Jake

Chapter 7 - Tradition

"Show me your arm" I demanded, my form finding the courage to dive straight into the deep end

"That's what you want to start with?" He mused with raised eyebrows

"Just show me" I pushed as I rolled my eyes.

He gave a deep sigh before starting to push up his sleeve as much as his muscle would allow him. He flinched when it became unbearable, but continued until his arm was raw and bare. His skin revealed a white bandage and with the encouragement of my eyes, he began to peel it off.
I watched and waited untiI I was face to face with a long fresh open wound running down his arm. It trailed down, stopping in the middle of his upper arm.

"How far up does it go?" I mumbled as I stepped forward to get a closer look at the clean cut.

He hesitated before answering "My shoulder blade"

"Were you going to hurt him?" I questioned as I leaned back against the beam supporting my patio, supporting my shock.

"Yes" He answered simply without hesitation.

"You would have put him in the hospital" I stared at him, his eyes elsewhere.

"That's the least he deserves after what he was doing to you"

I shuddered at the thought of Kai pressing his lips against my bare skin. The reaction didn't go unnoticed, Jake stepping towards me.

"Did you go to the doctor about your eye, you hit it pretty hard" He asked, his words now full of concern rather than hate for Kai and his actions. His eyes roamed over my wound, a wound the least of my worries at this current moment in time

I shook my head "No"

"Did you black out?" He probed like a doctor would.

"No" I answered as he moved close enough to raise a hand towards my bruise and cut. His fingertips traced the mark sending shivers through my body like the movement had before. His eyes were on my wound, staring as silence drowned me.

"What?" I asked barely audible as his fingers stopped moving and paused on my skin.

His face dropped as he pulled back to stuff his hands in his back pockets.

"Is there anything else you need answered?" He spoke, clearing his throat.

"About a million things actually" I snickered.

"Maybe start with the first dozen and we'll go from there" He smiled, the first genuine smile I'd ever seen as he moved to sit on a wooden deck chair on my porch.

"You were the one in my house the night of the big storm?" I started just for confirmation as he rolled his bandage back around his arm.

"Yes" He answered easily

"You were the one in my house after I got back from Tom's party?" I continued as I watched his face, his eyes avoiding my gaze

"Yes" He replied once again with a short nod

"You were in my dreams before I even met you, how?" I dug deeper as I sat beside him keeping a good distance between our bodies

"It's something we can do, I don't know how it works exactly, but if I concentrate hard enough I can go there and bring other people there with me" He told me, wincing as he brough his shirt back down over his injury

"Why is it every time I'm asleep?"

"If I take you from reality while you're in public, you'll freeze like a game on pause, doesn't look good for you and it doesn't look good for me, besides, it works better when your body is relaxed"