Seeking Relief

Calling for Support

Jade woke up, with her fists at her side clutching her sheets. She stared up at the dark ceiling as she forced her breathing to slow.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. 

She was so tired of these damn nightmares. She just wanted a full night’s rest.

She knew that this was another repeat of the night before. She could do what she did before, but her hands still were in agony. 

She looked over at her phone and contemplated on calling them. 

She reached for it.

If she wanted others to keep their promises to her, she had keep the ones that she made.

She swiped and started to call a certain number. They had written down who was off on which days for the next week. She remembered who it was that was off tonight.

“’ello?” Jake answered with rough voice. Jade felt her stomach flip when the sound hit her ears.

“Hey. Uhm. Did I wake you?” 

“Jade?! No. I mean it’s okay. Everything alright?”

“Uhh. Yea. I- uh-“

“You had another nightmare didn’t you?”

“…yea.” She said defeatedly. She felt the tears creep into her eyes again.

“I’ll be over in 5 or 10.” 

“You don’t have to come over.” But she was touched, and she could her voice wobble with the sob that threatened to overwhelm her.

Jake obviously caught the wobble, because after a pause, he answered with a very strong, “Yes I do. I’ll be there soon.” 

Then he hung up.

Jade decided to strip her bed again. She was soaking with sweat, again.

Who would’ve thought frequent nightmares would have an impact on laundry.

She stripped the old sheets and threw them on the floor. She put new sheets on the bed and placed her blankets back. 

She carried her dirty sheets to her laundry closet and shoved them in the washer. After adding detergent, she closed the lid and started it just as there was a soft knock at her door.

With a small smile she approached the door, with a quick look in her peephole for confirmation, she opened her door to smile sheepishly at Jake.

“Hey Jade Stone,” He said, greeting her. She stepped out of the way for him to come in, then shut the door behind him.

When she turned he was perched up on a barstool at the breakfast counter already.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked.

“I don’t know. It just seemed so real at the time. But now I feel silly.” 

She started rinsing off dishes and idly washing them as she talked. 

Jake didn’t like her working her hand, but he knew she talked more freely when she was preoccupying herself with a task. 

So he didn’t stop her.

“Well there’s nothing to feel silly about if it has upset you this much.”

“I know. But it was like I was reliving the exact memory of when I tried to run from him the first time.” Without meaning to, she rambled and told him the events of her nightmare. When she finished, she paused, set a dish down, and gripped the edge of the sink, “It just seemed so real. When I woke up I thought I was in his basement again.” Jade pulled in a shuddering deep breath.

Jake jumped off the barstool and came around to embrace her.

“My hands are wet! I’ll get you wet.” She started to protest.

“That doesn’t matter.” He assured.

He hugged her tight until her breathing steadied. 

“Thank you.” She said, looking up at him.

Jake smiled and started to nod. 

He looked into her deep dark eyes. They seemed to change in variation of how much green or brown were in them. 

Tonight, they were mostly green with barely any brown visible around them. They reflected the hurt and trauma that she had experienced and relived tonight. 

He felt like he couldn’t escape the pull of her gaze.

And he liked it.

He brought his hands up to her face and slowly lowered his lips to hers. He gently traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. Her tongue came out to meet his.

Jake about fell to the floor when he felt her kissing him back. 

He would explore her mouth with tenderness then would caress her tongue with his as she reciprocated his attentions.

All too soon, she broke off the kiss panting.

She brought her hand to her forehead and stepped away looking dazed.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why?” He asked curious.

She stepped around him. 

“I-I uh,” She stammered. 

Jake smiled and leaned against the counter.

“Yes?”

“Adam kissed me, too!” She exclaimed abruptly. 

When she didn’t get a response from him, she continued hurriedly.

“I like you guys. But I don’t like just one. I care for all of you and I’m extremely grateful to what you’ve done for me. And I don’t want to risk your guys’ friendships.”

She took a breath and looked at Jake again. 

He still just stood there smiling.

“Look. I care about all of you equally. I don’t want to choose and lose the others. So I’d rather just have your friendships.”

Jake still stood there smiling.

“Why aren’t you saying anything!?”

“Who says you have to choose?” He finally said softly.

“What?”

“We all care about you, too. If you care about all of us, why do you have to choose?”

“Uhm. What?” She said again staring at him openmouthed. 

Jake chuckled and pushed off where he leaned. 

“Emmett and I share lovers and each other. We’re polyamorous. Adam and Mitch know this. True they’re not actively polyamorous themselves, but they also don’t frown upon it.”

While he spoke, he slowly walked towards her. When he was a few steps away, he finished his thought, taking those final steps to her.

“No one has to choose.”

As Jake crowded her space, Jade felt her heart pounding. She was barely able to concentrate on the conversation when he was so near. She was sure he could hear her heartbeat.

“You mean…be with whoever we want? Whenever?”

“Not necessarily. We respect each other and communicate when we are interested in new partners. And we commit to each other also.” Jake leaned his face down closer to hers. “We’d commit to you, and you to us.”

“That sounds too be good to be true.”

Jake brushed his cheek against hers and spoke softly in her ear.

“That’s what you deserve.”

Jade’s heart was in full blown frenzy now. She needed to think clearly and with Jake this tantalizingly close, she wasn’t getting any thinking done. 

At all.

She quickly sidestepped away from him and dashed to her bathroom.

“I need to shower.”

Jake chuckled as she closed her door. He knew she wanted them. What was holding her back was an issue that wasn’t one at all. 

She just needed to be shown exactly that.

Smiling, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey. Are you off soon? --- Awesome. Can you come over to Jade’s? She had a rough night and I’d like to show her some polyamorous bliss --- Great. See you soon, man.”