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I sleep most of the day after we get drunk together, waking up with a pounding head and a groan. Jake's nowhere to be found, but there's a bottle of water and pills on the bedside table. There's a note too. I smile to myself, hangover forgotten as I grab the paper.
Casey,
I hope you didn't wake up too miserable.
Take these pills and drink all the water.
There's food in the fridge or in the box beside it, depending on what you want. I'll bring dinner around 6. There are watches in my closet you can use to track time if you'd like. There are books in the chest in the back corner of the closet. Feel free to read any of them.
Jake
I stroke my thumb along the words, feeling… something. A good something, at least.
Wanting to be good for him - not because he's my master, but because… well, because of that something - I take the pills and drink the water. Then I immediately head to the bathroom before my bladder can burst. I feel much better after I've relieved myself and brushed my teeth, but a bath would work wonders for me and I could use one anyway. I get it started before heading into the closet to look at his book options.
I smirk as I start rifling through the chest. Jake is apparently a fan of paranormal books. Gay paranormal books. It's definitely not what I expected, but if I’m going to be stuck reading, at least it’ll be something interesting. I grab what seems to be the first book of a series about werewolves and head back to the bathroom.
Deciding to indulge a little, I add some of that lavender oil he put in my first bath into the tub before climbing in.
I'm halfway through the first chapter when I hear the bedroom door shut. I startle, nearly dropping my book in the water.
"H-hello?" I call, my heart feeling like it's beating all the way up in my too-tight throat.
Jake comes around the corner before stopping short. It's almost adorable how flustered he gets, his eyes quickly darting up to the ceiling as he tries to grant me the privacy that I'm not sure I'll ever get used to having again. "Shit. Sorry. It's - it's 6. I brought dinner."
"Already?" I frown. "I guess I should have taken your advice and checked a watch. I just woke up."
"Yeah, you were out pretty good. I saw you drank the water and took your pills."
I wait, holding my breath, but he doesn't follow it up with praise. It stings, but it shouldn't sting, so I ignore it. Or… try to. "Did you bring dinner?"
"Yes. Mashed potatoes and pot roast."
"Oh my god, that's my favorite!" I pause then, remembering the files Carter showed me. They each had random facts about the person the file was about, as if whoever made the files needed to display the little things that make that person human instead of a slave. Do I have a file? "Wait, did you know that already? That that’s my favorite?"
He glances at me before seeming to remember I'm naked in the bath and quickly looking away again. "Uh - no. No, I didn't. But I'm glad."
"What do you know about me? I mean, you knew about me swimming. You asked me about it when you gave me my bath. What else do you know? Do you have one of those files on me?"
"Yes, I do. I know…" he trails off, his chin jerking like he's fighting not to look at me.
"Jake."
"Yes?"
"You've already seen me naked."
He makes a sound that's suspiciously similar to choking. "Well - I - yes. But it wasn't consensual."
"Well, it can be consensual now." My cheeks burn as I realize how that sounded. "I mean, you seeing me in the bath can be consensual. It doesn't bother me. There's bubbles from the oil anyway."
His lips part, but nothing comes out. He does this awkward shuffle of his feet. Then he slowly allows himself to look at me. I'm a little disappointed he isn't blushing. I think making this big, strong man blush would be very satisfying.
"I know you’ve been swimming competitively since before you were a teenager and that you were swimming for Michigan when you were taken. I know you weren’t the best student, but your teachers cited effort, not smarts whenever they conferenced with your father. You got a high enough score on your SAT and were talented enough of a swimmer to make up for it. I know you came out as gay at 14 and your father was a fierce ally. I know you’re secretly obsessed with 60s music. I know you wanted to be a cop like your dad after college, but switched your major last year from criminal justice to exercise science and had met with an advisor for the athletic training graduate program.” He pauses, almost like he's considering something. Then, "I know your father has gotten dangerously close to finding you twice already. We've had to redirect him, but I don't think it'll be long before he gets close again. It's good that the case is almost over."
"Will I be able to see him after?"
Jake's face twists for a moment before smoothing into a deceptively blank expression. "If that's what you choose. But you will have to leave the safehouse and never return. You'll have to cut ties with us. Once you return to your old life, we can't offer any sort of protection to you."
