Pieces of Love

Chapter 2

I pressed the doorbell, tapping my foot as I waited for somebody to open the door. One second... two seconds... a few passed when there was a click of a lock and the door pulled back, revealing a beaming woman in her late forties.

"Come in dear, you must be Emma! Jacob told me so much about you and I am so happy that you could coach him!" she exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. "Mum..." Jacob's voice sounded out from somewhere inside. A moment later, Jacob appeared behind his mother and laughed at me nervously. His mum stepped back to let me in and I greeted her politely, before saying a 'hi' to Jacob.

"Hey," he said, running a hand through his hair. "My room is on the second floor, first door on the right. You can go up there first while I prepare some snacks for us." I walked up the wooden staircase, noticing how everything was kept spick and span. On the second floor, I entered Jacob's room and stopped short, surprised at what I saw.

There were numerous sports trophies around the room, all with Jacob's name embedded in gleaming silver or gold. This didn't seem surprising as Jacob was well built and seemed like the athletic type. There was a photo frame hung on the wall, with a young Jacob grinning brightly between his father and mother. There was also an older looking boy, whom I presumed to be his brother. I heard quiet footsteps behind me and turned around to see Jacob behind me, also looking at the photo. "You look cute," I teased, a mischievous grin on my face. "Yeah," he said, scratching his head, his face turning a bright crimson.

A small laugh escaped from my lips just as Jacob turned away, plopping himself down on his desk. I followed suit, sitting beside him, a tray of cookies on his desk. He took a stack of papers from his shelf and placed it between us, before saying, "Well, I was hoping that you can help me with Literature today." I brightened up immediately, for Literature was one of my favourite subjects. I grabbed the stack of papers and flipped through them, before taking a cookie and said, "Here..."

The lesson passed by in a flash and it was almost noon. Piles of paper were scattered across Jacob's desk and the tray of cookies was empty. Jacob himself was biting his lip in concentration as he bent over the small print in his book, his eyebrows creasing.

"Okay, got it!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight and looking at me. "Great," I smiled and glanced at the clock. "I have to go now, same time next week?" I asked. "Sure," he replied and shrugged nonchalantly. He stood up and led the way down the stairs and I followed.

"Bye then," he said, opening the front door for me. I stepped out and put on my shoes. "Emma?" he asked. "Yes?" I answered, turning around to look at him. "Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it," he said, his face shining with gratitude.

"Sure. No problem. Anything for you, Jacob," I smiled, truly meaning it. Jacob seemed to light up at this statement and waved a hearty goodbye as I stepped onto the pavement. As I made my way home, I thought: You know what; Jacob and I just might turn into good friends.