In His Arms Tonight

Make it Rain

*Jay*

He gave up his apartment? He lives here now? These questions had been turning over in her mind all day. He did this for me? Packing up his things and driving two days was out of character. Did he really love her? She couldn’t fathom him being serious about moving here. Chris had to show her his pickup sloppily filled with his things before she believed him.

Greg leaving without even a backwards glance, ate at her. She had not expected undying confessions of love, but after the time they’d spent she thought he would at least check on her. He hadn’t. She heard his truck fire up while Chris was quizzing her about how she had busted the air mattress after only one night. She tossed, “I think I overfilled it,” absently, as she hurried to get a better view out the window. She only caught a glimpse of his brake lights.

She had agreed to let Chris crash in the spare room a few nights, so he could make himself other arrangements. Jay thought he only agreed because she was not softening on getting back together. He was not exactly relenting though, as every chance he got he was accidentally touching her or brushing up against her. She felt suffocated. She escaped out to the back deck to get some air. She found herself gravitating towards Greg’s fence. She saw a couple bags sitting near the edge of the deck. Another air mattress and some other essentials Jayne hadn’t yet been able to get were in the bags. She looked instantly toward Greg’s house. His truck was back, but she hadn’t been able to catch sight of him all day.

Chris was acting so strangely, Jay was unsure what to say so she could get away for a moment, without him inviting himself. She wished Greg would come. She somehow knew his presence would be all she needed to banish Chris. She wanted to go back to their time together, to the peace she had in his arms.

Jay carried the bags inside and hurried into her room and shut the door. She heard Chris in the spare room talking on the phone. When his call ended he sought her out. “Where’d you get the new mattress?”

“I was going through the car and found this one, I must of bought two by accident.” Chris laughed heartily, “You gotta use that head of yours, and don’t blow it up too much. You don’t want the same thing to happen to this one, do you?” His words gave Jay flashbacks of what had actually happened to her mattress. Her body heated instantly at the memory of Greg rocking into her so feverishly as he came. Hell yes, I did want the same thing to happen to this one. Hell, I would buy a new mattress every morning if every mattress would meet the same fate. Chris questioning her snapped her back to the moment, “Hmmm?”

“Uh, right. I’m gonna keep a better eye on it.” Chris came closer to her and tried to grab her hips. Jay sidestepped him and put some distance between them. “Why won’t you let me touch you?” At this, Jay spun to look at him incredulously, “You’re lucky I’m letting you crash here. I can’t imagine letting you touch me again.” Chris looked a little taken aback at the finality of her words. He recovered quickly though, “We haven’t made love since that first time. I know you been wanting more of that.” Chris said this as he sauntered closer to her once more. Jay was repulsed, he looked so greasy, like a snake. Had he always looked like that? Jay had to work to keep her face from showing her disgust. “Actually, giving you my virginity is the biggest regret of my life.” Jay said this as she looked him square on. She could detect the shock in his face.

Jay never spoke to Chris in this way before. She had been in love with him since they were young. Infatuated with his every word, she never questioned him or his loyalty. Never, until she found him in bed with two of her childhood ‘friends’.

Jay had become a recluse after that, focusing only on planning her escape. She kept her head low and on the rare occasions she did venture out. She would see people whispering and gossiping about her humiliation. Small towns kept no secrets. Once two people knew, everyone would know before long. Jayne left without so much as an announcement. So, how had Chris found me? “How did you know where I moved to?”

Chris did not bat an eye as he coolly dropped, “You weren’t answering my calls or texts so I came to your house and went through your mail.” Her eyes went wide at his revelation. “I saw your change of address form, and decided right then, that I was coming to get my pound cake.” Going through someone’s mail was illegal. Did it still count if he hadn’t opened anything and returned it? Jay wasn’t sure. “Please stop calling me that! It’s repulsive considering you pound anything walking.” Jay felt her temperature rising. She really needed to get out of here. “Can you let me out? I need to go handle some business.”

“Want company?” Chris was unrelenting, “Actually no, I think your time would be better spent finding yourself somewhere to live.” Jay’s constant rejection was not something Chris would keep putting up with, she was sure. Why is he still here?

“Christopher, you can’t be serious to think that you can just barge in here and back into my life as you have. I left town. I left you. You have not done anything to be here.” Chris eyebrows raised at hearing this, then a big grin, “Is that what this is about?” He went to the spare room and came back. He carried a fat roll of money. Stopping in front of Jay, he started to peel of hundred after hundred. Jay lost count after $5000. Finally, he stopped and offered the bills to Jay. This chauvinist display was the last straw. Jay took the offending bills and threw them up in the air. Hundreds flew everywhere. As the money swirled around them she looked him dead in the eye, “You have five days.”