Milk Nights [17] -Garment Bags-

RILEY'S POV

 

"This is creepy."

 

When you're standing on the stern of a ship and there's a layer of fog that keeps you from seeing your own feet, the only word to describe the situation is creepy. I still hadn't been able to shake my feelings of dread and loss, not to mention the fact that I was being hunted, and no boat in the middle of the Atlantic was going to keep me from feeling this way. And the fog wasn't happening. But the more I thought about it the thicker the fog seemed to get.

 

Thankfully I could feel Jake next to me, even though I couldn't see him very well, and that was enough to calm me slightly. Even if I was being hunted I had this lovely little personal knight to protect me. The thought made me laugh a little at the absurdity of my though process.  Jake? A knight? This wasn't a movie.

 

"I think we should go dancing or something." Jake suggested, placing his hand on the flat of my back and steering me back towards the inner bowels of the ship. Even thought it was nearing 10pm there where people everywhere and they all seemed to being in evening gowns and tuxedos.

 

"As much fun as that sounds I'm pretty sure that they wont let us going dancing in jean and t-shirts." I didn't say that with all the sarcasm that it probably deserved. I kind of really did want to go dancing, in the formal "Titanic" sort of way. None of that bumping and grinding that I was used to seeing in high school. But like I said, there was a dress code and I'm sure that jeans and t-shirts where strictly prohibited.

 

When Jake didn't say anything I found him looking a little smug. "What exactly are you smiling about?" I asked, wary of the answer I might receive.

 

"Did you know that we have a Butler?" he said, visibly trying to downplay the grin that I knew was getting ready to explode across his face. This was a sign of trouble. I knew it.

 

"No….." I replied suspiciously. We had been on the QM2 for four days now and I was pretty sure a Butler had been spotted amongst the overly extravagant cabin we where staying in. I didn't have a hard time imagining one, but that still didn't mean that I had seen one.

 

"Well we do." Jake smiled. By this time we where on our way back to our cabin and I could see he door that lead to it up ahead. A feeling of running towards it and the feeling of running away in the opposite direction was a bit overwhelming. I knew for a fact that Jake had planned something, I just wasn't quite sure what, and even more so unsure of whether or not I wanted to know what it was and if I wanted to participate. But before I could make up my mind Jake was opening the door and pushing me into the brightly lit sitting room.

 

Draped across the sofa where two large black garment bags. I groaned inwardly. I would put money on the fact that a tux was in one of them, and a dress in the other. Neat little embossed cards labeled 'His' and 'Hers' where pinned neatly into the fabric of the bags.

 

"You are a piece of work." I muttered, grabbing the bag labeled "Hers". I turned around to see Jake with that full-blown smile that I had imagined. "If I wasn't so keen on getting out of this room and having some fun I'd be slightly more annoyed with your scheming habits.

 

"I know for a fact that you love my 'scheming' habits." Jake announced happily.

 

I didn't even bother giving him the seething glare I knew I was perfectly capable of sending him. Instead I hightailed it for the stairs attempting to imagine what kind of dress lay beneath the smooth black fabric I clutched in my fingers.

 

 

 

JAKE'S POV

 

Javier turned out to be a nice little perk of the cabin that I didn't really expect. He was more then happy to collect the tux and dress. Even happier to receive the nice little tip I left him when he fallowed through.

 

A tux is a pretty simple thing to put on. Thankfully it fit properly and I wouldn't have to call upon Javier for a last minute tux retrieval mission. I wanted to treat Riley to a beautiful night and I doubted parading her around in an ill-fitting tux would be very enjoyable.

 

I ended up sitting on the sofa waiting for Riley to get ready. Not to say that I wasn't anxious. I hadn't had time to actually see the dress Javier had picked out, but for some reason I trusted that he'd do her justice. As it was nearing 10:30 I heard Riley's heels clicking their way down the steps. Nervous, I took a moment to collect myself before standing up to face Riley.

 

I knew my mouth dropped at that exact instant but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

 

I didn't see Riley as a girl, not even. But for the most part I only saw her wearing a sweater or a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Due to her pant-less habits I knew exactly what her legs looked like. But looking at her then, unaware of me watching her making her way down the stairs, I couldn't even begin to comprehend the beauty she exerted. She was, in undeniable fact, a woman.

 

The dress was strapless and a stunning shade of dark blue that accented her eyes perfectly. If the accentuation of her shoulders and collarbone wasn't so alluring I'd probably be stuck looking at her eyes.  When she finally did notice me gaping at her she immediately crossed her arms over her chest, self-coconsciousness immediately taking over.

 

RILEY'S POV

 

Jake looked like he had just seen Aphrodite walk down the stairs. I almost felt compelled to look behind me, but I knew that I was the one he was looking at. I didn't know why, but for one reason or another he was standing there with his mouth hanging open like some sort of love-crazed teenager. I mentally slapped myself. I probably looked hideous and he was thinking about how he was going to get out of taking me out tonight.

 

I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling how bare and exposed my shoulders where. "I don't look that bad do I?" I asked.

 

It seemed that what I said had knocked some sense back into Jake, barely. "Are you…. What?"

 

"I don't have anything else to wear so it's this or… yeah." I rambled. "I feel so ridiculous right now." I blushed, bowing my head down and hoping that all the bobby pins I had stuck in my hair would hold up to me thrashing my head around.

 

"Riley you look beautiful."

 

Did I hear right? Did the words 'beautiful' just leave this kid's mouth? I was pretty sure he was insane, or joking. But at this point insane seemed like a stronger possibility. I looked up shocked when I suddenly noticed that Jake was standing next to me instead of on the other side of the room.

 

"I mean it." He said, resting his cool hand on my bare shoulder. "You look wonderful. In fact, I feel like I look kind of shabby standing next to you."

 

I did the most unladylike thing possibly and snorted. Jake was the only beautiful things in this room as far as I was concerned. I was elated he couldn't hear my thoughts anymore, otherwise he'd be getting a mind-full of my lustful feelings for him. They where even starting to annoy me. Too bad it was pointless to act upon them. Jake probably saw me as his little sister, someone he needed to protect… The point was, he looked stunning in his tuxedo and I couldn't help but smooth out the lapels of his jacket. "Don't be ridiculous. You're the belle of the ball." I smiled, "Ready?"

 

Jake gave me a knee-weakening lopsided smile and held out his arm. As cheesy as the suggestion was, I couldn't help but slid my arm through his and allow him to lead me out of the room and towards the elevator that would take us to the inevitable ballroom. To tell you the truth, I was kind of giddy.

 

 

---

 

 

 

We didn't get our "stop and stare" entrance greeting like I half (jokingly) expected, but I could immediately feel several pairs of eyes work their way towards our direction. Naturally they were directed towards Jake. As for myself… I couldn't really be sure, I wasn't very good at noticing obvious stares from the opposite gender. I did, on the other hand, notice a few women give me a glare or twelve.

 

As Jake lead me out to the dance floor he suddenly let out a small laugh.

 

"What?" I asked, not really sure what he found to be so funny.

 

"Some people…." He laughed. "There's a woman over there that's attempting to figure out how to introduce you to her husband."

 

I made a sour look to accompany my sour thought. "Why on earth would anyone want to introduce me to their husband?"

 

Jake let out yet another laugh, but cringed a little. "She's got a little bit of an overactive imagination and an attachment to the word 'rendezvous.'

 

"Blah."  I said sticking my tongue out. "Keep their thoughts to yourself. I don't want to imagine you hooking up with somebody's mom."

 

"No one said she was old." Jake retorted, suddenly pressing me into his body and swinging me across the dance floor. I suddenly remembered I didn't really know how to dance. But that didn't quell the sudden flood of jealously that poured into my stomach.

 

I bet if I said something ironic I'd be right: "Let me guess, she's on her honeymoon?" Jake nodded and I couldn't help feeling a bit angry, at least, for the husband. I suddenly stumbled a little bit when Jake swung me in a direction I wasn't anticipating. "What are we dancing right now?"

 

"The Waltz."

 

I nodded, trying to keep pace and not trip. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this."

 

"You're doing wonderfully." Jake insisted, smiling down at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

 

Sadly, when I finally got the hang of the circular, sweeping motions the song decided to end. In it's place a slower more, dare I say, romantic song began to play. I was rapidly becoming hyper aware of Jake's hands; one holding my left hand and the other wrapped firmly around my waist. Slowly I found myself being pulled closer to him. I couldn't resist the urge to rest my head against his chest.

 

"I don't ever think I really thanked you." I managed to say after a while of silence between us.

 

"For what?" he asked, sounding genuine. I smiled, feeling the reverberations of his deep voice echo through his chest.

 

"For everything, particularly saving me from the perilous clutches of death."

 

Jake loosened my left hand and brought his to my face, turning it upwards. I suddenly realized how much taller Jake was then I. He looked down at me, a mask of utmost seriousness. "I didn't do it for nothing."

 

"What then, did you do it for?"

 

"You."

 

"Obviously." I smiled briefly. "But why? There are so many reasons why you shouldn't have, or wouldn't have. Why am I different from anyone else? I'm just… non-important." A frown tugged down the corners of Jake's beautiful mouth.

 

"Please don't think that you're unimportant. You're far from it." He insisted.

 

"Up until a few days ago I was just some starving artist only the criminals and the homeless seemed to noticed." I replied weakly, trying to bow my head down. "I just don't understand."

 

Jake pulled my face up again towards his. "I did all of this because I couldn't bare to see suffer, to see you die."

 

I looked at him confused. What was he talking about? Why would he even care? What could I have possibly done to make him see me as anything else but a living, breathing meal? I suddenly realized that we where on the fringes of the dance floor, not dancing, but instead standing by a vast window that looked out to the see. The all-encompassing fog from earlier had settled down to the water, exposing the starry sky, but still leaving an eerie carpet above the water. I was still standing close to Jake, pressed up against him, but I couldn't move away, even if I wanted to. I knew something was about to happen, but I knew more then anything else I wasn't in the position to stop it… again, even if I wanted to.

 

I closed my eyes as Jake brushed his thumb over my cheek. I couldn't help but rest my face into the bow of his palm. "Please tell me you know why." He said, his voice low and slightly nervous. "Please tell me that I'm horrible at hiding things from you." He asked, pleading, almost desperately.

 

I opened my eyes shocked. Was he… confessing?

 

"I saw you that day, I was so thirsty, I almost thought about taking you right there but I couldn't, and for some reason you seemed to be the last person I could ever think of hurting. So instead I decided to fallow you. I put my thirst aside and tried to figure you out." He admitted, tightening his arm around my waist. "Is it horrible that I was happy to hurt the man that hurt you?" he asked.

 

I couldn't find my voice. So I just shook my head.

 

"I'd do anything to keep you safe." He whispered.

 

"Jake?" I asked, finally forcing air and voice from my nervous throat. He looked at me, his brown eyes wide and unsure. "Will you just shut up and kiss me already?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N:  Not that I'm feeling inspired or anything, I was just wondering if anyone is desiring a lemon.  You know, those lovely x-rate bits of wonderfulness that tend to unmercifully emberass the person writing it because they're sending it  out into the world.

 

Anyways, if you want one, it is YOUR duty to TELL ME. Okay? Otherwise... yeah. You wont be getting one.

On another note: Are all of you sitting there going 'FINALLY!"? I would be if I were you. Even I was getting frustrated with their lack of hook-up-age. Anyways, I tried to keep as many cliches out of this particular chapter as I possibly could. But as you can see, I failed miserably. But whatever, I can't be perfect. And besides, sometimes cliches are just as enjoyable if used properly. ;)