by AnnChristine
"Geez, Lilly, this is me." Jacob ran his fingers through his hair. "Lord, I need some sleep."
"So do I."
"Sleep is underrated and it's going to have to wait. There's your bag." Jacob scooped it up then offered his hand to Lilly and pulled her from the floor. "We are going out for lunch and we are going to have a long conversation--as long a discussion as you need to work this out."
For a split second he saw her smile. It vanished just as quickly. Jacob felt ready to strangle someone. He didn't know who, but every protective instinct catapulted to the frontal lobe of his brain or wherever that caveman reflex was located. The need to shelter and protect overwhelmed him, washing through him with tsunami force. He had never felt this way about anyone. But then he'd never had a sister, and he didn't know what kind of feelings these were.
"I'm going to tell you everything. I promise." She smiled ever so slightly. The sight made his heart skip a beat.
"That's a promise I mean to see you keep."
Outside the air was cold and crisp. They rode the elevators to the parking garage, paid the toll and made their way to his car. Silence surrounded him, but he tried to let her have this time to adjust. Thirty minutes later they arrived at the mall and walked along the peace filled streets.
"Hungry?" Jacob asked. Forgetting and healing were so far away from each other. Whatever this was about he didn't think Lilly would forget this easily. She had been traumatized. School was important to her, more important than anything else in her life. She had planned and saved for these years. If she left college, she would jeopardize all she had worked for.
"A little. Look, I haven't had much to eat and my appetite seems to be nonexistent. But I know I need food--keep my strength up." She rolled her eyes at him, a good sign. As the minutes ticked by he had the feeling she was finally becoming more herself.
"I bet you haven't eaten all day. What 's your pleasure, Chinese, Italian, or good old American." Jacob stepped up his pace in anticipation of a good meal. He hadn't eaten since her phone call.
"Let's try the Italian place. I've always liked the one here. Love their portabella mushroom Panini. Suddenly I feel as if I could eat a horse." Lilly skipped a few steps then settled into the fast pace Jacob set.
"Italian it is." Jacob grabbed Lilly's hand and headed for the restaurant. "I'll buy you as many as you can eat."
The restaurant was nearly empty. The lunch hour had come and gone and it was now too early to be considered dinner. They ordered and ate in silence. Jacob watched the steady drip of rain as it descended from the sky.
His patience was coming to an end. "Lilly…"
She set her fork down and acknowledged silently that she knew it was time. "He's horrid. I have two classes with him. No matter where I go, I can't seem to get away from him."
"He broke your heart or did he hurt you?" Under the table Jacob's hands fisted. He didn't believe Lilly would give up her dreams for a man who broke her heart. She would find a way to overcome the wound. But if someone…he couldn't bring himself to think of physical harm--yet if he had done something.
"I thought he was cute, but he thought he was entitled. He made my heart skip a beat whenever I saw him. I thought he asked me out for the right reasons, but he believed he was God's gift to women."
"He raped you?" Jacob didn't want to jump to that conclusion so fast, but he had to find out the truth or he was going to go certifiably insane. "I'll kill him and stick his head on a pole."
"No. Jacob, that's way too gruesome. If he had, I'd settle for prison time." Lilly spoke so softly, Jacob had to lean forward to hear her. With the single word he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
"Thank God." He leaned forward and placed both of her hands in his. For some reason, holding hands with Lilly felt right. His heart raced and he didn't understand that emotion. He didn't want things to change. They tried dating once before and it didn't work. But maybe…
"Amanda thinks he is going to try again…" She looked down where there hands were together. When she tried to withdraw from him, he held onto her a bit tighter.
Jacob's jaw clenched. "I'll kill him." He needed to hold on to her, keep her safe from all the evils of the world. He couldn't do that hundreds of miles away from her. She was beautiful, too gorgeous and she was naïve. Despite their friendship and his marathon dating, she had little to no experience with men.
"You know you can't do that--knock him off. You are not some old-time gangster. I'm quitting because I have no other choice."
"He'll win and you don't want to give him that satisfaction. If he can't have you, he's going to be thrilled by your defeat. A man who abuses women gets a kick out of seeing them lose." Gently he rubbed his thumb on her wrists; sparks seemed to fly between them. At least he felt the flames and he wondered if she did too.
She tossed him a sultry grin. "It's April fools day. And somehow I don't feel like a joke. But you do have a bit of ketchup on your--" she reached forward with her napkin, touching him on the side of his lips. "--right here."
"You just wanted to touch me." Did he want her to touch him?
"Nope, you really did."
"I'm going back with you."
~ * ~
"I didn't mean to scare her," Bentley said.
Amanda sat on the couch in Bentley's apartment. "You didn't just scare her, you terrified her and ruined any hope that you two might be able to hook up."
Bentley rested his head in his hands, scrubbing his unshaven face before he looked up, and wishing he could have a do-over. The night had begun with such possibilities. He'd watched Lilly from afar, waiting for just the right time to ask her out. He'd been so patient. He couldn't believe he'd screwed this one up.
"I'm not going to give up. You don't think she will let me apologize?" he said determined to show Lilly he was really a nice guy and not a bumbling idiot.
"No, she's thinking about dropping out." Amanda tossed her hair back then pulled the loose ends into a ponytail.
"Because of what I did?" His gut churned and heaved. He'd never meant for any of that to happen. But it had and now he had to deal with it.
"Oh, yeah…"
"Geez, I'm not an arrogant SOB like everyone thinks." Bentley stared at the dust particles floating in the sunlight. "I have a heart. I don't want everyone to think all I care about is my daddy's money."
"I know that and you know that, but Lilly doesn't and neither does her overprotective friend. And until a few months ago your daddy's money was all that concerned you. Well, and how to spend it."
"You mean Jacob? Are they in love?" Bentley brought his attention back to Amanda. "It's not like you to be mean to me. What's up? Of all the women I've known, you have always been on my side."
"Maybe they are in love, maybe they aren't. Look Bentley, I like you--a lot. But I understand, finally, that you will never fall in love with me. I'm jealous, all right and I don't like the idea of your pursuing my best friend, but I guess I'm going to have to get over it."
"Then you will help me?" Good Lord but he felt like a love sick little school boy whose love had gone viral.
Chapter Three
April 1, 2010
Lilly sat back in the overstuffed chair, closing her eyes and reminiscing.
OMG, has it really been two years since I've seen Jacob? He played my knight in shining armor that year, threatening Bentley with what he understood most, money. Only man she knew who had more cash than the creep. And as things turned out, she was really glad Jacob had convinced her to return to school.
Bentley had left me alone. In the few classes I had with him, he'd send me rude, snide glances, but he never said or tried to do anything.
Later that night Jacob had kissed me. It was wonderful, sparks flying, but he received a call from his father and had to leave. He didn't say anything, but I found out later Jacob's dad had a heart attack. He died two days later in his sleep.
I flew back for the funeral, but never had the chance to talk to him. Since th
en our lives zoomed by in two different directions.
"Lilly, where on earth or outer space has your mind raced?" Amanda asked as she bent over the coffee table to straighten the magazines, lifting them then randomly shuffling them into a different pile.
"Back in time. I wonder…" Lilly sat up rubbing her back and shoulder muscles. She was stiff and sore from her run the day before. From the top of her head to the tips of her toes, her body ached, but it was a good feeling, one she wanted to hang on to for a while.
"When is Jacob going to buy that ticket?" Amanda asked stretching. "It seems he would want to be here for your big day."
"It's not that big a day." Lilly wished he would be here now because she trusted him and could rely on him to listen without judgment. And if she asked, he would advise her. Lilly new he was busy and this trip to Davis came with a cost. She knew he should be out promoting his work. But she guessed everyone needed a vacation. The question was whether or not he knew Bentley had received an internship with the same company.
"A new job? Of course it's important."
"It's an internship. And I was lucky enough to land it here in Davis. I don't have to go to LA. It seems selfish, but I'm so happy for myself." She studied the delicate lines on Amanda's face and the way the sunlight made her dark brown hair shine a little red. Such a quiet self-contained woman, yet she was willing to be a friend when she was needed.
"I would love to live in the city. Exciting--or what? There would be so many places to go and things to see--movie stars," Amanda heaved a huge sigh then went back to her random straightening of the living room.
"Seems more like "or what" to me. I can't stand people. The fewer there are around me the better." Lilly leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling and wishing she could go back to reminiscing.
"No, you like books," Amanda laughed and gave her head a jaunty shake, her hair spilling around her shoulders.
"Back to Jacob. He will be here tomorrow. I have an itinerary planned." Lilly looked down at the notepad she'd been scribbling on a few minutes earlier. The list was short--too short. In all the time she'd been at Davis, she'd never really been anywhere. She'd spent most of her time studying and working. "I don't know where to go."
"Are you picking him up? You can start your sightseeing from the airport."
"No, he's renting a car in Sacramento. I think we might go to Lake Tahoe for a few days. Do you have any ideas? I--"
"Anybody home?"
"Jacob! You are not supposed to be here. I'm not ready for you." Lilly liked the way his smile was slightly curved as well as the little dimple next to it. The same sunlight that had caught Amanda's hair made Jacob's dark brown hair shimmer and his blue eyes twinkle as if he knew a secret he wasn't going to share just yet.
"Want me to go home?" he winked, and his grin grew even bigger if that were possible.
"No! Absolutely not." Lilly threw herself at Jacob, wrapping her arms around him in a giant bear hug. "I am so glad to see you."
"Back at you kiddo. How is life treating you? I assume better than the last time we met."
"I think this is my cue to leave. I'll pick up something at the grocery store." Amanda backed from the room and with a cheerful wave was gone.
Amanda is so sweet. I don't know what I would have done without her. "I have an internship here. Well, the plant is half way between here and Sacramento. I don't have to move and I'm so excited. It could mean a job in September if they like me." She inhaled a huge breath of air.
"You deserve everything good that comes your way." Jacob swiped a little piece of hair from her eyes, cocking his head slightly. "Let's go get some FroYo. I think there is a little shop near here."
"Love it with the berry toppings." Lilly picked up her jacket and slipping it on, started for the door. "What are you going to do next year?"
Jacob grabbed her hand. "Want to walk?"
"Of course. Back to you, Jacob, any plans?"
"Well, I have a showing in Portland and one in San Francisco. I've sold several pieces and I'm going to be employed doing cover art for several publishing houses in New York. I can live anywhere I want to."
"You could move in with Amanda and me. We have a spare bedroom." As hopeful as Lilly felt, she didn't expect a positive answer. The frown lines on his face deepened and she knew immediately he was about to turn her down.
"Always a possibility, but I like my life in Portland. And I was considering a move to Seattle. Love the climate and the atmosphere. It's just a hop skip and a jump to the San Juan's."
"Still the romantic, I see." Lilly plucked a piece of lint from her jacket, wishing she had never brought this line of conversation to his attention. She still felt insecure where men were concerned. Jacob was the only man she trusted and her dating had been nearly nonexistent since the episode with Bentley two years ago.
"No room for random thought?"
For the moment, though, she pushed her misgivings and fear away. All she wanted to feel was lighthearted. "Sequential and concrete." She loved the sparing they did. "There is an ant on your nose."
"Of course," Jacob grinned from ear to ear, lifting Lilly and twirling her around and around. "It is the first of April."
"Enough," Lilly cried out. "You're making me dizzy. The yogurt shop is just around that corner. Race you."
Lilly didn't know why anyone would race, but it was a habit of there's and she wasn't going to forego tradition just because she was about to graduate college and have a stodgy old job in chemical engineering.
Panting and only a few yards behind Jacob, she stopped in front of the FroYo place. "I want mango. I suppose you will go for the boring chocolate."
"No, I'm going to sample everyone of these before I decide." He stepped through the door just ahead of Lilly.
"Oh! Now that is different."
"I've changed, Lilly. We've both changed and hopefully we've grown up." Jacob proceeded to do just that. After trying each sample, he finally decided on the mango topped with berries of all sorts and various candies that were aligned to make a person gain five pounds just by looking at them.
The pair sat in the sun and watched the university students, profs and families walk by. Until a shadow fell across the table, Bentley was far from Lilly's mind. When she saw him, she felt color flood her cheeks. For a moment, she lowered her head, willing him away. But he didn't vanish into thin air as she might have wished. Yet her heart skipped in a strange and beguiling way--just like the first time she saw him. She tried to push that thought away--tried to remember why she had been afraid. Only that one time--and had she read his intentions right
Bentley pulled up a chair, turned it around and sat down, resting his arms nonchalantly on the back of it. His persistence and unassuming nature never ceased to amaze her. The grin slanting across his lips was almost angelic. So why did that bother her so much? She suddenly felt strangely weak in the knees.
"Nice seeing you, Lilly," he said smoothly, watching Jacob from the corner of his eye, as if measuring him.
"Go away. Bentley--" She broke off as if she knew what she had to say would mean nothing to the horrid man. When it didn't appear Bentley was going anywhere fast, Lilly picked up her Mango FroYo and walked from the table. She had never expected the beast to ruin her afternoon in Davis. But his appearance had done just that. She wondered if Jacob would guess who had sat down, uninvited at their table. She felt the heat from Jacob's gaze sear her back.