Part Fourteen

It's Tuesday evening and Jake and I are having a drink in the Union bar with Isabel and Alex. Isabel finally plucked up the courage to talk to Alex a few days after that night at the hall bar when she told me that she liked him. Just as I'd predicted, he didn't laugh at her, far from it, in fact. According to Isabel, he just stood there in silence for several moments, his mouth hanging open in surprise, before stuttering out his amazement at her admission and eagerly agreeing.

They've been spending a lot of time together the last couple of weeks and it's kinda funny to listen to them talking about the relationship: when Isabel isn't around, Alex usually invites himself into mine and Maria's room, flops down onto whichever bed is available and waxes lyrical about missing her when she's gone and then when Isabel is on her own and Alex is off at lectures she often does the same.

"Hey, Liz, isn't your cheerleading gig is coming up very soon?" asks Alex when we've all settled down in one of the booths with our drinks and accompanying snacks.

"Yeah," I nod, reaching across Jake to sneak a salt and vinegar crisp out of the open bag in his hand. "It's tomorrow night, actually. You guys are all coming to watch the match, right?"

"Of course," agrees Alex, "I couldn't miss your very first public cheerleading performance, now could I?"

"Yeah, count me in for moral support too," nods Isabel, adding, "and of course all those fit rugby players won't hurt either."

"Hey!" exclaims Alex, frowning at her. "You're not supposed to be thinking about rugby guys when I'm sitting right here!"

She turns to him, her lips pursed in a remorseful pout, "Oh, I'm sorry, Alex. I was just joking. You know I only want you."

"And I only want you too," he replies softly, with a small grin as he leans in and they share a kiss.

I have to force myself not to roll my eyes at their apparent obliviousness to the presence of everyone else in the room, but then I feel Jake's hand on my knee and I turn my gaze to meet his. He smiles softly at me and my stomach does a little flip as his hand slides upwards, leaving a warm trail from my knee to my thigh.

There's been this kind of strange atmosphere between us the last couple of days – ever since Sunday night actually, when we decided to take the next step in our relationship… for the second time, although there was no alcohol involved this time. If I'm honest, though, it wasn't exactly everything I thought it would be, nor was it the same as I remembered it being that night back at the beginning of term. Not that I didn't enjoy it – I did, it's just that it wasn't exactly the frantic, passion-filled, can't-get-enough-of-each-other sex that I'd kinda hoped it would be.

But maybe that's okay; maybe it really is true that mind-blowing, earth shattering, firework-exploding lovemaking only exists in the movies and cheesy romance novels. After all, there should be a lot more to a relationship than just the sex, and Jake and I do get along really well; we have fun together, we make each other laugh, we can sit and talk for hours about nothing in particular and we find each other attractive. Maybe that's enough.

Jake leans in and kisses me gently, pulling me from my thoughts. When he pulls back, I smile across at him.

"Hey, you didn't say anything just now – about coming to watch me cheer at the varsity match next week."

"Ah, well," he shifts uncomfortably, his eyes leaving mine and glancing around the room. "I'd love to, Liz, but I don't think I can make it."

"You're not coming?" I frown in disappointment. Why isn't he coming? He could at least make an effort to be there and support me.

He sighs, running a hand through his light hair, "I wish I could, Liz, but I have this big football match tomorrow. We'll be leaving for Bristol at four-thirty and we won't be back until late. I'm sorry, I know I said I would come and watch you, but I didn't realise it was the same night."

I sigh, "Whatever, Jake."

Even though I understand that it's not his fault he can't make it, something about the way he said it just irks me – he didn't think to tell me this sooner? I've been telling him all about our routine over the last few days.

I turn in my seat, shifting away from him and towards Isabel, causing his hand to slide off my leg and onto the wooden bench.

"Liz…" he starts, but I'm not in the mood to argue, so I ignore him in favour of talking to Alex and Izzie instead.

However, I start feeling a little guilty when Jake suddenly stands up and stalks towards the bar without a word, I watch him move through the crowd impatiently, before biting my lip turning back to the others.

Isabel nudges me gently, "Go talk to him, Liz."

Alex nods in agreement and I smile at them both, before nodding too.

"Okay."

I slide out of my seat and head toward the bar. I find him leaning against the counter top, an annoyed expression on his face as he waits to be served.

"Hey," I greet softly as I stop in front of him.

"Hey," he says, his gaze flitting down to me for a sec before he glances across the bar toward the barman.

"I'm sorry," I tell him, as I take a step closer and slip my arms around his waist and look up at him. He stands there stiffly, not moving. "I understand. I know it's not your fault you can't come to the match. I guess I'm just feeling anxious about tomorrow; I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

As I speak, I see his face soften and a small smile tug at his lips as he stands up straight and puts his arms around me, returning the gesture.

"It's okay," he replies. "I'm sorry too, I should have said something sooner, but for some reason it didn't occur to me that my match and your cheerleading debut were both on the same night. It was only when you mentioned it just now that I realised."

I shake my head, "Never mind, you just go play your best against Bristol tomorrow night and I'll go out there and dance the routine as well as I can and then we can get together Thursday and compare notes on our respective efforts."

"Sounds good to me," he replies, his smile blossoming into a grin now. "Come here."

I return the grin as he lowers his head and we share a sweet kiss; a kiss that I very nearly lose myself in, except that the bartender suddenly clears his throat and asks Jake if he's ready to order. I blush, leaning my forehead on his chest as Jake chuckles and then orders a pint of Blackthorn for himself and another glass of wine for me.

Once he's paid for them, he lets go of me to grab the drinks and we head back to the table. However, when we get there, we find Alex sitting on his own as he plays around on his phone.

"Hey, Al," I greet as we slide into our seats. "Where's Isabel gone?"

"Welcome back, guys," he lifts his head to acknowledge us with a smile, before nodding towards something across the room. "Oh, Izzie just saw her brother over there and went to speak to him. Apparently he's refusing to go home to their parents' house for Christmas, so she's trying to persuade him to come… or something to that effect."

"Oh?" I wonder, as my gaze wanders around the dark, crowded bar for a glimpse of Isabel's light head of hair; maybe we'll finally get to meet her elusive older brother tonight.

Unfortunately, there's no such luck on the half-brother front, as about five minutes later, Izzie returns to the table looking very pissed-off and tensely asks Alex to walk her back to the halls. He immediately gets up, his expression concerned, and quickly agrees. He says goodbye to Jake and I, and as they leave I hear him ask her if everything is okay.

"What was that about?" asks Jake, turning to me in puzzlement when they've gone.

I shrug, "I'm not sure exactly. All I know is that Isabel's brother is a student here too and that they're going through some difficult family stuff right now." He nods in understanding. "From what I understand, he and their dad don't get on, and his behaviour is affecting the whole family. Izzie has been trying her best to get him to change his attitude, but I don't think she's having much luck."

"Wow, that sounds tough," he sympathises.

"Yeah, it's been pretty hard on Izzie the last few weeks. I feel really bad for her having to deal with it all."

"Yeah."

We sit in silence for a moment; I'm thinking about possible ways to help Izzie solve her problems with her brother, while Jake makes a start on his pint of cider. A few seconds later though, I feel his arm wrap around my shoulders. I smile as I settle back against his chest and we talk quietly for the rest of the evening, just enjoying each other's company.

I arrive home at the end of the night to find Michael and Maria curled up together on her bed. This time, luckily, they're not doing anything that might be considered inappropriate in public; in fact, they're just watching TV

"Hey, Liz," greeted Maria from her position next to Michael on the bed.

"Hi, Maria; Michael," I smile as I make my way across the room to perch on the edge of my bed. "What's up?"

She shrugs, "Not much, just watching Red Dwarf reruns. But I'm more interested in your evening. We heard Alex come back with Izzie earlier and she sounded angry. What happened?"

I shake my head, "I'm not sure really. Apparently she saw her brother in the bar tonight and she went to talk to him while Jake and I were at the bar. When she came back she didn't look happy at all and asked Alex to walk her home. I stayed in the bar with Jake so I don't know the details."

Maria sits up, a frown on her face, "Poor Isabel, having to deal with such a bastard for a brother." She sighs, "I just don't get it though; why does she keep trying to fix whatever's going on with him when it's obvious the guy doesn't want to hear it."

I just stare at her, while Michael props himself up on one elbow to gaze at her incredulously.

"Well, maybe it's because she cares about him," he suggests. "This guy is her brother and his problems are obviously affecting their whole family, so why wouldn't she want to try to fix things between them?"

"Exactly," I add. "And something tells me the situation isn't as simple as her brother just being a bastard. I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"All right, all right," pipes up Maria. "I get it; I'm jumping to conclusions. No need to all gang up on me."

"I'm not ganging up on you, Maria, I just don't think we can judge Isabel when we don't know the whole story."

"And I just like to argue with you," states Michael, a lazy grin sliding across his face, "'cause I think you're sexy when you're pissed off."

Maria's eyes widen slightly before she rolls her eyes at me and then turns to Michael, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

"You do, do you?" she grins, as she leans down to kiss him gently.

"Uh, huh," is his muffled reply.

I can't help but smile at their interaction. Despite their differences and tendency to argue a lot, Michael and Maria actually make a great couple.

"So, all ready for your big cheerleading performance tomorrow night?" asks Maria when she's pulled away from Michael.

I nod, "I think so; although I keep thinking I'm going to forget some of the moves."

"Oh, you'll be fine; don't worry about it," she dismisses casually.

"You guys are coming to watch, right?"

"Of course," replies Maria, as if it should be obvious, while Michael just nods.

"Great," I smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate you coming."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, hon," she assures me.

"Exactly," adds Michael. "Rugby, beer and cheerleaders; what's not to enjoy?"

I chuckle as Maria turns to glare at him for his comment before informing him that it's getting late and so it's time for him to go. He grumbles a bit, but reluctantly slides off the bed, giving her a quick kiss before leaving the room. Once he's gone, I start getting ready for bed, while Maria starts gossiping about the latest happenings in the hall today.

As I settle under the covers a few minutes later, I find myself feeling a little nervous about the performance tomorrow night. I just hope I don't forget the steps and mess everything up.

TBC…