Trust Me

No Such Thing As Love

 “But Juliette, don’t you feel something?” he asked still confused.

“No,” I lied. But I felt something special about him. Jake made me feel safe, that feeling was more important to me than anything else.

“Oh, sorry that I kissed you,” he replied stiffly. I wanted to tell him that I was falling for him too but I’d be much more vulnerable if I was in love.

 I mean look at Juliette and Romeo in that stupid love story, they end up killing themselves because of love. I would never put myself in such an idiotic situation. It was far too risky.

All stories that involve love always make me think, what kind of person is feeble enough to fall in love? Fairy tales just encourage bad habits. I mean happily ever after, it’s never going to happen. You have to stick to reality before you get hurt.

There was an awkward feeling throughout the morning. I didn’t want to talk to Jake; he didn’t want to talk to me. I couldn’t be feeling what I was feeling, why did like Jake so much? What was so special about him? Why did I feel butterflies every time I saw him smile? All of this made me feel sick. It was so stupid, but I couldn’t stop feeling what I was feeling.

I knew that I had to move somewhere else to hide. Falling in love was far too dangerous for a girl in my situation. It would be my only flaw; people could use it against me. I had to move on.

I could hear a loud commotion outside. So I looked out, expecting to see a familiar crowd of tourists, but what I saw made my heart almost stop.

Policemen, all around the beach. Only a few of them, but they looked serious. They were watching around, chatting to tourists. But I knew their real reason; they were going to get me.

The familiar feeling of panic settled in my stomach. I felt like I was going to vomit. That overwhelming sense of nausea and that gagging feeling was what I was used to. I didn’t want to settle back in my old habits. I could remember so many memories to do with that one feeling. It brought back terror and almost certainly, I would have a nightmare.

Now I knew, I wasn’t going anywhere. I was cooped up like a rat until the police went away. I would be stuck in the beach box with Jake, I was falling more and more in love with him. I wasn’t sure if I would manage. But I knew I had to.

As I silently finished throwing up in a bucket, Jake came and held my hair.

“Wow, are you okay? You don’t look too good,” he said, sounding concerned.

“I’m fine, just ate something strange,” I assured him.

“But you haven’t eaten anything for a while. Neither have I,” he argued. “I’m pretty hungry now,”

“Well maybe it’s a virus,” I argued back at him.

“You are pretty skinny, are you sure you’re not buli-,”

“Don’t even go there, Jake,” I ordered. “Don’t even dare,” Jake and I stared at each other coldly. I couldn’t believe it, just a short conversation and already I’d been accused of being bulimic, which I’m not. Throwing up happened when I was nervous, which was a lot, I have to admit.

There was a lot of tension in that beach box. I could feel vibes of anger and confusion. I didn’t want to be in there, with him. Jake was too interfering and I needed the most privacy I could get.

Jake, his hugs, the kiss, his sweet smile. I wanted to be with him, more than anything I’d ever known. Of course, there’d been boyfriends, before. But I hadn’t felt anything like what I was feeling. Girl magazines might call it chemistry but I preferred to call it a risk.

“Okay, I’m sorry for snapping at you Jake,” I reluctantly apologised.

“I guess I forgive you,” he replied as he stared at me suspiciously. “I know that you were feeling stressed, I can tell because your cheeks go pink,” I laughed. My cheeks went pink, I hadn’t ever noticed.

“Friends again, then?” Jake asked.

“Sure,”

“Now, you might be able to beat me in snap but don’t be so sure about noughts and crosses. Want to get beaten?” he asked playfully.

“I’ll play but I’m not sure you know my powerful skills at this game,” I replied.

Noughts and crosses became a rather intense game. Jake was right, he was very good. But so was I.

“Three in a row!” I exclaimed. “I win and you lose!”

“Not again,” Jake complained good-naturedly.

“Sorry I’m so good at this game. It’s just embarrassing for you,” I teased.

“I think I need a break to get my skills back,” he smiled.

I sat down on the beach towel in ‘my area’ of the beach box. I thought about what I should do, the police were outside. I knew that I would do anything in my power to stop getting caught. I couldn’t be taken back to where all of my nightmares had begun.  

“Juliette, you know that I’m never going to beat you at noughts and crosses. But there are some policemen out on the beach. Do you want to come here and see them?” Jake asked me.

“No,” I answered with a waver in my voice.

“Looks like they’re looking for something,” He paused and looked curiously out of the window. He seemed relaxed until something seemed to click in his mind.

“Wait, they’re not looking for you, are they?”