He smiled, like he’d been holding his breath.
He touched my ear.
“It worked. Those rich girls leave me alone
now.”
I looked down at my hand. He had written “Jake’s” on it.
814
Jake couldn’t take the silence. He grabbed my hand.
“I swear, I never touched them. Go ask if you don’t believe me.”
I smiled and said, “I know.”
I already knew. I even knew he paid each
actress a lot of money at the end of the night.
To be honest, I was only using him for the
monov at first
Winter break.
(
814
Everything was white, nothing else seemed to
matter.
I felt so strange.
Jake put earmuffs on me.
“Dummy, you cold or what?”
He hugged me.
Jake said he comes here every year to see the
snow, but this year, he wanted me.
We flew across the country.
I saw snow for the first time.
We stayed at a hotel up in the mountains. I got
a fever in the afternoon.
Jake gave me medicine, then I told him to go
away.
I woke up at sunset.
I took my temperature. It was down.
I walked to the window.
The mountains were all shadowed and blended
with the sky.
I just sat there.
Someone knocked.
I went to open the door.
Jake was standing there.
“Got you some oyster omelet. It’s still hot.”
<
Oyster omelet?
I looked at the box.
That’s what I had said when I was sick.
But, was there even anywhere nearby that sold oyster omelets?
The hotel was hot, but Jake had on a black
hoodie.
His ears and nose were red.
“Where did you buy it?”
“There’s a restaurant at the bottom of the
mountain.”
I frowned. “The tour guide said there were no
cars after noon.”
“I walked.”
<
Like it was nothing.
“My fever is gone.”
I looked at him. “Jake, I don’t need it that
much.”
He looked down.
“It’s the first time I’ve brought you here. I’m
sorry you got sick.”
He was so dramatic.
I took the food.
“Sarah, you’re so mean.‘
“”
He pinched my cheek.
His fingers were cold.
I didn’t move.
<
I put the hot water bag on his neck.
“You’ll freeze.”
He smiled and leaned in.
“My lips are cold, kiss me?”
