Take a Breath (Take 1) (5 page)

   “There you are.  I text you didn’t you get my message?”  

 
  Jake is sitting at the table eagerly awaiting my presence. 
“Sorry no, I must have been driving when you sent it.  I always
have the radio on when I drive.”  He hands me a pair of chopsticks
and pulls out some little boxes from the plastic bag in front of
me.  

   “Please, sit.  I got you your favourite, Chicken in Curry Sauce.  I hope that’s ok?”  

 
  My tummy growls at me again in anticipation.  “No, that’s
great.  Thank you.”  We sit for a while savouring our
dinners.  I’m feeling happy today for once.  I know being
with Jake is like torture but I feel comfortable like this with
him.  He always did have that presence about him. 

 
 “By the way I fixed the shower for you.  It was a faulty
valve.  It didn’t take long to do so your showers should be better
from now on.”  

 
  With a mouthful of chicken I try to say thank you.  We
smile at one another and my heart melts.  I’d give anything to
jump on his bones right now.  

   “Fancy a drink at the bar?”  He beams.  

    Well, this is a first.  “Yeah, that would be great.” 

We
finish off our food and clear away all the containers before making our
way around past the dining table we never use.  The only time we
have was on Christmas day last year and that was the first Christmas I
had ever felt part of a family.  Jake makes his way around the bar
and I sit perched up high on one of his stools.  He grabs a glass
and dish cloth and starts pretending to dry it.  

   “So what will the lady be having this evening?”  

 
  I start laughing and my laughter sets him off.  “I don’t
know, surprise me please barman.”  He smiles and brings out a
bottle of tequila from the cabinet below and sets down 10 shot
glasses.  I look up at him eyebrow raised.  

   “I think we should play a game.  It’s called favourite things.”  

 
  My raised eyebrow turns into a frown.  “What does that
entail then?”  He pours the liquid into the glasses and sets the
bottle down.  

 
 “Well we ask each other what a certain favourite thing is and if
we don’t like the answer, you have to take a shot.”  

 
  I’ve never heard of this one before but it sounds like
fun.  “Right then, hit me with it bartender.”  He hovers over
me on the other side of the bar setting his hands against the
sides.  

   “What is your favourite cheese?”  

     I start laughing, “Seriously, cheese?”  

   “Yes, come on, what is it?”  

 
   I think for a moment and can only think of one cheese I
like to eat regularly.  “I like a mature cheddar.”  I love
other mature things but something like that I’m not going into with
Jake right now.  

   “Cheddar cheese, that’s your answer?”  I nod my head.  “That’s crap, take a shot.”  

 
  I gasp at his rudeness but he’s smiling away at me, obviously
enjoying himself.  “Crap, what do you mean crap?  Cheddars
very nice I’ll have you know.  There’s nothing like a good ole’
English mature cheddar.”  

 
  He shakes his head in disbelief, “You could have said a fine
Stilton, or a great French Brie, not Cheddar.  It doesn’t sound
very interesting.”  

 
 “Well, it’s what I like and I’m not making it up when it’s the
truth.”  I nod my head once in defiance and pick the shot glass up
before knocking it back.  The burn is there straight away. 
“Shit, this is strong.”  I barely manage to get the words out my
throat is so hot.  

   “Hey, language,” he says abruptly.  

 
  I look sheepishly at him, “Sorry.  My turn now, what was
your favourite toy when growing up?”  He smiles triumphantly and
I’m suddenly dying to wipe that grin from his face.  

 
 “Well, that’s easy Ana, when I was five my grandmother bought me
an action man toy.  It was my favourite toy in the whole world and
then it became more sentimental to me when she died a few days
later.  I still have it to this day as a reminder of
her.”  

 
  I hated Jake now.  Why did he have to pull that story on
me?  “This is unfair you know.”  He starts laughing and claps
his hands.  

   “I didn’t say I would make it easy for you.  My turn.”  

    I sit there patiently waiting trying to think of a good thing to come up with so I can beat him.  

   “Right, erm, what is your favourite food?”  

 
  You’ve got to be kidding me.  Why doesn’t he ask what my
favourite book is or my favourite hobby, not these silly
questions?  “Chicken I think.”  

    He looks on at me disappointed, “You know you’re making this too damn easy?  Drink.”  

 
  I slap my hand down on the bar not making it unknown of my
frustration.  I take the drink and swig it down again.  This
time the burn is not as fierce as the first one.  My head is
already feeling a little fuzzy as I’m not used to doing shots.  I
try to think of a good question, one that’s just as useless as
his.  “Ok, what is your favourite alcoholic drink?”  He
smiles again and I feel that this would be hard to answer considering
how boring the answer would be.  I would think he would pick beer
and you can’t get much more boring than beer.  

 
 “Well at the moment I’d have to say tequila as I’m having so much
fun with you this evening.  You make an excellent contender, a
little easy but so much fun nonetheless.”  

    I huff my annoyance, “This game is rubbish.  Why don’t you just take a shot already?”  

 
  His lips curve up into that sexy grin of his, “Did you not like
my answer then?  Are you saying that my enjoying your company is
not a good answer?”  

 
  He’s good, he’s very good and I hate him for it.  “You’re
determined aren’t you?”  He stands there still staring.  

 
 “I take that as a no then?  Do you want to just take the
next shot anyway and avoid the disappointment?”  

 
  I nod my head and chuckle.  “You’re a little shit Jake
Bennett, do you know that?”  He brings his finger up and shakes it
in front of me.  

 
 “Ah, ah now Ana, we’re just being a sore loser.  Right now
where are we?  Ok, what is your favourite car?”  

 
  That one I find an easy one to answer, “Well, that’s not hard,
an Aston Martin DB9.  I think they’re beautiful.”  I smile
thinking he can’t honestly think that’s a boring answer.  I was
wrong.  

   “But it’s British.  I can’t be having that.  Drink.”  

 
  What the hell, “Are you serious?  How is that relevant to
the game whether something is British or not?”  

   “Well, you could have said a more muscle bound car like a Dodge Challenger or a Ford Mustang.”  

 
  Oh hell no.  “Jake, those cars are just what you said,
muscle bound and that’s it.  The Aston Martin DB9 has plenty of
power and finesse and her beauty is refined.  The car is elegant
and very sexy.  You cannot compare an Aston Martin to a Dodge
Challenger.  You must be off your rocker.”  

 
  He bellows a hearty laugh, “Ok, you don’t like it I tell you
what.  You admit losing this round and whatever question you ask
me next, if you don’t like the answer I’ll take two shots in one
go.  How’s that?”  

 
  I pick my third shot glass and down it again crashing it back
down on the bar.  “Fine.  What is your favourite
fruit?”  Ha, ha, I think I’ve got him there.     
       “Well, that’s another easy one.  It’s
pineapple and the reason being is because I’ve always wanted to go to
the Caribbean ever since my grandmother told me of her wish to
go.  She never made it there before she died and I would like to
one day complete that dream for her.”  

 
  Did he really just say that shit to me?  “Jake, seriously
come on.  Did your grandmother really give you that action man or
are you just going to use her for every answer you make?”  His
cheeky grin is still set on his face making my heart
flutter.  

 
 “My last answer wasn’t about my grandmother, it was about me
enjoying your company.  I’m having a great time.”  

 
  I try to express my irritation.  “This is seriously Fubar
you know that?”  He starts laughing again and grabs himself a
drink.  

 
 “I know I still won, but just to play fair I’m going to take one
shot.”  He picks the shot glass up and quickly drinks the
contents.  “Ok, next round double or nothing, agreed?”  

    I nod my head realising despite the frustration of the game I am having so much fun.  

   “What was your favourite subject in school?”  

 
  Well, that was another easy answer.  “English as I love to
read and write.”  He looks on at me obviously not amused by my
answer.  “What?”  He puts a hand up to his mouth and pretends
to yawn.  “Jake, come on.”  

 
 “I’m sorry but Math and English are the two most boring subjects
at school.  You could have thought about something more
interesting than that.”  

 
  Feeling a little tipsy I became brave, “Well, my grandmother
always loved the subject of English and before she died she asked me to
honour her dream of enjoying the written word.”  

 
  He nods his head at me and smiles, “See now you’re just making
fun of me but I can see you’re slowly getting the hang of
it.”  

    I smile mentally patting my back.  “So I can forfeit these last two shots then?”  

 
  He shakes his head, “Oh no, I never said that.  You used my
grandmother as a way of answering my question.  Drink.”  

 
  It didn’t surprise me that he took this stance.  I didn’t
care I was enjoying myself too much to argue anymore, plus the shots
were going down a treat.  I quickly downed the two I had left and
wiped my mouth.  

   “Now, I still have 4 left so you better make the next question a good one.”  

 
   I sit for a while contemplating my next move.  My
head is becoming very fuzzy now so my thought process is slower than
normal.  “I think I’ve found one.  What is your favourite
household chore?”  Hopefully I have finally got him now as you
can’t get more boring than any household chore.  

 
 “Well, I am partial to a bit of dusting.  I like to get the
feather duster out and dust all the cabinets and photos when no one’s
in.”  

    I laugh so hard I nearly fall off my chair.  

   “Steady there Ana.  I don’t know what’s so funny?”  

 
  I look up at his 6’3” frame, his solid chest and the stance that
makes Jake all man in every sense of the word and I almost pee myself
laughing.  “You with a little apron on going around with your
little feather duster, this I would have to see.”  I think I’m
going to die of a heart attack.  

   “I never said I wore an apron.  I might just do that next time though.”  

    The hysterics get louder as I realise I’m feeling a little drunk now.  

   “I take it that you quite like that answer which means I win.”  

 
  I nod my head, “I think having me almost wet myself laughing
proves that point.  Let’s not forget that I’ve drank all my five
and you still have four left.”  I pick up one more of his shots
and down it, “There, that helps you out a bit,” I giggle.  

   “Are you saying I’m a lightweight?”  He asks amused.  

 
 “No, of course not Jake, never,” I say sarcastically.  This
prompts Jake to pick up the remaining three shots and he downed them
one by one.  I clap my hands, “Way to go lightweight.”  I
pull my finger up in the air and wiggle it at him.  I stare at it
for a moment and I don’t know why but I decide to bring my finger to my
nose.  Jake laughs at me as I must look comical going cross-eyed.
“Jake, I can’t find my finger.  It’s gone.  First it was
there right in front of me and now it’s disappeared.”  He comes
around the bar and grabs my finger pulling me out of my stare. 
“Oh there it is.”  He wraps my arm around his shoulder and hoists
me up.  

   “I think we have had enough to drink now don’t you?”  

 
   I try to nod but it seems to be more difficult than
normal.  “You saw me nakeeeeeeed.”  I giggle into his chest
and breathe in his beautiful scent.  

   “Yes I did.”  

 
   I start to blow raspberries into his chest and giggling
like an idiot he somehow manages to haul me up the stairs.  I grab
his nose and wiggle it.  “You’re so cute Mr Bennett you know
that?  Your lips look so soft and kissable.”  He sets me down
on the bed and pulls my feet over to slide them under the covers. 
         “You really have had too
much.”  

 
  He makes sure I’m settled before moving to leave.  “Don’t
go please,” I whisper.  He stops in his tracks and swings
round.  “Hold me for a bit just until I fall asleep. 
Please.”  He stands there hesitating for a few moments but I soon
feel the weight of his body pressed against mine.  He’s careful
not to get under the covers but he brings me to his chest and again I
breathe in his sweet scent.  I sigh contently, “You know what my
favourite thing is in the whole wide world?”  I ask, thinking I’m
in a dream all of a sudden.