Right There with You

by R. J. Sable

“I have a match tonight, I needed to talk to my lucky charm.”

  Jason wandered back over to the table carrying a tray with two mugs and what appeared to be a blueberry muffin. I smiled up at him and gestured to my phone, mouthing an apology.

  “You have a match?” I asked, thinking it was odd for him to have a fight on a Monday.

  “Yep, someone coming through town just for a couple of days and wanting to settle an old score.”

  “You've fought him before then?”

  “Yup.”

  “Did you win?”

  “Don't ask stupid questions, Jelly,” he warned, but I could hear the humour in his voice.

  “Just wanted to make sure you were going to win.”

  “I promise,” he said gently, and I knew he meant it.

  We were silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

  “Take care sis, I'll text you after the fight.”

  “Please do.”

  The line went dead. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and looked up at Jason who was staring at me intently. I felt my cheeks redden once more.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, embarrassed to have ignored him straight after I was rude to him.

  “No need to apologise, it was interesting watching all your facial expressions whilst you talked,” he said with a smile.

  It made me conscious to realise he'd been watching me so closely. “Sorry,” I mumbled quietly.

  “What are you sorry for?” He asked, perplexed. “You made some pretty adorable faces.” He winked at me and took a sip of his coffee. “Although it did make me curious. One second you're happy, the next you're sad, then anxious, then happy. Looked like an emotional call.”

  “It was my brother,” I shrugged.

  “You have a brother?” He asked, intrigued.

  “I have a few... listen,” I said, feeling the need to explain myself. “I didn't mean to be rude earlier, I was just uncomfortable making you pay for me. I'm not used to it,” I admitted.

  “Don't worry, little squirrel, I wasn't offended.”

  “I'm still not a fan of that nickname,” I frowned at him, but I was secretly glad that I hadn't offended him.

  “Well then, you'll just have to convince me not to use it over a series of delightful coffee meetings,” he mused.

  “How do you know they're going to be delightful?” I asked curiously.

  “Well, so far so good,” he winked again.

  “Oh yes, so far I've been rude, ignored you while I was on the phone, and made you pay.” I rolled my eyes at him without thinking, but he just laughed and smiled.

  “What can I say? At least you're entertaining,” he smirked. “I decided to take a chance on your beverage preference instead of giving you the opportunity to argue with me about who should be paying.” He pushed a large white mug with a frothy leaf pattern on top towards me.

  “Thank you,” I replied, wondering if my cheeks were ever going to return to a natural colour.

  “You're welcome, that's a soy latte.”

  “Ooh, my favourite!” I exclaimed, delighted that he'd gotten me my favourite drink without me asking.

  “Really?” He grinned. “Mine too.”

  I smiled up at him as I took a tentative sip of my hot beverage.

  “Yum!” I exclaimed after the creamy liquid washed over my taste buds. “You weren't lying, this stuff is great, thank you!”

  “Anytime,” he looked genuinely pleased. “So, your brother fights?” He asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

  “Yeah, Craig does, he's into MMA”

  “Interesting, I've been known to dabble myself,” he joked and I almost choked on my coffee as I laughed at his word choice.

  “Dabble?” I said between coughs and giggles.

  “Indeed.” I got the impression he wasn't telling me everything. “Is he good, your brother?”

  “I don't know, I've never been allowed to watch one of his fights,” I admitted. “He doesn't seem to lose very much though,” I said, hearing the pride in my voice.

  “Hm, what's your surname?” Jason asked, wrinkling his brow.

  “Carter, why?”

  “Holy shit! Your brother is Craig Carter?” He said so loudly that people stopped and stared at us.

  “Um… yeah, why? Do you know him?” I asked, confusion setting in.

  “Know him, Jesus, he's a legend!” He admitted, his jaw hanging open.

  “He is?” I said, unable to hold back the surprise in my voice.

  “Well, in certain circles. He's good. Really good. I... eh... I've actually fought him a couple of times. Not recently, a few years back when I was a student at Cambridge.”

  This was news to me; I wasn't really sure how to process the information.

  “You fight too?” I asked, still trying to get my head round the idea that Craig was a legend. I'd seen him get his ass handed to him by Ian and Karl on multiple occasions.

  “Yeah, well, I used to. I lost interest a few years back and moved into other sports, but I still like to follow MMA news.”

  I didn't really know what to say so I took another sip of my latte and watched Jason who seemed to be lost in another world.

  “Sorry,” he said suddenly, his eyes snapping back to me. “I just can't believe that I'm sat here with Craig Carter's sister.”

  I took another sip of my coffee and smiled weakly up at him, becoming more and more uncomfortable with each second. He seemed to sense my discomfort and pushed the plate with the muffin over towards me.

  “I wasn't sure if you'd want anything else so I thought maybe we could share this muffin, if you wanted?” He asked cautiously.

  “Thanks,” I smiled, realising for the first time since I moved out that I was actually going to be able to eat a muffin without it being stolen by one of my brothers. This opens many a door for me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten anything delicious and actually finished eating it before it'd been snatched out of my hands. I didn't really mind. My brothers all ate like their legs were hollow, they never stopped being hungry. They needed the food more than I did but every now and then it would have been nice to not feel rushed to eat my food just so that I got to eat a bit more of it.

  The rest of the conversation passed without further mention of my brother or his MMA career. Jason talked about his PhD in Renewable Energy Systems and how he planned on using it to work towards more sustainable energy and new power sources or some such. It was all a bit over my head but his passion was fascinating. He quizzed me about my degree and why I wanted to become a teacher. He made me laugh and I felt relaxed around him. I usually struggled to open up to people, but he made it easy. As we finished off the muffin and our coffees I felt my phone vibrate once more.

  “Sorry,” I apologised again, pulling my phone out my pocket.

  Hey! Where did you disappear to?

  Hope you're ok.

  Want to have to dinner

  with the rest of us tonight?

  Emma xoxo

  “Just my flatmate wondering where I was and checking I was okay,” I explained to Jason, texting Emma a quick reply.

  “No worries,” he smiled. “Is she worried I've kidnapped you?” He joked

  “If she was she'd be more jealous, I suspect,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  He grinned as he cleared away the dishes onto the tray and put it on the waiting trolley. I thought it was incredibly sweet. I mean the trolley was there for a reason, I hated it when people just expected others to clean up after them like that. When he was done, he returned and offered his hand to me once more.

  “Let's get on with the rest of the tour.”

  ***

  That evening, I settled down with my flatmates to watch a film on the large corner sofa in the common room. Whilst the others were arguing whether we should watch 'The Incredibles' or 'The Ring', I felt my phone vibrate and checked it.

  Hi Jamie-Lea.

  Just wanted to say thanks

  for today. I had a really
<
br />   nice time. Jason x

  I smiled to myself. How sweet of him. I decided to message him back straight away.

  Hi Jason. I had a really

  nice time too. Thanks again for

  the coffee. I owe you one ;)

  JL x

  I hit send and felt the phone vibrate again almost immediately as I went to put it in my pocket.

  I have to work at the freshers’

  fair for the next few days

  but maybe you can buy

  me a coffee on Thursday? x

  I was delighted that he wanted to see me again outside of training but I didn't want to lead him on. I couldn't get into any sort of relationship with him. Not unless he was willing to relocate to Alaska with me and live like a hermit. I needed to think about how to reply without sounding like a horrible person. I slid my phone back into my pocket and leant back into the sofa. Adam stretched his arm out and pulled me towards him so I was leaning against him. I grinned up at him and relaxed into his side, amazed at how comfortable I was with him already. He reminded me of my best friend Alex quite a bit.

  “You mind?” He whispered into my ear.

  I shook my head against his chest. “Nope, just watch where you put your hands,” I grinned up at him cheekily.

  “No worries, I've met your brothers, remember?” He said seriously.

  “You haven't met the oldest two,” I reminded him, smiling but knowing full well they'd have chopped his hands off and be wearing them as necklaces as a warning to all others if he'd dared to put them anywhere other than my shoulders. My mind drifted back to the Jason's hands on me today and I cringed guiltily. I really ought to warn him off.

  Hearing the credits, I realised I'd fallen asleep against Adam.

  “Oh God, I'm sorry,” I said sleepily, lifting myself off his chest and stretching out my arms.

  “Don't worry about it, it was cute” he grinned at me.

  “Drooling and snoring, very cute,” I said sarcastically.

  “Don't forget the sleep talking,” he joked and I shot him an evil glare, wondering if I had said anything and hoping it wasn't too incriminating if I had.

  “I think you're phone vibrated a few minutes ago.” He motioned towards my pocket and I pulled my phone out to check.

  I won. Thanks for the luck ;)

  Sleep tight Jellybean.

  Relieved that Craig was okay, I yawned and decided it was time to hit the sack. I hugged the others good night and went up to my room to snuggle up under the duvet.

  ***

  Thursday, 20th September 2012

  Well? Are you buying me

  coffee today or not? ;) Jason x

  I realised I'd never text him back and I cringed at how rude that was. What should I say? I really shouldn't meet him, but I needed to explain things to him so that he understood. I guess I could do that over coffee.

  Yes please, where and when?

  JL x

  I smiled as I realised that meant I got to see him today but the smile was quickly wiped off my face when I acknowledged that I probably wouldn't see him again after that. At least not outside of training.

  Meet me outside

  the SU at 12 :) x

  I finished off my tea before returning to my room to change out of my jogging bottoms and baggy t-shirt. I decided on a pair of skinny jeans and a Leeds University hoody that the twins had bought for me on the day they helped me move. I grabbed my leather jacket and a scarf on the way out and headed to the SU.

  As I made my way down towards the steps, I could see him there waiting for me. Wearing low-slung jeans and a thick knit grey jumper, he was leaning coolly against the railing, carrying a small paper bag in his hand and a brown leather messenger bag over his shoulder. His eyes met mine and his lips shot up into that adorable smile as he started over to me.

  “Hey, little squirrel!” He exclaimed, pulling me into another one-armed hug as I slipped my arms around his waist and hugged him back.

  I frowned at his endearment but decided not to argue it. “Hi, Jason, sorry if I kept you waiting.”

  “No worries, I just got here,” he smiled down at me. “Let's go get some caffeine,” he said, taking my hand in his and leading me to the coffee shop in Parkinson building where we'd been on Monday.

  We joined the queue and he put his arm around my waist. I squirmed slightly before I could stop myself, worried what my brothers would say, but secretly I liked the tingles that spread through my body from his fingertips. He raised his eyebrow at me but didn't comment on my reaction.

  “I thought maybe we could get our drinks to-go,” he said as the queue moved forwards. “Sit on the benches outside seeing as the weather's so nice,” he gestured out the window to the clear, blue sky.

  I nodded, keeping my eyes on my boots while I fished my purse out of my handbag. My budget didn't really allow for extravagances like coffee and takeout. My loans and grants barely covered the necessities. My brothers had agreed to give me a small amount of money per month once I'd used up the money I'd saved from working. They did the same for Jake. However, just as the guys were leaving on Friday, Craig had slipped a fifty-pound note into my pocket as he hugged me and told me to enjoy freshers' week. I didn’t like taking money from my brothers but he didn’t give me chance to return it. I smiled thinking about it. Sometimes they can be so sweet. I ordered us two large soy lattes to-go and we made our way to the benches outside, watching the passers-by.

  “Thanks for the coffee,” he said with amusement.

  “You're welcome for the coffee,” I answered, shifting uncomfortably in my seat as I tried to figure out how to say what needed to be said.

  “So what's with the cold shoulder?” He asked, sounding a little less confident than normal.

  “What do you mean?” I wondered, focussing on my feet once more.

  “I don't think a girl's ever refused to text me back before.” His eyes twinkled with a brief flash of uncertainty.

  “Oh, I'm sorry,” I said honestly, looking up into his eyes which glittered shades of aquamarine in the autumnal sunshine. “I wasn't sure what to say,” I admitted.

  “You didn't want to buy me coffee?” He asked, smirking.

  “No, it's not that,” I shrugged, still unsure of what to say. “I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea.” I felt the heat rise in my face and focussed even more intently on the buckles of my boots.

  “Get the wrong idea?” He said quizzically.

  I blushed even more, if that was even possible, as I realised I'd jumped to conclusions and just made a huge fool of myself. Why would I even think he was interested in me? He was quite frankly gorgeous and here I was; a gangly, awkward teenager. I was seriously contemplating whether I could just run away without making more of a fool of myself when he interrupted my train of thought.

  “You're not interested?” He said, sounding more than a little offended. Interested? He thinks I'm not interested in him. I felt my heartbeat quicken in my chest.

  “No! It's not that! Of course I'm... I mean... I am... but...” I fell over my words sounding like a babbling idiot.

  “Breathe, Jamie,” he laughed gently, giving my thigh a gentle squeeze. I took a deep breath, trying to get my thoughts in order and wishing I could turn invisible.

  “I just meant that I can't date anyone and I didn't want you to think I was leading you on and trying to score free coffee,” I blurted out, a little faster than intended, my cheeks burning furiously.

  “You can't date?” He asked, his eyebrows pulling together in a confused frown. “What do you mean can't?”

  I briefly contemplated blaming the fact that I needed to focus on my studies and didn't want to get distracted, but I was uncomfortable lying. I'd been taught from a young age that lying was unacceptable.

  “My brothers don't want me to see anybody. They're kind of protective,” I explained, thinking that I should win the award for understatement of the year.

  “I see,” he mumbled, his frown
tightening even more. “It seems to me that they don't really have the right to make that decision for you,” he paused, and I didn't interrupt. I was sort of awestruck that he saw it that way. But of course, he didn't understand everything that I'd put them though and all that they'd sacrificed for me.

  “But, Jamie, I'd still really like to get to know you better.”

  He looked at me through those beautiful lashes as if searching for the answer in my eyes.

  “I'd like to know you better too,” I admitted.

  “Surely getting to know you better doesn't violate your brothers' rules?” He grinned again and I felt myself relax.

  It didn't, technically, but I still had the feeling that they probably wouldn't approve.

  We enjoyed a relaxed coffee after that and I told Jason all about my brothers and how they'd raised me and taken care of me since even before Dad had died. He listened whilst we shared the bulgur salad he'd been carrying in the paper bag I'd noticed earlier.

  “Right, let me see if I've followed then,” he said after I finished telling him about Jake. “Your oldest brothers are both in the military?”

  I nodded. “Ian is thirty and Karl is twenty-nine,” I added. “Ian looks after us all. He always knows what we need and makes sure we get by. He’s got an obscure sense of humour but a good heart. In my head he’s kind of like a mixture of Aslan from Narnia and Chuck Norris,” I smiled. “Karl is kind of similar. He’s a bit hot headed but he’s got the heart of a lion. He’s the first one to jump in if he thinks any of us are in trouble,” I smiled fondly, happy with my summary of my eldest brothers. “Matt's twenty-nine as well. He's lived with us since before I was born, he's Karl's best friend. He's practically family.”

  “How come he lives with you?”

  “I'm not entirely sure on the details, but he had it pretty rough with his mum from what I understand. ”

  “Okay, and then your twin brothers are firemen and run a gym?”

  “Yep, Rick and Danny are twenty-eight. They split their time between keeping the peace and acting like five year olds who still find potty humour hilarious,” I smiled fondly.

  “Then there's Craig, he's a doctor, right? And he must be around my age?”

  “Yeah, or at least he will be a doctor soon. Craig is the peaceful one of the bunch. He’s more of a thinker, despite the MMA stuff. He turned twenty-four two days ago.”