Until I Met You

Patch up (34)

Grace

I walked inside my house and without making efforts to remove my shoes, slumped on my couch. I was tired. It was midnight and I didn't know where Jake went. It was obvious he went someplace where he could vent his anger, but I wasn't worried. Mason was with him so he will be fine.

But what about me?

I was angry at Jake's words. He never treated me as a sex worker. Never once he made me feel like he thought of me as a prostitute but as a normal person. Then why did he say those things? Why all of a sudden, he wanted me to quit this job? Because it hurt his ego? Or was it because his 'supposed girlfriend' did what she had to do? I think I know why he reacted the way he did.

He was jealous.

My phone beeped. I sighed. I don't want any more stress than I already had. Hence, I did not check my phone. I just closed my eyes and let my head rest back. My phone beeped again, and then again. I let out a grunt of annoyance and picked up my phone. It was from Mason. He had sent me a picture and two texts. Lazily, I opened his text messages.

I sat up straight after seeing the picture and reading his texts. It was a picture of Jake. He looked quite drunk. Beneath it, the text read,

"He's wasted. Drinking way too much."

Another text from him said, "When he gets drunk, he picks up fights. Come here and help him."

My phone buzzed again. It was the address of someone's house. Without thinking much, I grabbed my house keys and left my house to go there.

I reached the place in no time. It was a normal party like a house. Music was blaring so loud that I felt the vibration from outside his house's parking lot. Anyway, I walked inside the house. Right as I walked in, the smell of sweat, liquor and cologne hit my nose. It was really intense that I felt I would gag in it.

Weirdly, I saw no one was at the door to stop from strangers coming in. Anyone could come in. Nobody even asked if I was invited. Someone had no fear of strangers walking into their house. I wasn't complaining though. After all, it worked in my favor.

I navigated through the dancing crowd and walked where drinks were being served.

There, I saw him. He was sitting there. Taking shots after shots. Beside him was Mason. Who was looking at Jake with a bored look. Like he couldn't care less what Jake did. Then why did he call me?

I walked to Jake's side. Mason nodded his head once to me. Then he gestured to Jake. When I looked at Jake, he didn't even look at me to acknowledge my presence. Like I wasn't standing there, so closed to him. I could smell him reeking with alcohol. I stifled the urge to scrunch my nose up in smell and vomit. I pushed it all the way down. With his last chug he emptied his glass. So he reached for the whole bottle to pour himself more alcohol. I grabbed his hand that was going to pick it up.

"I think you had enough. You won't be able to handle yourself if you drink anymore." I whispered to him, softly. Trying to convince him to stop. But he snatched his hand away from my hold and continued with his task to fill his glass full of more. When he raised his glass to his mouth, ready to take a sip, I stopped him again.

"Jake enough. I didn't come here to let you get wasted than you already have. Let's go home." I told him in a bit of annoyed tone. Finally, he looked at me.

"Then go back. I'm not going anywhere with you." He replied. With that, he started drinking from his glass. Mason gave me a look of dismay. I ignored him. I've had enough of pursuing him. If he wanted to stay where he was and how he was. Then, so be it.

Without saying anything more, I turned around and started to walk outside. I was walking without any sense of direction when I collided into someone.

"Whoa. Careful, pretty lady." The person I collided with said. He was smiling down at me. I shrugged and started to move around him to leave this place, but he grabbed my hand and stopped me.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked. I was about to say no but I didn't. My eyes darted to Jake. He was chugging the drinks down. Never once he looked back to see where I was going. If he could have fun, so why can't I?

"Sure. Why not?" I told him with a smile. He smiled back. He grabbed my hand and led me to a sitting area on the backside of the house. He told me to wait there and went inside to grab a drink. No one was outside. I was sitting outside alone.

Music was blaring inside but it sounded a little muffled outside. After waiting for like two minutes, he came back with two drinks. Handing me one cup, he sat beside me. We both didn't say anything for some time then I decided to break the silence.

"What's your name?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Caleb. What's your name?" He asked. I looked ahead as I took a sip from my drink.

"Grace. Is it your party?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"No. It's one of my friends'. Does that mean that you weren't invited? Are you here with someone else?" Caleb asked. Someone. Jake. Remembering his behavior, I gulped down everything that was in my cup in one go while I fumed with anger. It was resurfacing again. That idiot.

"Yes. I'm here for..." My words stumbled on my tongue as all of a sudden, I felt dizzy. My vision blurred. I looked at Caleb.

"What?" I couldn't see clearly but I think I saw him ignoring my attempts to ask for help. I grabbed his hand to grab his attention. "Caleb. Caleb." I whispered. He didn't look back at me. And then my mind went blank.

I woke up in a dark room. I couldn't open my eyes completely. My vision was still fuzzy, but I was aware of my surroundings. Lights were out. My head hurt badly. What happened? Where was I? What did suddenly I remembered Caleb? He gave me a drink. Something was on that drink.

I heard a rustling sound but could not understand where it was coming from. Then I heard some whispers. I saw two outlines of men. One of them walked towards me. As that figure approached me and bent down closer to my face, I heard the door slammed open. The figure that was hovering over me retreated. I tried to move and sit up but failed.

I heard commotion in the room then it turned into yelling and then a cry of pain. By the grace of god, my vision cleared and I could move enough to sit up. When I sat up, what I saw shook me.

Jake was on a guy, beating the shit out of him. That guy being Caleb. With him stood some other guys, including Mason and Ethan. They did nothing to stop Jake from beating Caleb.

"Jake." I whispered. Feeling my throat was dry to the point I could not even swallow. But I tried again.

"Jake." Yet again, none of the guys looked at me. Perhaps, my voice was not loud enough. So this time, I stood up on my shaky legs. I walked towards Jake, feeling dizzy. When Jake gave Caleb one last punch and stood up. "Jake." This time, I spoke his name loud enough for him to hear it. Jake's eyes darted to mine, and he was in front of me in seconds with few long and hurried strides. I couldn't manage to stay on my feet any longer and collapsed. Two pairs of arms caught me in my mid fall. I was picked up and carried away from the commotion then from the party and outside the house. All the while my eyes were closed.

I felt cold as fresh, cold and strong air hit my face. I shivered because of it. Then I heard a car door open, and I was deposited to the seat, gently. Again, I heard the car opening and a door slamming shut. I opened my eyes to a slit and looked at Jake.

"You shouldn't drive. You're drunk." I told him. He ignored me. His brow was furrowed in between. His anger was very visible. My suggestion angered him more, because after listening to me, he literally floored his car.

I knew saying anything would make things worse, so I shut my mouth and didn't say anything. I closed my eyes and waited for him to drop me home. When I opened my eyes, we were at Jake's house instead of mine. I gave him a confused look, but he didn't as much as glanced at me.

He climbed out of his car and came to my side. He opened the door and bent down to pick me up. I protested. I was sober enough to walk on my own.

"I can walk." I told him but like I've never said those words, he picked me up, slammed the door and carried me to his room. He dropped me on his bed and left his room. He came back with a pill and a glass of water.

I took the pill from him and gulped it down with the water. When I finished, he took the glass from me and put it on the side table and turned off the lights. He picked a pillow from my side and dropped it on his couch. And without saying anything he laid down. I wanted to talk to him but I didn't.

It was obvious that the matter was left for the next morning.