Until I Met You
First - aid (23)

First-aid (23) Grace

"Anything." I replied to him.

He didn't say anything. After staring at me for a few seconds. He turned his head to his friends. Ethan was almost about to dig his knife and carve into that guy's skin but, when I grabbed Jake's hand, Jake spoke.

"Leave them." Jake told them. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leisurely walked over to the guys. They all were bleeding but the guy who had it worse, was the one who fought Jake.

I knew Jake would stick to his words, that gave me a little relief otherwise the way Jake was calm and cool with his bone chilling cold smile, he looked like a lion waiting to tear apart the person in front of him. I watched from where I stood as Jake walked to the most bloodied face. Jake grabbed the guy by his shirt's collar and pulled him up. He got on his face and whispered something in a low voice. I couldn't hear it. Whatever Jake said to that guy, it turned him pale and made his eyes open wide with a shocking expression.

I looked at Mason and Ethan for a hint, but they both shared a smile and glanced at each other like sharing an inside joke. Jake let the guy go who visibly gulped at Jake's words. Jake backed away with a shit eating smile on his face. Other two guys looked at the main guy with a questioning look, but he just stared back at them with a horrified expression. Well, as horrified he could muster with his bloody face.

I was so lost in trying to understand what Jake had said for him to turn this scared when Jake appeared at my side.

"Let's go." He said, startling me and started moving away but when he realized I wasn't following he came back, dropped his arm on my shoulder and pushed me to move. I started walking.

"You got what you wanted. Now remember what you promised in return." He said. I looked up at him and asked with a blank expression.

"What did you say to him?" He didn't reply. So I stopped short. He was forced to stop with me. He sighed.

"Don't worry. Nothing for your concern." He dismissed me. But I wanted an answer so I stayed adamant.

"What did you say to him Jake?" I asked him. Emphasizing the whole sentence. Something in his eyes changed and his expressions became hard.

"You want me to go back and finish what I started?" He asked darkly. His sudden change of mood gave me a pause.

"I did what you asked. Now, don't ask anything about it. That's what I am asking." I swallowed a little to clear my dry throat. I was about to respond, but he cut off and again started dragging me outside the college with his arm on my shoulder. "Let me drop you home." I sighed in defeat and walked along with him. When we passed the hallway, he picked my bag up from where I left it, to chase after them.

"What about your friends?" I asked him.

"What about them?" He asked with a disconcerting voice.

"You left your friends there. Aren't you worried that they will fight again? How are they going to get home?" I asked him as we came across the parking area. Jake walked past me to his car. I walked up to his car, and he opened the door for me. I didn't climb in right away and stared at him for answers.

"For once, can you stop worrying about others?" He asked. I didn't reply. He sighed, looked away as he ran his hands in his hairs. Then he looked back at me.

"No fights are going to happen, okay? And they have their car to come and go home as they please. Alright? Now get in the car." I hesitated but then I got into his car. He closed the door. He walked around and then climbed in the car himself. During the ride no one spoke. I stared outside the window and Jake drove looking ahead. It wasn't a tensed silence but it also wasn't peaceful.

He stopped the car at the front of my house. He got out and opened my door for me. I shut the door. We both stood, looking at each other but neither of us spoke. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"Thank you. Again. To save me." I told him. He didn't say anything.

"I didn't save you." After a beat, he replied. Then looked away.

"It's late. I should get going." He told me and took a step to move and get into his car. I grabbed his forearm and stopped him.

"Wait. Let me do the first aid treatment on your face." He raised his other hand and ran his fingers over the bleeding cheek. Then rubbed his blood in his fingers.

"I'm fine. I'll treat it once I get back home." He replied. I let go of his hand. Without replying to him, I walked over to my house and opened the door. I knew he would follow, which he did.

Opening the door, I dropped my bag on the chair and fetched the First aid kit and a clean fresh cloth and a bowl of water.

Jake sat on the sofa. I followed him and sat on the table in front of the sofa and sat the bowl of water first aid kit on the side of the table. Picking up the clean cloth, I dipped it into water. I squeezed the cloth and started to clean the blood on his cheek. When I pressed the cold, wet cloth, he flinched a bit.

"Stay still." I ordered him in a soft voice. I placed my hand beneath his jaw and turned his face to the side. Without removing my hand, I smiled a little. All the while, Jake watched me.

"You didn't flinch or even twitched a little when you were hit by a strong fist but you're flinching from a cloth?" I said. Dipping the cloth back into the water, I cleaned it then brought it back to his face. Water in the bowl turned slightly red. "At that point of time, I was just focused on inflicting the pain and not feeling it. I'm not in that zone now." He replied in a soft voice. His sudden calmness in his tone made me glance in his way.

"Hmm." I made a sound in acknowledgment to his answer.

"Plus, I'm used to rough punching hands and not the soft ones who tend the wound on my cheek." He explained. His words gave me a pause. I stopped in my work and looked at him.

"You sound very depressing. Never had anyone tending your wounds? What about your past girlfriends?" I asked. Then I started working again. I wiped his face with the dry side of the cloth. On my question he smiled a little. "What are you smiling about?" I questioned him. With that his smile turned into a grin.

"You sound jealous." He said. I stiffened at his words. Did I sound jealous? Was I jealous? No. No... I was asking a normal question. It just popped into my mind.

"No... I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous? I have nothing to be jealous of. It's not like that we are in a real relationship." I told him. My voice somehow turned defensive. I wasn't trying to defend myself. What in the world. "Uh huh. You know, we could be in a real relationship if you want. You just gotta say so." He said. I was about to come back at him with a sarcastic reply, but he cut me as he continued.

"... plus, we are already in a relationship. At least in other people's view. We might as well get with it. And also I wouldn't mind getting in trouble for you if you tend my wounds like this from your hands, again and again." I grabbed Dettol, dipped a cotton with it and gently pressed it on the cut on his cheek. Then I grabbed a band-aid and covered his cut with it. His nose had already stopped bleeding. Putting everything aside, I gave him all my attention. He touched where the band aid was.

"Are you trying to flirt with me? If yes, then your flirting skills are terrible." I told him with an expressionless face. He leaned over, making me back away and placed his hands on both sides of me. Caging me in.

"Then maybe you could teach me how to flirt. I promise I'll be a good student. As for my other girlfriends, you don't have to worry about them. There will be only one girl and it'll be you." He replied with a low, husky tone. Looking into his eyes something ached inside my chest.

I reached out and caressed his band-aid cheek with my hand softly. I didn't even know where I got that courage from.

"Jake?" I whispered his name. Looking at my hand caressing his cheek.

"Hmm?"

"Don't get into trouble for me anymore. Okay?" I told him.

"Why shouldn't I?" He asked me. He didn't try to remove my hand and just stared at me.

"Because you don't have to." I replied in a quiet voice. Jake suddenly grabbed my hand that was caressing his cheek. He brought it down and held it in, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No. I have to. Every time. Anywhere. Whenever you're going to need help, I'm going to be there. For better or for worse. Don't ever think you're alone in your life, Grace. Always. Your troubles are mine. And your concerns are mine." The genuinity in his words made me want to hug him tightly and never let go. I wanted to believe in his words. I, so wanted to trust him but I knew the truth better than to let myself have that kind of hope. I bowed my head a little and then looked back at him.

"When you go home, place an ice pack on your cheek. It has started to swell. Also make sure to go to the doctor for your nose. It may have stopped bleeding but you don't know it might have had real damage." I explained to him. "So, you're throwing me out." He asked, backing away. Our spell was broken.

"You want to stay at my place?" I asked him.

"Nah. I have to go home today. I can't stay. But make sure to make a space for me for the future. But... no, don't make a space for me. What's yours is mine. I'll sleep on the bed with you. After all it's not like we hadn't done that before." He replied and walked out of my apartment with a wink. I heard him shutting his car door, then the engine of his car starting and then fading away.

I dozed off to sleep, thinking about Jake.