Burning Wild

Chapter Fifteen

After shopping, Mariana and I decided to splurge and get our nails done. With Mariana's insistence, I opted for a shade of red called "vivacious vixen". It was a little more risqué a color than what I would normally wear, but Mariana made me feel more courageous than I would have been if I was alone.

As the beautician started shaping my nails into a perfect oval, Mariana narrowed her eyes in my direction. I could see the long-awaited interrogation brewing. I sighed, wanting nothing more than to avoid this conversation, but I was trapped with my feet in the salt soak, unable to run away. I had to give her credit; Mariana had me right where she wanted me.

"So, Cat... how long have you known my brother?" she began.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I had known it was just a matter of time before she got to the point of this outing. Mariana and Jake were close, so it only made sense that she would want to know more about the strange woman who was already living in his house

"Not long. A little under a month," I admitted.

"Things seem pretty serious for you to have known each other such a short time," she said. She twisted her toes back and forth under the pretense of examining the silver nail polish she'd chosen. She was trying to be nonchalant, but I wasn't fooled.

I wanted to tell her the truth- that things with Jake weren't that serious, that we were simply friends with benefits. But, I thought better of it. I was still getting used to the concept myself. I didn't need anyone else's judgment on top of my own.

Besides, I liked Mariana and I was having a good time with her. I didn't want her to see me as some promiscuous woman who was just using her brother for a good time. Our budding friendship didn't need to be ruined by giving extraneous details. So instead of clarifying, I just shrugged.

"Well, I don't care how quickly you move in your relationship," Mariana continued. "It's none of my business. I'm just happy to see Jake happy. It's been a long time since I've seen this version of him, the fun-loving guy that I grew up with. But I get a glimpse of that Jake whenever he's with you. 

"You're good for my brother, Cat," she continued with a sniffle. I was alarmed to see her dark eyes full of tears. The agony in her eyes was apparent, and it made my heart ache. It hurt her to see her brother in pain. I couldn't bear to look at her longer than a minute before I had to drop my eyes to the floor.

"Jake has been in a bad place for a few years now, but I don't see the darkness in him anymore," she said.

I wanted to ask more about Jake's past, to learn about the demons that have haunted him for so long. Mariana was an open book, so maybe she would be willing to give me more than closed off Jake would. But after what happened the last time that I meddled, I was afraid to delve too far into Jake's past. I didn't want to make him angry again.

"You may not realize this, but I think that you saved him from himself. For the first time in a while, I have faith that Jake will be able to get better. Whatever you're doing, it's working. Keep it up," Mariana winked.

I felt my face flood with heat. I wasn't sure that I agreed, but it was nice to think that I might be helping Jake get out of his rut. Although, I couldn't imagine how much good I was doing in that area when I had no idea what Jake was running from in the first place.

There was one thing that Mariana said, however, that I couldn't agree with.

"You say that I helped save Jake, but the truth is that he saved me. In more way than one," I whispered.

I retold the story from the beginning, describing how we met over the roaring flames of the California wildfires. I explained how I was frozen in terror, but Jake was calm as he carried Harley and me to safety.