Until I Met You

Bullying (21) Grace

I could not breathe. I tried to move but I couldn't move a muscle. Jesus. Why can't I move? My muscles were stiff and my body felt pressed more into the bed than usual. A really heavy weight was settled on me. What was on me? Goddammit! Why can't I move? My face was blocked with something. I got breathless and out of desperation to breathe I twisted my head up when my head bumped into something. I heard a faint groaning sound. I finally managed to turn my head to the side. With half opened eyes I peered up.

And then the realization set in.

Jake was sleeping on me. He was literally sleeping on me. And he was shirtless. I was still in my robe. He slept face down on me. His torso was pressed up against me making my breasts flat against his chest whereas his hips settled against mine. His one arm circled my waist that made my curve lift while his face was tucked in my neck blowing soft puffs of air as he breathed in slowly and rhythmically. His one arm was above my head, caging me in. His thighs were against mine and his foot flung in an awkward position.

It was then I realized two things. First, I woke up with my face buried in his chest and when I struggled to let my face out for breath I bumped into his chin making him bit into his lip that was slightly red from the cut. Second, I felt his happy morning wood poking me right at my entrance. His hips settled at the right place to make me feel him.

Oddly enough, I didn't do anything about our sleeping position. I let him lay on me while I turned my head slightly to look into his face. It didn't make any difference though as his face was buried in the side of my neck and I can't turn my head properly to see his face. His body's weight felt like a massage over my knotted muscles. It felt absurdly good to feel my body mold against his.

Suddenly, I remembered about last night. The events were scary. The real scare was the thinking of what would have happened if Jake didn't come at the right time. Will I still be alive? I knew that this job came with risks. Some serious risks but heavenly god, you really don't know what death feels like until you came that closer to it. It makes you realize how much you don't want to die. How much you care about yourself. Maybe Ben would have done much worse than what he spoke. If Jake hadn't come... I guess then I would be pretty many dead.

No matter how much I wanted Ben dead, I didn't want Jake to actually kill him. Silently I thanked God that he stopped and silently I felt sad to see him stop.

Jake came to help me and for that I was completely grateful for him.

I shifted my body, turning it to the side. Jake murmured something incoherent and moved to his back, getting off me. When the cold gust of air hit my bare legs then I realized that it was his body that was keeping me warm. The blanket I lay under yesterday's night now laid at our feet. I turned my face up and saw him looking almost like a five-year-old baby. His expressions were calm and peaceful. It seemed like he was dreaming. It made me smile. He looked so innocent that I couldn't help but touch his cheek with the back of my hand. In response to my touch he sighed. I let my linger on his face for a few seconds more but then I got up. I changed into jeans and a 'Keep calm and live at the moment' t-shirt. I didn't feel feverish or cold. Thermometer confirmed that I was good as usual.

Finally, I walked into the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for both of us. I prepared sandwiches and put the coffee in a coffee maker. Abruptly, I looked up at the door to find Jake leaning against the door frame and watching me. He wore his shirt now. For a second my heart thumped hard and my eyes widened but when I realized that it was Jake, my nerves came back down.

"You should scream if you are shocked. It might save your life. What if I was a criminal?" He asked with his hands in his pockets and one eyebrow raised in question.

"'Ah...' Was that enough?" I asked, mimicking a scream.

"Nah. You can do better." He said crossing his arms over his chest and looking amused.

"You can do better." I looked away and mimicked him under my breath. It made him laugh. I looked back at him. His whole face turned bright with his laugh.

"You must be completely fine if you can talk like that. What are you making anyway?" He asked. I took out two coffee cups down and poured the coffee. I put sandwiches in a tray.

"Coffee and sandwich. Okay for you?" I asked. He nodded his head. I brought it to the counter and sat it down. He took a seat on the other side of the table. Picking up the coffee, he took a small sip. Then he picked up the sandwich and hummed.

"God, you are good." I snapped my gaze at him and narrowed my eyes. He shook his head knowingly and grinned.

"I mean, you are a good cook. How did you know I liked bitter coffee?" I didn't. I looked at him confusingly and picked up my coffee, taking a sip. My lips tucked up in a grimace and my eyes closed at the bitter taste. It made him laugh again. God, I didn't realize that I forgot to add sugar.

"Damn. I forgot sugar." I got up and brought some sugar, dropping some into my coffee.

"You want some?" I asked, offering him sugar.

He didn't look at the sugar and with a mischievous glint in his eyes he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I want some." My mouth dropped open a bit but I snapped it shut. I didn't miss his intended meaning.

"I mean sugar. You want some sugar." I asked, emphasizing on Sugar. Again, without looking at the sugar, he replied, "Yeah. I guess I can have sugar." He smirked with that. I let out a disbelieving noise. "Oh. My. God. You know what, forget it. I'll have it all." I mixed the rest of the sugar in my coffee and stirred it with a spoon.

"I mean sugar. What do you think I was talking about?" I rolled my eyes at him. He was unbelievable. I took a sip from my coffee and grimaced again. It had turned a little too sweet.

"What?" Jake asked. Without asking for permission he took a sip from my coffee. For a second his face mirrored mine but when his eyes met mine he started laughing. Full on laughter. His chest shook with vibration, and he thumped his hand twice on the counter, making me growl.

Then my lips tucked up. I wanted to look pissed but when he pointed at the coffee and then at me with his still there laughter, I lost it. I started laughing. Every time he pointed at the coffee mug, I laughed more. We both laughed like we were being tickled with every inch of our life. My eyes teared up and my stomach hurt. I became breathless and I took a few seconds of break to inhale oxygen then I started laughing again. Finally, my laughter died down. Jake had already stopped laughing and was looking at me with a weird expression. Though, he was still smiling.

"Your laughter is really happy." He said, and my smile vanished. His sentence made me uncomfortable. Nobody had ever seen me laughing like this. I've never laughed like this in front of anyone. I don't remember if anyone had made me laugh so hard like this. Nobody really cared.

He must have felt the sudden change in my reaction because he changed the topic.

"Are you seriously going to drink that coffee?" He asked. I didn't want my efforts to go to waste but...

"Hold on a second." He said. He picked mine and his coffee then poured them into a bowl, mixing them. Then he poured it back into my coffee mug and the rest of it in his coffee mug. He gave me my mug and sipped from it. I did the same. It was cold but not over sugary.

"It's cold but much better." We ate in a comfortable silence after that.

"Pack up. We're going to college." He said. He stood up and put the dishes in the sink. He started to roll up his shirt's sleeve. I suddenly felt that I never properly thanked him. Not for saving me and not for taking care of me when I was sick. At least not in my right mind. His back was to me as he was turned to the sink.

I walked up to him and turned him with hands on his shoulders. I stood on my tippy-toes and gave a lingering kiss on his cheek. His body went stiff for a second, but then he relaxed. I backed down, suddenly feeling a little shy from my act. I don't even know why I felt that way even when I seduce man naked. He looked at me with a smile.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Ah... Hmm,... You know... last night." I stuttered, looking anywhere but him.

"I know." He said with a conventional tone like he really understood.

"No, you don't. I mean... for saving me and for taking care of me." I tried to explain. But I felt I wasn't doing it properly.

"I know." Jake emphasized. And I understood he got it. But I know he didn't get the intensity that I was really grateful for. No one had ever taken care of me when I was sick. No one ever held my hand or checked my temperature to know how high or low the fever was.

Nobody. Never.

Remembering this made my emotions bubble up. Jake was still looking at me. He suddenly grinned like an idiot.

"You know if you're that grateful then maybe you should thank me with much more than that." He said and I smacked his arm. His grin widened.

"Or how about another kiss?" He asked. I grabbed his shirt's collar, yanking him down then I stood on my toes and gave him a hard kiss on his other cheek.

"You got it." I said. This time it was me, who was grinning like an idiot. With that kiss I walked out of the room to pack up, leaving a very shocked Jake behind.

We walked in the college together. I heard murmurs around me. I was pretty sure it was about us. Jake had his one arm on my shoulder as we walked, making clear every doubt anyone had about our relationship.

Fake relationship. But still a relationship.

At least for others.

He walked me to my locker and stood on the other side. All this time we didn't say anything to each other but our silence still felt good. I opened my locker and saw it covered with many notes. "Stay away from him." one said.

"You know, I can give it to you much better than him." Said the other. It was stuck with a cum filled condom.

"Bitch, your saggy boobs won't attract him." Another note said, which was to stick with chew gum.

"If you're with him then I know you like it rough and hard. If he didn't do you good then come to me." This note had two boobs' pictures.

I heard giggling from somewhere. And then from somewhere, I heard a snorty laugh. My stomach twisted in knots. I looked up at Jake to find him looking at me. His face turned to look at me then his eyes darted to the surrounding people. His brow curled inward in confusion and I knew he saw my fear and sadness because he came to my side and looked inside my locker and his expressions turned furious.

He turned suddenly, probably to give everyone a piece of his mind but I grabbed his forearm. Stopping him from doing something stupid. I shook my head slightly towards him. Swiftly telling him not to do what he was about to do.

I didn't want to create another scene. Last night was enough for me. From the moment I stepped into this place, I had faced some sort of trouble. I just wanted a day off. I was fed up with all of this.

I saw Jake visibly grab a hold of himself and swallow the anger. It surprised me to see that he actually listened to me. He didn't have to, yet he still did. Which I was thankful for.

He walked me to my class. I took a step into my class when he stopped me. I looked back at him. He looked like he was debating with himself then he let go of my hand, turned around and left. Leaving me perplexed by his behavior. Whatever.

I took all my classes and thankfully no one bothered me. It didn't stop anyone from whispering behind my back but no one approached me. During this time I didn't take a lunch break. Angela did not attend any of the classes. I didn't see her anywhere. I felt bad because I wanted my friendship to work with her. After my last class I walked into the cafeteria and brought a double bread sandwich and tea. I didn't take a lunch break and it made my hunger much worse. I dropped my bag to the side and sat down on an empty chair. The Sun had already set and it left a bright angry red, yellow and orange light in the sky. The weather started to cool down. I took a bite from my sandwich. It was good. Out of nowhere, two hands appeared in my vision, grabbed my plate and disappeared. With a sandwich in my hand I looked back, and there he was.

"Jake!" Grunting, I stood up and walked to his table which was crowded with his buddies. He sat my plate down and slid a chair out for me. Dropping his ass on the chair beside me he gestured to me to sit down next to him. "Come on babe, you can't sit away from your boyfriend." He said, smirking at me which made his whole group of buddies laugh. My head turned down in embarrassment. Reluctantly, I sat down. His friends started talking among themselves. My eyes met Mason who winked at me playfully. I sighed and looked for Ethan, he was talking to other guys. Jake also started talking to the guys beside him. I ate in silence. When I finished eating I walked to the dustbin and threw the plastic plates. I walked back to the table and picked my bag up.

"I'll drop you home." Jake said. He picked his plastic plate and stood up.

"No. I can go home on my..." He cut me off with, "I'm dropping you home today and from now on." I huffed. I can go on my own but riding with him doesn't sound so bad. So I agreed.

"Okay. Let me get some of my stuff from my locker." I said and he nodded his head. I walked to my locker and grabbed everything I needed. Closing the locker, I walked into the hallway to get to the parking lot. A group of guys were standing in a group who were looking at me with hungry eyes. I ignored them.

"Oh... baby. You're hot. Want to give us some taste?" A guy with a baseball cap on his head said while others laughed. One of them made a lewd gesture with his hand. My annoying self wanted to kick him in the balls. Yet, I chose to walk. As I passed them one of them grabbed my boobs from behind and pulled me back against their chest.

And I've had enough.

I grabbed his pinkies with both hands and twisted it backwards. He yelped in pain and let go of me. I turned back and kicked him in the balls, making him kneel on the floor. Suddenly I saw one of his friends raising his hand to slap me. Reflexively, I covered my face. But the blow or the pain never came. Slowly, I dropped my hands down and saw Jake, Mason and Ethan grabbing each one of his friends. Jake, who had the guy by his throat from behind, spoke one single word to send everyone chilled to their bones.

"RED ZONE."