Vera Moore had been more than a little perplexed when her one of her clients had rung not 24 hours earlier to discuss a complete change of her contract and offer a substantial pay rise along with it. Indeed, she had not let the surprise at such a seemingly out-of-the-blue request overwhelm her for long and she had rung back within the hour to confirm her acceptance of the change in terms. She had only one other client who was relatively unbothered that she wouldn't be returning, announcing that they had plans to sell up soon anyway. Vera counted herself lucky that her housekeeping and cleaning business was more a way to keep herself busy and out of retirement and she wasn't actually dependent on the income at all; still, Mr West was one of the more unusual clients she'd taken on over the years.
She'd been hired as a housekeeper with a few extra duties which included a basic weekly food shop, but he hardly seemed to be home to use it; when he was, he seemed to favour food delivery services over cooking. On a few occasions, she had taken pity on him and cooked a simple soup or stew and left it in the fridge for him, a product of a mostly dormant maternal instinct that she couldn't quite shake. Afterall, he was one of her most unproblematic clients as the house was always found tidy when she arrived, as though it had barely been lived in week to week, and she rarely saw Mr West himself and was never asked for anything outside of her the duties outlined in her initial contract.
She'd worked for him for almost three years now but was genuinely shocked at his announcement that he'd be needing her to visit the house every day as his daughter was moving in with him; there was almost nothing around the house to suggest he even had a daughter. The only inkling was a small, framed photo of a tiny baby in a pink blanket that sat in the corner of his study. Vera had initially assumed it was his daughter but later decided it was probably a niece or cousin as no child, or evidence of a child, had ever appeared. Mr West had been short on the details but from what she understood, the girl's homecoming was not going to be a pleasant one having recently lost her mother in an accident.
Vera had been even more surprised when she arrived to give the guest room a thorough preparation to see the changes in décor, having been previously under the impression that Mr West didn't even notice such things as the house had clearly remained unchanged since he moved into it. Everything was kept clean and things like paint refreshed but there was no 'personal touch', at least not what Vera considered to be personal anyway. It wasn't just the new décor, it was the very bold choices of a black wall that really caught her off-guard, wondering how he'd come to choose black of all colours. Vera knew she was bit old-fashioned in her own décor choices but surely so much black was an odd colour in a house where the overall colour scheme was very, well, beige.
The sound of a car door shutting brought Vera out of her thoughts and she belatedly realised she didn't know his daughter's name. Vera frowned as she tried to remember whether or not she'd actually been told or whether her age was getting to her on this one. Still puzzling the issue over in her mind, Vera opened the door to greet her boss's daughter.
Jade tried not to focus on the house in-front of her as she clambered out of the car; as it was, trying to get out of car with a broken shoulder was difficult enough to take up most of her attention. With more than a little effort, she was finally standing looking at the figure standing in the open doorway who she didn't recognise. Beck followed her gaze only to frown, he'd harboured a small hope that maybe her father would have changed his mind and be waiting at the house; he may not like the man but he really wanted Jade to have a chance at a relationship with her one remaining parent. Mr Brooks gathered the bags out of the boot, leaving Beck free to help Jade but she shook him off straight away. Beck wanted to protest but he swallowed it, unsure what he would actually gain from it at this point. He kept close to Jade as she shuffled toward the open door, her expression a practised blankness.
"Hello there!" Vera greeted the two as they approached the doorway, standing back to let them through.
"Uh, hi." Beck's response was stilted, unsure as to who he was even talking to. His first, slightly horrified, thought was that Mr West had remarried but before his brain could wrap itself in the implications of this for Jade, the woman spoke again.
"I'm Vera, I'm Mr West's housekeeper." She held out her hand and Beck shook it, a wave of relief spreading rapidly through him.
"Nice to meet you Vera, I'm Beck and this is Jade." Jade had yet to say anything and didn't take Vera's offered hand although it didn't seem to bother the housekeeper.
Vera went to take some of the bags from the waiting Mr Brooks but Beck intercepted her and gathered them himself, his usual politeness reasserting itself.
"As I'm sure you know, your father is at work for now, but he asked me to help get you settled in." Vera was now looking expectantly at Jade who still had yet to really react to the woman. Her eyes were roaming over the interior of the entrance hall, almost squinting in the brightness as the skylights allowed sunbeams to bounce off of the walls.
"That's great, thank you." Beck interjected upon realising Jade wasn't going to say anything. He nodded to Vera to indicate she could continue, and Vera allowed herself a moment of confusion before carrying on.
"I hope you're okay with stairs as your room is on the second level." Vera started leading them up the stairs, but Jade took a moment to start to move. Beck gently placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her forward, only to be pleased when she didn't shake him off straight away.
"I'll be in every morning to clean and tidy up, I also do some of the food shopping, so you'll have to let me know what you like and what you don't; I even do some cooking on occasion as well."
Vera chatted away as Jade and Beck slowly climbed the staircase, slightly disconcerted by the lack of engagement from her employer's daughter. She was rapidly realising that there was more to the story than the details she had already been privy too. Of course, losing your mother suddenly had to be traumatic but the girl's sling suggested she had been injured recently too, perhaps in the same accident. Vera knew she shouldn't pry but there was more than one thing about the situation that didn't make sense to her.
"Have you worked for Mr West long?" Beck attempted to prevent an awkward silence settling in.
"About three years now but I work more hours now than I used to."
Beck nodded, struggling to come up with a response but was saved by their arrival on the mezzanine level.
Jade looked around somewhat curiously, unable to miss the change in colour and furnishings from the previous floor.
"This is a small living area for you, although there is still the main room downstairs, but your father doesn't tend to use it that much; I think that's why he redecorated this one." Vera was almost talking more to herself now but for the first time it seemed as though Jade was actually listening to her.
"It's smaller but I prefer the view up here and of course, the balcony is a lovely extension to the area." Vera walked over to the half open door and showed them where the key was, the light switches for both indoors and outdoors. Jade faded out again, but Beck almost overcompensated in trying to show he was engaged so as to not put Jade under pressure.
Vera led the pair up the next few stairs to the left and into Jade's room, Beck swallowed apprehensively. The room had clearly also been redecorated as the smell of paint betrayed its newness. It was still quite empty, but the décor had a nice effect on the room overall. He looked over at Jade, unsurprised to see she was also paying close attention to her new surroundings, her eyes lingering on the large black wall. As with the living area, Vera walked around pointing out various features and things Jade might want to know. Jade seemed to be trying to listen a little more closely than before as Vera showed her the pully system for the blinds, the shade curtain covering and how to get the large windows to shut securely.
"Right, I'll let you get settled in then, if you need anything, I'll be right downstairs."
"Thanks." Jade's voice took Vera by surprised, but she didn't let it show for long.
"You're welcome my dear."
After Vera had left, it took a moment for either of them to move. Beck stayed still simply watching Jade as Jade tried her best to take in her surroundings some more. Eventually, Beck decided to break the stalemate.
"It's not exactly what I expected."
Jade shook her head in agreement before lowering herself gingerly onto the edge of the bed. Beck moved to deposit her bag next to her, before unzipping it to start sorting through it.
"Maybe he was trying to make you feel more at home?" he offered.
"That's not exactly his style."
"Well, no." Beck conceded "But, he obviously thought about what you might like."
It was still hard for Beck to try and be positive about Mr West, especially to Jade, but he was slightly encouraged by her room as it seemed possible that he had really thought about it. He supposed her father had paid more attention than he realised when he'd been in her room at her mother's house; something Jade still didn't know anything about.
It didn't take long to store Jade's few items of clothing in the wardrobe and he began scattering the other bits around; the small cuddly bat getting pride of place in the centre of the bed which caused Jade to raise an eyebrow.
"What? He can't sit on the floor, can he?"
"He?" Jade was incredulous.
"Looks like a boy to me."
This time Jade did roll her eyes which pulled a smile to Beck's face before he could stop it.
"I'm going to go check out the bathroom, want to come?" He had her wash bag in one hand and his other half stretched towards her.
"Not right now."
"Okay." He didn't manage to keep the disappointment out of his tone completely and immediately felt guilty. He was trying hard not to put pressure on her to do anything, but it was hard when he was sure that doing nothing would only slow her recovery.
With Beck gone, Jade tried to steady her breathing; a constant battle since they'd pulled up the drive. She'd been working hard to not let the struggle show, not wanting to give Beck more of a reason to fuss than he already had. She felt a bit mean thinking that, as she knew Beck only wanted to help her but there were still times where she found it stifling, and right now was one of those times. She turned her attention to the view out the window, an almost panoramic view over the city and beyond to a small strip of dark blue ocean. She squeezed the ball in her pocket rhythmically, letting it match her exhales as she pulled it out.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
Even through her leggings, she could feel the luxuriousness of the duvet. It was probably filled with something expensive, some type of down but it was lacking the silky-smooth cover her old sheets had. A sharp jap of pain hit her as the image of her trashed room swum before her eyes.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
Her eyes had shut momentarily but she forced them back open, the picturesque view struggling to remain in focus as her surroundings took on an almost shiny quality. She could feel the hairs on her arm prickling as her heart started to beat faster. She could hear her blood rushing by her ears, swearing she could feel her heart as it tried to beat out of her chest.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
Even her exhale was shaky as the weight returned full force to her lungs. The smell of paint surrounded her, almost as though it was smothering her.
In for three, hold for three –
The ball slipped from between her fingers, causing a dull thump as it hit the hardwood. Panic rippled through her as she tried to reach for the ball but only succeeded in causing pain to slice through her broken shoulder joint. She swallowed hard, the smell of paint now sickening as it invaded her senses.
'Come on, get a hold of yourself.' She was trying to be kind to herself, trying to be mindful of Lane's advice but it was so damn hard when her brain seemed to fight her every step of the way.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
She went to stoop again for the ball but changed her mind at the last moment, instead propelling herself forward and off of the bed. Jade staggered forward towards the vast window, her legs shaky at the sudden demand to hold her weight. She put her hand on one of the thin frames to stop herself from toppling any further.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
Open the damn window.
She grappled with the locking mechanism, her fingers less cooperative than usual as she tried to twist the lock and remove the catch. It felt like hours before a tell-tale click and sudden movement announced her success as the entire panel swung open and a warm breeze blew in. Jade paused, moving her hand back to the thin frame to support her weight.
In for three, hold for three, out for four.
This time she allowed her eyes to shut as she let the breeze wash over her. There was something light and a little sweet mixed up in it but it wasn't overpowering like the paint smell, that was thankfully fading fast with the new ventilation. Jade started a new mantra in her head.
'See, everything's fine, you just got all worked up over nothing. It's time to calm down.'
It wasn't perfect but slowly she felt her breathing start to slow down, her heart felt like it was settling back into her rib cage. She rocked backwards, letting her legs take over her weight and straightened her body, although not wanting to leave the window entirely. The warmth from the late morning sun was strangely comforting.
"Jade?"
Beck had re-entered the room and was slightly alarmed at Jade's sudden appearance by the now open window. Beck tried not to frown, after all she wasn't an invalid, but there was something that look unsafe about the way she was balancing by an open floor to ceiling window.
"Everything alright?"
"I was just getting some air."
Beck had the feeling there was more to it than that but chose not to say anything, walking over to join her instead.
"These are some pretty impressive windows; I've never seen something this big able to open this much."
Jade gave a one arm shrug, turning her head to look at him.
"The middle panel doesn't open, just the sides." Her voice was slightly breathless, and Beck could see evidence of a sheen of sweat across her forehead despite her face looking quite pale.
"Jade, what's going on?"
"Nothing, it was just a little warm in here and it was … hard to breathe."
Beck felt his insides twist unpleasantly at her words. He'd assumed she would still suffer these types of attacks but a small part of him had been clinging to the hope that a change of scenery would help. They'd barely even been there an hour.
He reached out to where her hand was still lightly braced on the window frame and covered it with his own, stroking the back of it before taking it in his and moving it away.
"Let's go sit in the other room, it's actually quite nice." Beck wasn't able to keep the surprise out of his voice. Honestly, he had no idea what to expect from Mr West's house but so far it was much better than whatever he had been imagining. Jade didn't resist his gentle tug but didn't allow him to do any more than hold her hand, she actively resisted letting him guide her or support her in any way.
They sat down on the sectional closest to the open sliding door that led onto the balcony deck, just out of reach of the light organza curtain that was buffeting gently in the breeze. Jade found herself snuggling into Beck's side of her own accord, something passing through her body which made her yearn for close contact, specifically Beck's. Beck had no objections to this and stretched his arm over her shoulders and rested his head lightly on top of hers.
"Better than the hospital?" The question was quiet and unassuming, but Jade took a moment before answering.
Was it any better than the hospital? It was quieter and she liked that. The sofa was comfier than the hospital sheets and she liked that. There was more freedom to move and she definitely liked that, but her mind still wasn't made up. Her thoughts wandered to the stranger downstairs who she could just about hear sounds of her pottering about, there was the absence of the man whose house she was in, the man who she'd have to talk to at some point despite having almost no interest in it. Then there was the fact that the change of venue did nothing to solve the big problems, the problems of what her life was even going to look like now, the problem of a funeral, the problem of an empty house not too far away that was full of nothing but ghosts.
In the end, Jade's answer was little more than a non-committal noise that came from the back of her throat.
They spent most of the morning curled up on the sofa with Jade showing no interest in moving. At the back of Beck's mind, his need to do schoolwork was gnawing away at him but he firmly pushed it away; he was unwilling to move and disrupt Jade while she looked somewhat comfortable. Instead the television had been flicked on, although for Jade it was more like background noise than anything, she actually paid attention to.
Vera had reappeared just before 1pm with a tray of food for the two of them, though she had joked not to expect it every day. The slightly sweet smell had caught Jade's attention as Beck had brought it over to her. It was a plain tomato soup but also the answer to what she had smelt on the breeze earlier that morning. To both her and Beck's surprise, her stomach had grumbled loudly as he placed it in-front of her and she'd managed to eat almost all of it before setting her spoon down; Beck tried to hide his smile at Jade eating food almost normally. When they'd been dating, they'd often tried out new food places. Beck was very much into trying new food and Jade was often more than happy to go along for the ride. They'd spent many weekends exploring back streets and pop-up food markets in downtown LA, sharing food cartons and trading kisses over a wide variety of cuisines and spices.
Beck took the tray with the empty bowls back down the stairs, pausing at the bottom as he realised, he didn't actually know where the kitchen was. In the end, he followed the quiet clattering and sound of running water only to find himself in an equally spacious, if rather bland kitchen.
"Oh, thank you Beck, saves me a trip up the stairs again!"
"It's no problem, the soup was delicious."
"I'm glad you like it, it was my grandmother's recipe and I like to think it's stood the test of time. It always makes so much in one batch so I've left some in the fridge for another day."
Beck smiled, finding himself warming to the smiling woman in-front of him.
"I'm going to the shops this afternoon, is there anything you have to add to my list."
"There are a few things Jade would probably like."
Vera pointed at a pad on the counter.
"Pop them on that and I'll see what I can do."
As he started to write, Vera paused in her washing up and studied him for a moment, trying to gauge whether now was a good time to try and gather a little more information on the situation at hand.
"So, are you moving in with Jade?"
Beck looked up before shaking his head.
"Not officially, I'll be coming and going; I won't create more work I promise." Beck was suddenly twinged with concern that Vera may object to a third member of the household.
"Oh, I'm not worried about that, it gives me a way to fill my day it's just Mr West was a bit short on the details. I get the feeling this has all been rather last minute." She let her statement linger for a second, hoping that the teenager would at least confirm her suspicions.
"Yeah, you could say that."
Vera could see Beck wasn't ready to share more than he had so she changed the topic.
"Well, just let me know if you are ever going to need the other guest bedroom made up."
Beck suddenly felt a heat rising to his cheeks.
"Oh, er, that won't be an issue."
"Ah, I see, we'll let me know if anything changes."
Beck nodded and tried not to look like he was bolting for the door as he made his escape. He wasn't usually easily embarrassed but he'd never really been confronted about the intimate nature of their relationship before, not by an adult anyway. His parents had been none too impressed at the implications but accepted that with his own RV and steady girlfriend, some things were inevitable. He knew Jade's mother hadn't looked on it favourably, but Jade had never really elaborated, and he had never been personally confronted by her. Now of course, he wondered what the true extent of her mother's feelings had been towards their relationship, but he resigned himself to the fact there were probably some things Jade would never tell him.
The afternoon passed in a bit of a blur as Beck finally cracked on with some of this rapidly mounting pile of schoolwork. Jade had shown a little interest in his work before settling back into the sofa cushions. She had, at one point, got up from the sofa to retrieve a pen and sheet of paper from her fluffy jacket pocket but after she had returned, she hadn't actually done anything with them. A few times he was worried she'd spaced out completely, but Beck was reasonably satisfied that she'd spent the time genuinely lost in her own thoughts as opposed to completely disengaged. He'd been almost optimistic when her eyes had shut, hoping that she would start making up some of the sleep she'd lost but barely twenty minutes later her eyes were open again.
Jade spent the afternoon feeling like she was moving through glue, despite spending most of it in the same position on the sofa. It was as though someone had pushed a slow-motion button and now everything was moving at a glacial pace; she was painfully aware of time passing as her eyes flitted to and from the digital time display on the bottom the wall-mounted television. She'd tried to do some of the though exercises Lane had given her, tried to rationalise her feelings but she didn't feel as though it had any real effect on her. She felt as though she were clinging on to her sanity by the very edge of her fingertips, so close to losing it but never quite letting go completely. She'd even tried to take a nap, but her body was still hyper aware of every little thing around it from the quiet rustle of the curtain to the scratching of Beck's pen or tapping of his fingers on the keys to his Pearbook.
Jade had spent what felt like an age analysing Beck and his movements. Was he resenting her for the disruption to his life? Was he frustrated that she wasn't getting better quickly? The familiar concern that he was only there out of guilt had returned to nip at her heels and Jade was torn between wanting to throw herself into Beck's arms and wanting to throw him out completely; one less thing to worry about. She'd been just seconds away from acting on an impulse, although which one she wasn't sure, when Beck had looked up and caught her eye, smiling at her. The effect was instantaneous and would have been unsettling were it not for the fact she couldn't discern one single negative emotion in his expression, no hidden agenda or bitterness just an ordinary smile; except in that moment, it might have been one of the most special smiles Jade had ever seen.
Her thoughts hadn't let up for long though, swapping back to her mother, the funeral and her father. Her eyes flicked back to the clock again. When was he going to be arriving at the house? Was he going to want to talk to her? Her skin prickled at the thought of their last encounter in the hospital. His attitude towards Beck staying with her, his insinuation that she was unreasonable to harbour anger at him over the situation with her mother. Jade was even doubting that now, was she being unreasonable? Was it her fault that her relationship with her father had deteriorated to the point where he couldn't care about her anymore? Jade wasn't sure.
It was 6:01 when both their heads turned towards the sound of a car breaking outside the house. Jade felt a flash of panic before squashing it down, letting her exterior harden in a practised move as she tried to convince herself she didn't care about him. Beck watched Jade, concern filling him as he watched her expression change.
"Hey, it's going to be alright."
Mr West paused in the porch of his front door. He scowled as he realised, he was anxious about entering his own house. He tried to physically shake off the feeling, but his hand remained stilled around the key, not moving to put it into the lock. He wasn't used to guests, especially guests who wouldn't be leaving after a few hours. He felt a twinge of guilt as he reminded himself that the 'guest' was his daughter and no matter how things were between them, she should rank differently in his head. Her boyfriend, who he assumed would also be present, was still fair game. He took a breath to gather himself and then pushed the key into the lock, forcing himself to move forward.
Things were not immediately different when he walked in, determinedly not looking up at the mezzanine level although he would have been hard pressed to see anything beyond the back of a sofa. He stowed his briefcase and coat as normal before turning to lock the door behind him. He walked into the kitchen and washed his hands before inspecting the contents of the fridge. Mrs Moore had left some soup, but he had a feeling he might not have been the sole intended recipient. On the adjacent counter there was a small bag of groceries with a sticky note bearing Jade's name which gave him pause. Curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the top of the bag to reveal several flavours of fruit tea bags, chocolate covered peanuts and a cartons of Ritz crackers. He didn't know what he'd expected to see but he was slightly disappointed that it hadn't really provided any further insight into his daughter. Still, how much could really be gleaned from groceries anyway.
Realising he'd now probably spent too much time ignoring the elephant in the house, he made his way back to the foyer, half-expecting that Jade would have come down by now to see him.
"Jade?" Her name almost got stuck in his throat as he called out; a name he was not used to calling, or even speaking out loud. There was a beat and then,
"Up here."
For a split second, he thought about demanding she come downstairs before thinking better of it; there had to be some compromise for this to work, right?
He made his way up the stairs, suit jacket and tie suddenly feeling tight. He normally would have loosened the tie and ditched the jacket by now but this evening he had clung to them for some reason.
The first thing that struck him as he walked into the room was how small Jade looked seated on the sofa. He hadn't noticed before, but she had inherited her mother's height, not helped by the clothes she was wearing that seemed to swamp her figure. He was so distracted that it took him a moment to even register Beck who was sitting only a short distance from her, watching Jade intently.
"Hello Jade."
"Hi"
"Beck." He acknowledged with a brief nod.
"Mr West." Beck's tone was low but not unfriendly.
Mr West suddenly felt extremely out of place in the room, as though he was intruding on their private space.
"Have you settled in okay? Mrs Moore showed you where everything is?"
Jade nodded, not trusting herself to speak again just yet.
"If you need anything, she can probably help you find it." He was aware he was perilously close to rambling, an affliction that he was usually, rarely associated with.
"I've got some work to do this evening, but I was thinking of ordering in, if you wanted to join? Both of you, that is." He hastened to add, meeting Beck's eyes briefly. Beck held his gaze for a second before turning to Jade whose own eyes were fixed somewhere just to the left of her father's head.
"Jade?" Beck prompted quietly. Jade turned her head towards him, he could see the mild panic behind her eyes and tried to convey reassurance from his own. Her eyes turned questioning, was Beck okay with the idea? He gave the slightest of nods and Jade turned towards her father, looking him in the eyes for the first time since his arrival.
"Okay."
"Good. Come down when you're ready."
Jade turned back to Beck after Mr West had disappeared down the stairs.
"That was unexpected." Her tone was steady but seemingly unimpressed.
"Maybe he's trying to make the effort, what with everything that's happened."
"I don't see why."
Indeed, Beck wanted to disagree with her but couldn't. This wasn't fitting the behaviours of the man he'd encountered in her house the week previously, or the one that had stormed out of her hospital room leaving her in a complete melt down the week prior to that.
"Well, what with the room and now dinner maybe he is making small steps?"
"I don't trust him." The words were uttered so smoothly, Beck didn't doubt them for a second. How could she trust this man after everything that had happened?
"You don't have to, not yet."
"Not ever." Her voice was firm even as her head swum. Was this what she had to look forward to now? Tense exchanges and awkward invitations to spend time with him? Pretending things were cordial and normal to mask the utter disaster that was their relationship? Without realising, her nails had dug into the sofa of her non-slinged hand, only coming to her attention when Beck shuffled closer to her, pulling her to him. She resisted almost as a matter of course but Beck was persistent and she soon relented, accepting his warmth if only for a moment.
They made their way downstairs shortly after. Beck had suggested they change and freshen-up but Jade had refused, convinced that it would fall into the category of trying too hard to impress him; a trap she had no wish to fall into again as the goal was an impossible one. Mr West had left the door to another living room open, this one looked onto the front driveway and was just as impersonal as the foyer. Beige couches with complementary double armchairs and a glass coffee table on the same white tile flooring that covered the whole of the downstairs. The furniture was so straight and ornaments sparse that the room honestly looked as though it wasn't ever used. The only evidence someone had been in the room at all was the stack of takeout menus in the middle of the coffee table, left out by Mr West.
Jade perched uncomfortably on the edge of one of the armchairs; she wouldn't have sat at all but she was still struggling to recover her energy levels fully and the day was turning into quite a long one. Beck hovered by her shoulder unsure as to what he should be doing, unsure as to what Jade needed from him at that moment. The tense silence was broken by Mr West who appeared in the doorway.
"I usually have the Chinese." His words were stilted and strained, as though he were having to force them out of his throat one by one.
"That'll be fine." Jade spoke without really wanting to but her desire to end the conversation before it went any further was stronger. Beck was already sorting through the menus to find the Chinese one, wasting no time in circling their usual order. He paused briefly to check with Jade, seeing as she wasn't eating normally at present, but she just shook her head. He made a few modifications before handing it to her father. Jade looked down at her fingernails, her chipped nail polish now a distant memory.
As Mr West left to call the order through, Beck tried to make the best of a bad situation.
"Come on, budge over."
Jade glared at him, but he wasn't cowed.
"If you don't, I'll sit on you."
"You wouldn't." Beck raised an eyebrow in a challenge, but Jade knew she had the upper hand as she indicated her sling.
"Fine, I'll just go sit by myself." He put on his best pathetic voice before taking a few exaggerated steps towards the other armchair. Jade rolled her eyes and huffed as she scooted over to one side, allowing Beck just enough room to squeeze next to her. He arranged his arms, so he had one wrapped around the small of her back, his hand resting on her thigh. It was reminiscent of a position they often used to find themselves in at school, although that was typically with two much smaller chairs pushed together. He played with her hand, trying to provide a distraction from whatever was going on inside her head; whatever it was, he was certain it wasn't pleasant.
They stayed that way for over thirty minutes until the doorbell sounded and shortly after Mr West appeared with food and a few plates, pausing only to direct a disapproving look at their seating arrangement. Beck resisted the urge to sort Jade's plate for her, only stopped as he imagined her fury at that level of fuss. As it was, she had only a small amount of rice on her plate with some vegetable stir-fry.
The only noise in the room was the sound of chopsticks hitting the plates and the occasional crunch as something was chewed. Beck almost missed the noisy clock from Jade's hospital room. Jade picked at her food, moving more of it around than she swallowed. Beck was trying not to spend his entire time staring at her, but he couldn't stop it any more than he could stop the resentment building towards Mr West. While he knew he was probably being a little irrational, he couldn't help but think if he hadn't asked them to eat together Jade might actually be eating properly right now instead of pushing her food around the plate. It was the anger that stopped him from being able to find a suitable topic of conversation, although Mr West didn't appear eager to draw either of them into a conversation as he barely lifted his eyes from his plate.
After fifteen excruciating minutes, Mr West finally broke the silence.
"Beck, I understand you will be going to school tomorrow." Beck jumped at being addressed so directly before fighting the narrowing of his eyebrows, wondering just what Jade's father was getting at.
"Yes, I need to be on campus for two days a week; tomorrow is my second day."
"And your parents are happy with this arrangement?" Jade was now also looking at her father, her expression cold.
"Yes, in fact it was mostly my Mom's idea." Jade turned to Beck, unable to hide her surprise. They hadn't really discussed his parents, really Jade hadn't even thought about them as Beck rarely brought them up.
Mr West seemed to chew this new information over as he took another mouthful of food. It seemed odd to him that parents would be willing to let their son miss school for his girlfriend, even in these circumstances.
"You don't have your truck."
The thought struck Jade suddenly causing her to speak before she even noticed she'd opened her mouth. Beck turned to her.
"Yeah it's still at the hospital, I'll get an uber in the morning and pick it up."
Mr West was even more unseated at this exchange; he struggled to understand why Beck wouldn't have just followed Jade in his own truck as now he'd created a bigger problem for himself. He watched the two as Beck reassured his daughter that it was fine there for the night, and parking costs wouldn't be that bad as he had purchased a week ticket. There was something about the exchange that set his teeth on edge but, at the same time, started to make him think he'd misjudged Beck slightly.
"What time will you be leaving?" He interjected, effectively halting their conversation and drawing another glare from his daughter.
"About 7:30."
"I'll arrange a car to get you back to your truck." Beck blinked in surprise.
"You don't have to do that." He said bluntly.
"It will be easier than getting an Uber at that time, consider it re-imbursement for some of the costs of the last week."
Beck felt his fist clench involuntarily.
"I don't need any re-imbursement." He fought not to raise his voice, but Mr West wasn't deterred.
"Regardless, it will be easier for me to organise, my company has a priority contract with the car firm."
His tone left no room for argument and, more for Jade's sake, Beck let it drop with a short 'thanks'. The remainder of the meal was eaten in silence but was mercifully short in comparison. Mr West finished first and stood up almost immediately.
"I'm going to finish my work for the evening. I'll be in my study. Good night."
Beck returned his sentiments while Jade simply nodded, her expression unreadable. As the door shut, Beck let out a sigh he hadn't realised he'd been holding in.
"Well that could have gone worse."
"Let's just go." The weariness in Jade's voice saddened him but he nodded, extricating himself from behind her before turning to help her up. He wanted to take some of Jade's uneaten food with them but figured she wasn't in the mood to finish it anyway. It didn't stop him from making a quick trip to the kitchen to dispose of the plates, shoving the remainder of the food into the fridge before grabbing the bag with Jade's name on.
By the time he arrived back upstairs, Jade had already changed into her nightclothes and was sitting on the edge of the bed again, staring into space as she clutched the foam ball tightly. Beck moved quietly around her, getting himself into his own sleeping clothes before turning down the duvet as far as he could. He left one of the floor lamps in the living area on, letting the warm glow filter under the door as he turned off the remaining lights and shut the blind but leaving the window open a crack.
"Come on, bedtime."
Jade followed his instructions wordlessly, burying herself under the duvet as Beck settled in next to her. He was still for a moment before realising his mistake and jumping out the side of the bed. Jade looked at him as he rounded the bed and crawled back in on the other side; his actions making sense as he pulled her towards him, her injured shoulder now on the opposite side to him.
"Do you think you'll sleep?"
"No."
"Do you want me to read?"
Jade didn't say anything, aware it was already getting late and Beck had to be in school the next day, but Beck saw right through her silence. He reached over to the nightstand where he'd placed their book earlier that day. He'd just settled back down in the duvet and was about to start reading when Jade turned upwards and covered his lips with her own. It was a short kiss that caught Beck entirely by surprise. He'd only just started to return it when she withdrew, still looking up at him quietly with the slightest of pink tinges colouring her cheeks before she spoke.
"Thanks."
Beck couldn't stop the small smile that spread onto his face, he leaned down and placed a brief kiss of his own before turning his attention back to the book and beginning to read.
Jade shut her eyes, letting his voice wash over her in the hope it would lead to some sleep. Her lips still tingled slightly but she had no regret over her actions. For all the maelstrom of emotions she was feeling, one of the ones she was sure of was her gratefulness that Beck was here with her, every step of the way.
Okay, I know I'm late... only one day though - and I will always update once a week as I have since I started this fic, I promise. Unfortunately had some stuff this week that stopped me from doing the normal amount of writing during the week. Happy Birthday to the guest reviewer who said today is their birthday!
Still, here it is! I hope you enjoy it - Jade's learning to accept help from Beck but also to assert some of her own boundaries. Mr West is still busy doing his impression of a saucepan that speaks and Beck is just trying to do his best.
All mistakes are my own. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, even if it's just a line it means a lot to read it.