I lay down on the couch, my body spread out wide. I have cuts and bruises of bloody nose, and a bloody lip. Jake snarls and sits on the edge of the couch, his large hand reaching out to grab my arm and pull me towards him. “What the fuck happened to you?! Who did this to you?!” His grip tightens, causing pain to shoot through my arm.
“Your brother,” I whimper, “please let go of me..” Jake’s face contorts in a mix of jealousy and rage, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. “My brother?! He did this to you?!” he stands up, pulling me with him, his arm wrapped around my waist possessively. “I'm gonna kill him.”
I nod. “He came by the house looking for you, and when I said you were out he lashed out on me.” He releases me briefly to grab his car keys, his mind made up. He storms out of the house, while I follow behind him. He gets in his car, with me sitting silently in the passenger seat. He drives to his brother's house, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“Don’t cause a big fuss,” I whisper, “I don’t want you getting in trouble.” He slams his fist on the steering wheel, not even looking at me. “Shut up. I'll handle this my way.” He pulls up to his brother's house, slamming the car into park and jumping out. I follow him reluctantly, my body aching from the earlier assault.
He sees my action out of the corner of his eye. His brother opens the door, unshaven and shirtless. He smirks when he sees me. "Jakey boy," his brother greets mockingly. Jake sees red. "You touch my girl?" He growls dangerously. Blood drips from my lip. “Guys, let’s-“
Cutting me off with a vicious glare, Jake shoves past his brother into the house. The door slams open, revealing beer cans and empty chip bags strewn across the living room. Jake grabs his brother by the throat, slamming him against the wall. “Listen up, you piece of shit.” I grab Jake’s arm. “Be careful, please don’t get in trouble.”
He shakes me off, his eyes never leaving his brother's face. “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. This is between me and him.” He squeezes his brother's throat tighter. “You ever lay a finger on her again, I'll fucking kill you. Understand?”
I slap Jake across the face. “Jake! Enough!” He stands there, his chest heaving with anger and pain. He looks at his brother, then back at me. Without a word, he turns and walks out of the house, slamming the door behind him. I follow him out to the car, feeling guilty and confused. “Get in the car,” he spits.
As I slide into the passenger seat, Jake slams the driver's door shut and speeds off, tires screeching. The silence between us stretches, thick and tense. He grips the steering wheel like he wants to snap it in two, his jaw clenched tightly. “You actually slapped me,” he mumbles.
“I had to,” I let my head drop, “it was the only way to make you stop.” Jake’s voice tightens with emotion, “You hit me” He pulls into the driveway of an unfamiliar house, turning off the engine. He sits there for a moment, his eyes staring straight ahead. Then he turns to me, his face unreadable. “Come inside.”
“Where are we?” I whisper. He doesn't answer immediately, leading me into the house. It's a small, neat place, not his usual apartment. He walks straight to the kitchen and grabs an ice pack from the freezer, tossing it to me. “Hold this on your lip,” he interrupts before I can speak further, “and take off your shirt.” His tone is flat, cold. I hesitantly lift my shirt over my head, revealing the bruises on my stomach and sides. He stares at them, his face pale.
He watches me lie down, his gaze roaming over the bruises marking my skin. With a sharp inhale, he kneels beside the couch, gently pressing the ice pack to my swollen wrist now that my shirt is off. His eyes, usually flashing with anger, are now dull with a haunted look.
“Jake” I yell, “I’m sorry I hit you okay? It was the only way to stop you.” He pauses, his hands on the belt, and looks at me with a mix of anger and pain. "You think I give a damn about that?" he snaps. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Do you see these bruises on you?" He gestures to my body. He loosens the belt around his waist, letting it fall to the floor with a soft clink against the linoleum. He leans against the kitchen counter, his eyes distant as he contemplates his next words. “I took care of it this time...“
“Then stop doing that,” I growl, “I can take care of myself.”
“That's exactly the problem," he says quietly, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "You shouldn't have to take care of yourself against me. Jesus, you just..." his voice breaks slightly "You just slapped me across the fucking face." he moves closer.
“And I’ll do it the fuck again.” I raise my hand at him. “Someone needs to control your anger.” He catches my wrist before I can lift my hand any higher, his jaw tightening. For a moment, his grip is almost painful, his control hanging by a thread. "Don't you fucking dare." His voice is barely above a whisper, but there's a clear warning in it.
Jake stares me down, his eyes blazing with a mixture of pain, anger, and the desperate need for control. His thumb brushes over my wrist, the gesture almost tender. Slowly, he lowers my hand, his grip loosening but not fully releasing. “You don’t control me,” I growl, my hand still raised, “and if you try to I’ll put you in your place.”
At my defiant words, Jake's face contorts with a mix of emotions, his control slipping further. He suddenly pushes me against the wall, his body caging me in. His hand still gripping my wrist, he slams it against the wall, his face inches from mine. “Let go,” I growl, then use my free hand to slap him again. “I’m warning you.”
This time, he doesn't seem to react to the slap, his mind too consumed with his own turmoil. He presses his body against mine, holding my wrist firmly against the wall. With his free hand, he reaches up and grasps my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Look at me...”
As I look into his eyes, I see a storm raging behind them, his pupils dilating and pupils twitching as they lock onto mine. Jake stands silently, their redness glowing white and red hearts of gold's eyes shine with an intensity that suggests he's on the brink of breaking.
His jaw works silently, his eyes dropping to my lips and then back up to my eyes. He sees my growling expression and realizes how close I am to snapping too. Instead of letting me go, he pushes my wrist higher up the wall, making me wince.
I grid my teeth together, then I snap. I kick his gut hard. He doubles over with a deep "Oof," his body colliding with the kitchen island. "Son of a bitch!" He straightens up slowly, cupping his stomach. He sees red. His eyes snap to me. He's never seen me so angry. I raise my fists to my face, standing in the fight position.
Jake pauses, noting my fighting stance. Despite his stomach ache, a slow smirk spreads across his face, almost impressed. "Well, well," he drawls sarcastically, rubbing his gut. "Look who finally grew some balls." He takes a step forward, but hesitates, remembering my vicious kick. He sees my body ready itself for another attack. My muscles are taut, my eyes focused. He realizes something - I’m not backing down. I’m not scared. His smirk drops slightly. He tests me. "Asshole," He growls softly. He sees my fists tighten. "Bitch."
My voice deepens, “don’t test me.” He watches as my voice deepens, a threatening tone laced within the words. His smirk drops completely, replaced by a cold, calculating look. He's not used to me speaking to him like this. His hands slowly clench into fists. "Or what?" He challenges.
I jolt towards him, roundhouse kicking him in the gut and jumping backwards out of his reach. He crashes onto his back, completely caught off guard. The impact leaves him winded, eyes watering from the pain. He props himself up onto his elbows, staring at me with a mixture of fear and respect for the first time in our relationship. "Fuck..." His breathing is ragged.
Jake stares up at me, a new wariness in his eyes as he slowly pushes himself to his feet, one hand rubbing his sore abdomen. He sees the venom in my eyes and the way my muscles remain coiled, ready to strike again at the slightest provocation. “Are we done here?” I growl.
Jake straightens up slowly, eyeing me warily as he considers my question. He knows he can no longer dominate me physically without facing repercussions. A grudging respect flickers in his eyes as he realizes the dynamic between me has irrevocably shifted. "Yeah." He nods, his gaze lingering on me for a long moment before he turns away, his movements stiff. He heads for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. Without looking back, he speaks, his voice barely audible. "I'll...I'll be out late tonight."
“Why?” my voice rings from the living room. He pauses at the door, his hand still on the knob. He doesn't turn around immediately, as if gathering his thoughts. Finally, he speaks softly. "I need some space." He turns to look at me briefly, his expression unreadable. "Don't wait up." 44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtEnlUvErK
44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDINf8tHz7R
