I Know You ~ J.Seresin

38

There's a knock at the front door that wakes up Tate. She stirs at the sound. It wasn't until the knock was heavier this time, is when she sat up startled. Tate grabs her phone on the coffee table and looks at it. It was 9 am. She knew it wasn't a learning day.

She stands from the couch and yawns as there is one more knock at the door.

"Calm down!" she yells as she approaches the door.

She opened the door to see, to her surprise, Jake standing there sheepishly.

He had his arms behind his back as he smiled at her. She gave him a confused look and crossed her arms.

If he was here to try and say something smart, she was going to punch him. Literally. She had nothing left in her to argue with anyone.

She had spent the entire night crying because of what happened between her and Bradley.

She had the worst falling out she could've had with her best friend.

And just years ago, she had one with the man in front of her.

Which made her question why he was there.

Jake brought his arms into view to present her with a bouquet of flowers. Her face softened as she dropped her arms and reached for them

"Daffodils, your favorite," he said as she smelled them.

They were her favorite. She told him this years ago and here he was showing up at her doorstep with a bouquet of them

"You remembered?" Tate asked him, touched by the generosity. Jake chuckles as he looks at her with a smile.

"I told you, I know you,"

She rolls her eyes at him, bringing the flowers up to her nose once again.

"I was also hoping I could talk to you?" Tate raises her eyebrow at him. He awaits patiently hoping she would let him in. She lowers the flowers from her face and walks away from the door.

"Lock the bottom one when you enter please," she calls out to him. Jake smiles slightly as he walks into the beach house and closes the door,

It was exactly how he remembered. Memories flooding his mind as he looked around the familiar lay out.

Jake watches as Tate grabs a glass from the cabinet and fills it up with water from the tap. "Out with it. What did you want to talk about?"

Tate pours in the little packet that was on the wrapping of the bouquet.

"I wanted to first apologize for what happened between you and Rooster. He shouldn't have gotten upset with you the way he did,"

Tate purses her lips as she cut the ends of the stems on her flowers. Jake leans against the fridge as he looks at her.

"I also wanted to apologize for how I've been acting,"

She looks over her shoulder at him confused. "What do you mean?" She asks before turning back to look at the flowers.

"I've been sort of an asshole to you, and it's not an excuse but seeing you the other night at the Hard Deck really brought back old memories that I had pushed away,"

"I'd be lying if I didn't agree," Tate says as she puts the fresh-cut flowers in the glass.

"But that's also why I am here," Jake says as he watches Tate put the glass on the bar top. She turns and looks at him, nodding her head to the couch.

Tate heads in that direction, Jake following behind her.

The two of them sit on the couch. Tate sits cross-legged. She hugs a pillow as she waits for Jake to speak.