Page 22

Jake

I ’ve been dodging my mom’s requests to bring Eliana over for dinner for the past two weeks, but knowing my family, they won’t stop until they get what they want.

Which means I need to fess up about lying soon.

My stomach churns just thinking about it.

Somehow I had managed to get myself into two majorly shitty situations in the span of a couple of months.

Unfortunately in my attempts to get to know Eliana more she would just divert back to asking me questions either about course material or my life.

Stalking her on the internet proved to be basically futile.

I did learn she had a substantial One Direction obsession when she was a kid -— Zayn was her favorite — but given there I had no way of getting in contact with him I was back on my hunt to find out who she really was.

It had become somewhat of an obsession the more time we spent together.

The more I revealed parts about myself the more I was desperate to get underneath her rough exterior, beautiful mind, and brown eyes that made my heart jump to my throat every time she beamed at me when I answered a question correctly.

I was starting to get the same rush I did scoring goals every time I work a smile or a laugh out of a girl who managed to carry the whole weight of the world on her shoulders.

Somehow Eliana had gone from being someone I tolerated to ensure I wouldn’t lose hockey, to one of the first people I wanted to talk to as soon as I woke up, or after I got out of a practice.

When I told her we were friends a few weeks ago I meant it.

Whether or not she believed me was a different story.

After dinner with my mom I realized that Eliana had saved my ass twice now when she didn’t need to.

Even though I told her how much it meant to me, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to also show it.

Plus if that meant spending more time with her and proving to her that I’m more than just some new emotional baggage in her life, then it would be a win-win.

I knew asking her to hang out would be a futile effort.

Her schedule was filled to the brim and I had a feeling if I suggested a break I would either be fully dismissed or set her off the edge completely.

Both were options I wanted to avoid. So instead I got a little creative.

I make it all the way up the stairs of Eliana’s apartment when I run into her roommate, Nicole. She looks really confused by my presence.

“Jake?”

“Nicole, good to see you.”

Nicole stands in the doorway, not letting me in. “If you’re hear for Eliana I need to warn you she’s really freaked out about her midterms coming up. I’m not sure if she can help you right now.”

Ah that explains the lack of her inviting me. She thinks I’m here to add more to Eliana’s plate, not help lessen some of the burden she was carrying.

“I know. She mentioned being stressed about some big term paper earlier this week. I wrapped up all of my exams and figured I’d come and help out a bit.

” I lift my arm to reveal a bag filled with groceries.

“I was planning on making her some dinner while she writes. I bought enough to feed a small army.”

Portion size was never something I could get right, especially as an athlete who could eat mountains of pasta before and after a game with no problem.

My response appears to completely throw Nicole off. “You’re being serious.”

“Yup.” I open the bag wider. “All of this will be made into spinach and ricotta stuffed shell pasta covered in vodka sauce.”

Nicole steps aside from the door, eyes still locked on me. “That’s her favorite.”

Perfect. I had hoped as much given she ordered the same dish at dinner the other night. “Yup.”

She looks back at the door, then at me, and shrugs, propping the door open.

This time her tone is a bit lighter when she addresses me.

“Come on in. Eliana’s got tunnel vision so she may not even realize that you’re here.

Or that you’re making her food. I’m heading to the library for a last minute Orgo cram session. ”

I head straight for the kitchen, leaving the groceries on the counter, and decide to make my presence known so I don’t cause a jump scare when Eliana inevitably comes into the kitchen.

I stop outside of her room. Her door is propped open, providing me with a full view of her typing feverishly on her laptop.

I find myself frozen in place at the sight of Eliana.

Her long wavy hair is thrown up haphazardly on top of her head, strands spilling out of the hair clip in all directions.

Her deep brown eyes are slightly hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, while she lounges in long pajamas decorated with a faded “1D” logo -— no doubt a leftover clothing item from her earlier days where she was obsessed with the boy band.

I was mesmerized, and debated for a moment how weird it would be to continue to stand in her doorway and soak up the parts of her she kept hidden.

Incredibly weird. Even weirder that you even considered standing here watching her do homework like a stalker. Who even does that?

Siding with my inner monologue, I knock on her door, which barely does anything to shift her attention away from the screen in front of her. “Hey Nic. I thought you were heading out to the library?”

“It’s just us now.”

My voice causes her to jump out of her seat. Her hands fly to her desk as she grabs a pencil and points it at me like one would hold a knife towards an intruder. It takes her a second to snap out of her alarmed state. “Jake?”

“Were you really going to stab me with a pencil?”

“I thought you were a burglar. Or a serial killer.”

“What serial killer would announce their presence?”

“An overly dramatic one that likes to draw out the process? I don’t know.” She finally lets go of the sharpened writing utensil.

“Maybe you should lay off the true crime podcasts.”

“I prefer murder mystery novels to true crime podcasts, also love an episode of Law & Order SVU. Plus, you chose to announce yourself in one of the most ominous ways possible. Next time try ‘Hey Eliana, it’s me Jake.’ instead of ‘It’s just us now.’ You have to realize how creepy that sounded.”

“Fair enough. I apologize. I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be hanging here for a bit.”

“Right of course.” She nods her head as if this a regular occurrence, turning and typing a few extra words before freezing.

“Wait what? I really need to finish this paper tonight, and there’s a strong chance I may need to pull an all-nighter, so if you’re hoping to get some last-minute tutoring in tonight, I really don’t think I’ll be able to make it work. ”

“I finished all my exams for this week.”

“Oh. Right. I knew that.” She pulls up her calendar, which also includes reminders related to my schedule. My throat tightens at the reminder that she only includes alerts for super important things in her calendar and evidently, I made the cut. “How did your psych exam go?”

I make a show of knocking on her wooden desk, “It felt good. There weren’t any questions that I felt totally lost about which is a huge step from how the first exam went. Hopefully we’ll get some good news soon.”

Her lips form into a proud smile, “That’s amazing Jake, I knew you could do it.” She gestures back to her computer. “We should celebrate once you get your grade back, but I don’t really think I have time to hang out tonight…”

“I figured as much, but you do need to have dinner. Which is why I thought I’d come over and make some food for us while you work.”

She looks so uncomfortable at my declaration I almost wonder if she would’ve preferred I was a serial killer instead of her friend and occasional fake boyfriend. “You really don’t need to do that.”

“I know, but you tasting my dad’s famous vodka sauce is number one on the priority list for me. He’s been showing me the ropes in the kitchen for this very moment,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

The look of discomfort remains on her face.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I appreciate your help, really I do. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to swoop in and fix all my problems. I know I’m bad at prioritizing my own needs sometimes, maybe even a lot of the time, but that’s something I need to work on. Not something you need to feel responsible for.”

“It’s just one dinner, Eliana. Not a permanent contract for me to be your private chef. You spend most of your time taking care of other people. The thought of someone spending a couple hours taking care of you makes you that uncomfortable?”

Her eyebrows furrow together, and I catch her jaw clench like I struck a nerve. Ah shit. I expect her to yell at me but instead she bites her bottom lip before finally conceding. “Dinner sounds great, thanks Jake. I do really need to finish work though, so I can’t help.”

“Not a problem. My dad’s recipe is a big family secret. Like I’d have to kill you if you found out. And given you made it very clear you have an aversion to being murdered…”

“I’m sure most people would have an aversion to being murdered.”

“It’s for the best that you stay here while I work my magic,” I tease, catching an eye roll from her before I head back into the kitchen.