Torn

Chapter Seven

It was very very late when I finally got to sleep. I kept thinking about Mason with that slut Ren. Ren was one of his favorites, or at least he slept with her about once a week. The image of them together haunted me all night and when I finally got to sleep, I dreamt of them. It ripped me apart, hit me harder than it ever had before. Then I started to think about Jacob. He was upstairs with Cindy. Were they messing around right now? He was obviously excited, I couldn't possibly have missed it. Did I interrupt something when I showed up at the doorstep? It plagued me. Priscilla didn't have my problem, she fell right asleep. I envied her.

I woke up with the smell of coffee teasing my nose. I rubbed my eyes and looked in the kitchen, right across from where I was asleep. Jacob was apparently making breakfast. He was dressed in the same thing he wore late night and cooking something on the stove. I sniffed to try and identify it.

“Good morning” he said when he noticed I was awake. I grunted in response.

“Coffee?” he asked, holding the pot. I nodded and got off the couch. I took a small break and went back to the kitchen. The table was set for two, coffee and plates full of the traditional breakfast. Toast, bacon, eggs and two pancakes with just the right amount of syrup on them. It all looked pretty good. He was sitting already, shoveling food into his mouth. I sat down.

“Did you make this?” I asked him. He nodded, mouth stuffed with eggs. I cut up my pancakes and took a small bite. They were the best pancakes I had ever tasted. My eyes widened and I took even bigger bites, finishing the whole plate in the matter of minutes. The coffee was made the exact way I liked it: mostly black with a buttload of sugar and only a touch of cream

“How did you know how I like my coffee? Or how much syrup I like?” I asked him, genuinely curious. Mason always complained on how peculiar I was with food, how I was always so 'picky' and he's been cooking for me for years. Jake shrugged.

“That's the way I like my coffee and stuff too. I took a chance and you just consequently like the same thing. I guess that's why we were picked to be mates” he said softly, looking at me with warmth. I felt tingly all over. It was one day in a million when I would think this but Jake was legitimately the type of guy I would love to date. It was a wonder and a half

“So you made all this? It's really good. How did you learn to cook?” I asked, leaning on the table a little.

“I had to learn myself. Everyone who's ever cooked for me says that I'm impossible to cook for so my mom taught me the recipes that she likes to cook and I make them better” he said. I smiled

“Yeah, I know the feeling. Still, I can't cook to save my life” I said.

“Well, I don't think it's that hard. Do you like apple pie with cookie crust and lemon? I know a really easy recipe” he said, really in his element.

For the next hour we talked about cooking and he even taught me how to make pudding cookies. It was fun and easy. Like it was meant to be.

“What time is it?” I asked him. He looked at his watch

“It's a little before six” he said. I was sitting on the counter and figured it was my time to go.

“Look, I have to go. Thanks for the breakfast and for letting me stay the night” I said, not feeling so happy anymore. I felt awful again, remembering Mason and last night. Jake was studying my face

“What was wrong last night?” he asked. I looked away from his eyes

“Nothing important” I replied, jumping off the counter and standing up. Jake was too close though and he didn't move. Chest to chest. Almost face to face. I looked down again and slipped away from him. Such close contact was dangerous, especially since I was convinced that something went wrong with the rejection. He grabbed me