A/N: New chapter!
For reference:Tara is 26, Jax 28, Tommy 22, Trinity 18, Opie 28, Finn 28, and McKenna 26 years old.
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Week Two – Are You Trying to Kill Me?
The evening was suffocating with the unbearable heat, with only slight rush of breeze now and then. The traffic had almost ceased, but the streets roared with the youth that were headed to few still existing local clubs.
Tara observed them wishfully, envying them for their carefree attitude and the fact that they probably had no worries in their lives. And then here she was, carrying a bowl of her homemade lasagne in her hands and trying not to trip over her feet as she walked to Gemma's house. Jax was walking beside her, his hands tucked neatly into his jeans pockets, appearing lost in his own thoughts, occasionally stealing glances at Tara.
Her teal-coloured short sleeve dress fluttered around her knees as she stomped the pavement in her black pumps, paying no attention to him.
After the whole debacle with their clothes, they hadn't spoken a word to each other. Tara knew it was his fault and that he should apologise to her, for her clothes and for insulting her. Jax of course, thought it her fault, and he wished nothing more but to hear I'm sorry from her lips.
They were both too stubborn, failing to acknowledge the fact that both of them were wrong. It wasn't Tara's turn to wash her clothes, nor was it Jax's. However, the newly-weds loved all too much to quarrel, leaving no space for any kind of compromise.
As usual (what Tara saw as usual at least), Jax avoided spending the night at their house and by extension being anywhere near her, and Tara avoided talking about him with Trinity and Gemma, and just letting herself enjoy other people's company instead of his.
She would be lying if she were to say that she was ok with how things were going. After all, they were supposed to be partners in this. Being home alone all the time wasn't something she liked. Constant fears of someone breaking in kept her up most nights, and she fought the urge to ask Thomas or Trinity to stay over.
They were supposed to be making progress, getting to know each other, not insulting and fighting. It was too exhausting to have to think about it all the time though she couldn't help herself. Tara just couldn't understand why they always made one step forward then two steps back.
Jax stood abruptly and pulled her gently by the elbow when they'd reached Gemma's driveway. Tara flinched, the physical contact between them all too odd for her.
A hurt expression flashed across Jax's face as he let go of her arm; then he cleared his throat, seemingly disguising that he was offended by her reaction.
"Listen. Can you not mention anything about me not sleeping at our place to mom? She'll freak out. You've seen how she reacted when you told her about your bedroom. That was a mild reaction compared to what she'll do if she finds out about this."
Tara narrowed her eyes, watching him warily while balancing the heavy bowl in her hands.
"Well then, maybe you should come home once in a while." – her voice oozed with sarcasm and for a moment Tara could swear she sounded jealous.
Which was not the case, Tara told herself. She was only hurt he didn't seem to care about her or her feelings. Jax looked at her in confusion, his brows slightly raised.
She shook her head before correcting her statement. -"What I meant to say was, why you think she would freak out that much? I know that Gemma tends to overreact, but I highly doubt she would rip your head off because of that. And why do you think I would discuss about our life with her?"
He let out a loud sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. -"Because. My mom hates Vivian, and if you tell her that I've been sleeping somewhere else, she'll know. I'm sure she'll put two and two together and she'll kill me. And it's not that I think you discuss us with my mother, it's that I hope it won't slip."
"Who's Vivian?" – asked Tara in confusion, scrunching her face.
"M-my girlfriend. Remember, I told you about her."– Jax answered hesitantly. –"Listen, just don't say anything about anything, ok? If she asks, we're fine, everything's fine, and there's nothing for her to worry about. 'key?"
Tara concluded that there were things Jax wasn't telling her, but rather than asking him to elaborate further, she just nodded. Jax gave her a small smile, and for a second there her anger melted and she smiled back.
He gestured for her to go first and Tara walked past him, climbing the stairs. Jax followed, black bow on her back catching his attention for a second, that he almost missed a stair and fell face first. Luckily for him, that didn't happen. Before he even had the chance to ring the bell, the door opened. Nero beamed when he saw them and invited them in, taking the bowl from Tara and closing the door.
"Mijo, I thought I taught you to be a gentleman. "Why'd you let her carry this all the way here? "- Nero scolded Jax.
His son just smirked. –"I said I would, but she wouldn't let me."
Tara punched him in the arm. –"Liar. He didn't even offer to help me. It's no surprise to me." – she finished and went to join Gemma who was setting the table.
When she heard footsteps, Gemma lifted her head and smiled at Tara. She put the last of cutlery on the table and went around the table to hug her. -"I'm so glad you came. I barely had the chance to see you. You've been spending all this time with Trinity and Thomas."
Tara hung her purse on one of the chairs and took the napkins and started arranging them neatly over the plates.
"I know, sorry. But they are so much fun, both of them. They remind me a bit of McKenna, they both have some of her traits." - she smiled fondly at the memory of her cousin.
"I'm glad you get along with them. I wish that were the case with Jax." – Gemma said with a sad smile. –"Well, I'll go get the food. You finish with the napkins and come help me."
"Sure."
Just as she placed the last napkin on the plate, Tara felt strong arms wrapping around her and lifting her off the ground. She started squealing and flapping her arms. -"Let me go, Thomas or so help me God..."
He laughed, dropping a loud kiss on the back of her neck and letting her go. Tara turned with a look like she was about to strangle him, before a smile spread across her face and she pulled him into a hug.
"You fool. You know I hate it when you do that."- she said, kissing his cheek.
"Oh, come on. You know I love to tease you." – his eyes were locked with hers, something mischievous sparkling in them as he turned his gaze to something behind her.
Before Tara could say anything though, she heard someone clearing their throat.
"Am I interrupting?" – it sounded forced, spoken through gritted teeth.
Tara turned and saw Jax standing with a pot in his hands and a displeased look on his face. She could almost swear that he cast a death glare in Thomas's direction, but when he blinked the look in his eyes returned to that of an impassive observer, focusing on her.
His cheeks were heated, his jaw clenched, his eyes searing into hers. OOOkay, something's wrong with this sight, she thought. What the Hell was that reaction about?
"No, Thomas was just being silly." – she dismissed his question with a wave of her hand and went to the kitchen. She felt Jax's eyes on her back but she ignored it and went to say hi to Trinity who was coming downstairs.
Jax was being all shades of weird today.
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"What the fuck was that?" – asked Jax, putting the pot on the table louder than intended, the cutlery clattering against it.
"What, bro?" – Thomas pulled a chair and sat, crossing his arms on his chest and smirking devilishly at Jax.
It took Jax all his willpower not to say or do something he would later regret.
"Don't play dumb with me, kid. If I see you so much as looking at her like she's one of your fuck buddies, you and I are going to have serious problems." – Jax threatened, hoping Thomas would take his words seriously.
Jax knew Thomas was playing some kind of game here, he just wasn't sure what his goal was. What he did know was that he wasn't going to let his litter brother hurt Tara in any way.
He was aware of the time the two were spending together and it made him sick the thought that something could actually happen between them. Thomas was an immature boy not fit for Tara.
She was too good for him. Knowing his brother, he was just up for some fun and saw Tara as his latest victim. Just because Tara and he weren't an actual married couple didn't mean he would let just anyone mess with her.
As if reading Jax's thoughts, Thomas tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. – "You treat her like shit and dare to tell me to keep away from her? Fuck off, Jackson. I'll do what I want."
Jax shook his head and laughed menacingly. –"This is your first and last warning, boy. Don't play games with her. Stay away from her, I mean it." - he said a bit too loudly but luckily only Thomas heard him.
He went to find Nero, leaving Thomas alone in the dining room.
Thomas laughed to himself, enjoying the fact that he managed to upset Jax. Apparently, he was the only one who saw what Jax was trying to hide. He knew his brother too well, and no matter how tough Jax pretended to be, Thomas always saw right through him.
He took out his phone and messaged his friends, all the while thinking what else he could do to gauge Jax's reaction.
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Dinner went surprisingly well, with everybody in great mood, except for Jax whose jaw would twitch every time Thomas joked with Tara and flashed her his Teller smirk. His pulse was racing, his palms sweating and he was in a bad need of a cigarette.
Nero was talking about his life before SAMCRO, entertaining everyone with his stories. Gemma would interrupt him occasionally just to tease him or remind him of a detail he might have forgotten to tell.
Jax was so distracted with his own problems that he didn't even hear his mother call his name.
"Jax? You ok, baby?"
"Ha? Yeah, ma. Just tired."
Gemma gazed at him for a few moments, before repeating her question. -"Would you mind going to store? We don't have any cake. Trin was supposed to buy it but she went to Ashley's after school and came home late."
Jax said yes and left, only to return fifteen minutes later with a chocolate covered cake in his hands. Trinity got up and brought plates and forks with her, while Thomas brought the knife, handing it to Jax, his hand grazing Tara's shoulder on his way to his seat.
When he sat down and glanced at Jax, he could swear his brother had a murderous glare in his eyes. He stifled a laugh. It was too much fin messing with Jax like this.
Jax cut the cake, handing them each a delicious-looking piece. When he got to Thomas he almost shoved the cake in his face but decided against it. He wasn't going to make a scene.
Trinity dug eagerly, mumbling with her mouth full how amazing it tasted and asking Jax something, distracting him from his thoughts.
...
Tara poked the cake with her fork, then leaned forward to smell it. She wanted to ask Jax what kind of cake it was just in case, but Gemma asked her something, completely breaking her train of thought. Soon, Tara was engaged in a conversation and she didn't even notice when she put a bite of the cake in her mouth.
It didn't take long for her allergy to kick in. She could feel her throat constricting, and hives breaking out on her face. She started gasping for air, desperately reaching for her purse.
Everyone stopped eating once they saw her.
"Tara?" – Jax dropped his fork and turned to her with concern in his voice. His eyes widened when he saw her red face.
Everyone went in full panic mode, dropping their forks, and Gemma rushed to kitchen to fetch her a glass of water.
Tara couldn't breathe let alone utter a single word. With one hand massaging her swollen throat, she pointed frantically at her purse. -"M-my epipe-" – was all she was able to say before collapsing on the floor, her lips already swollen and numbing.
Jax jumped off his chair, yelling her name and rummaging through her purse, then emptying the content of her purse on the floor. He grabbed the epipen and took off the lid, but he had no idea what to do with it.
Tara pointed at her thigh, her face becoming scarlet by the second as she gasped for air. Nero shouted her name, yelling on the phone at the dispatcher to send an ambulance.
Jax lifted the hem of her dress hastily, ignoring the softness of her skin under his palm and plunged the needle into her thigh with a shaky hand. She choked out a cry, wincing when the cold tip came in contact with her skin and pierced through it.
As the epinephrine kicked in, Tara began to feel slightly better, or at least able to breathe.
"The fuck happened?" – Thomas asked, scratching nervously the back of his head while Trinity wiped tears from her puffed face.
Jax lifted Tara off the floor and pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest as he stroked her hair, blinking away the tears.
She felt him tremble behind her, his soothing voice whispering in her ear. He sounded scared.
"Are you trying to kill me?" – she said after a few moments.
As it turns out, Tara was allergic to peanuts. And the cake that Jax bought - was peanut butter cake. He felt awful for yet again getting off on the wrong foot with her. It was like something conspired against him constantly.
"I swear to God I had no idea. I wouldn't do this on purpose."
"Relax, Teller. I know you're a moron, but you're not a killer." – she said jokingly, massaging the sore spot on her thigh and showing no signs of getting up or moving away from Jax anytime soon. His hard chest was comforting and warm and she wished she could just snuggle against him.
Something in her words struck him. You're not a killer. Oh, if you only knew, he thought regretfully.
He didn't mind holding her, unconsciously caressing hair, chasing away the thought of what could have happened...
Her face was still covered in hives but the swelling was not as bad as it was, and not three minutes later, two EMTs came and took her to the hospital. Jax insisted he be with her, while the rest of them followed in Nero's car.
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"I'm sorry, Tara."- he said once they were settled in the back of the ambulance, and one of the EMTs gave Tara an oxygen mask.
She patted his back. –"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now we can cross this of the list 'what not to do to your pretend-spouse.'"
He smiled shyly at her, and took her hand without even realising it. -"You'll be ok, right?"
She nodded, squeezing his hand reassuringly, then putting the mask back on her face.
(Please, leave a review. Let me know what you think. If you liked it, please tell me why you liked it, I really want to know. And if you didn't like it, I also want to know why. There's gotta be more to your opinion on the story than simple I liked it, much as I love knowing that you did, I also want to know why specifically. Till the next time, xoxo)