“Night,” I reply.
Dave backs up and starts to walk down the hall, then he stops a few feet away and turns to look at me.
“I know it’s not my place, and I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but for what it’s worth, I don’t believe what that girl’s claiming. I’ve worked for Jake for a long time and I’ve seen a lot, and I also have a knack for knowing when people are lying – something I learned in my years as a marine, and in my opinion Jake’s telling the truth.” He presses his lips together giving me one last small smile, then turns and walks away.
I close the door behind me and lean up against it.
Everyone believes Jake. I think even Simone does to be quite honest, but she hasn’t said. So it seems it is only me who doesn’t believe him. But then I was the one who found him in bed with her.
And Dave was a marine? How did I not even know that?
But still, don’t digress and don’t waiver Tru. Trust your own judgement. You know what you saw.
Jake’s a womaniser. Everyone knows that. It’s who he is, so why in the world would he ever change for you.
Pulling my case through the suite, I park it up in the humongous bedroom, and that’s when I see a light blue gift box sitting on the equally humongous bed.
Jake.
I go over and sit on the edge of the bed beside it. Tentatively I lift the lid off the box.
Inside is a brand new iPhone. There’s also a little card in the box. I open it and read:
This is to replace the one I broke. It’s registered to your old number. I set it up for you with your ring tone.
J. x
With trembling fingers I pick the phone up, dropping the card back into the box.
I can’t believe he bought me a brand new iPhone – no, actually I can, this is Jake we’re talking about.
Well I’m not keeping it. He can’t buy me back with fancy gadgets.
It is pretty though.
I might just turn it on, see what it’s like, you know, in case I decide to buy myself one after I’ve given him this one back.
I switch it on and the screen lights up. I wait while it loads.
The screen saver comes into focus behind the icons. It’s a picture of Lumb Falls.
Tears instantly fill my eyes from the barrage of memories it brings.
Is he trying to hurt me?
I press the music icon, ridding the picture from the screen, and see just one song sitting in there. Adele. My ring tone.
Selecting the song to play, I sit and listen as Adele starts to sing, acapella from my phone.
I’ve never heard this version before. I wonder where he got it?
Over Adele’s singing, I hear a light knock on the main door.
It’s probably Simone coming to check on me. She’s such a worrier.
I wander from the bedroom, phone in hand with Adele still singing, through the living room, and I swing the door open.
Jake.
My heart stops.
He looks beautiful, so very beautiful. He’s unshaven, his eyes dark, tired, but he is still so absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.
It makes my chest hurt.
His scent permeates the air. His special Jake scent. My insides start to ache, and my fingers itch with absolute desperation to touch him.
All of my anger toward him dissipates. All the things I wanted to say, thought I would say to him – gone.
I’m rendered powerless by his presence.
I clutch my hand around the still singing phone.
“You got it.” He looks down at the phone in my hand.
My eyes follow his. “I-I did. Yes, thank you – you didn’t have to buy me this though.”
“Yes I did.” He looks up, straight into my eyes.
My legs start to tremble.
“You like the song?” he asks, blinking me free.
“Yes, thank you. It’s amazing. I love it.”
“She’ll be happy to hear that.”
I’m confused, and a little suspicious. “Where did you get the song?”
He pushes his hand through his hair and hangs it off the back of his neck; I see the muscles in his arms tense. It makes me want to touch him even more.
“It’s yours. She recorded it to the phone as a favour for me.”
“She did?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
Holy fuck. He got me my very own acapella recorded ring tone. I am the only person in the world to have to this version.
I have my very own special ring tone, because of him.
What was left of my heart has just been crushed to smithereens. I can feel tears thickening my throat.
He makes it so hard for me to hate him when he does ridiculously lovely shit like this for me.
No, don’t weaken. It’s just all part of his plan to trick his way back into my life.
He had sex with another woman.
I think.
I don’t know.
Fuck.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
We stare at one another for a long moment. Adele stops singing in my hand, breaking it.
“Did you want something or…?” I pull nervously on the hem of my T-shirt, looking down away from his heavy stare.
“Oh, yeah, I uh … I brought your things.” He pulls a suitcase out just from behind the wall.