Broken Sky

40| Us Against the World

Now that Jake has asked me the question, I have to tell him the truth even though talking about Tuck would be the last thing I want to do, since it would bring back my trauma.

But Jake has opened up to me about a lot of things, and I haven't been able to do the same thing.

Most importantly, I don't want to lie to him.

"It's..." I falter. "Because of my stepfather," I say, my voice small, and his frown grows deeper.

And so I tell him everything. About Tuck. The way Mom and I lived with him. How he abused me, using his hands to hurt me.

And about that night two years ago when he almost beat me to death after I got back from the hotel.

By the time I finish my story, Jake already sat up on the bed, his back against the headboard. His hand is trembling when he runs it through his hair.

"Jake," I stutter.

"Fucking bastard," he hisses, shaking due to the rage consuming him.

I gulp, starting to think whether I've done the right thing. I've seen Jake out of control before, acting purely out of anger, and that's when he attacked Mark.

Jake turns to the other way, sitting up on the edge of the bed, his back facing me. I can still see how his shoulders are shaking as he buries his face in his hands.

"Oh God, Lais, why--" he rasps, and my heart rate begins to increase as I tell myself to be prepared for his reaction.

He turns around to face me, startling me with his red eyes that speak one thing -- that he can kill someone now.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" His face hardens. "Even two years ago, you shouldn't have stepped your feet into that house again."

I'm at loss for words.

Oh, God, what have I gotten myself into? Jake looks angry and frustrated.

Correction. Extremely angry and frustrated.

"That time, going back to that house was the only thing I could think of," I say. "I was afraid that he would be angry if I didn't hand him the money on time--"

"And to have him almost kill you?" he whispers in disbelief, his eyes glistening with angry tears, making my heart drop.

He looks down at his hand, which is gripping the bedsheet tightly, his knuckles turning white from the fury running through his blood.

"Shit," he curses. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"Jake," I whisper, leaning closer to him.

This is crazy. It's apparently me who have to calm him down instead of the other way around, and here I've thought that I'm the one having the PTSD.

Before I can touch him, Jake snaps his head up to look at me again.

"Lais, I made you trapped in my hotel room," he speaks through gritted teeth. "It's all because of me. And you had the guts to just go there alone, knowing that the asshole could hurt you." 

He's saying all of these things that make sense right now, but at that time, I could barely think clearly.

And I realize now that I was so stupid. That night, I'd let my fear control my actions, when in fact, I could have done things differently.

Tears pool in my eyes before I know it, regrets filling my mind.

"I couldn't think about any of that. I was so scared," I say, and that's when a tear falls on my cheek. "I looked at the time and became panicked because it already passed midnight. He'd clearly told me to come back before midnight with the money, so I... I..."

I can't finish my sentence, my throat hurting badly with the lump in it, more tears rolling down my face.

Jake's eyes break even more as he sees me crying.

"Baby, come here," he whispers, pulling me into a tight hug, my chest crashing his as he engulfs me in his embrace.

The warmth of his skin penetrates through mine, and I hug him with all my heart, crying on his shoulder.

He stays silent as I let out my sobs. Then he pulls away, staring into my eyes. I see the same pain in them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of all those horrible things. I was so angry, Lais. At him. At myself," he says. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here, okay? You don't have to face it all alone again."

I nod, my lips trembling. He stares at the bruise on my upper arm again and reaches out to touch it but stops.

Instead, he closes his hand into a fist, shaking.

"That jerk dared to hurt you again. He fucking did this to you again." A soft cry leaves his lips.

And I let out a soft cry too as I stare at him blaming himself, as if he could have prevented that from happening.

"Listen to me, Lais," he says to me firmly, and I've never seen a man so determined before. "I won't let him put his hands on you again. Hell, I won't even let him get to anywhere near you."

But as I listen to his words, I can't help but worry about Tuck's whereabouts. Is he still here in Texas? Or has he gone back to New York?

While I'm pondering on those thoughts, Jake seems to notice my concern. He pulls me into another hug before laying me back onto the bed, with him above me.

His lips graze on mine before our kiss turns into something passionate. When he pulls away, he gazes at me with his intense eyes.

"It's you and me, Lais. Together," he says. "Us against the world."

A soft smile touches my lips, and I cup his face tenderly before nodding. "Us against the world."

And with that said, our lips meet again.