Chapter 8
Beth
When you work in fashion there are two things that you should always be able to do. One, you should always dress for success, preferably in your company's own brand; and two, you should learn how to walk in heels like a boss.
You would think that working at Mad Designs as well as being close to the CEO and his model fiancée, I could pull both of these things off with ease on a daily basis. Well, today must be an off day. I missed my mouth when I tried to take a sip of my coffee this morning and coffee drenched the front of my body like a wet t-shirt contest. To top off the amazing morning that I’m having, while walking back to my apartment to change my coffee stained blouse, my heel got stuck in a crack and broke.
Now I look like a hot mess, not exactly the way I wanted to walk into work and see Jacob for the first time since our date on Friday. So I went home to change and be more presentable.
I’m grumbling by the time that I sit at my desk. I am an hour late and not wanting this to be how I start my week. I rearrange items on my desk and I start my standard morning like clockwork as my desk phone rings.
“Hello?” I say into the receiver.
“Good. You’re here. Just wanted to make sure before I came over.” Jacob says and then hangs up before I could protest.
Butterflies emerge in my stomach. I’m not really ready to see him, but it’s not as if I can run and hide from him.
“Hi.” Jacob steps into my office a moment later and sits at the chair in front of my desk.
He’s looking anxious and unsure of his actions, something that I wasn’t totally used to. Dressed in a navy blue suit and brown shoes, he carries himself well, despite the anxiousness.
“Hey.” I smile wistfully while placing my chin in my palm as I admire the view.
“You came in later than usual today. Rough night?” He tilts his head, reminding me of a puppy.
“More like a rough morning.” I grimace.
“Everything okay?” he asks with concern.
“It’s just a few events of my morning that aren’t so amazing. Kind of a series of unfortunate events, sans Lemony Snicket. What’s up? How was the rest of your weekend?”
“Huh? Nevermind, not sure that I want to know. Anyways, the weekend was good. Yours?”
“It’s a book.” I say, brushing off the fact that he doesn’t recall literature, or even the Jim Carrey movie from the mid 2000’s. “Allie called me all panicky because we went out and then neither she nor Ty could get a hold of either of us.”
“I got tons of missed calls from Ty. What if we were together and they were interrupting something?”
“I asked the same thing!” I whisper-shout.
“Oh, you did, did you?” He quirks his eyebrow.
“Why weren’t you answering your phone? Allie was worried.”
“I went for a run and then met up with a buddy for lunch.” He shrugs. “Anyways, I brought you something.” He leans over and then places a bag on my desk in front of me.
The smell of bacon enters my nostrils beckoning me, making my mouth water as I grab the bag and start to open it. I peek inside and the delicious smell of a bacon egg breakfast bagel hits me, my favorite from the deli around the corner. I close my eyes as I inhale.
“Thank you.” I smile.
“I remember you liking that. I’m sorry it’s not as warm as it could be.” Jacob says.
“It’s perfect.” I feel like I’m melting into mush.
“Where’s mine?” Tyson asks, poking his head in my doorway.
“At the deli around the corner.” Jacob says not even turning around, but keeping his eyes steadily on mine with a smile.
Tyson walks further into the room and comes to stand beside me. He leans against the wall, crosses his feet at the ankles and puts his hands in his pockets as he goes silent. I look up at him and see the intimidating look he’s giving his brother.
“What are your intentions?” Tyson asks in a stern tone.
Jacob looks at his brother and then at me. I shrug, interested in where this will go.
“My intentions? Who are you, her keeper?”
“She is my best friend.” Tyson simply says.
“And?”
“And, I’m looking out for her. I know you and I know her. With your colorful past, I think that I have all the right.”
“My colorful past? You aren’t a Boy Scout either, buddy.”
“Never mentioned that I was.” Tyson says.
“I think Beth is an adult and can make her own decisions, including who she wants to be with.” Jacob counters.
“Beth is sitting right here. Why are you both acting as if I’m not in the room?” I sneer at them, but neither of them is budging.
“Beth can make her own decisions, but it’s you hurting her that I’m worried about.”
“Hey! Both of you bozos, I’m not going to talk to either of you if you continue this shit! I will date whoever I want, Tyson. And if I’m dating Jacob, then that’s my choice.”
“So are you guys dating?” Tyson asks, looking between us.
Jacob
I feel like I can’t breathe as I wait for Beth to answer Tyson. I want her to say yes, and there is a very small part of me that is terrified of her answer. I know that my brother is being a good friend, and that he thinks of Beth as family and I can appreciate that she has someone so deep in her corner that he would go head to head with his own blood in case I wasn’t good enough. With my colorful history, am I good enough for her?
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m dating Jacob.” she says, looking at me with a tentative smile.
I return her smile, force myself to stay in my seat and then meet my brother’s hard gaze.
“If you hurt her, you may want to disappear.” my brother threatens, pointing his finger at me.
“Geez, Ty. Calm your tits and chill with the testosterone. I can practically taste it. It’s a little too musky for this early in the morning.” Beth hisses.
“Just making sure my brother knows that I’ve got your back.” Tyson puts his hand on her shoulder and stands behind her. While he’s my brother by blood, he’s always been very brotherly with her, very protective, which I respect. He’s going head to head with me, basically telling me not to fuck up. I think that’s honorable.
Tyson leaves the room after patting my shoulder on the way out, leaving Beth and I alone together.
“So,” I start.
“So.” She fidgets, looking everywhere but at me directly.
“So, we’re dating now?”
“Was that okay? Was out of line? Oh my god, are you going to have to disappear now?” Her eyes go wide as she rushes out the words.
I rush to stand in front of her. “Why would I disappear?” I ask with my hands on her forearms.
“You don’t date.” she says quietly, as if it’s a secret.
“Remember, you’re not just a fuck.” I say, leaning down, my lips barely brushing her cheek. She angles her head, giving me a prime landscape to brush kisses across. I run my nose against her smooth skin, feeling it prickle as my lips graze her skin, along with her sharp intake of breath.
“We shouldn’t do this here.” she whispers, regaining her composure. “I have work to do.”
“You recall that my last name is on all the stationary, right?” I try to not laugh.
“That’s beside the point. This is work. We should remain professional here.”
“Tonight? Can I see you?” I rush out, wanting to expand on this moment.
“No,” she simply says.
“No? But we’re dating. If we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, then I don’t see why not.”
“I never said you were my boyfriend, I said that we were dating.”
“The difference?”
“Right now, I can’t think of one, but I’m sure there is.”
“So why can’t I see you tonight?” I ask again.
“I have plans.”
“Such as what?” I ask, knowing damn well she is just going to make up an excuse.
“I’m washing my hair.” She smirks.
“Try again.” I goad her.
“My laundry needs to be done; I’ve only got granny panties left.”
“I happen to not give a shit about what kind of panties you may or may not be wearing.” I say as she makes a face.
“I have to get an oil change.”
“Mechanics close at standard times.” I shake my head, enjoying where this is going.
“Okay, so I have no viable reason for why I can’t see you tonight. I just don’t want to spend all my free time with you, especially when we just started dating ten minutes ago.”
“Ten minutes ago? I’m going to think of Friday night as when we started dating.” I smile.
“We just confirmed that we were dating, by the force of your brother. I don’t think we can go back in time and decide these things.” she says, crossing her arms.
“We make the rules, babe. So I say we started dating on Friday. And I also say that it’s perfectly fine to see me every night, starting with tonight.” I smirk.
“We’ll see about that, Casanova. Don’t you have work to do?”
“I do, but I own part of the company, so I can kind of do what I want.” I shrug.
“Well, some people have to work for their paycheck, so if you would kindly scooch off my desk that would be kind of super.”
“I’ll go if you see me tonight.” I plead.
“You don’t give up, do you?” She fights a smile.
“Not when I want something.”
“If I say yes, will you please go?” She sighs.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
I hold my hand up to her for a high five, and then feeling like an idiot for expecting the return, I put my hand down. “I’ll meet you at your place, six-ish? I’ll bring dinner?”
“Sounds good.” She smiles.
I stand to leave, think twice and bend and kiss her on the cheek. My lips linger on her cheek and then I turn and I’m in her doorway when she speaks again.
“And Jake, thank you for breakfast.” I double tap her doorway and smile as I retreat from her office and walk into my own.
***
I’m anxious throughout the day and finally when six comes around, I have tacos in one hand and I’m knocking on her door. She answers the door, and steps aside. She’s changed from her work clothes into yoga pants and a thin tank top. Her long hair is in a ponytail, swaying in time with her hips as she walks further into her apartment. The last time that I was inside, we were both drunk and I didn’t get a good look at the place. She leads me into the kitchen and reaches into a cabinet to get some plates. The hem of her tank top rises and I see her tan skin. I refrain from moving to her side and touching her. I pull out the tacos and plate them for us and, once I’ve got both full plates in my hands, she angles her head to direct me into the living room.
We ate in comfortable silence with the television on in the background.
“How do we do this?” I ask.
“Do what?” she asks, after she finishes chewing.
“Well, I don’t know how to date. I’m being open and honest here. Teach me the ways, Yoda.”
“I’m not a pro at it or anything. But we do what we’re doing right now. We have meals together, we hang out, we talk, and we do whatever feels comfortable.”
“And that doesn’t always necessarily mean sex, right?” She shoots me a look and I hold up my hands. “I’m just asking.”
“We do what feels comfortable. In relationships, you don’t usually rush things, but sometimes you do. Sex is one of those things that you should feel comfortable doing.”
“So, six months ago? You were comfortable with me?”
“I’ve known you forever. I think it’s safe to say that I’m comfortable with you.”
“Good. So we’ve already broken the seal, would that mean we’re back-peddling?”
“Jake, that night was fueled by tequila. I think that’s neither here nor there.”
“Good point. Basically, we go with the flow?”
“Yes. We can be as exciting or as boring as we want.”
“Well, then I vote that we do boring for a bit. I think I’ve had a lot of excitement and I think I want to take life leisurely.”
“We can do whatever is comfortable.”
“So you’ll hang out with me while I play video games?”
“Um, maybe.”
I laugh. “I’ll take a maybe. This whole relationship thing might be pretty cool.”
After we cleared the table, we settle back on the couch. We sat apart at first, but as the show continued, my hand made its way to hers, intertwining our fingers together. Then that same hand landed on her thigh, our thighs were flush against another, and her head lay on my shoulder. Her other hand was on my thigh, her fingers lightly brushing a pattern that only she knew.