When Ria walked in the bar, Jake couldn't help but raise his eyebrows appreciatively. Tonight, she looked good. He couldnt lie. He had never noticed the soft curve of her waist from her hip, or the shape of her long legs. How her thick black eyelashes framed her eyes. The sly sexy grin she always gave before she smiled. The way she swung her hips when she walked, and how she ran her fingers through her hair tousling it around her face.

She was sittng on a bar stool, legs crossed at the knee talking to Jake Anderson's girlfirend animatedly. She caught him looking at her, and sent him a small wink and the grin he knew all too well. He smiled back and turned back to the conversation.

"You want her don't you?" Scottie said grinning at him. Jake made a face

"Ria? Pfffft. No way, shes like my bestfriend dude." He said lieing through his teeth. Truth was right now bestfriends or no bestfriends. Ria was hot. And he couldn't believe how blind he was. Luckily josh saved him

"Ria and Jake have been friends since they were babies. They don't have that kind of relationship." Jake mentally noted that he owed Josh eternally and adoided matt Bradley's gaze.

"Dude. You can't lie, Ria's hot as hell. And you spend 3 months on a boat with " He shook his head.

Scottie opened his mouth to say something but closed it, and smiled. Before jake could look he felt a pair of small hands wrap around his shoulders. He looked up to see A girl with thick curly dark hair looking down at him. At first glance she wasn't bad looking but upon further inspection...Echh. Her hair was frizzy and overly puffed out. Her wide set eyes were rimmed in too much eyeliner which was smeared agaisnt her excessive amount of face makeup. She didn't have a bad looking body but her clothes were almost too tight, he wondered how she could even breath.

"Jake Harris right?" she said confidently, smilng down at him

She was a loud cocky girl, who thought being forceful was what a guy wanted. She had pushed herself against jake who was edging away from her. Her circle of friends, who ranged and 8 on the scale of 1-10 of skankiness had surrounded the guys as well. Jake was in so deep he thought there was no way out when he saw his angel.

Ria was deep in conversation with Cara, Jake Anderson's girlfriend when she spotted something. Motioning silently she gestured across the smoke filled bar, and Ria looked over her shoulder.

"That's the girl I was tellign you about Ria" Cara said eyeing the girl with intense dislike. "she was all over my Jake yesterday when i took him for his new rain gear. Iv'e been told shes like the Deadliest Catch groupie. She goes for all of them at one point or another."

Ria's eyes narrowed as the girl pressed herself against Jake's chair batting her glue on eyelashes at him.

"Jake..is a big boy. He can handle himself" She said tearing her gaze away from the scene unfolding in front of her. Even though jealousy was burning slightly in the pit of her stomach she knew there was nothing she could do without the truth of her 6 and a half year long Jake crush coming out. Cara pulled a face at her

"Oh come on Ria grow up. You mean to tell me that doesn't bother you at all?" Ria took a sip of her drink, and sighed.

"Of course it does Cara."
"Then go over there and save your man from the Queen skank girl!" Cara said waving her hands in the air. RIa glanced over her shoulder and saw the girl had moved to a chair her hand on Jake's knee.

That's it

She pushed herself out of her chair, and strode over. She put a hand on Jake's shoulder, and winked down at him. he smiled gratefully at her, and said enthusiastically

"Hey!"

"Hey doll, Come on guys. were sitting over here." Without waiting for an answer she grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him along with her

"Play along" she whispered, and Jake wrapped his arm around her waist. She smiled at him

"Ria you are my angel"

She rolled her eyes "Yeah yeah like i haven't heard that before"

"No really. I'll never be an asshole to you again i pro-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep Jacob"

He smiled that beautiful smile at her, and they found a table away from the skanks. The other guys practically ran away form the table leaving the girls to wallow in the fact that they were now alone. They all sat Jake, Ria, Josh, Cara, Scottie, Crosby, Josh, Jake Anderson, Matt Bradley, and a local girl Bekah. They had combined their table with the Captains table. It was all going great, and everyone noticed Ria and Jake subtley flirting and whispering in eachothers ears through the night. Everything was great till someone brought up Ria living with Phil

"Yeah when did you move in with Phil anyways?" Andy asked.

Ria lowered her gaze "When I was 12 almost 13."

She drummed her fingernails on her knee hoping someone would change the subject.

"Yeah. So if you live with Phil then you fly down here every season right?" Edgar having just joined the table, asked. Josh looked away pointedly, and Jake shared a glance with his father.
"No.I don't fly." She answered simply.

"You drive from Monroe Washinton, to Dutch Harbor every season?" Keith asked incredulously.

She nodded.

"Why don't you fly?" Monty asked. Her eyes drifted to Phil, and he sent back an apologetic look. Jake and Josh were now looking sadly at her. She toyed with her bullet necklace, and bit her lip.

"Why don't i fly..." She said slowly twisting the chain in her fingers

"I don't fly because..." She looked around at the men who were all listening intently to her.

"My parents, and my oldest sister were killed during 9/11."

Everyone's facial color drained, and several of them looked at her horrified. She slowly began to explain

"I was in Eighth grade, in English class with Jake when my phone rang. I tried to ignore it but it kept ringing and ringing so finally my teacher left me answer it. It was my oldest sister Harmony. She was crying, and explained what was happening. My teacher turned on the news and we saw the North Tower had been hit. She gave the phone to my parents and we spoke. She started to cry even louder and told me she loved me, and thats when we saw the plane hit the South Tower, and the line went dead."

She let go of the bullet necklace, and pulled the collar of her shirt aside to show the tattoo settled right above her heart. It read 'Harmony Daniels. Forever and Always. September 11, 2001" with a tiny heart settled between the words.

"So what's the bullet for then?"

She smiled ruefully and held the bullet between he rthumb and index finger.

"My brother Jagger was killed in the line of duty 2 years ago. He was a cop in Brooklyn. Got shot during a hostage situation shootout."
She showed them her wrist which said "Jagger Daniels. Brooklyn's finest. March 17, 2008"

She took a deep breath. "I think I need some air." and with that she swept out of the bar. Jake followed her out.

"Hey Ria. You okay?"

She looked at him eyes slightly watery. He reached his arms out, and she buried her face in his chest. He didnt give her a hig, he didn't pat her on the back. he held her tightly. Taking away all the pain and sadness she felt right then and there. Maybe she couldnt have Jake the ways he wanted, but she was glad for now, that she had him here with her

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