Imperfect Love

by Isabella White

  Jake’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and sighed before answering. “Jake,” he barked.

  Holly was all ears, and it was evident by the shrill tone of a woman’s voice on the other side that all was not well.

  “None of your business, Amelia.”

  Holly relaxed as she knew it was one of his sisters.

  “Nothing.”

  Jake’s answers were short, brooking no discussion. But after the next few back and forths, a smile spread across his face as his eyes caught Holly staring at him. “When I feel it’s the right time.” Jake looked at Holly and winked. “Stay out of this Amelia, she’s already terrified of meeting Mom.”

  Holly immediately knew what Amelia was asking; when were they going to meet her. She had to admit, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but Jake was right. She was terrified of meeting his mother.

  Jake chuckled. “Paintball.” He made gestures with his hands, accompanying the conversation he was having, and played with his eyes. Holly found herself smiling. Amelia babbled so fast on the other end, Holly couldn’t make out one word. “Fine, but we go to the one on Heathcliff Road.”

  Holly could hear Amelia protest by the loudness and tone of her voice, but Jake stuck to his guns. “Heathcliff Road or nothing, Amelia. I don’t play at any other place.”

  Amelia had one more thing to say, and then Jake disconnected.

  “You are so going to get your ass kicked.” Bernie’s finger was in Holly’s face.

  “Shut up. Paintball?” Holly asked, looking at Jake.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  Leo gave Jake a look. “So we’re not teaming up on the girls anymore?”

  Jake chortled. “Nope.” He shook his head, his eyes huge and round.

  Holly giggled.

  Leo looked at her accusingly. “What have you done to my paintball partner?”

  “Would you really like to know?”

  Leo closed his eyes, sighed, and then shook his head fervently. “Err… that would be a no, thank you.”

  At that, everyone smiled stupidly.

  When their food arrived, they dug in, famished, with all four thoroughly enjoying their lovely meal. Once the bill was settled, they walked out to Jake’s car. Jake took a moment to place a call, speaking to someone named Steve.

  He asked him to keep the Vendetta course open, and that they would be there in approximately half an hour. He also told Steve that Amelia would probably check in first and that he wasn’t sure at that stage how many would be joining, but that it would most definitely turn into a war.

  Jake laughed at something Steve was saying, while simultaneously opening the door for Holly. He really knew how to make a girl feel special.

  Holly was silent on their way to the paintball place, wherever Heathcliff Road was. She’d never played before, and coupled with meeting his sister for the first time was making her stomach turn into all sorts of knots. She was brought out of her thoughts over how bad this day was going to turn out, when Jake startled her by putting his hand on her leg.

  “Why are you so quiet?”

  “I’ve never played paintball before. Is it true you walk away with bruises the size of tennis balls?”

  He laughed. “Don’t worry, nobody will hit you today, and if they do they will regret ever having made you a target.”

  Holly smiled at him and lay her head on his arm. She felt his lips and breath on her hair just as they pulled into a parking lot surrounded by hundreds of tires stacked up against its fence. She couldn’t see the play areas as they were covered with nets, but she could see the tops of wooden towers, which once again sported tires and lots of hiding spots. Seeing that made her feel somewhat better, not having known what to expect.

  They made their way inside, where Jake greeted a big, bald guy whom she assumed to be Steve.

  “Holly, Steve. Steve, Holly.” Jake made the introductions.

  Holly greeted him with a handshake and a smile. Jake then led both Holly and Bernie to the locker room’s entrance, where the women changed into a one piece suit, like an overall. Holly’s heart bounced when she heard laughter coming from within the change room.

  “Have you met his family?” Holly asked Bernie.

  “Only Robin, but it was like for a couple of seconds. Leo knows all of them, since he was practically part of the family growing up.”

  Taking a deep breath, Holly followed Bernie inside. A group of women were yelling playfully at each other, making jokes and laughing. Bernie and Holly each picked a suit from the closet, choosing the opposite corner furthest away from them.

  “So, he’s coming.” A tall brunette in her mid-twenties asked another woman with black hair. When the girl turned around, she had the same ice-green eyes as Jake, as well as the same beauty, and Holly knew it could only be Amelia.

  “Yes, and don’t even think about it, he’s seeing someone now.” She gave the brunette a smile, one that would make any guy’s knees wobble.

  “I don’t give a shit. He’s not married yet.”

  Bernie’s posture changed. Holly put a hand on her arm, stopping her before she uttered a single word.

  “Please, don’t. I really want to make a good first impression,” Holly begged her softly.

  “Fine, but that bitch is going down,” Bernie snapped under her breath, which made Holly suppress her laughter. Poor girl, she had no idea what she’d just unleashed on herself.

  Amelia chuckled at her friend. “Good luck with that. He’s spending like every minute he can with her. Mom is really starting to worry about the situation. It’s so annoying.”

  “Do you think he brought her with?” the brunette asked, skeptically.

  “I don’t think he would be here if she was free. She works at some sort of lodge and something tells me she works weekends.”

  “Bonus,” the brunette shouted.

  “You are going to see your ass, Ash. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. He’s head-over-heels for this one.”

  “Puhleease! Jake’s crushes are like seasons. Constantly changing.”

  “I’m not so sure. This one’s really got a hold on him. He’s never missed a Sunday lunch before, and last week…” Amelia didn’t finish her sentence.

  Holly was still a little upset that he’d left what was clearly family time in order to spend the day with her.

  “Yeah, right. Just like he was madly in love with that married woman. Got over her, didn’t he?”

  “That was different. At least he’s opening himself up to romantic possibilities again.”

  “Whatever. It’s my time, sister. I haven’t worked at losing my fat ass for nothing.”

  Bernie gave Holly a stern look. The kind that pulled her jaw muscles tight from not lashing out.

  Holly only smiled at her friend. She was still worried about this married woman business and by the sound of Amelia’s tone, it had been and was something difficult for Jake to let go of. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know how hard.

  The women walked out soon after, while Holly struggled with her goggles.

  “That girl is going to wish she’d never lost her fat ass, today,” Bernie threatened, making Holly giggle.

  “Don’t pay any attention to her. Jake is so over airheads, and that my friend, is an airhead.”

  Bernie snatched the goggles from Holly and yanked the straps tighter. When she gave them back, Holly placed them on her head to see if they fit.

  Satisfied, both left and followed the exit signs. They could hear people talking up ahead. One stood out; the brunette’s voice became sweet as honey.

  Holly’s belly twisted again just listening to it.

  “C’mon, Leo can partner up with someone else today. I need someone to protect my skinny ass.”

  Jake laughed. “Leo is partnering with someone else today.”

  She gasped excitedly. “See! Then where is the harm?”

  “Sorry, but I’ve got my own sexy, skinny ass to protect.”

  Ho
lly smiled from ear to ear. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said about her.

  “Your ass is anything but skinny.”

  Someone’s laughter bounced off the walls.

  “Gee, woman, you think I’m that full of myself?”

  Holly and Bernie finally walked into the room, and immediately caught Jake’s attention.

  “Really, missy, you are killing me,” Jake smirked, wrapping his arms around Holly.

  “Seriously? It’s a paint suit. Nothing gorgeous about this,” she retorted.

  “You make everything look gorgeous.”

  Holly rolled her eyes, albeit sporting a huge smile on her face.

  Jake eyes twinkled as he kissed her softly.

  Throughout this exchange, she could practically feel daggers being thrown at her back. A throat was cleared, loudly, and when Holly looked up, brunette-chick did not look the least bit impressed. Her lips had been drawn into a thin line, almost as if she’d just eaten a lemon. When her eyes met Holly’s, though, she instantly looked away.

  “And who is this?” Amelia stepped closer, looking pointedly at Jake.

  Jake looked up at the ceiling, as if he was praying for patience, earning him a smack on the arm from Amelia. This made a dark-haired, bear of a guy laugh out loud.

  “Amelia, Holly. Holly, Amelia. Happy now?” he mocked. He continued with the introductions. “Holly, this is Armand,” he said, pointing at the same guy who’d laughed.

  He looked like a geek with a pair of glasses resting on his nose and so not Amelia’s type, but neither was she Jake’s and she got him.

  “And this is Ashley.”

  Ashley being the brunette. She waved once in the air and in no particular direction, but gave Holly a fake smile and stare. The rest were introduced as Victor, Mark and Paul. Jake looked at the one guy, clearly not remembering his name.

  “Herschel,” the guy said, while giving Holly a real smile.

  “Watch out for Herschel,” he whispered in Holly’s direction, which made those closest to them snigger.

  “The rest are my sister’s friends, whose names I can’t remember. Sorry guys.”

  “Shame on you, Jake,” a blond yelled.

  Just then a buzzer went off, and guns housing fairly large sized balls appeared on the wall. The first two were green, which Jake immediately took possession of. The second pair pink, and yellow the third. All the colors she could think of were in bags with guns right next to them. Teams of two now shared the same color gun. Jake handed one to Holly, its paint balls also green.

  “How do you use it?” Holly asked, accidentally hitting the trigger, sending a paint ball into Jake’s chest. He grunted and closed his eyes in pain. She could see the pain reflected on his face.

  This obviously made for a funny situation, especially when Holly tried to apologize. Shit! I’m really so clumsy at times. “I’m so sorry, Jake.”

  He rubbed the side of his torso where a huge splatter of green inked his suit. “You are supposed to hit them, not your own teammate.” He looked like a little boy.

  Holly, on the other hand, forced her lips tighter and tighter together to prevent herself from laughing. But when Jake couldn’t keep it in any longer and threw his head back with laughter, she followed suit.

  “I’ll be fine, but it’s going to cost you extra loving care tonight.”

  “Now that I can do,” she replied, loud enough for Ashley to hear.

  Clapping loudly, Leo shouted, “Pep talk, people.” Looking at Jake, he questioned, “Jake, you up for it?”

  “You betcha, dude,” Jake shot back, his voice sounding like that of a team leader on one of those PlayStation games.

  Leo went on to relay the rules and regulations of the game. They formed two lines as Jake walked with the gun over his shoulder, reminding Holly of a really badass soldier. He gave a really nice speech about how this was war. That really made Bernie and Holly want to laugh at how serious he sounded. Plus, he kept looking at everyone’s guns; almost memorizing which ones belonged to whom.

  “And,” he continued, still in a serious manner, “if I find any color on that woman’s body after the game,” he pointed in Holly’s direction, “you are going to wish you’d never heard of paintball.”

  “That’s not fair,” the blond shouted, whose name Jake couldn’t remember.

  “I don’t play fair, cadet. It’s war, and that was a friendly warning.” Jake was all serious again as he walked back to Holly’s side and winked. When he reached her, he lowered her goggles. “When the second buzzer rings, we run like hell. I’ve got a funny feeling a lot of people are going to aim at us.”

  Holly felt like crying, but she kept her poise. She really wasn’t looking forward to the paintballs hitting her. As soon as the second buzzer went off, Jake pulled her in one direction. She ran as fast as she could.

  When a third buzzer went off, paint balls flew past her, with two or three painfully hitting her on the butt and legs. It made her stop and rub at the sore spots, when more hurtled their way. She lost the grip on Jake’s hand in the process of trying to protect herself, but felt him grabbing her arm just as two blue paint balls hit him on the butt.

  “Just run,” he shouted, turning around and firing back.

  Holly waited for him behind a wooden bunker. When Jake darted past her, she ran behind him. She was it again, but this time she kept on running, even though her back and ass were throbbing in pain.

  Jake grabbed her hand again, breaking right and around another bunker to a huge, wooden watchtower. He looked around him quickly, and then kicked one of the poles, hard. Something on the ground shifted open and she noticed stairs leading down.

  He maneuvered Holly in front of him, allowing her to go first. She stumbled down the stairs as she couldn’t see properly, and because her legs and practically every inch of her body ached. The stairs led to a small room with holes cut into the wall. She looked through one and saw grass and bushes.

  “What is this place?”

  “It’s my payback spot. Take off your suit. I need to look at your bruises.”

  Holly looked at him incredulously.

  Sighing, Jake raised his eyebrow. “They can’t see us down here, Holly. Now do as I say. Take it off.”

  She unzipped the front of the suit and stepped out of it. Huge blue and red marks were tattooed on her legs and butt, aching like a bitch. She also had two bruises on her back that hurt like hell.

  “I’m true to my word. I’m really sorry, Bee Puke.” Jake kissed her softly before he climbed onto some sort of bunker on beams. He pulled the trigger, and cries of pain followed. His name was yelled numerous times, which satisfied Holly. He finished both their paint balls in under half an hour.

  “Now what do we do?” Holly asked, worried that if somebody found them, they were going to be in big trouble.

  “Now, you’re mine.” He winked, pulling her into him. Jake proceeded to kiss her shoulder, as well as every single bruise he could find on her body, including those on her butt. They still hurt, of course, but the tingling feeling he left her with replaced some of the aches.

  With her bruises taken care of, somewhat, it was time for some lip on lip action. It wasn’t long before they seemed lost in another world, and Holly knew that if she hadn’t gotten hit they would have probably done it right there on the dirt floor.

  When a buzzer went off again, Jake groaned and pulled away, but not before imparting with one more quick kiss. It took another ten seconds for Holly to think straight and for the ringing in her ears to stop.

  “Let’s go. The game is over, so now we see how many people we’ve injured.”

  They exited through a different door and walked out into the sunlight. It was an entrance on the opposite side of where they’d entered. Once everyone had gathered back in the same room, Holly started to feel awful. Those whose colors were splattered over Holly’s overall, hadn’t been left with the bluish overalls they’d all worn into the arena. They were now green.
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  “Did you really have to be so violent?” yelled the girl with blond hair.

  “It’s only a game, Candice,” Amelia interjected.

  Jake chuckled.

  “You okay?” Bernie asked Holly.

  “Yeah. I’ll live.”

  The party broke up and headed to the change rooms respectively. Holly could feel Ashley’s eyes boring into the back of her head as she cleaned up, and if looks could kill she would’ve dropped dead.

  She couldn’t help but wonder if all women behaved in the same manner when it came to Jake Peters. If one thought about it, he was training to be a doctor, had a good head on his shoulders, not to mention the looks that made women’s knees wobble.

  But Holly knew different; there was more to Jake Peters than just a pretty face. He was exactly the type of man she had been waiting for her entire life.

  IT HAD BEEN DECIDED THAT EVERYONE would meet up at a nearby restaurant. Holly’s stomach grumbled and growled in such a way, it would have seemed she hadn’t had breakfast that morning. Burgers was the chosen meal, and Holly was the one every girl around the table stared at.

  Amelia smiled and tried to strike up a conversation. “I love the fact that you are different from the girls my brother used to bring home.”

  Holly smiled. “In what way?”

  “They only ever ate salads, accompanied by low calorie wine.” She rolled her eyes. “So annoying.”

  “What’s wrong with salad?” Ashley asked. “We like to take care of our bodies.”

  “Oh, please, Ashley. Three months ago you were stuffing your face with McDonalds. Now it’s only low calorie food, and all it does is make you miserable. You should eat what you want; everything in moderation, of course.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, Miss Perfect. You’ve never had to deal with a slow metabolism. I just look at a potato and it goes straight to my hips.”

  The men were engaged in their own discussion, which more than likely involved anything with an engine, while Amelia and Ashley talked about food and calories. Holly hated the conversation, but agreed with Amelia’s reasoning. After all, there was only one life to be lived, so eating whatever made a person happy, in moderation, wouldn’t do any harm.