Oh, hell no!

Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

When they got to the living room Darren sat on the sofa so Grace had to sit beside him, but Jake had a different idea. He went to sit on the recliner near the window and pulled Grace to sit on his lap. He gave Darren a triumphant smirk. Jake : 2 Darren : 0. He thought.

“So, Darren what are you doing here? How did you know where I lived?” Grace was surprised to hear her voice was so demanding and clear. She remembered a time she could hardly speak three coherent words in front of Darren and somehow she felt confident to say whatever she wanted. She did not understand why, but the last time she felt so easy going and confident was the night of the party almost seven years ago.
“I came to visit you, babe. Your cousin gave me your address a few days ago. Said he got it for me from your parents. They said they wanted to come and visit you so I suggested that they came with me, but they said they will join us tomorrow. Give as the night to spend alone together you know?” Darren said suggestively and oblivious to the way Grace tensed at the mention of her parents. Jake felt her tense up and shiver as soon as Darren said they should spend the night together. He knew she did not want to be alone with this man and he instantly wanted to protect her. He did not know who this Darren guy was or why Grace had this intense dislike in him, but he will ask her as soon as they are alone.
“There is no way you are staying or spending time with me alone, Darren.” She said with so much venom she had a bitter taste inside her mouth. “Did you think I would forget the last and only Two times I spend with you alone? I will never forget it and my answer to your advances will always be a big fat hell no. Get it, got it, good!” Grace ranted. Jake found some new respect for this girl on his lap and could applaud her for how she handled herself. Not all women could ever speak their mind to the guys that did not get the memo. He was proud of her. ‘Look like she did not need my help after all.’ Jake thought, but Darren’s next words just proved how helpless Grace was in this situation.
“If I remember correctly my dear, not so long ago you where head over heels for me and did everything you could for my ‘advances’ as you put it.” Darren said with a smirk. “What will daddy and mommy dearest think if their little girl turns away a friend after he came all the way.” He knew she could not turn him down after he played the mommy and daddy card. She would never do anything that would show the world just how broken her family was. He knew she would do anything to stay away from the wrath of her parents.
“It was seven years ago, Darren.” She whispered, defeated. Her back stiffened when he mentioned her parents. Jake felt it and knew she would give in, although he did not know why. Graces, shoulders sagged and Jake new he should do something.
“You can stay here; Grace and I will stay in my apartment. We were planning on moving her stuff over to mine, after we went to buy her ring today, so it won’t be a problem really.” Jake said looking into Grace’s watery eyes. He hoped she caught on quickly. Suddenly she felt really grateful for this man who she did not really know, she just knew the basics. He just gave her a way out of a very bad situation. Somehow he knew she needed him to get out of this and he helped without hesitation. She knew she had to tell him what the story behind this was, but for what he just did for her she would tell him everything. She was afraid of Darren and she knew if they were left alone he would force himself on her. He did try it once before after all.
“Ring?” Darren asked with a frown between his evil eyes. Grace could not believe she ever thought they were kind or beautiful.
“Yes, he asked me to marry him last night.” Grace said looking into Jake’s eyes as if to ask permission. He gave her a reassuring smile. To Darren it looked as if she was love-struck and it made him furious. He wanted her; he was so stupid seven years ago. He could have had her. He could have used her and she would have never known about the girl he wanted when he went home. At her Cousin’s wedding the fellow groomsmen bet him that she will never sleep with him and he accepted the challenge knowing how she felt about him years ago. He tried to make her like him again and when that did not happen he tried to force himself on her, but one of the brats at the wedding walked in to the room looking for Grace. Why she had to spend her time with the little snotnoses he will never know. Kids irritated him he hated them.
“We’ll see what your parents have to say about this then, won’t we?” He said evilly. Grace knew he was planning something she just had to watch her back while they are here.
“How long will you stay?” Grace asked with no emotion. She did not have the energy to argue anymore.
“I will be here for the weekend and your parents till they feel like leaving.” He said without a care. Grace knew that, that could mean anything. They never came to visit and something had to happen for them to come and visit for an unlimited time. She had a very bad feeling about this.
“Well, I’m famished. You want to join us for lunch?” Jake said and as if on cue Grace’s stomach gave a small rumble at the mention of lunch. She only then saw that it was past twelve and she did not even have breakfast yet, the horror! If there was something the two of them had in common it was food.
“I’m just going to get ready.” Grace said as she got up from Jake’s lap, but she did not get far as he caught her hand and pulled her in to him for a kiss on the cheek. As if on cue the blush crept from her neck to her face. Jake loved it and promised himself that he will make a point of it to see it happen every day he saw her.

Darren nodded and Grace left to get ready. She knew she had to dress to impress, but she was not sure if she had anything so she did what any girl would do. She sent a text to Anne.
‘S.O.S. need help will explain later.’
Two minutes later Anne entered her room with a frown. “What’s up, lovey. Who’s the guy with Jake?”
“Long story, short: He was my first crush, turned asshole, turned stalker at the wedding last year, turned apparently my parent’s best friend. Jake and I got ‘engaged last night and moving in together’.” She said faking excitement, using her fingers as quotation marks when she said the last part.
Anne gave her a puzzled look, as Grace typed on her phone and gave it to Anne to read.
‘Jake is just helping me out. Engagement is fake. I will explain as soon as possible.’
Anne gave a fake squeal and said excited: “Congratulations! Where going to be family! Finally! Jake you made my day!” She shouted down the hall. The two women could hear Jake’s laughter down the hall. Grace shook her head and gave Anne a silent applause. ‘She sure did miss her true calling as an actress.’ Grace thought.
“You say fake, I say destiny.” Anne whispered.
“Oh, hell no! Not happening.” Was Grace’s adamant reply.

*_*

“Leave your hair loose, I envy your natural curl. Then just a bit of lip gloss and mascara and you are good to go.” Anne said as Grace thanked her. Then she took off leaving Grace to get dressed for lunch.
They decided on a light yellow coloured dress with spaghetti straps and deep v neckline. It showed off Grace’s perfectly sized cleavage and fell just above the knee to give a somewhat conservative look. Over the top they chose a light crochet camisole to cover some of her cleavage. They chose flat sandals with a diamond strap over her big toes and a strap from her toe across to the opposite side of her ankle and then a strap around the ankles that fastened with a diamond stud. Just for a little bit of elegance. She never liked to show of her body and she had a nice fit body, flat stomach, perky breast just big enough not to small or too big and nice tight buns. She never really had trouble finding clothes that suited her body type, but she tried to cover as much as possible. He father would get a heart attack if he saw her in anything shorter than the dress she wore now and no tight anything would ever be permitted as a teenager. Now she would wear skinny jeans and tight shirts, but she made sure it still looked descent and cover everywhere. Grace made her way to the living room where the two men sat waiting with a deathly silence filling the air.

“Ready?” She asked as she took her purse from the table by the door, slipping her phone into the side pocket
“You look amazing.” Jake whispered in her ear. Trailing his nose down the rim of her ear just like he did that night he first met her. In the back of Graces mind she felt that same feeling she felt a while ago as if she should remember something, but it stayed hidden in the depths of a foggy mist. The blush started to rise again and the electric ripples returned leaving the butterflies to flutter with no end. Could it be that she could have an attraction to someone just after knowing him for a day. It must be physical she decided and let the thought go.
“Thank you.” She whispered shyly and gave him a small smile, she not only meant for the compliment and Jake understood instantly. Somehow they knew exactly what the other meant or wanted without speaking a word; As if they had a telepathic connection, although they both knew that did not exist. Jake felt like he found a piece of him that was missing for so long, whenever he was close to her, but he did not know how this feeling started or why he felt it. He knew that he wanted to get to know her better seven years ago and looked for her every time he went to a party when he was in college. He thought that maybe it was because he searched so long and now he finally found her. ‘It must be it.’ He thought to himself. He will never let her go again without at least being a friend.
Darren watched wordlessly as they exchanged whispers, he felt the jealousy rise in him and could not contain the rage he felt inside him. “Let’s just go!” he barked at them, leaving the apartment first. Jake gave him a knowing smile with a subtle wink to Grace.