Pathos - A Duskwood Fanfiction

Chapter 41 - sexual content warning

The lock on the door that led to room number 6 at the Duskwood motel opened with a click, and then two people stepped inside. The door closed behind them, locked, and then there was a brief pause of silence as one of them walked over to the lamp on the desk and turned it on.

As the golden glow from the lamp flooded the space, it revealed Jake standing by the desk, looking around the room slowly. She stayed by the door and began removing her coat and boots, watching him in silence as he took, what appeared to her, to be a practiced and studied assessment of the place. He still had his hood up over his head, and she watched as the snow that had fallen onto its fabric began to bead into glistening droplets that caught the lamp light as they dripped down in rivulets to his shoulders.

It occurred to her then, as she stood there watching him scan his environment methodically, that this was a ritual that he must have done times beyond counting in his four long years on the run. She wondered how many times he had stood just like he was standing now, hood up and dressed all in black, carefully examining the places that he chose to rest his head at night for signs of subterfuge. How many times had he done this, all alone?

As she watched, lost in her thoughts, he seemed to have achieved a relative degree of confidence that nothing was amiss and raised his hands to his hood to push it back and onto his shoulders. Eyes the colour of oceans and storms connected with hers then, and they bored into her intently as he spoke.

"Have you been staying here?"

"Yes," she said, "I hope that is alright."

He nodded, and looked about to say something in reply, when he suddenly fell completely still. His gaze shifted slightly to somewhere behind her shoulder, and as she turned to follow where he was looking, she saw the black leather of Phil's jacket hanging where she had left it on one of the hooks beside the door.

Shit.

She turned back to face him, and the look on his face was one that she was coming to recognize. It was that same expressionless mask and unreadable gaze - the one that she had seen when he had interrupted Phil almost kissing her in the doorway of her motel room. She had seen it again just before he had slammed his fist into Phil's face, and she had seen how badly it had unsettled Phil on both occasions.

"Please don't tell me that he came in here," Jake said quietly, and she shook her head.

"He did not," she replied, and he took a step towards her.

"You would tell me if he did?" he asked, and she frowned.

"Jake, I just did. He did not come in here. I just forgot to bring it back to him, that's all."

She paused here for a moment.

Poke the bear?

"But if he had, what would be wrong with that?"

Poke the bear.

He stared at her for a few breaths, his gaze scrutinizing her own. As he remained in silence, she found herself thinking how bizarre it was that he did not seem to have the need to ask her how the jacket had come into her possession in the first place. He obviously knew that Phil had kissed her, that much was obvious from the punch, but she could only guess at how he had come into the knowledge.

"If you are trying to goad me into explaining my reason for not wanting him anywhere near you," Jake said then, his gaze becoming sharp, "There is no need. I have already done so."

Smart bear.

She tilted her head as she returned his gaze calmly.

"Goad? You hit him. Was that really necessary?"