Tonight is the night we die

Chapter Twenty

I can't believe this is the twentieth chapter ! Thank you all for reading and your comments ! You are the best of the best ! :) Anyway, let's get down to business !!!

GLORIA'S POV

The night that followed the fight with Thomas ended up being more normal than I was expecting. Jake was the first to be surprised as he was already seeing himself being thrown at the door for hitting Thomas. But everyone was understanding or agreed with him. Dan was agreeing with him, the others supported him from afar. During the whole evening, Jake stayed with Dan and Richy outside. I still have no idea what they were talking about. Jake refused to tell me even one single word from their conversation. But they were laughing, drinking, and having a good time. So it was alright with me.

We shared the same bed that same night. Nothing sexual happened, we talked a lot. I told him about Michael more in detail, Jake had a lot of questions that I answered as best as I could :

" I don't understand something," He said with that confused look on his face as he was taking off his shirt. He asked me his question but I didn't hear anything. Too busy eyeing him up. His abs did not disappoint, His muscles were nicely drawn, he was not as muscly as Dan but you could see the strength in him. The way Thomas' face moved when receiving the shock was enough to let us all understand what he is hiding underneath his hoodie. He told me about his love for swimming and you could tell. When he turned around, I spotted another tattoo on his back, at the bottom of his neck. I was not sure but it seemed like a series of numbers. Jake had already a couple like these. Signs, and symbols, on his arms, on his chest right where his heart is. I was curious and wanted to know all about them, their meaning, and how and where he got them. I cleared his throat and I realized we were having a conversation :

" Enjoying the view, Gloria Abigail Jones ? " He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms on his bare chest standing next to the bed. Hearing him say my full name was always a delight and he understood that.

" Yeah, what a fucking view ! " I exclaimed with my rosy cheeks " I'll stop look if you prefer "

" No. I like that. Seeing the effect I have on you. It is very pleasing. " And yet, he had no idea the full effect he had on me. Jake joined me back in bed and I drew circles on his chest as I asked him to repeat his question :

" Why do you still love me ? After all that happened, how can you still lie in this bed with me ? I just don't understand " He murmured, furrowing his eyebrows

" What you did in the mine... I would have done it too Jake. I had no desire whatsoever to see Michael walk out of this mine. Even less after discovering all he knew about you. I would have set that fire I was in shock and confused and... I wish now I would have been able to do it myself. So you wouldn't have to carry another burden on your shoulders. " I apologized to him. He caressed my cheek and with a satisfied pout said " I have strong shoulders ". I laughed and nodded " You sure have ! "

Falling asleep in his arms was rewarding. It made it all worth it. He fell asleep before me so I forced myself to stay awake a bit more to observe him. We didn't talk about his father. I didn't ask about the scars on his chest, one was like a bullet hole, and the others were more like it could have been a knife or something sharp. He had this whole other life buried inside of him and it was burning me to dig deeper. But I needed to respect his boundaries.

A couple of days passed. We stayed at the cabin for most of it. Jessy gave me a real visit of Duskwood and I loved it. It was such a pretty place and once you forget about the negative reasons that push me here, it was enjoyable. I spotted a couple of curious looks on us. It is indeed a small town where everyone knows each other. So I assumed Thomas opened his mouth about Michael and me. I had one fear and it was to come across Iris in the streets. I had one other fear. Jake stayed at the cabin, and Hannah did too. I trusted Jake with my own life but Hannah... I wanted to talk about it to Jessy or Cleo but I thought I was sounding ridiculous and I needed to give Hannah more time to adjust to this new life and reality.