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Jake
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I stared up and into darkness. It was very dark. This was where the term pitch black applied. I could barely see my hand in front of my face. She’d shut off the lights in the cottage a bit ago. I had a flashlight, but turning it on was pointless. What was I going to look at, the dark sky? It was strange, but the rain beating on the tarp was very soothing. It took me back to better days. Days before life got complicated. The hammock was actually very comfortable as well. I had one in my backyard at home, but I realized I didn’t spend nearly enough time in the thing. I was going to remedy that.
The sleeping bag kept me plenty warm, and the tarp kept me dry. With the way I had the lean-to set up, I had an amazing view of the water and the sky. Not that I could see the water, but every time there was a flash of lightning, I got a great view. Mother Nature was terrifying and beautiful at the same time. I was always in awe of the power nature wielded. Humans thought they ran the earth, but we were nothing compared to Mother Nature. She was the true power. She ruled.
The storm wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, which was good for me. Initially, I’d been pissed that she forced me to sleep outside. It wasn’t that I was afraid of sleeping outside in the middle of a storm, been there, done that. It was the fact she’d been so damn selfish. This could have easily been a very dangerous situation. It could have been bad, and I didn’t think she’d give a shit. Her selfishness infuriated me.
But that wasn’t my problem. She could do whatever the hell she wanted. I was going to make the most of the time I had here. In fact, sleeping outside like this was exactly what I’d had in mind. It just sucked her negative energy was bringing down my mood. Unfortunately for her, I had a lot of experience dealing with soul-sucking women that wanted to make my life miserable. I was an expert at ignoring the negative energy. I drifted off to sleep to the soothing sound of the rain and the waves without a care in the world. The hammock was like floating on a cloud. Despite the circumstances, I was actually very happy.
When I woke the next morning, the sun had just broken free of the horizon. It was going to be a good day. I climbed out of the hammock and grabbed one of the bottles of water. I didn’t need coffee to get my day started. I had fresh air and fishing. Loaded with bait and a fishing pole, I headed down to the dock. Fishing from the shore was difficult. The dock was the perfect spot. I set up my pole and cast out the line. The peacefulness after a storm was incredible.
It wasn’t long before I caught the first fish. I stayed out several hours enjoying the peacefulness. Fishing was about so much more than just catching fish. It was the time for a man to contemplate and all the decisions he had made and needed to make in the future. The whole point of this vacation was for me to do exactly this. I wasn’t supposed to have to worry about anything or anyone. I definitely didn’t want to have to worry about the surly woman back at the cottage.
It was pretty clear we were going to be stuck together for the next several days. I figured it would be better to make it as peaceful as possible. I would avoid her as much as I could. If I stayed out of her way and vice versa, maybe we could make this thing work.
My stomach growled and I decided to call it good. I had four good size fish and I could practically taste the meat in my mouth. I collected my things and picked up the basket with the fish fillets I had already cut up. I carried my bounty back to the fire ring I had made on the beach the first night. After collecting some firewood, I attempted to get a fire going. I tried like hell to get the wood to ignite, but it was pointless. The wood was soaked.
I wasn’t about to let the fish go to waste. Once again, I collected my things and headed up to the cottage. I knocked on the front door, which still pissed me off. Technically, I had rented the place. For me to have to knock to go in was frustrating. When she didn’t answer, I pushed the door open and looked around. It was empty. Hopefully, that meant she was out exploring again. Maybe she was laying nude on the beach somewhere. I quickly dismissed the thought. I didn’t need to be thinking about her naked. That would only make this situation so much worse than it already was. Certain she wasn’t home, I headed for the kitchen and started cooking the fish. Since I had an actual kitchen and the groceries I had ordered, I decided to make it a real meal.
I was stirring the rice I was making to go with the fish when I heard the door open. “Seriously?” she snapped.
I rolled my eyes before turning around. “What now?”
“When are you going to stop walking in like you own the place?” she snapped.
“I suppose the same time you do,” I shot back.
“What are you talking about? What are you doing? Why are you in the kitchen? I thought we agreed I was keeping the cottage and you were going to roam about the island until Oleg came back.”
“You mean until Oleg comes to my rescue?” I said before turning back to the rice.
“You can’t—”
“Stop,” I said and cut her off before she could lay into yet another lecture. I was about sick of her lectures saying the same thing over and over. “Just stop. I’m making lunch. I’m more than happy to share my catch with you.”
“Why here?” she asked with a sigh.
“Because you might not be aware of this, but it rained last night. A lot. I tried to stay out of your precious bubble, but I’m fucking hungry. I want to eat my lunch in peace. If I give you a plate, will you please just give me thirty minutes of peace and quiet?”
She didn’t respond. I turned around to see if she was still in the room. The expression on her face told me I might have gone a step too far. I immediately felt like a dick. I was usually much calmer. I rarely let anyone get under my skin. I blamed it on the hunger. I was famished. The last couple of days had been stressful and I wasn’t eating much. I just needed to sit down and eat a real meal without being nagged to death. A man could only take so much.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. “Can we please just start over?” I asked.
“Again?” she asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, please.”
“What are you making?” she asked and for the first time since I’d met her on the beach, I didn’t hear derision.
“Fresh caught fish and wild rice,” I said.
“Really?” she asked with genuine surprise. “Like, you actually caught the fish?”
“They sure as hell didn’t swim into the pan,” I teased.
She moved to stand next to me in front of the stove. “It smells good.”
“It’s going to taste just as good,” I promised.
“Can I do anything?”
“There’s a lemon in the fridge, can you slice it into wedges, please?” I asked her.
It was a little like walking into the twilight zone. She was being nice. I didn’t dare do anything to make her pissed at me again. I was going to be nice as well.
“Here you go,” she said and held out a small plate with the wedges on it.
“Thank you.”
I squeezed some of the lemon juice over the fish and listened to the sizzle. There was an awkward silence between us. If we were going to live together for the next five days, we needed to clear the air. I didn’t want the tension. It was bad energy.
“I don’t think Oleg is coming back,” I said.
“Me either,” she said and sounded none too happy about it.
“I know we’ve been at odds, but I think we can agree there isn’t anything we can do about the situation,” I said calmly. With her, I wasn’t sure when she would change her mind and decide to hate me again.
“I know.”
“I don’t want to ruin your vacation,” I told her. “I think we’ve both got our own shit to work through. We came here with a purpose to be alone and get our heads straight. I don’t want to deny you your peace. I’d like you to do the same for me.”
“Okay, and how do we do that?” she asked.
“We stay out of one another’s way,” I said. “I don’t mind sleeping outside.”
“What about last night?” she asked. “Was it terrible?”
“No,” I answered immediately. “It wasn’t bad.”
“Did you get wet?” she asked hesitantly.
“Nope. A little, but not enough to make it miserable. I stayed warm enough in my bag.”
“Good.”
“The wood is wet after the rain last night,” I told her. “It’s why I had to use the stove. If you want to work out some kind of schedule, I’d be cool with that. The shower as well.”
“Jake, I want to apologize for being so difficult earlier,” she said. “I just, well, you’re a surprise. I had this idea of how this vacation was going to go. Then it kind of imploded.”
“Trust me, I get it,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting company either. There’s no reason to let this ruin both our vacations. We’ll make the most of this week. Once Oleg comes back, I’ll go back with him. You’ll have the whole place to yourself again.”
“I am sorry this got so messed up,” she said. “It’s pretty unbelievable this happened.”
“You’re okay with me using the kitchen?” I asked. “When I can, I’ll use an open fire.”
“I guess I kind of have to be okay with it,” she said with a shrug.
That wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic agreement, but it was better than the usual bullshit. “I’ll stay out of your way.”
“Thanks,” she said. “If you happen to make extra, I wouldn’t mind eating the leftovers.”
I grinned and looked over at her. “You mean you want me to make you dinner? Lunch?”
“I’m saying there’s no reason for food to go to waste.”
I looked at her and did a mental catalog of the groceries I had seen in the cupboard. There were plenty of ready-to-eat things. “Do you know how to cook?” I asked her.
“Of course, I do,” she snapped.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you’re stocked up on cup-of-soup and instant rice packets?”
“I—”
I wanted to laugh but I didn’t dare ruin the newfound peace we’d found. “It’s cool,” I said.
“Do you cook a lot?” she asked.
“I cook enough,” I answered.
“Has it always been that way?” she questioned.
“What? Me cooking?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
“I think it’s something I taught myself,” I told her. “If I was hungry, I had to cook something.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to spill my guts just yet. We weren’t exactly friends. “Can you grab a couple of plates?” I asked her.
She moved to the cupboard and placed them on the counter. “Anything else?”
“Nah, have a seat,” I told her. “This will be done in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
She sat down at the table while I finished the meal. It had been a long time since I cooked for anyone. Amanda didn’t care for my cooking. I was convinced it had nothing to do with my cooking and more about the fact she couldn’t cook. I never tried to insult her or make her feel inadequate because she couldn’t cook. I thought it was me being nice. She thought it was me being an asshole. I should have known the relationship was doomed. But, stupid me, I kept trying. I wanted to make her happy. I thought learning how to cook some of her favorite meals was the way to do that. She preferred to order in or go out to expensive restaurants. She wanted to be seen. I just wanted to eat.
