Re: Freshmen Dorms

[Tiger-Lily]

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Seth muttered, staring at his feet. He looked up at Jake. "Why don't you break the ice? If only so you can both move on. Because honestly, with you torturing yourself over what she's thinking, you're not gonna move on. For who knows how long. And you know you should. This thing with you and her...it's way past its expiry date, bro."

That last sounded cruel and Seth winced. But he felt it was true. Everyone else did too.

[Guest]

Jake nodded slowly, feeling the sting of Seth's words but he knew he was right. That all of this had just gone on for far too long. "I know." He muttered, Jake got up and looked down at Seth. "I um I'm gonna go to bed, maybe see if she'd wanna talk to me tomorrow." Jake mumbled, somewhat walking back to his room, closing his door behind him.

Jake exhaled, looking at his window debating whether or not if he should just go over there right now. He knew it was late, she was probably asleep. Even if Evelyn had been awake, there was a good chance she wouldn't let him in.

He wouldn't force her to either.

Jacob figured all their other fights and talks, had been insane. That if she talked to him tonight that they just said whatever. It would sort of be the last battle between them and their feelings.

Jake went to the window and slid it open, he walked out onto the ledge. Walking slowly to her window. Jake crouched down and tapped on the window with his finger, loud enough to hopefully wake her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Seth had returned to his room, falling sleepily onto his bed now that the horrible effects of alcohol were fading. Thank God for his damn tolerance.

***

Nova lifted his head, ears perking up. He barked happily, a short sharp bark that made Evelyn mumble at him to shut up before she rolled over, back to the window, and went back to sleep.

Nova rushed to the window and placed his forepaws on the sill, which he could now reach fairly easily. He yipped happily at Jake's face through the glass.

[Guest]

Jacob smiled at Nova, he knew that he was probably gonna be causing a bunch of noise in there. He sometimes forgot that Nova was there, but he remembered that was one common link between him and Evelyn. Finding Nova together.

Although she pretty much raised him. Jake motioned his head towards the direction of Evelyn's bed, hoping that Nova would understand to wake her. But at the same time he doubt Nova would even know what he was doing.

Maybe he should come back in the morning or something? When Evelyn was actually awake.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova, pausing his yipping to stare confusedly at Jake, and then look behind him at Evelyn, just began barking louder this time, poking his nose out of Evelyn's open window. His voice echoed on the streets below.

Evelyn groaned this time, turning back around to face the window, eyes fluttering open. "Nova, for God's sake, if you do not shut it, I will feed you to Rocket."

[Guest]

Jacob covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, and quickly sat back down. Leave it to Nova to wake up the whole city. "Nooo noo. Nova shhh!" Jake whispered trying to get him to calm down.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova leaned his face out the window, snuffling into Jake's hair affectionately. He paused his barking to slobber on Jake's forehead.

[Guest]

"Oh yeah... that's it just slobber all over the place." Jacob said in hushed tones feeling Nova drool a river onto his forehead, he responded by scratching his ears. "Geez you got big, when did you grow so much?" Jake asked him like he could respond with a coherent answer.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova's response was a very loud bark, and he dropped back into the room, dancing on his legs and barking again.

Evelyn rubbed her eyes, irritated. Her head was spinning from the stupid day she'd had and now Nova was going on a doggy tantrum. Perfect.

[Guest]

"Shhh Nova! Be quiet, you know? Silencio!" Jake hissed at him. Hoping to have woken up Evelyn. Remembering he did have another motive of showing up here besides playing with Nova.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova, catching the Spanish command, fell silent instantly, eyes widening at Jake's refusal to communicate. His head drooped.

[Guest]

Jake was shocked! Nova still knew Spanish commands? He thought if anything Evelyn would have trained him again. Although right now he was having a very proud father moment. "Nova, venir." Jake called to him quietly.

Nova's ears perked up at that and he walked over to Jake at the window he stood up on his hind legs, his tongue lolling he licked Jake's cheek in response. And Jacob just pet him again. It had been so long since Nova was last with him, he missed him.

But Jacob knew he had to talk to Evelyn, and he shouldn't put it off anymore. "Hey if you understand me go wake up Evelyn." Jake informed Nova. Nova tilted his head at Jake, going back down on all four legs, he trotted back over to Evelyn's bed he hopped up there and began tugging at her comforter.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn finally threw back her duvet and sat up, grinding her teeth. "Nova!" She looked around. There better be a serious fire going on or something he'd woken her for!

Instead, her eyes locked on a tall shadow outside her window.

Unlike the rational females of the city, Evelyn's brain didn't automatically go to burglars. She blinked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Jake?!"

Her body stiffened in reflex, goosebumps rising up along her skin, and her stomach twisted. Tousled bronze curls fell chaotically over her face as she straightened up and she brushed them away, yanking her duvet up over her flimsy nightie. Why did he always time his entrances at inappropriate moments?!

[Guest]

Jake flinched realizing that maybe this was a bad time, well it was almost one... or two? He wasn't sure it was late though. "I'm sorry, I wanted to talk to you and I didn't know you were sleeping. I guess Nova saw me and got excited. I'll uh... " He stopped, biting his lip looking in at her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn rubbed at her eyes and then realized mascara flakes came off on her fingers. Lovely.

She glanced up at Jake again, swallowing. After a moment of silently examining him, she said, "Why couldn't you just use the door?"

[Guest]

"When have I ever used the door?" Jake laughed lightly, he turned away the wind blew past him and he cleared his throat. "Can I come in?" He asked her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn debated this in her head. Funnily enough, she still felt completely blank, like her exhausted heart and worn out brain had just given up, thrown in the towel and accepted whatever the hell was going to come her way.

She shrugged. Nova barked again and she looked down at him, running her hand lightly over his soft head. "Sshh, Nova."

[Guest]

Jacob wasn't sure what to make of Evelyn's gesture, but he just wanted to make things right or whatever between them. So he climbed in through her window, standing in front of the sill.

Jake looked at Evelyn and swallowed. "I want you to know, that I would never and I mean never. Force myself on you or any other girl for that reason...and." Jake paused.

He stood there and could feel the guilt of what he had done sinking in. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know no matter how many times I say it, if you never forgive me I understand."

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova whined, clearly sensing the tension in the room.

Evelyn stared down at him and then lifted her gaze to Jake, feeling the first real emotion in a good few hours - confusion. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you...what are you on about? I never thought th-that you'd do anything like that...I still don't," she added simply, looking back down at her hands fisted on her duvet.

[Guest]

Jacob shoved his hands into his pockets, looking back up at Evelyn. This wasn't fair, he didn't want it to be over, but was Seth right? Had everything just run its course? Was it for real that this time, that there was just too much damage to fix everything between them?

"I don't know, how you feel or what you've been thinking about everything. I mean I've given your space and kind of not talked to you because I figured you never wanted to talk to me again after all of this happened and I figured that was the least I could do, but... do you think?" Jake paused he didn't want to say it. It really was gonna be over wasn't it?

Jake took a breath and went on. "Do you think, we've run our course? That this whatever we had between us, has just been needing to end and there are just too many things that have happened to both of us that no matter what, like we can't fix it between us? That it really is over?"

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn stilled for a moment and she could've sworn some part of her sank into oblivion at his words. She sucked in a harsh breath and stared down at her hands as Nova walked over to Jake and sniffed his shoes.

Evelyn watched the beagle. He was really their only link. Wasn't he?

Jake's question swam around in her mind. In all honesty, she knew everyone was logically telling her it was most definitely over. Their relationship was unhealthy, emotionally scarring and just a whole load of hurt. And she honestly didn't know how she'd ever get over it, over him.

"I wanted my space," she said finally, voice so dry she had to clear her throat. This was the first time she'd ever talked to anyone about what had gone down during Jake's demon spell and she felt her body shudder as she forced herself to dredge up those memories. Her eyes flicked upward and caught Jake's through the darkness, but since he was silhouetted against the streetlight from the window, he was hard to make out. His features oddly demonized by the light hitting his profile.

"I wanted it because..." Evelyn felt a block form in her throat and she momentarily lost her ability to speak. To her horror, her eyes stung and before she could stop herself, her voice was wavering. "B-because, even though it was...wasn't you who did all o-of those th-thi-things," she reached up to swipe a hand over her wet eyes, "in my head, you're the face a-a-and the voice and the hands that I s-see. Ev-every nightmare related t-to that whole...incident...and th-the ones after it, they're you, e-e-even though I know better than t-to believe you'd ever do that. I know you won't," she added as firmly as she could with silent tears trailing down her face. "But in my memory, it's you. That's why I can't ... can't be around you. When you patted my head on the subway, I nearly slapped you. It's a terrible reaction b-b-but.."

Her chest ached, her face felt cold as a breeze trickled in and caressed the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She squinted down at her hands, and then lifted them to wrap her arms around her duvet-clad knees, huddling into a tight ball because she could feel her shoulders shaking in efforts to restrain the lash of bitter tears that wanted to escape her. She didn't dare speak; it'd just be an outlet for the whirlwind of emotion inside her, so she lowered her head, resting her face in her knees as Nova whined anxiously.

[Guest]

Jacob lowered his head, he didn't know what else to say or do to comfort her. It didn't matter that there was a demon inside of him that did those things to her. Sure he knew, that Evelyn knew that Jacob would never hurt her or even try to rape her. But it wasn't the demon's voice, or body he used.

It was Jake's and that was something that would haunt her and him forever. He knew no matter how many times he said he was sorry it would never fix it. "But you did it because of how I was..." Jake said quietly. "And no matter how many times I say it, sorry. It won't fix it. And I don't want it to."

"I never wanted to hurt you this badly, never." Jake said seeing her huddled up trying to hide the tears he saw traces of on her face, and he wasn't sure whether or not to approach her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova whined again, a long whine as he walked over to Evelyn and nudged his face into her side. Evelyn opened her mouth, forcing herself to get a grip, and her body shuddered, a deep-rooted shudder from her toes up to her shoulders, jarring her hands. "I know, it was never your fault..."

Again and again, all she saw behind her closed lids were flashes of the past few weeks: the flash of a knife as it cut her, black eyes staring into hers through darkness, her back against a wall as Jake held her pinned, the feel of his fist in the elevator.

She felt the last vestiges of her control snap and ducked her head back into her knees as soft sobs overtook her.

[Guest]

Jacob looked up at her, he wasn't sure what to do or say anymore. He walked silently over to her, he reached his hand out to touch her, but hesitated. Then without even realizing it his hand was resting on her shoulder. All he wanted to do was throw his arms around her, and just sit there with her and let her cry. But everything was just so unsure and he didn't want to over step his boundaries with her.

[Tiger-Lily]

Nova continued whining sadly, circling around Jake's legs to sit down on his other side.

Evelyn stilled, taking a sharp breath when she realized Jake's hand was on her shoulder. A part of her flinched but she didn't move.

"D-don't," she said, voice muffled between sniffles as she lifted her head. She felt herself shudder again and clamped a hand over her mouth as a fresh bout of sobs broke forth. She reached up with her free hand and caught Jake's, grip tightening no doubt painfully, but his hand, unlike all of her, was steady and she kind of felt like she needed a handrail. Evelyn closed her eyes, pressing her other hand to her lips to minimize the sound. It was dark in her room; Jake wouldn't really be able to see her face and that was fine by her.

[Sponsored content]