Right There with You

by R. J. Sable

  “Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the sofa nearest us. I sat down on the dark grey sofa and he sat down next to me.

  “I assume you've had time to think about what you did,” he said as he turned to face me.

  I nodded, wondering briefly if I was going to be punished again. He let out a long sigh and leant back against the sofa, pulling me into a hug so that I was resting against his chest. Whenever Ian hugged me, I always felt so small against his large frame. It made me feel safe, like nothing in the world could touch me when he was around because he wouldn't let it.

  “You know we only want what's best for you, Jellybean,” he said calmly.

  I nodded my head gently against his chest, because I knew it was true.

  “I need you to promise to be more respectful, and God help me, if you ever lie to us again you’ll be running laps round the house till you turn thirty,” he said, and I didn't doubt that he meant it.

  “I promise it won't happen again,” I said quietly, squeezing my arms around him and pulling myself closer to his chest.

  “I'm going away again soon and I need to know that you'll be safe while I'm gone.”

  I didn't bother asking when and where he was going because he was never able to tell us. We'd gotten used to it now. I suspected Karl may have had a better idea than the rest of us but he never let on.

  “I worry about you when you're gone,” I admitted, looking up at him.

  “You know you don't need to worry about me, Jelly. I'll be back before you know it,” he said, his voice oozing confidence.

  “I promise I'll be good and do as I'm told, just come back in one piece, please?” I blinked up at him. “Matt’s cooking is nowhere near as good as yours,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Damn straight it isn't,” he grinned and kissed the top of my head.

  Chapter 10

  Wednesday, 3rd October 2012

  Adam closed the lid on his laptop and leant back in his chair, stretching and letting out a deep yawn.

  “Nope, I'm done” he announced. “If I write anymore, I don't think it will be intelligible.”

  “Fair enough,” I grinned at him, glad for an excuse to stop. We'd been in the library since lectures finished at four, catching up on course reading and preparing for seminars. Adam glanced down at his watch as he packed up his things.

  “Is it already eight?” He said, raising his eyebrows. “Well at least that explains why I'm starving. Wanna head back and cook me dinner?”

  I couldn't help but smile at his audacity. He'd helped me so much with my workload from various courses, I'd happily have cooked for him but I couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

  “What do you think I am, your skivvy?”

  “I was thinking more like my maid, that way you can clean my room as well.”

  I frowned at him and crossed my arms.

  “Aw, come on, I'll even get you the little outfit, in fact I insist on the outfit,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

  I grabbed my pencil case and smacked his arm with it. “I tell you what, I'll make you a stir-fry as long as you promise to behave.”

  “I can't promise anything, but I'll try my best,” he winked.

  We sat and ate together around the kitchen table and he made appreciative moans with each mouthful.

  “This is gooooood, Jamie!”

  “I'm glad you like it,” I smiled.

  “You'll make a good housewife some day,” he grinned cheekily. “Speaking of which, how are things going with Jason?” He asked.

  “I told you it's not like that,” I frowned.

  “But you want it to be?”

  “It doesn't matter what I want, I can't get involved regardless. I told you what my brothers would do to him.”

  “Your brothers really can't tell you who you can and can't date, Jamie,” he said seriously. “But either way, they don't have to know.” He winked at me mischievously.

  “Trust me, keeping secrets from my brothers usually doesn't end well. I swear they're psychic,” I laughed.

  “I doubt they're psychic, Shorty. I've only known you a few weeks and even I know you have absolutely no poker face,” he chuckled.

  I sighed, I knew he meant well but I didn't want to dwell on what could never be.

  “It doesn't matter, he made it pretty clear he wasn't interested last Friday night.”

  “Oh?” He said, cocking his head and raising his eyebrow. “That's not the impression I got when I met him in the foyer.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, stopping my loaded fork in mid-air.

  He tapped his nose conspiratorially. “Now that'd be telling,” he grinned at me.

  “Don't make me show you the awesome headlock my brothers have helped me perfect over the years,” I threatened.

  “It'd be hilarious to see you try,” he raised his eyebrow at me, looking thoroughly amused.

  I humphed and crossed my arms. “Come on, please tell me!” I begged, changing tact.

  “He didn't say anything, Shorty,” he shook his head. “Just call it manly intuition,” he winked.

  “Fine,” I sulked. “I think he's avoiding me though,” I said sadly. We hadn't talked since Friday and now it was Wednesday. I'd sent him a text on Saturday thanking him for the meal but he hadn't replied.

  “I doubt it, he's probably just busy with essays and stuff,” he said reassuringly. “Why don't you text him and ask if he wants to come train with you, me, and Bradley tomorrow morning?”

  “You think that would be okay with Bradley?” I asked, my spirits lifting at the idea of seeing him again.

  “Of course it would,” Adam replied as he cleared away our dishes.

  “I can wash up,” I said as he put them in the sink.

  “Nah, you cooked,” he said dismissively. “Besides, you can text Jason while I wash!”

  I took out my phone and started typing a message to Jason. I sent the message as soon as I'd finished typing it because I knew I'd chicken out if I waited. I hope he replies to this one. I hadn't given him much warning I realised, checking my watch and noting that it was already 21:30. I helped Adam put the dishes away and gave him a hug before heading to bed.

  Just as I put my phone on to charge it vibrated.

  Sure, sounds like fun.

  See you there. Jason x

  ***

  Thursday, 4th October 2012

  I made my way out to the pool, fiddling with my hat and trying to tuck a few rebellious strands back in. My eyes drifted around the pool area. They instantly found Jason, stood by the pool stretching with the others. He wore a pair of fairly tiny speedos. It occurred to me in that moment that racing briefs were an invention far superior to that of sliced bread.

  I stood rooted to the spot as I took him in from a distance. Every muscle in his body appeared to be well toned. My eyes trailed down from his broad shoulders to his well defined pectoral muscles, noting the elaborate tattoo which trailed from his shoulder down over his chest but unable to make it out from so far away.

  His abs would have put Michael Phelps to shame, each one could have been artfully crafted by a master sculptor. All this was complimented perfectly by the v-shaped trail that lead down into his swimming briefs. I felt my heart fluttering in my chest as heat rose through my body. I've never been affected by anyone like this before. I found myself wanting to sprint round the pool and feel his beautiful lips on mine regardless of what my brothers would do.

  The nuances of his Caribbean Sea eyes met mine across the room and my cheeks burned like lava as he caught me staring with my jaw practically dragging on the floor. He smirked and gave me a little wave. Wishing the ground would swallow me up, I quickly hopped into the pool and swam towards them. I hoped in vain that the cold water would help cool down my burning cheeks. I pulled myself up over the edge of the pool and stood up to join them.

  “Alright, little squirrel,” Jason greeted me as he pulled me into a hug. My cheek pressed against his pecks, my arms wrapped around hi
m and felt the muscles in his back ripple under my fingertips. My body heated up to the point that I feared the water would evaporate if I returned to the pool.

  “Blegh, you're all wet,” he exclaimed, squirming away from me.

  “Don't be such a girl!” I teased him flicking some drops of water at him from my fingertips.

  He looked at me with shock before launching himself at me with lightning speed and tackling me into the pool. I was too busy laughing to take a breath before we hit the water. As we came back up to the surface, I coughed and spluttered trying to push out the water that had made its way into my lungs. He held me in his arms as he looked down at me, concern etched on his face.

  “Jamie? Jamie, are you okay?” He said, sounding panicked.

  As I caught my breath back I burst into laughter. “You jerk!” I yelled, splashing him with water. He splashed me back, grinning broadly. The lifeguard blew his whistle and wagged his finger at us.

  After our swim, we went back to the flat for breakfast and, much to my delight, Jason tagged along. The boys slouched into the kitchen chairs and I set about fetching dishes and food. With everything set out on the table, I sat down on the chair between Jason and Eric.

  “I'm starving!” Bradley announced, grabbing a cereal box from the middle of the table.

  “Jamie, where'd you learn those technique exercises?” Jason asked as he slid a few slices of bread into the toaster.

  “A PT at my brothers' gym used to help me when I swam after work,” I explained.

  “You worked whilst you were in sixth form?” Bradley asked with his mouth full.

  “Yeah, the twins let me clean the gym after school a few days a week. I got to use the gym and pool whenever I wanted.”

  “Cool,” Bradley nodded. “Personally, I never evolved past my paper round,” he smiled, pouring himself a second bowl of cereal.

  “I could never have done a paper round. I'd have gotten lost and nobody would have gotten their newspaper until it was at least one day old,” I joked, although it was probably truer than I'd care to admit.

  “Come on, you can't be that bad,” Jason said sceptically.

  “I am. Honestly, I got lost in a shopping centre once when I was seven. It took my brothers two hours to find me.”

  I cringed as I remembered how scared I'd been. I'd wandered off following a kid with a cool balloon and when I looked back I couldn't see any of my brothers. I'd run around madly trying to find them but had no luck. I'd gotten scared when a strange man had tried to talk to me. He was probably just checking that I was okay, but it freaked me out so I'd run away and hidden under a clothing rail until one of the members of staff had found me.

  “Wow,” Adam laughed. “That's almost impressive!”

  I pursed my lips and nodded. I was probably more grateful than any other human being for the GPS on my mobile.

  Chapter 11

  Friday, 5th October 2012

  I bent over resting my hands on my knees as I finished the last set. It had been an insanely tough session but I felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I drained the last of my water bottle.

  “Alright everyone, nicely done today!” Jason declared as the group gathered round. He opened his mouth to continue but Lottie cut in before he had chance.

  I saw Grayson shoot Jason a quizzical frown, but Jason just looked vaguely amused. Lottie thanked everybody and the grouped dispersed. As I moved to leave, she caught my arm.

  “Jamie, can I have a word?” She asked, motioning for me to follow her away from the group.

  “What's up?” I asked as she stopped and turned back to me.

  “I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you seeing Jason?” she asked.

  “Um, no, why?” I asked, confused as to why she was asking.

  “No reason,” she shrugged. “You should be careful around him, that's all.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, a little offended. Jason had been nothing but sweet to me.

  “He's got a bit of a reputation. Just be careful with him,” she shrugged her shoulders and started walking back to the changing rooms, effectively dismissing me.

  That was weird. I wonder what her problem is? I shrugged it off and made my way towards the exit. I caught Jason's eye and he tilted his head, beckoning me to him. He was stood talking with a guy whose name I think was Hasim, I hadn’t talked to him much.

  “You enjoy that?” He asked as I came closer to him.

  “Yeah it was good, thanks,” I smiled at him. “I'm cream crackered now though.”

  “Wanna walk home?”

  “Nah, I'd freeze; I'm all sweaty and gross,” I said, scrunching up my face and rubbing my arms to circulate heat.

  “Okay then, Grayson was going to run back too. Let's grab him and go,” he nodded. He said a few quick words to Hasim who nodded and waved him off. Did he just speak another language? I dismissed it and trotted alongside Jason whilst we went to meet up with Grayson and head home.

  “Thanks for your help proofreading my essay last night, Jason,” I said as I looked up at him.

  “Anytime,” he grinned at me. He'd text me after my lecture and asked me if I wanted to keep him company at the library, which of course I'd been more than happy to do.

  “Want to come out tomorrow night, Jamie?” Grayson asked me as we waited for the traffic lights to turn green at a crossing.

  “Out?” I asked. “Where are you going?”

  “Not sure yet, we were gonna grab a few flyers on the way in. We'll probably end up at Oceana though.”

  “I'm not sure. I'm not really much for drinking and dancing.”

  “Aw come on, it'll be fun!” He pleaded.

  “I'll think about it,” I said, not wanting to disappoint him. I really ought to at least give it a try. My night out with my flat mates hadn't been that bad. The music was good at least. And I might not have met Jason if I hadn't gone.

  “Who's going?” I asked.

  “A few of the MMA guys, a friend from my European Politics class and his girlfriend, and maybe a few others.”

  “Nobody I know?” I asked, hoping that none of the MMA guys would know my supposedly semi-famous brother.

  “I didn't invite Simon, if that's what you mean.” He grinned at me. “I'm thinking he's not my biggest fan after last Saturday.”

  “Sorry,” I blushed. “I hope that's not because of me.”

  “Nah, don't worry about it,” he winked at me. “Besides, if I really pissed him off I could probably outrun him. I'm a quick bastard,” he said with a grin.

  “I noticed, I spent half that session staring at your backside as you lapped me,” I sighed.

  “Oh, really?” He laughed. “Enjoy the view?”

  I blushed as I realised what I'd said. “That's not what I meant!” I started, my ears burning.

  “No, no! No take-backs,” he laughed.

  “I'm too focussed on putting one foot in front of another on the track to be able to take in what's happening around me,” I reassured him, noting Jason's relative silence.

  I had just hopped out of the shower when I heard my phone ringing. I ran the two steps across the distance of my room and snatched up my phone. It was Ian.

  “Hi, Ian!” I said cheerily as I brought the phone to my ear.

  “Hi, Jellybean, you enjoy your run?”

  “Yes thanks, it was good. Exhausting though. You guys okay?” I asked, not at all surprised that he knew I'd been running.

  “Yep,” he grunted.

  The line was quiet a few seconds and I wondered if he was expecting me to apologise for the dress and fight incidents, which he'd undoubtedly heard about from Karl and Craig.

  “Um,” I paused, stumbling for the right words. “I didn't mean to cause you all to worry, I'm sorry,” I said quietly.

  “I'm not calling about that,” he said coldly. “Although we will be talking about it when you're home.”

  I blinked. It wasn't like I wasn't expecting him to want to go over it, bu
t the threat in his voice was obvious and I found myself really disinclined to make the trip even though I was missing them all.

  “Which is why I'm calling,” he continued. “Jake's coming over next Saturday, October twelfth.”

  “Oh?” I said, confused as to why he was telling me this.

  “He's fixing tickets, you'll need to talk to him and see if he wants to come down the night before and crash at yours or catch the early train on the Saturday.”

  What? Is he serious? Of course he's serious. Ian doesn't do joking.

  “But-” I started to protest but Ian cut me off.

  “Problem, Jelly?” His voice was controlled and full of confidence. This was Ian's soldier mode.

  Anger rose in my chest as I realised that he expected me to just drop everything. This is so typical. I had no right to be angry though. I took a slow, controlled breath. They'd given so much to help me get here, I couldn't be angry at them for wanting me to come home and see them.

  “No, sir,” I said quietly.

  “Good. We'll talk about your behaviour then.”

  “Yes, sir,” I nodded solemnly even though he couldn't see me. When Ian was like this there was no point arguing with him.

  “Call Jake and see what he wants to do about it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Okay,” he said, his voice warming a little. “You okay for food?”

  “Yes, thank you,” I answered cautiously, not wanting to cause him to return to his Special Forces persona.

  “Not living off take-away, I hope?” I could hear an edge of humour in his voice and found myself relaxing.

  “No, I actually haven't had takeaway at all,” I said as I realised it was true. Maybe I should indulge one night. It would be a novelty to eat take-away without having to fight to get a decent portion.

  “You're eating enough, though?” He asked.

  I smiled, it was sweet that he wanted to make sure. He was usually the one to beat the others off and make sure that I got something to eat.

  “Yep, probably more than ever. You'll think I'm fat when I get home.”