***
After getting over the initial shock at how amazing Jo actually was and how beautiful her body was, the following days passed like a dream. Jake found himself in a constant sated and euphoric daze, mostly because he could not believe what was happening to him. Jo had literally moved in to his house. Never one to be observant, it surprised him that he noticed nuances that seemed to make huge differences to his life. The fact that she had an abundance of shoes was the first thing he noticed. Yellow, orange, purple, black, high-heeled, wedge-heeled, peep-toed, boots, whatever he could name, thanks to growing up with Jordi - she had.
Her hair, while it was voluminous and sexy as ever - was everywhere. On his couch, on the bathroom floor, on his toothbrush – that was a shocker, in his fridge, on his bed. Everywhere. He found her fallen hair everywhere. He remembered that Jordi’s hair used to fall too, but her hair was not jet-black and long, so it really was a new experience for him. Although, her hair was nothing compared to the subtle scent she left lingering in the house.
Having never lived with any “female” save for his mother and Jordi, Jake had never noticed how the smell of a woman permeates houses, brings them alive and turns them into homes. The shower that once reeked of what Chris called “manly goodness” now smelled like her. Funnily, it also seemed a lot cleaner than what it used to be, and she had only been in his house for four days. The bed had never felt more comfortable. Every time he lay down he was enveloped in her scent. The pillows smelled of shampoo and the sheets of soap. It puzzled him that Jo could smell so wonderful and feminine, even though they both shared the same soap. Even the kitchen smelled like her. Her clothes, used or not, smelled beautiful. He could not understand it. Part of him wanted to super-glue the sheets to the mattress, if only to allow him to revel in her scent for a little longer.
She had to be the most playful, child-like woman he had ever been with. She laughed freely and easily, played pranks on him incessantly, cooked in his kitchen, and dominated his house – which strangely, over the course of a few days, had become a home. Another new experience was the affection she showed, and the affection he felt for her. She was incredibly affectionate, not just verbally but physically. She laughed all the time, her body was so warm, and she hugged him any chance she got – she was a real hugger, and she was incredibly passionate about everything that she did.
The bedroom was probably the only place where Jake could take control of the situation, and it was obvious that it was only so because she let him. It seemed as though her body was made for him, her sighs of pleasure made for his ears, her eyes made to look only at him. Her eyes. Her fathomless eyes moved him the most. He was learning how to tell when she was being sincere, when she was playing, when she was aroused – all by looking into her eyes. He knew her, almost as though he had known her long before actually meeting her. Jake had never actually met a girl who was funny, until Jo. She made him laugh, she frustrated him, she was everything and more than he had imagined.
He felt like a sap for thinking of all those things, but could not help himself. Thanking his lucky stars every morning was the least he could do for the gift that he had been given. There were times that Fallon had popped by with a movie, the three of them would watch it together, Jo huddled in Jake’s arms, Fallon cursing incessantly – Jake had begun to love his life. James was nowhere to be seen, but that could have been their fault for not leaving the house.
It seemed as though everything a man could ever want had been bestowed upon him. A beautiful girl to warm his bed, a friend like Fallon, an extraordinary accomplishment called a “weapons pay load carrier” and a dog named Hootch. It all seemed too good to be true - no one was this lucky. Just knowing that the ten days would soon be over dampened things. That and the fact that Jake felt that only James was missing.
On the fifth day, while Fallon, Jake and Jo were watching Ricky Lake – this time it was about a woman who had her sixty-seven year-old uncle’s baby and the fight that ensued between her boyfriend and the old fart – someone knocked on the front door. Fallon immediately began pretending that it was an intruder and kept saying, “Have you checked on the children?”
It was James and he did not look happy. Jake thought perhaps he felt left out. Jo and Fallon were, after all, James’ friends. The four of them were a team, but James was never included in on all the fun.
“Jake, Melon, Jo-Jo. Good afternoon,” he greeted them curtly once he was in the living room. “I, uh, I, just wanted to hang out. Like you guys,” he continued bashfully, meekly even.
“Well, well, well, ain’t this a surprise! Jamesie! Of course you’re welcome to join us! This is the first time you’ve ever joined Fallon and I on our Ricky Lake binge!” Jo exclaimed, while Fallon mysteriously appeared with a beer can in his hand and a telephone in the other while spewing lines from “When a Stranger Calls”. He handed James the beer and the four of them settled in, enjoying the comfort and safety of their friendship. They were now complete, they were a team, their future bound together by the golden ropes of destiny. Only a few days left to what they were calling “The Departure”. The ominous name hanging over their heads like anvil rain threatening to fall.
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