining my voice. The tense atmosphere between you begins to fade as Jake grins and holds the spatula up in the air.

“The best pancakes around,” Jake winks, a sparkle entering his blue eyes. Butterflies fill my stomach at the sight of him.

“Do you want one?” Jake asks me. I nod my head and clutch my empty stomach that’s rumbling to be fed.

"Sure, I'm starving." I admit. Jake nods and plates two up before dropping them down in front of me. He holds up a bottle of syrup in one hand and chocolate sauce in the other. The muscles in his biceps bulge, highlighting his muscular frame. I avert my eyes so he doesn’t catch me drooling over him.

"Syrup or chocolate?"

"Both," I tell him. Jake grins and begins to pour both over the pancakes.

“Good choice, the higher the calorie content, the better they taste.” Jake teases. I laugh and nod my head in agreement. He stands back and watches as I take the first bite. My taste buds explode with pleasure from the syrup, chocolate and pancake flavours combined. A moan of approval leaves my lips and I nod my head at the perfectly made pancakes. When I glance up, Jake is watching me with amusement in his eyes.

A smirk plays on his lips — "Do you always moan when you eat, Muffin?"

I choke on the piece of pancake in my mouth before swallowing it. Jake begins to chuckle to himself as I narrow my eyes to glare at him.

"Shut up, Melvin. In my defense, I haven’t eaten in a while.” I defend myself. His smile fades slowly and he drops another pancake onto my plate. I smile at him gratefully and silently finish the rest of my breakfast. Jake joins me eventually with a stack of pancakes high enough to feed a small family. Before he begins eating, he lowers his fork and looks directly at me. From the expression on his face, I know what’s about to happen.

"Can we talk about last night?”

I nod my head and slowly lower my fork and knife. I’ve already rehearsed my response so Jake doesn’t feel responsible for bearing the weight of my secret.

“Yes. I want you to know that I don’t expect you to do anything about the situation with my step father. I didn’t tell you because I wanted to be saved. I told you because I was driving myself crazy and I trust you.” I say quietly. There’s a silence between us as Jake registers my words.

Why was it that suddenly things become so real once you say them out loud?

I've only known Jake for a few weeks but we share a connection. I don’t know the depth of our relationship yet but I know I trust him. There’s something about the way he looks at me that makes me feel safe.

“So you didn’t tell me because I have the ability to ruin his entire life for what he’s done to you?” Jake questions quietly. I shake my head firmly. I know all about the rumours regarding Jake Melvin, he’s a gang member with connections to dangerous people.

“I told you because I couldn’t lie to you any longer. Even though it scares me, you can see past the surface. Nobody has ever done that before.” I tell him. Jake sets his intense eyes on me and nods his head slowly.

“I had to tell someone, Jake. I was driving myself to the brink of insanity.” I whisper. Hot tears prick the back of my eyes but I blink them back. Jake’s hand slides across the table and he places it over mine. His warmth takes me by surprise.

"You should have told me sooner. I can help you, Emily.”

"I’ve never told anyone my secret, I had to make sure I could trust you,” I explain. I glance up at him from under my dark lashes and suck in a sharp breath as his blue eyes connect with mine. He remains silent but his eyes do all the talking. They fill with a warmth and there’s a moment between us that I never want to end.

“I’m honoured that you told me. Nobody has ever trusted me before.” Jake says softly. His eyes flicker between mine before dropping to my lips. My stomach tightens with nerves but the moment is quickly ended when Ivory re-enters the kitchen for a plate of pancakes.

Jake clears his throat and I know the conversation is going to be put on hold until we can be alone again. After breakfast, I lounge around with Ivory in her living room. Jake enters the room and drops down beside me. I try to play it cool that he chose me to sit directly next to me.

“When I woke up this morning, I thought you bailed on me.” I tell him as I aimlessly scroll through my phone. There’s a few birthday messages I have to respond to from various friends. Jake frowns and shakes his head.

“I wouldn’t bail on you. Besides, I live here.” He reveals. I lower my phone and it suddenly dawns on me why he seems close with Ivory and so relaxed inside her home.

“You do? Are you and Ivory related?”

“First cousins. Our Moms are sisters so we all share a place. There’s Ivory, me and her older brother here.” Jake says. The pieces click together as you realize Ivory shares the same eyes as Jake. Good looks clearly run in the family.

“I had no idea you guys were family.” I say, turning to Ivory who’s playing dead on the other sofa. Ivory groans and rolls over to look at me.

“Unfortunately, yes. We are..” She says. Jake rolls his eyes and throws a cushion in her direction.

“You love being related to me,” Jake teases her. Ivory scoffs playfully and shakes her head.

“Please. Our Mom’s are never here so I’m surrounded by testosterone. It sucks.” Ivory complains. I laugh in response and Ivory grins. Her face suddenly begins to pale and she clutches her stomach.

“Oh no, here comes the vodka.” She cries before running out of the room. My eyes widen as I watch her leave.

“Is she going to be okay?” I ask Jake. He nods his head and shrugs his shoulders casually.

“She’s a party-holic. This is normal practise for her.” Jake responds. He drapes an arm around the back of the couch and turns to look at me. The butterflies return to my stomach as I stare back at him. Neither of us say anything but the silence is comfortable. Jake’s eyes drop to my lips again and I find myself holding my breath.

“Why are you staring at me?” I whisper. His fingers lightly move over to brush against my shoulder. He plays with the fabric of my shirt and seems oblivious to how nervous I am. My chest rises and falls heavily and there’s a buzzing in my ears as he naturally inches closer.

“Am I not allowed to stare?” Jake murmurs, his eyes searching mine. I shake my head and swallow the nervous lump in my throat.

“Why not?” Jake asks me. His words are a hushed whisper. The sexual tension between us becomes almost unbearable as he continues to inch closer. His fingers begin playing with the loose strands of my hair.

“It makes me incredibly nervous.” I whisper, trying my best to ignore the buzzing inside my head. Jake makes me feel like I’m a floating ball of nerves and excitement. His lips tug upwards into a small smile at my response.

“That’s cute,” Jake replies. His hand suddenly runs up my cheek and into the strands of my hair. He begins massaging my hair and leans in closer. When his lips are inches away from mine, he pauses and glances up at me with his ocean blue eyes. My heart feels like it’s ready to burst through my chest as I prepare for him to kiss me.

"What do you want?" He murmurs as his gaze drops to my lips. I feel him inhale sharply before his eyes flicker back up to meet mine. The intense look in them causes the butterflies in my stomach to go crazy.

"I don’t know..." I whisper in response even though my body is screaming at me to close the distance between us. If I inch closer, our lips would finally meet and I'll be kissing Jake Melvin.

"Let me help you decide." Jake murmurs, his breathing labouring. I nod my head in agreement. Jake’s blue eyes fill with desire and a newly lit flame of excitement. He inches closer so I can feel his warm breath tickling my lips. His alluring scent wraps around me, luring me into a hazy state.

The door suddenly springs open and I jump in surprise. Jake doesn’t make an effort to move but sighs with frustration. He pinches the bridge of his nose from being interrupted and turns slowly towards his cousin.

"Ivory, what do you want?" He groans, glaring at her. She’s standing in the doorway with colour back in her cheeks. Her hair is tamed and she looks more alive than she did earlier.

"Sorry, was I interrupting something? Are you guys making out?" She smirks, glancing between Jake and I. I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment, turning beetroot red.

"No, you're not interrupting. We're just talking." I say quickly, avoiding eye contact with Jake. She rolls her blue eyes at me, cutting me off by holding her hand up in the air.

"Yeah, I'm sure that’s all it was. Stop hitting on my friends, Jake.” Ivory teases him.

"I'm not hitting on her and technically, she was my friend first." Jake hits back at her. I bite down on my lip as they begin quarreling like brother and sister. When their argument fades away, Jake turns to look at me. He notices the expression on my face and leans in.

"Why are you nervous? Relax," he whispers, his voice sending a shiver down my spine. How am I supposed to relax when we were seconds away from kissing? I nod my head and Jake smiles in approval.

"What time is it?" I ask him quietly. Jake glances at his watch before answering — "Eleven thirty."

My eyes widen and I immediately spring off the couch.

"Shoot." I mutter, reaching for my jacket. I'm late.

"What's wrong?" Jake asks me, his expression confused. I mutter a vague response and gather my belongings.

"Thank you both for letting me stay here but I have to leave."

"You're welcome, don't be a stranger." Ivory smiles, holding out her arms as she signals for a hug. I return her smile before leaning in and embracing her. I can't thank her and Jake enough for being so kind to me. I make my way towards the door and sigh when I realize I don’t have a change of clothes. I’ll have to risk it and hope Trevor isn’t awake yet. When I push down the handle to leave, Jake reaches out over me and shuts the door firmly. I stare up at him with confusion.

"Where are you going? We didn’t get to finish our conversation earlier.” Jake says, looking frustrated.

"We’ll talk later. I have to go home." I reply quickly. I open the door again but Jake sighs heavily and his eyes darken at the mention of you going home back to Trevor.

"You can't go home, Emily."

“You don’t understand, I have to leave right now.” I tell him firmly, feeling the panic inside me increase. I can’t be late otherwise it could anger Trevor. The thought of fighting on my birthday is already exhausting my energy.

"You can’t go back to him, let me look after you. We can figure something out." Jake argues back. Images of Trevor growing increasingly angrier by my lack of presence clouds my mind.

“I don’t have time, let’s talk about this later.” I say quickly, trying to brush past him. Jake steps forward again but I whirl around and warn him off.

“Please let me leave! I have to go right now.” I tell him abruptly. Jake soaks in the panic in my eyes and nods his head. He takes a step back and I release a sigh of relief. He doesn’t look happy at my departure but he has no choice. I have to leave now before Trevor realizes I wasn’t studying with Trish last night.

“Emily, wait.” Jake says quickly before I disappear. He walks down the driveway and places a hand on my arm. I pause and release a shaky breath. He leans down and presses his lips against my cheek tenderly. My skin sparks up with electricity from his touch and his lips linger before he pulls away.

"Happy Birthday, Muffin."

He turns around and leaves me standing there, staring behind at him. Jake knows it's my birthday.

I get the sudden urge to run up behind him, wrap my arms around his neck and thank him but I don’t. I have to push any feelings for him aside especially since my life is so crazy right now. Having feelings for Jake will make everything increasingly difficult . . . Especially with Trevor in my life.

Speaking of Trevor, I turn around and bolt down the street.

I need to get home before it’s too late.