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“Hey, little brother. Whatcha’ thinkin’ about? Is everything okay?” she asked him in her concerned momma voice she picked up after their parent’s death consumed their lives.
Jacob is the most important person in her life, and the only family she has left. Stacey was concerned about him more often than she would like, because he took their parents’ deaths hard, and had a difficult time after their funeral.
He made some bad choices, turned to alcohol, and is now very hard on himself, thinks he can change the world, and fix all the bad things that happen to everyone. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and people tend to take advantage of him because of it.
He always has girls chasing after him—one being Kristen. This is a situation Stacey struggles with. Kristen is her best friend, and she loves her dearly, but Kristen is infatuated with Jacob, knows how to get to him sexually, and she takes advantage of it every chance she gets.
He usually handles women smoothly, and though he makes bad choices often where Kristen is concerned, Stacey can’t help but notice a slightly different demeanor about him lately when Elizabeth Parks is around or talked about. This event tonight seemed to bring out an overly concerned side in her brother, one usually not seen if someone was truly ‘just a friend.’
Jacob looked down at his sister and gave her a small, quiet smile. At five-feet three-inches,she was quite a bit shorter than him and light enough for him to throw over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, yet he admired and respected her enough to listen to what she had to say. He knew he gave her a hard time after their parents’ death and added to her stress levels after that awful accident.
Now his goal is to start being the strong one, the man of the family. He doesn’t like it when he worries her, and that is the look he saw in her eyes at this moment.
“Ya’ know, Shorty,” he nodded his head as if he thought of something he agreed with, “everything is alright. Yeah, it’s really good.” He showed her a smile of confidence and squeezed her in a side hug as they arrived at their car and climbed in.
Stacey turned her head to get a better look at him sitting behind the steering wheel. “So, I sure am glad that everything will be okay with Elizabeth. It was a little scary how she didn’t wake up.” She looked at him when she said this to see if any looks of concern came over his face.
He pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the road toward home before he answered her.
“Yeah, I agree. Watching her faint was weird. I didn’t know what to think, but it all seems okay now. When she gets home, I’ll go check on her.”
Stacey took a deep breath and turned quickly in her seat. “Jake, what’s the deal? Are you starting to have feelings for her?” She stared deep into the sides of his eyes, not backing down from her question. She wanted to know.
Jacob glanced quickly to his side, not wanting to take his eyes off the road for too long and answered her.
“I see her as a friend, and would like to get to know her better, yes. Romantically, I think that is what you really want to know. I haven’t known her for very long, so it is too soon for anything romantic.”
“And you just got out of a relationship after a nasty breakup. I don’t think you need to be getting into another one already,” Stacey interjected quickly, and without thinking. She usually tried to keep out of her brother’s love life, especially when her best friend was the reason for the breakup and all the confusion. It’s not a good subject.
“Interesting you should say that. Remember, I was not planning on being out of a relationship. It was your BFF who made that occur. If she would just get the clue that I am not interested in her, maybe she would be able to move on and leave me alone!”
Jacob spat those words out without thinking. That was the wrong thing to say. He knew he should have just let it go, but his feelings were all over the place right now, and he just couldn’t keep the words from slipping out. They have both been ignoring the issue for the past few months, and now seemed like the right time to deal with it.
“It’s all Kristen’s fault. Really?! Is this why you have been a total jerk to her lately, yet falling into her arms whenever alcohol is involved? Yes, she has a thing for you, she always has, but it takes two to tango as they say. She didn’t pour alcohol down your throat. She didn’t drug you, so you were incoherent. You are an adult; you drank and made a choice which ended your relationship with Jessica. You keep on making this same decision. Have you ever thought that that happened, and keeps on happening—just like the other night, because you have feelings for Kristen? Maybe you’re attracted to her. It is possible. You were once. Don’t you remember high school? You cannot blame everything on her.”
“Are you finished?” Jacob, furious with his sister, interrupted her in the middle of her rant. “We are not going to fucking argue about this. It is none of your damn business!”
He was fuming and found himself speeding faster than usual. This was one conversation he did not want to have. He doesn’t understand why he keeps taking advantage of Kristen’s feelings. It was just too easy. He missed the time he spent with Jessica. She is such a sweet person, and they had so much in common. Now there is Elizabeth who keeps creeping into his thoughts. Getting home and somewhere where he could be alone and away from his sister, and this conversation, would be a good thing right now.
Stacey was shocked at Jacob’s tone with her. He never cursed unless something really got under his skin. She guessed she did. She turned to face the window, watching the dark world rush by. Fine by her. She isn’t the one who slept with someone, messed up a relationship and continues making the same bad decisions. She isn’t the idiot who can’t decide what her feelings are.
They finally pulled into their driveway. Stacey jumped out of the car, told her brother goodnight in the most sarcastic tone she could muster, and ran to the front door and into her room.
Jacob sat in the car a bit before climbing out. He trudged to the back deck and dropped on a seat on the couch. He found himself watching Elizabeth’s house and wondering how she was doing. It was a beautiful clear night. He could see so many stars, and the moon was bright and large.
The last time he sat out here on the deck looking at the stars was with Jessica. He started to think back to the time he spent with her. She was fun, yet relaxed. They enjoyed spending time wondering where they would be in the future. Sometimes they even talked about a having future together. They both enjoyed camping, kayaking, and church. That’s where they met. They also spent a lot of time out here, sitting on this couch, just talking about God, and wondering about their relationship. Both their romantic relationship, and their personal one with God. They were both new Christians and helped each other through so many questions.
Then there was that night with Kristen. That girl is so hot and sexy. He knows he is attracted to her, but they just aren’t good together. Just thinking about that one night, which ruined his future with Jessica, makes him so angry with himself.
He had a crush on Kristen when he was in high school and asked her out once. She saw him as a little brother, or so she said, and just flirted with him. She enjoyed the attention he always gave her. That’s Kristen.
After his parents died, he took to alcohol to drown his sorrows. The feelings he had for her came back during this alcohol-induced time of his life and they both acted on them. He and Kristen had a slight history because of the choices they made then. They never had a real relationship but partied together and ended up in bed together often.
He promised himself, when he got sober, that those mistakes would never be revisited. They weren’t, until that fateful night when he walked into his house after he left Jessica’s.
He and Jessica had an argument. He doesn’t even remember what it was about, but he knows he was still angry when he stepped foot inside his house. Stacey had friends over, and Kristen passed him a drink. That’s one thing about Kristen. She has known him forever, and she knows him too well. She could tell he was upset, and she knows his weaknesses, and she looks good—Damn Good! Her confidence and conceit make her more attractive. When he is sober, her ways do nothing for him because he knows what she is truly like, but when he’s drinking, it’s a totally different story.
One drink led to another, drinks led to flirting, and the fact that her outfit left little to the imagination, left him useless. They ended up in his bed. He had to admit, it was always amazing. She knows what he likes and does it well.
