I know because I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at me – his love for me, and I wonder how I never saw it there before.
Maybe I couldn’t see it because he was afraid to truly show it to me. But now all those doors are open and I couldn’t be happier.
“Baby, can you pass me the jam?”
Jake and I are eating breakfast out on the balcony of his suite, with Paris as our backdrop.
Stuart is inside working in the living room rearranging Jake’s cancelled appearances back in the US. The ones he’s cancelled to stay here with me.
Stuart could work out of his own suite I suppose, but he does need to ask Jake things from time to time, and I think he gets a little lonely in his suite. I know I would. And I think he’s just used to being around Jake. I love the friendship they have, and I like having Stuart around, he’s fun and cool.
Jake passes over the jam and as I’m taking hold of it, he catches hold of my wrist and pulls me forward across the table. Meeting me halfway, he plants a long delicious kiss on my lips.
“You taste yummy,” I murmur. He’s been eating pain au chocolat.
“So did you,” he winks, and my face instantly flushes.
He’s referring to what he was doing to me in bed first thing this morning.
Shivers run from my head to my toes at the memory, a heat rising fast in me.
I sit back in my seat, picking up a knife, I spread jam on my croissant.
“So what do you want to do today?” Jake asks. “We could go sightseeing, do the whole touristy thing, Eiffel tower and that, and go out to lunch – we could go to the delicatessen that make the mini-cakes you love … or I can take you shopping and buy you lots of pretty things. I’m sure Denny would be up for it if you wanted Simone along for the shopping?”
Simone decided to stay on as well. She took a few days off work to spend with Denny as they are getting on really well. I’m so happy for her.
Tom and Smith took the jet back to LA. So there’s just the four of us, and Stuart, and of course Dave and Ben are still here in Paris also.
And Paris is beautiful. I’ve barely seen any of it while I’ve been here and I really want to go out with Jake today, but I don’t think I should.
I scrunch my face up in anticipation of what I’m going to say.
“What?” he sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “Is this the – me spending money on you thing, again? Because seriously, Tru, we’re together now and I have a lot of money and I want to spoil you rotten.”
“No, it’s not that. I mean I don’t want you spending ridiculous amounts of money on me, but I get that you’re rich and things are different when you’re rich so I’ll have to get used to that … it’s just.”
“What?” His brow furrows.
“I just thought maybe we could stay in.”
“We stayed in all day yesterday.”
“I know, and it was so awesome that I want to do it all over again.”
His frown deepens causing a line to form between his brows, so I know he’s not buying it.
“Yesterday was awesome, no doubting that, and last night and this morning too, but that’s not it, Tru, there’s something you’re not telling me. Why don’t you want to go out with me?”
“I do … it’s just…”
“It’s just what?” His tone is so forceful, that I give him a sharp look.
“Well, it’s just, I um…” I drag my fingers nervously through my hair. “I just know that if we go out together, it’s highly likely that we’ll be photographed together, because you’re well – you. And because you’re you, and you’re out with a woman … those photos will undoubtedly end up in the tabloids at some point.”
“You don’t want people to know we’re together?” He’s still frowning at me. “Are you ashamed of me or something?”
Ashamed of him? Where did that come from?
“No! How could you think that?”
“Um.” He rubs his forehead with his fingers, giving me a hard stare. “Because you don’t want to be seen in public with me.”
“It’s not that. I do want to be seen in public with you, I’m so happy to be with you. I love you. It’s just…” How do I say this without causing a row? “Will and I only broke up yesterday.”
His face darkens at the mention of Will, just like I knew it would.
“And I just think it would be really insensitive of me to go out in public with you and for those pictures to end up in the press for him to see. It’d be like rubbing salt in his already raw wound, and I don’t want to hurt him anymore that I already have done.”
“So this is about Will. What a fuckin’ surprise!” He throws his hands up in the air. “All you seem to care about is his feelings. What about my feelings, Tru? Or are they still irrelevant to you?”
I look at him shocked. “Your feelings were never irrelevant to me. I care about you, Jake – so much. I couldn’t bear the thought of you hurting. I love you – I’m in love with you.”
“Well you’ve got a funny way of showing it.” He folds his arms over his chest.
“You’re being irrational.”