Chapter 182
Jake continues to refuse to acknowledge me, even when we get on the flight, his earphones in and his music blaring. He submerges himself in work across the aisle from me on his laptop, laying a bag on the seat beside him, making it clear he wants space. I grit my teeth and jut out my chin in anger. Getting up and shaking my head at him in fury.
Screw you, Jake, act like an asshole and I’ll happily treat you like one.
I move down the plane, pick a seat facing away and haul out my book. Not that I can focus. I’m seething that he’s behaving this way.
Why is it always about what he wants, and I must go along or be frozen out? Sometimes he’s impossible.
* * *
“You’re not coming?” I balk at him as I slide into the car that Jefferson is holding open for me, my heart falling to my feet like a heavy sandbag. Pain constricting in my throat.
“No, I’ve to go take care of a few things.” Jake avoids looking at me, his expression hard as he gazes off across the airfield toward an approaching familiar car. He lets Jefferson take our cases and load them in the boot as I stare with open astonishment through the wide car door.
“Jake, we need to talk about things?” I plead, my angry resolve that has lasted through our entire flight dissipates, replaced with hurt. Anxiety and panic rising inside of me.
How ironic that now I’m the one who wants to talk. When did that flip?
“I’ve nothing else to say,” he says coldly, he turns and heads off toward his car, now parked on the runway about twenty feet away, I note Daniel sliding dutifully out of the driver’s door with a confused look on his face. He obviously had orders to drive Jake’s pride and joy here and is wondering what the hell is eating his ass. Daniel looks him over, noting the tense scowl, the rigid posture, and the way he completely blanks my existence without a backward glance. Daniel looks at me hesitantly and I glimpse, for a moment, an almost worried expression. My stomach lurches.
“You’re being an asshole,” I spit at his retreating back, but he only lifts a hand in a gesture that dismisses me. A wave at an irritation that he doesn’t want to deal with; the pain rises up my chest and threatens to suffocate me.
He stalks to the driver’s side and thumbs Daniel out of the way arrogantly, he reluctantly moves out and around the car to get in the passenger side. Taking one last look at my direction and a quick flick to Jake’s profile, his face says it all. Daniel thinks we’re over. He frowns and retreats.
Oh, my god.
My breath catches in my throat with the overwhelming despair inside of me as I try to figure out if we really are.
Jake slides into the P1 and pulls down the door aggressively, firing it up, and revving the engine so it roars across at me. The sound is both intimidating and terrifying. I’m pretty sure that if he had something to smash right now, he would be focusing all his energy on beating the crap out of it, he’s practically aching for a fight.
The car reverses at death defying speed with a squeal, a huge drift of black smoke billowing from the tires as he spins the car around in a show of idiocy. Hand brake spinning it, so it’s facing the other way in a blink. He slams his foot down, wheel spinning viciously for a few seconds and takes off like a bat out of hell, the air ringing with the powerful engine and squealing of brakes. The stench of burned rubber and god knows what else tainting the oxygen around me. All I hear is the roaring hum as it clings to the tarmac and speeds out of sight, it makes me want to scream in frustration.
What the actual fuck, Jake?
We’ve had arguments before and none since we got together where he’s ever just walked off and left things in the air like this, he’s obviously in arrogant asshole mode. Not since the boat, so very long ago, has he behaved this way. Surely, he won’t end things over this, even he isn’t that dumb.
I get that I’ve hurt him, maybe more than I realize, but there is no need for him to behave this way toward me. Things are different between us now.
I slam my door, not waiting for Jefferson, and throw myself into the seat in a tearful rage. If he’s trying to punish me then it’s working but I’m not going to let him know that. He can be a jackass; if he wants to act like this then he should never have chosen me as a girlfriend. Of all the women in the world, I’m not one who will chase after him like some pathetic girl with a broken heart and try to make this right. This is on him; his stupid asshole behavior and he needs to get a grip.
“Take me to Queens,” I command as Jefferson slides in. “I’ll be staying there tonight.” I sound more in control than I really feel, my inner body twisting and aching in pain.
“Yes, Ma’am.” The cool gentle tone responds, a flicker of a frown in his mirror and know that he’s pissed at Jake too. It soothes me a little.
Before long, we’re heading out of the city and forward in search of Sarah and solitude. Jake needs to realize that despite his domineering ways, I am still my own person. Maybe I’ve let him take the lead a little too often of late and he’s getting used to dictating my life. He can take his mood and sulk as long as he needs and then when he finally sees just how much of a jackass he is being, he can come find me. I’m not playing this game again! One thing his leaving the boat taught me was, that Jake is an impulsive ass when his feelings are bruised, and he acts like an adolescent. He carries on like a child and lashes out impulsively at those he loves.
Hasn’t he done that to me once before?
I will leave him to simmer. God knows how long this will take him to get over; that one time on the boat saw him in a mood for almost two weeks but he came back, and he made things right. I have to trust that he will do that now.
