Popping the Cherry

by Aurelia B. Rowl

  Omigod, no way.

  Would I class Jake as a friend? He’d always just kind of been there.

  I let her carry on feeding me with the hot sweet tea while I thought about it some more, but then the bell above the door did its little tinkly thing again. We all jumped—I think I screamed, too—and the mug crashed onto the floor with the dregs seeping into the seat my jeans. Wind whipped through the open doorway and scattered the tidied piles everywhere again.

  Goosebumps erupted over my skin, although I don’t think that had much to do with the cold draft, because my had heart stopped, too. What if the two men had come back for me? What if it was some kind of test to see if I recognised one or both of them? The sickening thing was, they could probably pass me in the street on the way into work tomorrow and I’d be none the wiser. Then where would my oh-so-precious virginity get me?

  Hayden suddenly didn’t seem such a bad candidate any more. I wouldn’t be in this mess at all if I’d just gone back to the after-show party with them. At least sex with him wouldn’t have been against my will. All out of adrenaline and too sleepy to move, I drew my legs up to my chest and made myself as small as I could. I pulled the blanket over my head and hid, my shakes finding another gear to shift into until it hurt to even breathe.

  Chapter Five

  RESCUE

  An arm slipped around my shoulders, giving me a shot of courage to risk a peek from beneath the blanket, only to find the chef standing directly in front of me, shielding me from view. All I could see of the new arrival was a pair of legs in dark-grey sweats—or lounge-pants as my dad called them—and scuffed once-white trainers. The figure came further into the room, and my self-appointed sentinels blocked his path as if they were doing some dodgy dance.

  ‘OK … umm … hi,’ said a confused, and slightly bemused-sounding voice. A voice I instantly recognised with its low, gentle lilt with just a hint of steely determination. ‘I’m here to collect Lena. Where is she, please?’

  The lady must have felt me relax and asked, ‘Are you Jake?’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Jake replied, sounding scarily grown-up. ‘And you must be the lady I spoke to before?’

  ‘Very good,’ she said.

  Her words worked as effectively as ‘open sesame’ and my guard stepped aside. Jake peered around him, trying to seek me out, searching left and right before zooming in on the huddle that was me on the floor. Still half hidden beneath the blanket, I hadn’t really given any thought to what I must look like from the outside until that particular moment. It must have been proper car-crash viewing judging from Jake’s reaction. His face took on an Oh My God expression, complete with dropping jaw, unable to tear his wide-eyed gaze off me.

  ‘What the fu— I mean, what happened to you? Have you been …?’ His voice tailed off. I couldn’t let him carry on thinking the worst and just about managed to shake my head. ‘Thank God for that.’

  An intoxicating mix of relief and embarrassment proved more than enough to set off my giggle sobs all over again. Jake joined us on the floor, sitting beside me so I was now sandwiched between him and the nice lady, whose name I still didn’t know. Together they helped me to drag the blanket back from over my head, my muscles protesting at the movement.

  For the next few minutes, the only sound was my … I didn’t really know what to call it but ‘hysterics’ probably worked best. Nobody said anything, leaving me to get on with it, get it out of my system, I guess. When my fit of whatever-the-hell-they-were finally finished, the lady got up and moved away, leaving a chill down the entire left side of my body.

  ‘You are our guests,’ she said, looking down at me and Jake. ‘Please stay as long as you require.’ Jake and I watched as she crossed the shop floor, flipping the sign over on the door to read CLOSED. She released the latch with a satisfying clunk, locking us all in, then turned back to face us. ‘We will be out back, but please call for us if you need anything.’

  ‘Thank you,’ replied Jake on my behalf when I said nothing, and then it was just the two of us.

  His arm replaced hers around my shoulders and I leaned into him, my head resting against him as he reached his other arm across the front to hold me in place. We sat like that for a while, in complete silence, his head resting gently against the top of mine. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothed me, his chest rising and falling with each breath, and I began to relax. So much so, a deep sigh escaped my lungs.

  ‘Hey, no going to sleep, d’you hear?’

  A grunt was the best response I could muster. It was all well and good being told not to go to sleep, but not so easy to put into practice when I felt as if I’d gone ten rounds with Nicola Adams and Amir Khan.

  ‘I could get used to this mute version, you know. Just think how much quieter the house would be, especially if it rubs off on Gemma, too.’

  ‘Hmph!’ I tried to shrug his arm off and sit up under my own steam, but my snappy retort turned into more of a hiss and I collapsed back onto him.

  ‘Christ, Lena! Are you hurt?’

  Too busy biting back a yelp and in no fit state to try moving anything else, I just about tilted my head to look up at him and blinked twice.

  ‘Where?’ Jake had flicked into efficient first-aider mode, so I knew he’d seen the flash of panic in my eyes, which were now filling up with yet more tears. ‘Or should I be asking you what doesn’t hurt?’

  Despite the aches and pains, the corners of my mouth turned upwards for the first time in forever. OK, slight exaggeration, but it could be ten-thirty or midnight for all I knew—I’d lost all track of time.

  Jake grinned in return. ‘At least your smile isn’t broken, but can I check the rest of you? Make sure there’s nothing serious before I try and move you?’

  He took my lack of grunt as a green light, and propped me back up against the counter in order to take up position in front of me. For someone with such large hands, he had a surprisingly light touch as he reached first for my right leg, then my left, until they were both extended. Starting with my right foot, he eased off my shoe and began a very thorough examination, noting every wince and sharp intake of breath as if cataloguing them.

  Next was my upper body, and I wasn’t altogether sure how I felt about that. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was only Jake. It worked though, I didn’t resist when he brought me back against his warm, hoody-covered chest. He lifted the blanket off me altogether and let it fall to the floor, then examined my shoulders and back. When he reached my head, I’d slipped into some kind of daze-like trance, a bit like the time mum had let me go with her for a massage.

  ‘Aside from a possible sprained ankle and the whopping great bump on the back of your head, I can’t find any major damage.’ Jake’s voice woke me up again, and brought me back to my painful reality. ‘You’re going to be covered in bruises for a while, though,’ he said, leaning me back against the counter. ‘Do you want to try walking? Standing, even?’

  ‘Umm … I guess.’ Hallelujah! My mouth seemed to be working again, even if no other part of my body was willing to try. ‘Can I put my socks and shoes back on first?’

  ‘Not yet. I need to check out that ankle first.’

  ‘Right. Here goes, then.’ I planted my bare feet on the cold floor, forced to stifle a groan as I did the same with my hands, all the while trying not to grind my teeth or show too much discomfort.

  ‘Hey, wait, let me help.’ Jake leaped to his feet and reached for my hands. I placed them into his open palms, huge compared with mine, and his paint-spattered fingers closed around my wrists, ready to haul me upright. ‘On the count of three?’

  ‘OK.’ I even risked a slight nod.

  Come on, I can do this, nothing to it, right?

  By the time I tuned back into what Jake was saying, he was already on ‘two’ and then whoosh, I was soaring upwards and trying to balance on my own two feet. Badly. The air must have been thinner higher up, because I went all light-headed and swayed precariously. Jake let go of one
of my hands to grasp my upper arm.

  ‘Whoa, steady there,’ he said, staring right into my eyes. ‘Maybe not, huh? You’re all floppy like a rag doll.’

  Yep, he nailed it. That’s exactly what I felt like. ‘I’m just a bit dizzy, I’ve not moved for a while. Give me a sec.’

  ‘No, I don’t think so, Lena, you’re turning green.’

  He dropped my hand and grabbed me directly beneath my armpits, with his long fingers spanning my shoulder blades and his thumbs hooked around the front. No no no … Of all the things to be worrying about, sweaty pits shouldn’t have even made it onto the list, maybe not even the reserve list, but right at that precise moment it was all I could think about. I mean, eww! A girl has to have some standards, right?

  I silently prayed for my deodorant to be still working and chanced a peek at Jake’s face as he carried me like a child towards the chairs in the makeshift waiting area. He didn’t look particularly revolted as he lowered me carefully onto the seat, and he didn’t instantly let go of me as if I were some kind of freak or leper the second my butt hit the seat.

  ‘I’d better take you to A&E, get you checked out properly,’ he said, squatting down to be at my eye level before dropping his hands.

  ‘No, please,’ I blurted. ‘I’ll be fine. I just need a hot bath and a nice soft bed.’

  Jake just looked at me, inspected me even, but his X-ray vision must have been faulty because he shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. ‘OK,’ he said, raking his fingers through his hair for good measure. Crap, he really must be worried: he didn’t even attempt to turn my words into some kind of innuendo. ‘Do you feel up to speaking to the police?’

  His words hit me like a bucket of cold water and I froze. At a loss for an answer that didn’t involve a lot of swearing and pleading, I swallowed deeply and stared back at him. It was fascinating how his dark eyebrows dipped in the middle, one slightly higher than the other, and the way his gaze pierced mine as if trying to do some kind of mind transfer.

  ‘You’ve got to report this, Lena, so they can look for the creeps that chased you.’

  ‘But I didn’t even get a good look at them,’ I wailed, appalled by the whiny pitch to my voice.

  ‘It doesn’t matter, the police can be the lookout for them at least.’

  ‘Jeez, Jake, when did you get so … so goddamn sensible?’

  ‘Right about the same time I thought of my little sister.’ He rose to his full height, clearly agitated, and took a couple of steps away from me. He bent at the waist to retrieve my socks and shoes from the floor, then turned back and fixed me with a haunted look. ‘She’s out there right now, and I know for a fact she can’t run anywhere near as fast as you.’

  My stomach lurched and I sucked in a deep breath, blinking in quick succession as an echo of the earlier terror prickled over my skin again. He had a point. A damn good one too. Of course he’d be thinking of Gemma, why wasn’t I? Shock maybe, but I knew I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.

  ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’ My voice had lost its whine but it had lost its volume, too, coming out all timid and weak. ‘You’re absolutely right, I’ve got to do it.’

  ‘Yeah, you really have,’ he said, speaking much more softly and matching the gentleness of his actions as he replaced my socks.

  ‘My folks are gonna freak,’ I said, wishing I had something to hold onto. ‘They’re never going to let me out again when they find out. I don’t suppose I can call the police from your place instead?’

  Jake didn’t say anything for a few painstaking moments and avoided my gaze. I found myself holding my breath even though it really hurt. ‘You know, that’s actually not a bad idea.’ Phew! ‘If your folks are the same as mine, they won’t be home for a while yet and I don’t think you should be on your own tonight. I’m sure Gemma will be up for an impromptu sleepover, and that way she could keep an eye on you, make sure you’re OK.’

  ‘Thanks, I think,’ I said, forcing a smile when I actually wanted to hug him, but that took too much movement. ‘If she goes all mother hen on me, I’m holding you to blame, you know that, right?’

  Jake hit me with a smirk, a definite glint in his eye. ‘Hey, I’m not making any promises. You know Gemma …’

  ‘Oh God …’ I said, feeling better by the second.

  ‘Come on, let’s get out of here and leave these nice people to close up and go home. My van’s just out front.’

  ‘Yeah, good idea.’

  He raised his chin and projected his voice over my shoulder. ‘We’ll be off now,’ he called out, loud enough to make my ears throb.

  The lady immediately bustled through the door, reminding me of my mum again.

  ‘I’m really sorry to put you to so much trouble,’ I said, my face warming as a blush crept into my cheeks.

  ‘Nonsense,’ she said, wafting a hand at me. ‘Our youngest daughter is not so much older than you. We were happy to help.’

  I wanted to ask who her daughter was, but now didn’t seem like the right time to ask. ‘Thank you,’ I said instead. ‘Oh, and I’ll be phoning the police as soon as I get back.’

  The lady smiled approvingly. ‘Good girl.’ Definitely a mum-tone, it wasn’t the slightest bit patronising the way she said it. ‘Let me get the door for you,’ she said, already on her way and making the bell do its tinkly thing again.

  Jake took it as his cue to spring into action. He helped me back up to standing, then looped one arm around my shoulders for support. ‘Ready?’

  Am I?

  Butterflies took flight in my gut. The big bad world was waiting for me out there. No time like the present I suppose.

  ‘Ready,’ I bluffed, satisfied to hear my voice sounding far more confident than I was feeling. I still didn’t know how I was going to walk out of there, as in physically, without all the mental crap on top. Especially with no shoes on. The next thing I knew, Jake had hooked his other arm behind my knees and lifted me into the air so I lay cradled in his arms. He was strong, I had to hand it to him. He’d made it look easy too.

  After some careful manoeuvring through the narrow doorway, we were back outside. I instantly slipped into red-alert mode, turning my head left and right to scan the area the best I could. Nothing. No cars parked up nearby, and the road was deserted, with only a single set of tail lights somewhere off in the distance. My brain tricked me into seeing things in the shadows that weren’t really there, turning me into a nervous wreck by the time we got to Jake’s van, parked exactly where he’d said it would be. If it hadn’t been for Jake and his steadying hold, I think I’d have turned around and run straight back to the takeaway.

  ‘Damn,’ Jake muttered, under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear and strained enough for me to tense in his arms. I think I might have whimpered too. ‘Sorry,’ he said, shooting me a sheepish look. ‘I’m just annoyed with myself. I forgot to take my keys out of my pocket to give to you to hold, so I’m going to have to put you down.’

  ‘Oh …’

  ‘Actually, scratch that, just hang onto my neck. It won’t take more than a second, OK?’

  ‘OK.’ I said, trying to get a good grip so I didn’t plummet to the ground, which looked quite a long way away from up at Jake’s chest height.

  To help me out, he leaned me up against the side of the van, the chill coming off the cold metal making me shiver, as he fished in his jacket pocket. Orange lights flashed, reflecting off the shop windows as the doors unlocked with a mechanical whirring sound, closely followed by a clunk as Jake yanked on the handle to open the passenger door as wide as it would go.

  He put his arm back around my shoulders and adjusted me so that I was in line with the seat, then gently lowered me into it. I looked over his shoulder towards the takeaway and saw the lady standing in the doorway, with my shoes in her hands, and she had been joined by the chef man, too.

  ‘Can you come back soon, let us know how you are getting on?’ she asked.

 
‘Yes, I will,’ I said, touched by the kindness of these two complete strangers, making a mental note to get them a card or something. Jake sprang back up to his full height and reached for the door. ‘Bye,’ I called out before the door completely closed. ‘And thanks again.’

  Jake dashed around to the driver’s side, collecting my shoes along the way, but it was never going to be quick enough. I was on my own and it scared me. Blood rushed through my ears as my heart rate sped up, my throat tightening with each ragged breath. Ridiculous as it sounds, panic had started to build in my chest the moment he had become cut off from me, as if he was the source of my bravery, and it didn’t matter one bit that I could still see him through the glass.

  Gemma would have come and got me if she’d been home, and she’d have done her best, but it would have been like the blind leading the blind. Plus, she’s even smaller than I, inheriting her mum’s delicate stature rather than her dad’s brawn, and now Jake’s too, I guess. He used to look a bit weedy when I first started hanging out with Gemma but he’d filled out loads in the last few years.

  To be honest, Gemma and I would probably still be stuck in the takeaway, and there’s no way I’d have felt as safe out in the open if it weren’t for Jake. A gust of wind swirled inside the van as he opened the driver’s door to get in. He turned his head to look at me but I couldn’t let him see me in the state I’d got into, so I looked away and reached for the seatbelt.

  ‘Hey, let me do that.’ His hand closed over the top of mine to stop me, then drew it back onto my lap, pausing there for a moment before letting go to grab my seatbelt.

  As he reached across me, I caught a trace of his scent, something I’d never really registered before. Crazy when you consider I’d been practically draped over him since the minute he’d shown up, so I put it down to sharing the close confines of the van. I doubt I could put into words how grateful I was that he had been the one to answer my call.

  ‘Thanks, Jake,’ I murmured as his deft fingers clipped me in. After everything he’d done for me tonight, how could I not class him as a friend? ‘And I don’t just mean for helping me with the seatbelt.’