A Little Bit of Truth (Little Bits) (27 page)

“Fine.”

******

I hate f
lying, even though I fly a lot due to my job I absolutely hate flying. It makes me feel sick and trapped, in whatever order.

“You know there’s a bedroom back there,” Marie says with a concerned look on her face.

“Yes, yes there is.” I wag my eyebrows at her, chuckling when she hits me over the head with the book she’s been reading for the past hour. “I’m horny.”

“Go bat one off in the bathroom then.”

“I could just do it here, tempt you with my huge…”

And she hits me again. So I open my belt. “Don’t you
dare.” Her eyes narrow in warning.

“Oh baby, I dare,” I pull it free in three seconds, you can tell I’ve had practice. Her eyes
zoom right in on my cock as I fist it. I’m forever hard around Marie, I don’t need much stimulation. Stroking it up and down slowly I reach over and take her hand. She gulps but doesn’t protest and closes her fingers around the base.

Her eyes darken with lust and… hate? Oh shit.

“AH!” I cry out in pain when she grabs my balls and twists. Pain lances through me, starting in my balls and clenching in my stomach. I feel sick, even sicker than before.

Then she stands as I groan
in agony. Too much pain.

“Dying,” I croak out and slump to my knees on the ground in front of my seat.

“I’m not your fucking whore Jacob, I won’t be treated like it.” She says, but it’s not angry, it’s sad.

“Wait,” I reach for her. Is she serious? Does she…? God damn it. I’ve fucked up. I can see why she’d think that.
“Marie, I need to…” The door to the bedroom slams. “I’ll be there in a minute.” Or ten. “When I can move again. You just… relax.” Ouch.

Yep, I’ve fucked up.

Five minutes later
(when my balls are still throbbing but not quite as bad as before) I pull on the door to the private room and discover that it’s locked. “Marie,” I knock rather loudly but get no response. “That wasn’t what I was doing. You know it.”

I hear a sharp, “Ha!” But get nothing else.

“I’m sorry I made you feel that way, that wasn’t my intention.”

Another, “HA!” But louder this time.

“Get your ass out here or I’m breaking down this door!” Now she’s just pissing me off.

“Fuck you.”

Don’t bite, don’t bite. Deep breath.

“One!” Nothing. “Two!” Nothing. “Three!” I charge forward and just before my shoulder collides with the door
, it opens. After stumbling about three feet I trip over Marie’s shoe and hit the ground with a bang. Ouch.

“
So that’s where I left my shoe, silly me,” Marie sighs and tugs her shoe back on her foot. I remain face planted on the soft carpet as she steps over me and back out into the main area. Did I say ouch?

I should follow her but this carpet is so soft.

“Marie,” I rub my forehead with one hand and my balls in the other as I follow her into the main area. “I’m sorry you thought that’s what I was doing. You know I don’t think of you that way.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore Jake,” she snaps.

“But…”

“I know, okay, I know that’s not what you meant,” she looks really resigned. “Don’t worry, I’m just tired.” Her face instantly perks up. “Why don’t you lie down and I’ll rub your shoulders for you?”

“No,” I shake my head and pat the seat next to me. “Let’s watch movies.”

“Sure, now where’s that stewardess. I’m feeling thirsty.”

The curtain at the end of the room opens, “Right here sweetie.”

I blanch, “That’s just weird. Where the hell did she come from?”

“I know right?” Marie whispers back before asking for a drink. “Water for him.”

Water?

“Don’t give me that look Jacob, the doctor said no alcohol.”

“What about a cola then?” He smiles a boyish smile, like a child trying to convince his guardian to buy him chocolate. Just a small piece.

“No. Water.”

“Do you mean there’s no water or do you mean nothing but water? The way you said it sounded like you were saying there’s no water…”

I quirk a brow at him.

“Okay, okay, just water. Got it Mom.”

With a pat to his head I say, “
That’s my special little guy.” Ow, ow, ow, OW, OUCH! “Get off, get off!

“I’m not special!” He half shouts while his fingers pinch the skin of my neck and twist.

“You’re right, you’re not,” I joke.

“Hey, hold on a second… I am
that
kind of special just not the other kind. Stop confusing me.”

“Sorry poppet.”

“Poppet?”

“Yeah, the nurse
when you were comatose called me poppet, it made me want to use it.”

He sighs, “Could you at least call me something manly. Like…”

“Puppet?”

“No.”

“Muppet?”

“Muppet?”

“It’s amazing what you pick up in a taxi from the airport to the hospital,” I snigger, feeling proud of my new British lingo.

“Then no.”

“Honey?”

His lips purse in thought, “No.”

“Cupcake?”

He groans, “You’re killing me here.”

“No babe, your psycho cast mate did that.”

“I can’t help that I’m handsome and have an incredibly huge…” This time I grab the skin at his throat and twist, “Ouch, stop hurting me. This is domestic abuse you know.”

“Remind me to give a shit in a hundred years from now,” I release him and go back to my book. My mind keeps reading the same sentence over and over. It’s pissing me off. “I need focus.”

“I need…” he stops suddenly and stares out of the window, his lower lip between his teeth as he chews it mindlessly.

“By all means Jakey boy, finish that sentence.”

“Will you hurt me again?”

No hesitation. “Yep.”

“Then I’m not finishing it.”

“Want me to suck your dick?”

His eyes light up, his face becomes a mask of eagerness, “Hell yeah… ouch, get the fuck off me you crazy cow.”

“Cow?”

“You’re not the only one who picked up a few things.”

I feign insult, “Are you calling me fat?”

“Of course n…”

“Are you saying I have leathery skin?”

“Of
cou…”

The plane jolts and the stewardess rushes in, “We’re hitting some mild turbulence. Nothing to be worried about.” Wait… what? “Buckle up okay? I’ll be here if you need me.” She straps herself into a seat by the curtained doorway. Okay, now I’m freaked.

Jacob helps me buckle my belt as another jolt shakes the plane
, it feels like sitting in a train of a rollercoaster when hitting a sharp curve. My stomach dips making it hit my throat before falling to my ass. Oh god.

“Jake,” I say, pretending my voice isn’t weak and full of fear.

“Right here,” he takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. He doesn’t even look affected. “I’ve flown through turbulence many times, this is mild in comparison to some of the shakes I’ve endured.” The plane trembles and groans as the wind outside bashes it from all angles. I really don’t like this. “Want me to sing to you?” He closes the flap over the window so I’m not tempted to look out. For this I am grateful.

“Will it frighten me worse than the plane?”

He chuckles, it’s deep and sexy. Yes Marie, focus on that. “Probably.”

I nod, “Okay. Sing.”
I want to hear him sing before I die. Shit, I never even got a chance to write my bucket list, let alone complete it!

The plane rattles again, it shakes so violently my teeth chatter. And then the lights flicker so I squeeze my eyes shut. I really don’t want to be seeing as well as feeling this shit.

“Shit,” Jacob mumbles, I peek at him through a tiny slit between my lids. “I just realized something, we’ve known each other how long?” Good question, one he’ll have to ask me again after I’ve asked Maya. “I don’t even know what music you like.”

Wow. Really? “Just sing your favorite, The Kooks, Naïve.”

“How’d you know that?”

Slam, groan,
rattle. I wish these words were referring to sexual happenings, they aren’t. Stupid plane.

“I’m a sponge for detail, I pick up on everything unfortunately.”

“Everything but how I fe…” SLAM! I barely hold back a squeal at the sudden jerk of movement that has me almost flying around in my seat, seatbelt be damned. “Marie, look at me.” I do, concerned blue eyes meet my own. “Everything’s fine okay? I promise.”

I don’t fucking believe you. What? You have super powers now Jacob? You can tell the future? “Okay.”

“Look at me,” I’m fucking trying. Jolt, jerk, rattle. Whimper. “Look. At. Me.”

I take in his stern gaze and gulp my fear down.

“Stop acting like a pussy, it’s a bit of wind. If planes came down at the first storm they wouldn’t be in the air.” Okay, he has a point but… bang.

“What was that?”

“Didn’t have you down as the type to get scared over something so small.” Small? My life isn’t small! It could be over any second no thanks to this floating tin can with a plush interior. Oh god, what if they skimped out on the engine to pay for the décor. If I die, I’m going to kill Maya. Or haunt her, whichever is an available option to me once I reach the other side.

“I had sex before marriage.” I blurt, my sins at the front of my mind.

Jacob starts laughing, “Haven’t we all?”

“I stole from three stores in the mall when I was fourteen. I really wanted this charm bracelet with this…” His hand tightens on mine, he doesn’t ask me to open my eyes. “I had a huge crush on you when I was fourteen, my bedroom back at home still has posters of you in random places.” His hand tightens further. “Like a huge crush. I watched all of your movies even though I thought they were shit. And then you brought out stuff with your name on it and there was this gorgeous charm for this bracelet I had, I couldn’t afford it. But the stone was blue, same color as your eyes and it was roughly cut to represent your last name. So I stole it.” Slam, shake,
tremble. “And then there was this time I threw a brick at my brother and it missed and went through the neighbor’s window. I never confessed to that. I should send them the money…”

“I’m sure they’ll have forgotten about it by now.”

A sudden realization hits me with a wave of sorrow and panic so potent I nearly faint, “I killed someone Jacob.”

He doesn’t say anything. There’s nothing for him to say.

“What if I go to hell for that?”

“I didn’t have you down as a religious person,” is his only fucking answer.

Glaring at him I bite out, “We were strict Christians growing up. That is until my dad started gambling and conning people and we were too afraid to show our faces in church. The place where people shouldn’t judge yet we were judged based on his actions as if we committed them ourselves.”

“I’m sorry that happened,” Jacob’s free hand reaches over and his thumb swipes under my eye. I hadn’t realized I was crying until now. Fuck. My body instantly stiffens, my subconscious guarding my mind from my sudden onslaught of emotions. Everything in my mind is pulled back until it vanishes into a tiny hole with a tiny safe full of shit I don’t deal with. The safe is now locked tight and I feel much fucking better.

Also, the plane has stopped shaking. I hadn’t noticed.

“Marie,” Jacob takes my hands in his as he kneels before me. “Nobody, not even God can blame you for what happened with Dana.”

“I can blame me,” I whisper and hastily undo my belt. “I need to be alone for a while…”

“Don’t you dare,” he hisses and circles his hand around my throat. His thumb soothingly rubs circles over my pulse. “Don’t you dare shut yourself off from
me.”

Putting the blank mask back on my face, the mask I’ve perfected over the years, I pull his hand away slowly and carefully. “I’m not. The moment’s over. Thanks for listening.”

I try to stand but he stops me with a hand on my shoulder, “Like hell it is. We’re dealing with this.”

“Nothing to deal with.” Lies, all lies.

“Talk to me.”

“I’m glad we didn’t crash and die,” I deadpan.

“Marie…”

“No. I don’t want to talk anymore.”

His hand is suddenly, but gently, around my throat again, “I’m not falling for it and neither is anybody else. I won’t be Maya and look away when you’re dealing with your shit alone. I won’t pretend it’s not happening because she thinks it’s best for you. What you just told me… that’s deep Marie. You need to deal with that.”

“You don’t know shit Jake, leave it,” please. Please. Please.