It feels like forever, when in actuality, it's probably only a few seconds before he speaks again.
“Coming inside you,” he finally finishes. “I love coming inside you.”
I exhale slowly after hearing his words, unable to tell if I'm disappointed or not.
I wasn't exactly expecting him to say I love youtonight. And in reality, it's probably going to take him some time to get there.
So I can't let myself be disappointed. He's already come a long way.
I grab one of his hands and bring it to my mouth for a soft kiss before he pulls out and disentangles himself from me. Neither of us says a word as we gather our clothes, and he passes me some napkins to clean myself.
An uneasy tension starts to fill the cabin the longer we're silent. I start to notice that Jacob is avoiding eye contact with me while we dress, and that has me starting to worry.
I don't understand. Is he angry that he almost said, I love you?
Or is he angry that he feels that way in the first place?
Now that I think about it a little more, was he even going to say that?
Or did I just assume because I wanted to hear it?
His eyes are usually windows into what's going on with him, but they're hidden from me right now, making it impossible for me to read.
The sex we just had was a little more intense. Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive now because of it.
After we're both dressed, I stay down here for a moment to myself while Jacob goes up to start the motor. I sit on the edge of the bed, staring ahead at the two photos on the wall once again while listening to the sounds above me.
I should just ask him if there is anything wrong. It's not like I've ever held back with the questions in the past.
I wait a few more minutes before I get to my feet and head for the stairs.
“Fuck! No.” I hear from Jacob in a tone that I haven't heard him use before when I'm halfway up.
It has me moving that much faster to see what's going on. But when I first make it up to the top step, I can't see anything noticeably wrong.
It's not until I'm standing next to him, looking toward the shore, that I see it, and my stomach drops straight to the ocean floor.
“Oh my god,” I gasp, grabbing hold of Jacob's arm.
He is completely silent as we make our way back to the shore, and we watch helplessly as his truck is engulfed in flames. Fire covers every inch of it, leaving no part unscathed.
Although we're still standing next to each other, it feels like the space between us is growing, and the air around us rises with tension.
The second we arrive at the dock, he's mooring the boat at lightning speed, and I'm watching him take off on the run, all the while feeling sick to my stomach.
I take a little longer getting off, making sure I'm not going to fall into the water, and then I'm running as well.
By the time I make it to where he's standing, he's already got a hose in one hand, trying unsuccessfully to put out the flames, and his other hand is shakily rubbing along his jaw.
I can see his chest heaving with barely contained anger or frustration, and the vice around my chest tightens. The whole scene is just so surreal.
“I'm so sorry, Jacob.”
I don't need to ask him what happened. We both know this was done intentionally by someone in this town. I just cannot believe that they'd actually stoop to this level.
When I heard them mention doing something to his boat, I had hoped they'd never really follow through with something like that, especially after Tahnee was going to talk to them.
Now, after seeing this, I'm not so sure they won't go after it next.