Anna's cottage, Sussex
Ethan and Jessica arrived two days later and many days of celebration ensued. After the initial shock of learning their family's Russian adventures, the young couple soon started to enjoy into their vacation in England. It took a little longer for Jessica, who from some time still woke up every night in cold sweat, having dreamed of Daniel, but her uneasiness gradually disappeared as her family spared no efforts to make her feel loved and secure.
For the first week, the whole group was inseparable. They went to the market, to the village or to the museum and came home to prepare extravagant meals. After that, they almost imperceptibly fell into a different routine. The group naturally split into three; Roger and Holly went for longer excursions, often stopping to spend the night at an inn along the way. Ethan and Jessica spent most of their days hiking and exploring the area, and would come back all flushed from exercise. This left Blake and Jack, who spent most of their time idling in the garden, reading and chatting about themselves and the world in general.
Blake had even taken upon her to take care of Anna's flower garden, which was in a story state since the owner was almost never at home.
"I wouldn't have pegged you for the botanical type," Jack said one day as he was lounging on a deck chair, watching her prune a rosebush. His healing arm forced him to rest at home for most of the day, and though he wasn't used to being idle, he enjoyed Blake's presence immensely. He never knew the next thing that would come out of her mouth, and he had also discovered a caring side of her that she kept hidden to most of the others. He never had to ask for a blanket, or a glass of water, for she seemed to anticipate his needs. As the days went by, he longed more and more for the chance to repay her kindness by taking care of her in his turn. However, every time his mind would wander in that direction, it would soon be jerked back at the thought of Roger, his best friend. How would he ever believe that his feelings for his daughter had grown to be genuine? And were they, for that matter? Jack was still confused when it came to that point. Was it just another of his infatuations? It felt like more, but this was not a case where he could take any chances.
"I take after my father," Blake answered, as if reading his mind.
Jack frowned. He had shared an apartment with Roger in Paris for several months, and all of the green plants he had insisted on purchasing were dead within the first week. Blake caught his puzzled expression and started laughing.
"I meant my other dad. We had a huge backward in San Francisco, and we had all sorts of flowers growing. He really had a green thumb; we had lemon trees, fig trees and even avocado trees!" she said with an obvious tenderness in her voice.
"You must miss them terribly," Jack replied. Roger had filled him in on the car accident that had taken the lives of Blake's adoptive parents a few years ago, leaving her an orphan.
"I think about them every day," Blake stated simply. "Sometimes I think that they were the one who drove Holly and Roger back into my life. To take care of me, and to love me as they had loved me. It must sound silly to you."
"Not at all; I have seen stranger things happen," Jack replied with a smile.
Blake got up from her knees and wiped her forehead. The bush had now been reduced to a decent size. "I feel very lucky that I get along with Holly and Roger so well. It's nice to finally know where I got this red hair, and this temper, you know!"
"And this wonderful sense of humour," Jack added in an admiring tone. He gazed at her with an intensity which unsettled her, although she could not understand why. She was about to reply when they were interrupted by the arrival of Jessica, who had just came back from yet another hike.
She glanced at them silently for a split second and then sat at the garden table with a tall glass of water. "The weather is gorgeous, don't you think?" she finally asked.
Jack stretched lazily then got up. "Absolutely. I think I'll go for a little stroll by the lake while the sun is still out. I'll be back in time to make dinner. Will Holly and Roger be here tonight?"
Blake shrugged good-humouredly. "They didn't call to say that they would spend the night somewhere else, so they should be back soon. See you later!" She turned to the next rosebush and started snipping away at its branches, whistling.
"So," Jessica asked matter-of-factly after a while. "What are you going to do about Jack?"
"What do you mean?" Blake replied, genuinely puzzled.
"Surely you've noticed that he's in love with you?"
"What? No, Jack is just flirting, you know how he is!"
"Yes, I do know. In fact, I've known him a lot longer than you have, and I can tell you that this is more than flirting."
Blake put her shears down and went to sit next to her sister. "Wow, this is…unexpected."
"How do you feel about him?" Jessica asked, getting excited by the subject.
"I don't know."
"Come on, Blake, you must have some idea! Do you find him handsome or gross?"
"Well of course he's handsome! Have you seen him? He looks like a model! And he's nice, and smart, and funny…" her voice trailed off as she thought of all of Jack's qualities. "But he's also a ladies' man."
Jessica furrowed her brows. "That's true, but as I said, I think he has it bad this time. And why shouldn't he? You're obviously not in awe of him; I think he likes that. The only real problem that I could see would be Dad's disapproval."
Blake ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "He wouldn't like it."
Her sister nodded. "That's the understatement of the year."
Blake had never been one to beat around the bush, and armed with that new information, she decided to confront Jack right way. She left Jessica in the garden and went in search of him. She found him watching the sunset by the lake behind the cottage, where she knew was his favorite spot.
"It has been brought to my attention that you might have feelings for me. Romantic feelings," she said bluntly as she sat beside him.
Looking straight ahead, Jack inly grunted in reply.
"I don't speak Grunt, I'm sorry."
"You should; it's a very poetic language."
"You're avoiding the question."
"I'm not; it meant no comment."
Blake stared at him in surprise. Until then, she had not really believed that Jessica could be right, that Jack could actually have feelings for her, but she was now seriously starting to wonder.
"You DO like me!" she said, blushing uncontrollably.
Jack finally looked at her, and winced inwardly as he noticed the last rays of the sun catching the coppery highlights of her hair. "It doesn't matter what my feelings are."
"Why do say that?"
"Because I will not pursue those feelings. I respect you too much, and your father, to start playing with your heart."
Blake's heart sank a little at his last words and at the cold tone which he used to utter them. "Who said anything about playing?"
"We've been over this before, Blake! I'm not capable of making a long-term relationship work; I never could! I will end up hurting you, and I will be the jerk, once again."
"You know, it's funny how you automatically assume that you'll be the one doing the hurting. Has it ever crossed your mind that it might be the other way around? That I might be the one who gets tired of you first?"
Jack shifted uncomfortably, for it had not crossed his mind. He realized how arrogant he must have sounded. "You're right, it's entirely possible. Then again, I don't see how this makes this relationship more viable."
Blake moved from Jack's side to sit in front of him. "What makes this project viable to me is that I've never been this contented with someone. Didn't you like the last few days that we spent together? I feel like I can be totally myself around you, and each moment that we spent together is so simple, and yet magical too. I never did anything about it because I really sincerely did not think that my feelings might be mutual."
"Blake, you shouldn't be saying this!"
"Why not? That's what's in my heart. Don't you feel it too?"
Jack gazed into her eyes and felt something thrill inside of him. Before he could stop himself, the words stumbled out of his mouth. "I do like you a lot, Blake. I've never felt like this either, but I'm scared that it won't be enough to make this relationship work."
"The same can be said about any love story, Jack. We won't know unless we try. If you're willing to give it a real try, and not treat this as another one of your flings, then I'm game too."
"I've been thinking about you too much for it to be just a fling, Blake. I even rehearse things that might say to you to impress you or to make you laugh when I'm alone in my room at night." He laughed and wagged his finger at her. "What have you done to me, you little witch?!"
Blake reddened under his gaze, which was now openly tender. "So what now?" she asked in a low voice.
"You really want to do this?"
"I think so."
"Okay then," Jack said before starting to get up.
Startled, Blake grabbed his hand so that he remained where he was. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To see your father."
"WHAT? What for?"
Hesitating for just a second, Jack ran his hand through her hair, like he had wanted to do so many times already, and a tremor of pleasure ran over his body. "Your father means a lot to me. I've never really been close to my family, and he's been like a father, a brother and a best friend all rolled up into one for me. I need to know that he's okay with this before I can even consider taking our friendship to the next step."
Blake threw her hands in the air in despair. "Well then forget it! Do you think he's ever going to agree with this if you give him the choice?"
Jack cradled her chin in her hands and forced her to stay still. "Then I'll just have to ask over and over until he says yes, won't I? It's just something that I have to do, Blake."
"If you must," she said with a small pout, while secretly happy with the way he had chosen to handle things. She leaned toward him and brushed her lips against his, and she was about to put her arms around his neck when he gently but firmly pushed her away.
"Don't you want to?" she asked, puzzled.
Jack laughed. "Oh, yes, more than you know, but I don't want us to rush into things. I want us to be sure that this is what we really want before we…make love."
"Alright," Blake replied, but before he could move away, she pulled him into a long, burning kiss that left him panting for air. Then she got up and shook the sand from her shorts. "Just a little incentive to get this business with my father settled as soon as possible. See you later!"
Note: For those wondering at the chapter's title, I've always liked when people would mix the names a couple to form a new word, like Matessa, or Jeva, or Rolly. And to continue the tradition, I've decided that Blake and Jack would be Black!