Burning Wild

Chapter Twelve

I was careful to keep to the confines of the guest bedroom the following morning. After everything that had happened the previous night, I wasn't sure if Jake wanted to see me. If he was still angry with me for going through his room, my constant presence wouldn't help matters.

Being alone in Jake's guest room didn't bother me. Our lack of communication during the last few days had made the silence become my norm. My lifestyle before I'd even met Jake was full of solitude. I basked in the loneliness. It was a feeling that brought comfort and normalcy to my world. But I also felt a sense of sadness realizing just how good I was at being by myself.

Fighting with Jake was beginning to take its toll on me. The aperture in our friendship had even begun seeping into my unconsciousness. That night, for the first time in weeks, the fiery nightmares returned.

For hours I tossed and turned, as I was thrown back into the burning building, my mind stuck in a state of limbo as it waited for my inevitable death, or worse, for the inferno to consume Jake. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes during my state of unconsciousness, soaking my pillow with their salty moisture. The comforter was suddenly too thick. I woke drenched in sweat, my heart hammering erratically against my chest.

With a huff, I crawled out of bed and jumped into the shower. It was still early and I was tired from staying up so late, but I knew that I would never be able to get back to sleep. Instead, I allowed the warm water and fragranced suds to cascade over my body and loosen my tensed muscles.

The moment I turned the water off, I heard a soft rasp against the bedroom door. I wrapped my sopping hair in a towel and draped a robe over my wet body, before hurrying from the bathroom.

I opened the bedroom door a crack and saw Jake standing at the threshold. He gave me his signature, crooked half-smile, and the sight sent unwanted butterflies flapping in my stomach.

I cursed internally at the thrill he sent through my body at just his arrival. I was still annoyed with him, and the last thing I wanted to think about was his innate ability to make me smile. Even now, with his dark hair sticking out in every direction, and the smell of alcohol emanating from his skin, he sent my heart aflutter.

I looked deep into his brown eyes, hardly noticing that his face looked worn and sickly. He had heavy bags under his eyes, and his eyes were red and swollen. He was wincing like he has a headache.

Good, I thought to myself. I was glad that he was hungover. His migraine and body aches were just a fraction of the pain I felt waiting all night for him to return home, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

"What do you want, Jake?" I spit.

Jake's smile fell as he detected my bad mood. The words had come out more brusquely than I intended them to, but I was too sleep-deprived to care about his feelings. I was still deciding if I was irritated with him or not.

"I noticed that your light was on, and I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, rubbing his neck nervously. "I don't remember much about last night, but I remember enough to know that I owe you an apology."

"Yeah, you do," I muttered. Color flooded his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Cat. My behavior was unacceptable," he said, glancing at his feet. "Can we talk? Things have been uncomfortable since, you know, the other night. I was hoping that we could clear the air."

I nodded in agreement. "You're not the only one who needs to apologize. I overstepped my boundaries. I know that now. I shouldn't have been snooping through your things like that. You had every right to get upset."

"Perhaps." Jake shrugged his shoulders. "But I could have reacted better. Or at least explain why I went off of the rails the way that I did. I owe you that much. And I owe you an explanation for what happened the other night, too," he murmured.