Jacob's Tutor | Jacob Day

Chapter 8

It was Lily's second week tutoring Kristian, and as she quickly found, he was significantly more difficult to work with than Jacob. "Is your real name Lilith?" Lily's eyes shot up from her laptop. "Why the fuck would my real name be Lilith?" "Lillian? It's definitely Lillian." "It's just Lily, Kristian. I don't know why that's so hard for you to accept." "I can't accept it. I won't accept it. Let's see. Lilliana...Lilliane...oh! I've got it! I've got it. Elizabeth." Lily stared at him blankly. "I'm right! It's Elizabeth, isn't it?" "No, moron," Lily said exasperatedly. "Elizabeth Bennet, an intelligent young woman with a playful disposition, who delighted in anything ridiculous," Kristian cooed in a pronounced British accent. Did this man just compare her to the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice? "That's it," Lily screeched, getting up from her chair and beginning to tackle his neck from behind. Kristian reacted quickly, grasping her forearm with his hand and twisting it away effortlessly. Lily gasped before head-butting him, not hard enough to hurt but not light enough to be messing around. "Damn you, Elizabeth!" As the two of them were tangling around, a deep voice sounded behind them. "Why are you calling her Elizabeth?" The two of them froze, and Kristian begrudgingly released Lily. Jacob was looming behind them, face slightly contorted as if he had just sucked a lemon. "This idiot decided that's my real name," she directed his eyes towards Kristian. "You good, bro?" Jacob questioned. Lily wasn't sure if he was being serious or just joking; it was hard to tell with him. "Yeah, bro, I'm just messing with her. But for real, you're strong for a lil' thing," he said, directing his attention back to Lily. She smiled at that and stood up her tallest. "Better keep one eye open when you're sleeping." Kristian's eyes widened and looked at Jacob in protest. "You heard her," Jacob said deeply.

Lily was about to get her jacket so the three of them could go to 7-Eleven when she ran into Jacob around the corner. She made way for him to pass by, but he didn't. "Wait." He stepped right in front of her, flashing a nervous smile. He had this strange combination of virility and softness that Lily didn't know how to react to. She gulped and took a step back, because he clearly wasn't going to. "What's up?" "So do you know Kristian the best now?" "Huh?" "It seemed like you and Kristian became friends quickly," he said under his breath, sliding his foot over a scuff on the floor. "Yeah? He's cool. Is there something wrong with that?" Geez, Jacob was acting weird. "No, I just don't feel special anymore," he said, smiling and shaking his head. Lily blinked at him a few times. What was he talking about? "Jacob, I tutor a lot of people. And I know a lot of people," she said. "It doesn't mean me and you aren't friends anymore." Lily had no idea if she'd answered his question, she was too confused. Jacob nodded. "Kristian wouldn't even be talking to me if it weren't for the help he needed," she added, laughing. "But then again, so would a lot of people." "That's not true." "Yeah, it is. And it's fine. I know they–" "No, Lily, I mean Kristian would still be talking to you." His face got very serious as he took a step towards her. "Look at you." "Oh, Jacob, stop–" "No." He inhaled quickly and moved a stray piece of hair behind her ear, not letting go of the strand until he had run his hand through its length. Lily held still, breath caught in her chest. Their eyes locked and Jacob glanced down at her lips, which was a long way down. "I know you better than Kristian," Lily heard herself whisper. "I won't forget what you did to help me that night. It meant a lot to me. And I've never looked that bad in front of anyone," she added with a smile. Jacob shook his head, looking serious again. "Don't mention it. Nothing will happen to you when I'm here." Lily swallowed. She didn't doubt that. And despite her rational side, she wanted to melt into those words. Living alone in Los Angeles wasn't easy. She always walked home with her keys in her hand, and always slept with a quiet fear in the back of her mind. But that night that Jacob slept over was the first night she had a complete rest in ages. Sharing popcorn, feeling her eyelids get heavy, letting her head lull on his chest, falling asleep against his strong body... "–Guys?" Crap. When did Kristian come over here? "Yeah?" "Are y'all gonna come with me to get Slurpees or what?" Her and Jacob were still standing unnaturally close to each other. Stepping back to bring some distance between them, she nodded at Kristian. "Yes. But just so you know, I have daycare after this and twenty-five three year olds are going to ask me why my tongue is blue." "Tell them you're a reincarnated Smurf," Kristian suggested as the three of them walked out the door. "Oh yeah, Kristian, that's perfect," Lily quipped, rolling her eyes. As they walked to the car, Lily noticed Jacob's determination to walk in the middle. But his strangeness reached a new level when they got to the car. Lily was just reaching for the passenger door handle when Jacob came up behind her and grabbed her wrist. "Nuh-uh," he said firmly. "What?" Lily said defensively, snatching her hand away. "You're not riding shotgun with the worst driver to ever exist," he said, glancing at Kristian. "Hey!" Kristian exclaimed. "I'm better when I'm drunk." Lily laughed, but it only seemed to piss off Jacob. He stared down at her unwaveringly. "It's not gonna happen," he assured her. "Oh, really? You're not the boss of me," He struck a nerve with her sometimes that she couldn't help but react to. Done with his behavior, she attempted to shove him aside with full force, expecting him to tumble backward. But Jacob didn't so much as flinch; instead, he stood there smirking at her. He's even stronger than Kristian. "That there ain't gonna work, girl," she heard Kristian say. "He's one strong asshole." Lily scoffed, even though she was thinking the same thing. "Whatever. Have it your fucking way. I know you just wanna ride shotgun." "Yeah, my legs don't even fit in the front seat. You think I like being compressed just for shits and giggles?" She had him there. She stared up at Jacob's furrowed eyebrows and rigid jaw. He almost had her pinned down to the car at this point, but Lily wasn't scared. She had seen this glint of mischief in his eye before. Kristian didn't see it, though. "Easy, buddy," he told Jacob. That was enough to make him step away, ushering her into the backseat melodramatically. "You're paying for my Slurpee now," Lily ordered, tapping him lightly on the shoulder from behind as Kristian started the car. Before her hand could pull away, he clasped the tips of her fingers and pulled her hand into holding his impatiently, almost as if he had wanted to do that all day. "Yes, Ma'am."

A/N: Hi guys, thank you for the support and kind feedback lately, I love hearing that you guys are enjoying it! As always, enjoy, and if you did, please remember to vote, comment, and share your theories on what's gonna happen :)