Forever In Time

by Charlie

  Something Jake had said last night came back to her. Had she ever done something that would make a person want to seek revenge on her? Wracking her brain, she came up blank. Sure, she’d messed up a few flower orders, but no one got that upset over a bouquet. Her life was pretty ordinary. No drama, no spurned lovers, not even a traffic ticket. Was it possible that it was just random? Had someone noticed her on the street and thought she looked vulnerable, like an easy target? Was some sick person going to start stalking her for their own personal enjoyment, secretly laughing as she became more and more frightened?

  A shiver ran through her and suddenly she recalled that was how she’d felt years ago when Jarrod Simpson had tormented her as a teenager. She’d become increasingly nervous, fearful and withdrawn. He’d lapped it up. The more she retreated, the more he’d advanced until finally, when she’d broke down and told someone, he… The memory made her close her eyes and her body tensed. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to finish the thought. He’d tried to rape her. For a moment she relived the feelings of helplessness and terror, then forced herself to think beyond that one awful moment. Yes, he’d tried, but he hadn’t succeeded and that was the important thing to remember. She’d fought back and in the end he had been taken away and had never bothered her again.

  Unknowingly she set her chin and narrowed her eyes. That’s what she would have to do this time. If history was repeating itself, she wouldn’t be a victim again. She would stand up to whoever this person was. She wouldn’t back down or show fear. It might get a bit messy, but in the end, she’d be a survivor, just like last time. Ella had stood by her ten years ago and now she had Jake. Somehow, she was certain he’d support her. Jake would keep her safe and help her be strong.

  Just thinking about the new man in her life made her smile. He’d been so kind and concerned last night: hugging her and holding her hand, not assuming that she’d sleep with him just because she was at his apartment. Not that the idea hadn’t crossed her mind. But somehow Jake had known she wasn’t ready; that she was too emotionally wrought from the night’s events to make such an important decision. He really was special.

  She stretched luxuriously, marvelling at the fact that she was lying in his bed. The pillow smelled of his shampoo and cologne. His sheets were covering her body, caressing her legs and arms—the very same sheets that had probably covered him the night before. The idea was stimulating and she moved restlessly. The smooth material brushed over her legs, whisper soft like a lover’s caress. Closing her eyes, she moved about a bit and imagined the feel of the sheets against her skin was actually his hands sliding over her.

  “Steph? Are you up?” The voice was accompanied by a knock on the partially opened door.

  The sound of his voice had her bouncing up, clutching the sheet to her chest and turning bright red with embarrassment. Had he seen her moving about? Did he know what she’d been thinking?

  He poked his head through the doorway. “Hi! I heard you moving around and figured you were awake. I just wanted to let you know that there’s coffee made. I have to go out and get some bread. I wasn’t expecting company and the larder is a bit bare.”

  “Okay. I’ll get up and dressed while you’re gone.” She plucked nervously at the sheets, not quite meeting his eyes.

  “Did you sleep all right? No bad dreams?” He took a step into the room and she could feel his gaze upon her. Bracing herself, she looked up and saw concern in his eyes. Maybe he hadn’t noticed…

  “I slept well, thanks. And you?”

  “Coco paid me a few visits, but otherwise good. Despite its looks, the couch is surprisingly comfortable.” He paused and checked his watch. “I’ll leave you to get dressed. The store’s not far from here so I’ll probably be gone less than half an hour. I can’t imagine the line being too long this early on a Sunday morning.”

  He left the room and Stephanie buried her face in her hands. Thank heaven he hadn’t noticed her writhing about under the sheets. As the sound of the outer door closing met her ears, she threw back the covers and headed for the bathroom, anxious to be dressed and self-composed when he returned.

  Adjusting the water, she stripped off her night gown and stepped under the spray. Warm water cascaded over her body and she stood for a moment just enjoying the sensation before reaching for the soap and lathering up. Her hands slid over her arms and breasts, down her stomach and back up. Her skin seemed overly sensitive this morning and the relaxing pulse of the water combined with the smooth feel of soap sliding over her body had her eye lids becoming heavy.

  She was in Jake’s shower, using his soap. He’d stood here, naked, just shortly before her; his hands moving over his body just as hers were doing now. What would it feel like to have his hands on her? To have him standing behind her in the shower, his wet body hugging hers? Would she feel the evidence of his desire pressing against her, his breath hot on her neck while his hands stroked her? Her heart beat quickened at the idea and she felt an ache down low in her body.

  Jake was the one, she was sure of it. It was barely four days since they’d met, but she was inexplicably drawn to him. Her body responded to his like it had never done before. She liked how calm and patient he was, understanding and considerate. He wasn’t trying to rush her… Stepping out the shower, she dried herself off while still enumerating his virtues. He was intelligent, upbeat and had a quirky sense of humour. He was ambitious and well off, good looking… Walking into the bedroom, she saw Coco lounging on the bed. And her cat liked him too! What greater endorsement could there be than that?

  Laughing at herself, she got dressed, put her hair up in a clip, and then went in search of the coffee he’d told her about. Checking the clock, she realized it had only been twenty minutes since he’d left. She wandered around the apartment, and then stared thoughtfully at the phone. Suddenly she had an overwhelming urge to talk to Ella. Dialling the number from memory, she wandered onto the balcony and watched the cars moving on the street below while waiting for the other woman to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Ella. It’s me, Stephanie.”

  “Stephanie! It’s good to hear your voice. How are you, Sweetie?”

  “I’m good Ella and you?”

  “Not too bad. My knee still gives me some trouble, but the doctor says a few more weeks of physiotherapy and I’ll be right as rain.”

  “That’s great, Ella. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No, but you can tell me what’s going with that flower shop of yours. I saw in the paper that there was a break-in.”

  “Yeah. I lost the day’s take, but nothing else… Well, my name tag went missing, but I got it back, sort of.”

  “Now Honey, that’s too bad. But you got the name tag back? I remember the day you came and showed it to me. You were so proud.”

  “I was.”

  “So how did you ‘sort of’ get it back?”

  “Well, that’s the not so good part. The police have it right now to check for finger prints.” Stephanie went on to explain what had happened.

  “You didn’t stay at home alone last night did you? You know you can come here any time. I always have room for one more.”

  “No, I stayed the night with… a friend.”

  There was pause on the other end. “A friend? Like a boyfriend?”

  Stephanie felt herself blushing. “Yes, a boyfriend, but he slept on the couch.”

  “Oh.” Another pregnant pause filled the air. “Stephanie, that incident with that awful Jarrod boy… ”

  “Ella, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

  “You never finished that counselling. You know it’s never too late—“

  “Ella, don’t fuss. It’s okay. It happened a long time ago and it’s over and forgotten.”

  “Not so forgotten if your boyfriend sleeps on the couch.”

  “Ella!”

  “Honey, I’ve raised teenagers for more years than you’ve been alive. I know what happens between young folk a
nd in this day and age, that’s not how things usually work. I might not approve, but I know how things are.”

  “Ella, I’ve only known him for four days!”

  “And you already agreed to stay at his apartment? Well, I guess all things considered, for you that’s a pretty big step. So, you really like him?

  “Yeah, I do. He makes me feel… I can’t explain it. Happy, excited… Alive. I can’t wait to see him again.”

  “Sounds like you’re falling for him.”

  “I think so too.”

  “Good! It’s about time. Now, back to the break-in at your house. Do the police have any ideas?”

  “No. Jake, my… my boyfriend.” She paused and derisively rolled her eyes at herself for stumbling over the word. “He wondered if there was someone in my past who had a grudge against me, but I can’t think of anyone. I think it’s just some weirdo who picked me at random.”

  “Steph, what about Jarrod Simpson?”

  “What about him?”

  “He has a grudge against you. He ended up in a juvenile detention centre because he attacked you.”

  “But that was nine years ago, almost ten. And it was his own fault!”

  “I know, I know. But he was a strange one. There was something about his eyes and sometimes he talked like he was two different people, like voices were telling him things… ”

  Stephanie frowned and bit her lip. “Do you know where he is now?”

  “Last I heard, he’d left the area after getting out. Oh, and wait… I think I read somewhere that he’d been in a car accident, a real bad one and they didn’t know if he’d make it or not. I’m not sure what the outcome was, though.”

  “Well, I guess I can mention it to the police and see what they think.” She turned around and saw Jake standing behind her. “I’ve got to go, Ella. Jake is back. I’ll talk to you later. Love ya.”

  “I love you to, honey. Take care.”

  “I will. Bye.” She returned the phone to its base and Jake gave her a peck on the cheek as she walked by.

  “Sorry I was gone so long. It took longer than I thought—lots of early morning shoppers.”

  “That’s all right, I hadn’t noticed. I hope you didn’t mind that I used your phone while you were gone. It was a local call.”

  “That’s fine. Who did you feel a need to talk to? Paula?”

  “No. Ella McCreedy. She was my foster mother from the time I was fourteen. We’ve stayed in touch. She’s the closest thing I have to family.”

  He nodded in understanding. “And what do you need to tell the police?”

  She walked into the living room and sat of the sofa, staring at the floor. Jake followed and sat beside her. “Well, there was this boy at Ella’s once. He was another foster kid. His name was Jarrod Simpson. He… Um… Well, he was always picking on me, making rude comments… Suggestive comments. I started to get really nervous around him—scared actually and then one day a school counsellor found out about it. She told Ella and Ella called Social Services to have him moved to another home. Jarrod found out and was really mad at me for squealing on him. He… Well… He attacked me.” She flicked a glance at Jake and the resumed staring at the floor.

  “Attacked you?” She nodded. Jake sounded both incredulous and angry. “What exactly do you mean by ‘attacked’ you?”

  Stephanie glanced up at Jake again. His face was dark, his brows lowered. It made her nervous for some reason. He looked rather formidable; quite unlike the calm gentle person she’d seen thus far. “Just that well… He hit me… ”

  “Is that all?” His voice sounded cold, flat…

  “N-no.” For some reason, she was finding this hard to say. “He… He pulled my hair and kissed me and then… Well… I tried to fight back. I bit him and kneed him and screamed. He… He hit me a couple of more times and ripped my top off.” She could hear her voice trembling and tears were welling in her eyes as she related the event. Telling Jake was harder than she’d thought it would be. It was like it had just happened, every sensation still fresh in her mind—the sound of Jarrod’s heavy breathing, the feel of his hands, even the smell of his breath… Inhaling deeply, she pushed the memories away and forced herself to continue. “Then Ella came and some of the older kids pulled him off me and then… He was gone.” She sniffled and, realizing her nose was drippy, glanced around for a tissue. Seeing a box on the end table, she got up to get one and blew, then wiped her eyes. Turning around, she saw that Jake had also moved and was looking out the balcony doors, his back to her. His hands were fisted at his sides and his back was stiff. “Jake… ?”

  For a moment he didn’t respond, then his shoulders moved as if he was taking a deep breath and forcing himself to relax. He turned to face her and the angry look was gone, replaced by one of concern. Walking over, he gently embraced her. “Steph that was a terrible experience for you.”

  “Yeah—it was. I went to a couple of counselling sessions, but it was too upsetting so I quit. I’ve read some self-help books and mostly I’m okay now. It’s not something I like to think about very often, though. What happened is in the past.”

  “But it still affects you, doesn’t it?”

  “No… Yes… Well, not that much. I guess I’m more cautious about relationships than some other people.” She shrugged not wanting to get into the fact that she’d never been able to go past ‘first base’ without freezing up. With Jake that feeling of fear wasn’t present and, unless she had to, she didn’t want to talk about it yet. It was embarrassing to be a twenty seven year old virgin. She’d have to tell him, if their relationship progressed, but she’d hold off as long as possible.

  Jake leaned back and tipped her chin up, studying her carefully. For a moment, she was afraid he’d press for more details but then, almost as if he already knew her darkest secrets, he brushed his thumb over her cheek and drew her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before resting his chin there and hugging her. It felt good to have his arms around her, to feel his warmth seeping into her, chasing away old demons. She relaxed against him and shut her eyes, her arms creeping around his waist. His hand rubbed up and down her back and she slowly exhaled as the tension brought on by reliving the past drained away. After awhile, he broke the comfortable silence between them. “So why were you going to tell the police this? Surely it’s already on record somewhere.”

  “Well, I was telling Ella what had happened last night and how you had wondered if anyone had a grudge against me. She said Jarrod might because he ended up in custody. I think it’s a long shot, but I’ll tell the police about it, just in case.”

  “I agree. You never know when something little might help break a case. Call the police and let them check it out but first, how about we have some breakfast?”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I’m starving.”

  Chapter 12

  After fixing them a breakfast of eggs and toast, Jake had listened while Stephanie called the police. Officer Carter agreed that after almost ten years, the likelihood of Jarrod Simpson returning was slim, but agreed it never hurt to follow up on a lead, no matter how old. He also told her that there had been no prints on her name tag and she was free to collect it at the station whenever she wished. As she hung up the phone, she told Jake that she wondered if she really wanted the name tag back or not. It had always been special to her, but now it seemed tainted.

  Jake tried to remain neutral about the incident. His real feelings weren’t open to public scrutiny at this point. Instead, he changed the topic and they spent some time trying to decide how to spend the day. He felt it should be something calm and relaxing that would take her mind off things.

  “We could walk in the park. I think there’s an art display today,” he suggested.

  “Or maybe go to the Conservation area. They have some nice walking trails.”

  “I know—why don’t we go to the beach? It’s going to be a scorcher – perfect weather for some sun and surf.”

  “Okay, I like that ide
a. I haven’t gone in ages. But we’ll have to stop by the house to get my bathing suit.”

  “Not into skinny dipping?”

  “Jake!” Stephanie tried to look shocked, but he could tell she enjoyed his teasing by the smile that kept trying to form on her lips.

  “All right.” He pretended to be disappointed. “Your house is on the way. I guess we could make an extra stop.”

  Stephanie volunteered to clean up while he found his trunks, towels and some sunscreen. In less than an hour they were on their way.

  ****

  It was only about forty-five minutes to the beach. As they drove, Stephanie sang along with various artists on the radio. When she caught herself doing it the first time, she’d stopped and apologized but he’d told her to continue. He liked the sound of her voice and the way she picked up on the feeling of each song. So much emotion was trapped inside of her. He could hardly wait to set it free.