Still the One

Chapter 32 - Addicted to You

Jake's guitar was in his hand when he opened the door. "Hey. Come in."

"You've still got Narelle," I observed, using the name he'd given his guitar and had once told me was a popular girl's name in Australia.

"Yeah," he smiled. "She still sounds as sweet as the day I got her."

I looked around the room, noting a few items of clothing strewn haphazardly over the bed, cotton balls and pieces of paper scattered over the desk and coffee table. In the days when he and Marcus shared a room, Jake had always been the neater of the two; seems his shorter hair wasn't the only thing that had changed.

"Have a seat." He indicated one of the two armchairs pulled up in front of a large window overlooking the London skyline; grey clouds were rolling in from the east, making rain highly likely. I thanked him and sat. "Want a drink? I've got beer." He moved to the bar fridge, opening it and extracting a bottle.

Even if I could have, my stomach, already a little unsettled, squirmed at the idea. "No thanks, I'm fine."

He didn't seem happy with my answer, though. "Come on, you used to always be happy to have a beer after a gig." The smile on his face suddenly turned into almost a sneer. "Too good for beer now that you're married to that posh tosser, is that it? Prefer champagne?"

I leapt to my feet, feeling both my temper and the colour of my face heat up. "If you're just going to insult Ben..."

I'd only taken two steps when Jake's hand rested on my arm, halting me. "I'm sorry, Caz. Don't go. Please." I paused, glaring at him, though he appeared his usual laid back self again. What the hell? Has he got a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on? This is not the Jake I know.

"What's going on with you, Jake?"

"What? Nothing! What do you mean? Just because I offer you a drink doesn't mean there's something going on." He was almost aggressive again, his mercurial mood swings baffling me. Looking at him more closely, I realised he had dark bags under his eyes – which looked a little glassy – and his skin, despite the tan, was tightly drawn across his cheekbones.

"Are you okay? I mean...health-wise?"

"I'm fine. Jesus!" The bottle was slammed onto the coffee table, making me jump a little, and he strode to the door and back, a hand raking through his short hair. Frankly, I was getting a little nervous and thinking maybe it wasn't such a great idea to come here.

"I think I should just go." I headed toward the door but Jake beat me to it, jumping in front of me and barring the way. "Jake..."

"You're not going anywhere, so just sit down, Cara." His voice was steely and determined, another side of Jake that was new and not altogether welcome.

I could just knee him in the balls again; that had the desired outcome last time I was forced to do it. But will he be expecting it and be ready to defend himself? Oh, Lord. I could feel my anxiety level rising, and with it, the nausea that had been lurking quietly in the background upped the ante somewhat, so much so that I really needed to sit down. "Have you got any crackers? Or plain biscuits?" I asked, perching on the edge of the armchair. "And a glass of water please."

Instantly he was all concern, taking a bottle of water from the fridge and handing it to me then rifling through some items on top before triumphantly showing a small pack of crackers with cheese. I gulped the cold liquid then ripped open the pack, hoping they would settle my stomach. Jake sipped on his beer and watched me, the look in his eyes almost calculating. "You sick or something?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine, just an unsettled tummy. This is helping." He seemed satisfied with that explanation, nodding and taking another swig of beer.