Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
We walked into Jet's place; it was quiet for the time being, since his roommate was still at the club trying to find a girl. He had a really nice place, a lot nicer than my cramped apartment that I shared with Julie. The decorations were a little tacky, but what could you expect from an apartment full of guys? I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. When I looked up I was surprised to see my drawing hanging on the wall. It brought a smile to my face. I really had thought that he had thrown it out―that he only paid for it to get in my pants. I didn't expect that he had hung it up already, but it hung proudly on the wall, and the fact that it was there touched me deeply.
“I told you I kept it.” He came over and sat with me on the couch. He smiled at me, and I remembered what a nice smile he had.
“It looks nice up there.”
“Yeah, I thought it was time to get rid of all the hockey posters. Maybe I will get a few more pieces from you.”
I just nodded.
He got up and went into the kitchen. He poured us a drink, whiskey and Coke, just the way he knew I liked it. He brought over the glasses and gave me one. “It will help calm you down.”
“Thank you.” I drank half the glass before I set it down, causing him to chuckle.
He got up again and went into the bathroom. I heard the tap running, and it wasn't long before he came back out. He was holding a wet cloth. He sat back down and leaned into me. He grabbed my chin in his hand and turned my face to him. His gentleness surprised me, and tears sprang up in my eyes once again. He took the cloth and dabbed at my lip, cleaning the blood away from the cut.
“It's not deep, so you don't need stitches.”
I smiled. “That's good.”
He continued to clean me up, and then he allowed me to drink the rest of the whiskey out of my glass.
“I love whiskey, it's delicious.”
He laughed. “I noticed and I would have to agree.” I looked into his eyes and I couldn't help but start crying again. The mugger had terrified me. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. He was so rough that I wasn't sure if I was going to be raped or killed. I couldn't have been more grateful to see Jet show up and get a hold of the guy. Even if he did bring the blonde tramp with him.
“Thank you for being there. For catching the guy, for saving me.”
“God, Natalie, of course. I saw red as soon as I realized you had been hurt. Guys like that need to be wiped off the face of the planet. He'll think twice about hurting another girl. I broke a few of his ribs.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, and he's lucky that's all I did to him.” He brushed the hair out of my eyes and touched my cheek softly.
“How about you go take a shower and freshen up? I’ll get you something to wear to bed. You should probably get some rest.”
“That sounds nice, thank you.”
I followed him to the bathroom. He showed me where the towels were, and turned on the shower for me.
“Adjust the temperature the way you like it. I’ll be right back.”
I went to the shower and felt the temperature. It was a little hot, so I turned the temperature down before I went into the closet and pulled out a towel. I put it close to the shower so it would be right there when I got out.
Jet came back into the bathroom and handed me some clothes. “Here's a pair of boxers and a T-shirt of mine. Hopefully they will do for the night.”
“They’re fine. Thanks.”
He left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I undressed quickly and hopped into the shower. I just wanted to rinse off a bit, and get the feeling of the guy’s hands off of me. I hated feeling his touch on my body; it gave me the creeps. I just stood under the showerhead, allowing the water to cascade down my body. The heat felt wonderful against my skin, and I began to feel normal once again.
I turned the water off and pulled open the curtains. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel. Water droplets disappeared as I dried off with the towel and then I looked at myself in his bathroom mirror. I surveyed the damage to my lip and willed myself not to cry again.
I looked around for a brush and only found a comb in a drawer, but it would do. I quickly brushed my hair and dried off the remaining droplets. I dressed in the clothes Jet had brought me, and hung up the towel on the shower rod. I left the bathroom and went to look for Jet. I found him on the couch drinking another glass of whiskey.
“Do you want to have another drink?”
I shook my head and then said, “No, I think I'm ready for bed, if you don't mind.”
“Of course not.”
“Should I sleep on the couch?”
“No, you can sleep with me.”
“What? No, I don't think so.”
“Don't be silly. I will keep my distance. I just don't want you out of my sight right now.”
I nodded. I watched as he downed his drink, and then I followed him down the hall and into his bedroom. He pulled back the covers of the bed and put a few pillows down the middle.
“See, there is something in between us. You don't have to worry about me putting the moves on you.”
I laughed for the first time that evening.
“Sorry I ruined your hookup.” It was the first time I brought up the blonde he was leaving the club with. He looked a little embarrassed at my mentioning it.
“Naw, you probably did me a favor. Besides, I would much rather you be here.”
I crawled into bed and drew the covers up around me. I lay my head down on the pillow and Jet did the same. We faced each other, and I smiled to lighten the butterflies that were in my stomach causing a stir.
“Can we talk about the kiss?”
He nodded. “It was a pretty great kiss.”
I laughed. “Yes, it was. I'm sorry I sent you away, it kind of scared me. I just didn't handle it well.”
“You did fine. I'm just an idiot. I should know when to take things slow. You're not like other girls.”
“You know what you handled badly? The next day.”
By the look on his face, he knew that I knew about the lie.
“Yeah, like I said, I'm an idiot. If it makes you feel better, I didn't expect it to go beyond this apartment. Believe me, Kyle got a beating when I found it went public.”
“But why did you say it to begin with? Why would you tell him something like that when it wasn't true?”
“I don't know. I thought you blew me off. I was hurt and angry, and when I got back home, Kyle was already sure we had slept together, and I just didn't want to look like a fool for not having sealed the deal.”
“Why? What's the big deal that we didn't?”
“It's just the way guys are, Natalie. We consider that shit important for some reason. It was never my intention to hurt you, and I was pretty devastated when I found out most people knew. If I could take it all back, I would.”
I stared at him for a moment or two before saying, “I forgive you. As long as you promise me you will never do anything like that again.”
“You have my word.” I smiled, feeling the anxiety of the evening drifting out of my body. “You know, I don't always have it together, ya know. I may seem cool and collected, but I'm messed up myself, and that's probably why I say and do things that I shouldn't. I used to be real scared when I was a kid. It's no excuse for my behavior, but I just want you to know I really am sorry.”
“I know.” I paused before I asked, “Why were you scared as a kid?”
He smiled softly and had a sad look on his face. “You should get some rest, beautiful. Tomorrow is another day.”
Confused, I decided to let it go for the time being. As my eyelids fluttered closed, it wasn't long before I fell into a deep sleep.