The Desperation Inside

Chapter 4: Discovery

Jake woke early the next morning and frowned. He strained his ears, trying to figure out what had roused him. He could hear muffled sounds coming from his guest room. He slid on a pair of boxers and made his way silently to the door and listened. Whimpers and rustling sheets told him the occupant of the bed was not enjoying sweet dreams. Go in and wake her...or let her be? he debated internally. He disliked the idea of leaving her lost in the grip of whatever was tormenting her dreams.

Trying to wake her without letting her know he had heard her seemed like his best bet to prevent her from getting embarrassed or upset with him. He opened his bedroom door and closed it loudly, then began whistling. Walking to the kitchen, he put on a pot of coffee, pausing to listen for any sounds from the guest room.

The whimpering had ceased, and he could hear shuffling foot steps. He smiled. Operation Morning Glory is a success....He chuckled at the cheesy name that had popped into his head. At the sound of the bedroom door opening, he looked up and felt his throat constrict. Dressed in his clothes, her hair tousled from sleep, she was quickly derailing his plan to remain unattached. Too young, he reminded himself. Looking quickly back down at sink, he swallowed hard. "Good morning. Want some breakfast?"

Glory rubbed her eyes. "Uhmm... sure," she yawned. "What is the weather looking like this morning?"

"Let's turn on the news and find out. Coffee is in the pot if you want some." Jake walked over to the living room and grabbed the remote.

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Glory picked up the mug Jake had left on the counter for her and filled it with water. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep. Taking her water into the living room, she glanced up just in time to see the Doppler map displaying the next two waves of storms that were about to move thru. Grimacing, she realized the worst was far from over. Looking over at Jake, she realized for the first time that he was shirtless and let her eyes wander for a moment, taking in the definition of the muscles displayed. Her admiration was interrupted by her phone buzzing. A text message from Shaun came thru, telling her that the gym would stay closed, and she didn't need to come in.

"Shaun is closing the gym today and possibly tomorrow for the weather," she relayed to Jake.

"I figured he would. You are welcome to crash here for now. It doesn't sound like your apartment complex is letting anyone back in yet."

"Thank you. I would like to take a shower if it's not too much trouble." She asked.

"Make yourself at home," he responded. He walked to the bathroom, pulling a towel and washrag out of the closet for her. "There is shampoo and bodywash on the corner of the tub. Enjoy."

She trailed behind him into the bathroom, waiting for him to leave before she locked the door and stripped down. As she waited for the water to warm up, she stared at her reflection. She knew that her years of dance had left her muscles toned, and her passion for running had already kept her slim, but the recent decline in her eating habits and increased cardio was causing her to lose pounds that she couldn't really afford to lose. Her ribs were starting to become visible, and her hipbones jutted out awkwardly. She sighed and climbed in to the warm spray.

After scrubbing down and towelling off, Glory faced a dilemma. "Um, Jake ?" she called thru the door.

In the living room, Jake smiled. "Clothes are on your bed, my eyes are closed, I promise not to peek."

Glory cautiously cracked the door open and peeked into the living room. True to his word, Jake was sitting on the couch, with his back to her. He had his hand over his eyes to reassure her. With her towel wrapped around her, she darted quickly to the bedroom. Her gym clothes were freshly laundered and folded on the bed. Jake must have washed them while she was sleeping. Next to them was a pair of men's sweatpants and a tshirt. A smile tugged at her lips. She wondered if he could truly be this considerate, or if it was all for show. Debating which outfit to put on, she realized that she had kept her underwear on last night, not feeling comfortable enough to be around him without them..... which meant that they did not get washed, and she had no clean ones to put on now. Her smile quickly faded as tremors of fear snaked through her. Jake isn't like them, she reminded herself. Breathing deeply, she reviewed her options again. Grabbing the sweats and her tank top, she slipped them on walked into the living room.

Jake looked up as she walked into the living room. His gaze skimmed over her, lingering for a moment on the strip of skin displayed by her tank. Blinking quickly, he looked back down at the eggs he was mixing. "You like omelets?"

She looked at her feet, feeling slightly shy. The knowledge that she was bare under his pants left her feeling extremely vulnerable. "Yes, but you don't have to.."

"You are my guest," he interrupted. "I am enjoying this. I haven't had anyone over since...well since my ex-wife walked out."

That caught her attention. "Oh, I am sorry. What happened? Never mind, I am being nosy , just ignore me." Her cheeks flushed at her own impertinence.

Jake smiled slightly, having anticipated the question. "She walked out on me a year ago, after we had a pretty emotional...disagreement. She filed for divorce and two months later, I was signing papers in my attorneys office downtown. I'm not going to lie and pretend it didn't hurt, but I think I am on the right path to moving forward with my life."

Glory blinked, taken aback by his openness. She wondered how it would feel to release her secret hurts that easily. Just open her mouth and let the river of words pour out. "Um..well breakfast smells delicious." she awkwardly tried to change the subject.

After they ate, they made idle small talk, discussing likes and dislikes, bad habits, and other random topics. A feeling of mutual camaraderie built as they lounged on opposite ends of the couch, conversation flowing seamlessly from one topic to another. They were interrupted by Glory's phone indicating she had received a message. She reached for it and opened it, the image that popped up on the screen causing her to freeze mid-sentence.

You can run, but you can't hide....we want what is ours...and we will find you.

The words sent a icy cold fear all through her body, her breath seizing in her lungs and tremors racking her body.

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Jake watched the transformation take place. As she began hyperventilating, he reacted on instinct, pulling her into his chest and rubbing her back soothingly. "Hey , breathe, it's ok... I've got you.. take a deep breath, come on sweetie," he murmured into get hair as he rocked her gently back and forth. When she immediately began fighting to get away from him, he caught a glimpse of her phone and his suspicions consolidated into a ball of fury in his gut. He held her closer, continuing to make soothing noises and rock her. Soon she stopped fighting and collapsed against his chest, her slender shoulders shaking as her tears soaked his chest. He let her cry until the shaking stopped and the sniffles died down before he spoke again.

"Glory, I know that you don't know me well yet. I hope that from what you learned about me so far, you know that I protect those I call friends. This," he gestured at the phone, "I can help stop. I just need you to trust me enough to tell me who is doing this." He leaned her back enough to make eye contact with her. "Please let me help you."

He could see the battle waging in her eyes. He tried to keep the anger he was feeling out of his face, knowing instinctively that any aggression could send her running. Something about this girl brought out intense emotions, but now was not the time to analyze why.

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Glory sat immobile on Jake's lap. When he first grabbed her, instinct told her to run, but the longer he held her, the less she wanted to move. His chest was warm and smooth, and the way he cradled her made her feel cocooned in protection. Could she do this? Could she speak the words out loud? He saw the picture , she reminded herself. He knows that was you in it. She shuddered. Looking into his face, she searched for any hint of repulsion. Finding nothing, she drew in a deep breath and straightened. "I need a minute to pull myself back together before I can do this."