Terror (7 page)

What was with Gaia, anyway? Not that she had ever been known for acting normal. But this wasn't the usual emotionally distant badass routine. That was actually what made Gaia attractive—her independence and toughness, combined with her intelligence and raw beauty. But there was something about the way she'd acted at school today that just wasn't sitting well. There was something fake about her, as if she were suddenly the talented Mrs. Ripley. She was hiding something.

Her hanging out with the FOHs had been off-putting
enough, but that wasn't the thing that really freaked him out. It was that look she had given him. That softened look of openness she'd given him was so out of character, he couldn't get it out of his head. It was either flattering, or disturbing, or both. Flattering in the sense that it suggested she might be falling for him. And disturbing in the sense that it didn't have one iota of the fierce, intimidating Gaia he'd fallen for in the first place. But then, with Gaia things were never simple. He had wanted to assume that her asking him out to dinner was her way of expressing her growing feelings. But now that she was almost a half hour late, he was starting to wonder.

“Excuse me.” It was a woman, tucking a strand of hair flirtatiously behind her ear. Jake had been watching her on the sly and had noticed that she seemed to be checking him out. “Do you have the time?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jake said. He didn't have to look at his cell phone. He knew exactly what time it was. But he didn't want to look too desperate, so he pulled out the phone anyway. “It's seven thirty-eight,” he said.

“Thanks,” the woman said. “I guess it doesn't pay to be on time, huh?”

“No kidding,” Jake said. She stood there for a second, as if hoping this might blossom into a conversation. A part of him wanted to appease her with a quick chat, if only to make things less awkward. But he knew that the fact that she
wasn't
Gaia would just make him antsy, so he looked away.

“Well, take care,” the woman said.

“You too,” Jake said.

Watching the woman walk away, he wondered at his own behavior. If he wasn't even considering giving a pretty woman anything more than the time of day, he must be really into Gaia. Not that this was a new revelation. But it continued to amaze him that Gaia could command his attention so thoroughly. He had never been the cheating type, but with most of his past girlfriends he'd always remained an incorrigible flirt. Not anymore.

Jake ran his hands through his hair. This nervousness… no other girl had ever made him act all frazzled like this. Of course, it was also that they would finally be having the relationship conversation tonight. He hoped. Gaia had been putting that discussion off like it was some sort of tedious lab report. He hoped that her tardiness wasn't some convoluted way of putting off “the talk.”
Man, listen to yourself.
Jake walked a few paces toward the corner, trying to calm himself.
You're starting to sound like the female in this relationship.
Why did he want to establish official couple status with her so badly anyway? It was so unlike him. There was just something about Gaia. She was so elusive, so slippery, that it seemed important to solidify what they had before it drifted away. Jake walked back toward the restaurant,
looking down at the sidewalk to avoid eye contact.

“Uh, excuse me, sir?”

Jake looked up. He prayed that this wasn't Waiting Woman, looking to commiserate about being stood up. It wasn't. It was the emaciated, sour-faced hostess from the restaurant.

“Are you ready to be seated yet?” the hostess asked.

“Um—well…,” Jake stuttered. “My, uh, guest hasn't arrived yet. But she'll be here any second, so—”

“So you're
not
ready to be seated, then?” the hostess asked, clearly annoyed. “Because your table for two in the rooftop garden is ready, and if you can't be seated like…
now,
then I'm going to have to give it away.”

“Please don't,” Jake said. “How about you just seat me and I'll order a drink and my date will be here in—”

“I can't do that,” the hostess said, almost snarling. “The whole party has to be here before I can seat you.”

“Fine,” Jake said. “Whatever.”

The hostess rolled her eyes and went back inside. Jake sucked in a long, deep breath and exhaled.
Come on, Gaia,
he thought.
Come on come on come
on. Getting a table in the garden was the main reason he had chosen this place.
It's all right,
Jake thought.
Everything's all right.
He would take ten deep breaths. They would get a table and have a nice meal. They would have their talk. It would—hopefully—confirm their feelings for each other. And then everything wrong would be made right again.

Memo

From:
Rizq14176

To:
Runner 16

It is imperative for further follicle testing that we get a hair sample from the subject. A few strands would be sufficient, but a dozen or more would be better. (Often ripped-out hairs do not contain intact follicles.) The confrontation should occur at night and be as brief as possible. There should be no witnesses. A good cover-up would be a failed robbery attempt so as to not arouse suspicion. Keep in mind that the subject is deceptively strong and aggressive and is trained in the martial arts. For this reason, two agents would work better than one. Deliver the sample to my desk, in a sealed plastic bag, as soon as possible. If you turn it in tomorrow, there will be a reward for punctuality.

From:
Runner 16

To:
Rizq14176

Copy. Confrontation will occur pronto. All precautions will be taken.

The spot that had just been the epicenter of pleasure in her body was now seized by a violent paroxysm of pain.

“THANK YOU,” GAIA SAID AS THE hostess presented their table in the rooftop garden. This place really was cool—funky orange cushioned seats and modern-looking tables surrounded by lush plants. It was rare to be able to dine outside in New York without being on the sidewalk, constantly distracted by pedestrians and the whine of ambulance sirens. Gaia sat down and, with a long exhale, tried to unhurry herself after the mad rush of getting ready. Jake waited for her to get settled in her seat before taking his. She looked across the table and tried to catch his eye, but he seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

“Enjoy your meal,” the hostess added.

“Thanks.” Jake looked up at the hostess and forced a smile. Gaia sensed some bad chemistry between them. Perhaps this was due to the fact that she'd arrived more than twenty minutes late. “We will,” he said.

Jake grabbed the menu and started leafing through it. He hadn't been smiling much and was still avoiding eye contact. She wasn't sure if he was annoyed by her tardiness or nervous about the looming conversation, but she wanted to dispel the awkward tension from the beginning. “You hate me, don't you?” she said playfully.

Jake glanced at her. “I don't hate you.”

“No, you do,” Gaia said. “It's okay. I was almost a half hour late. I deserve it.”

“It's over now,” Jake said. “I'm not angry. Really. I'm just glad you're here.”

Gaia ran her hands through her hair and let out a big sigh. This was it. She had been putting this off for far too long. Her heart was pounding, but she figured that was a good thing. Time to dive in headfirst. “If you don't mind, I think I'm ready to have our talk.”

Jake looked at her, his face cut in half by the top edge of his menu. He didn't seem as psyched as she'd hoped. “Took you long enough.” Jake was smiling.

“I know. Sorry about that.”

“Give me a drumroll,” Jake said. They both let out little fake laughs. Jake put down his menu. He crossed his arms and seemed to be considering Gaia in earnest. “So…,” he said.

“So, if I remember correctly, our conversation, which was so rudely interrupted by the skinhead freaks who attacked us, ended soon after we both admitted that we watch the clock before lunch because we can't wait to see each other… right?”

“Sounds about right,” Jake said.

“And we were about to agree that this didn't make us pathetic, it just meant—”

“Hello, and welcome to Sushi Samba.”

Gaia looked up.
Great. Impeccable timing.
Jake was right. The waitress really did look like a model/actress. She was rail-thin and gorgeous, with a
well-rehearsed, tip-me-thirty-percent smile pasted on her face.

“My name is Cecily, and I'll be your server tonight. Our special entrée today is broiled gingersnap-crusted sea bass with tofu and hijiki in a teriyaki sauce. Our featured sushi roll today is a delicious inside-out spicy lobster and salmon roll with tobiko. Can I start you off with an appetizer?”

“Yes,” Jake said. “We'll have an order of edamame and two bowls of miso soup.”

“Anything to drink?”

“Just water,” Jake said.

“Tap or bottled?”

“Tap's fine,” Jake said, a tad impatiently. He looked at Gaia. “Now, where were we?” he asked as the waitress walked away.

Gaia fiddled with her hands in her lap. Normally she would've been psyched to have distractions like that. But for some reason, she now found herself anxious—almost excited—to talk this through and square their relationship away. “Well, I was trying to rewind us to that discussion we never finished. If I remember correctly, you said that we weren't pathetic for wanting to be together all the time.”

“Right…”

“And that maybe that's just what we should do. Be together. Officially.”

“Right,” Jake said. “And?”

“Well…” Gaia's mouth felt suddenly moist. Her mind raced in a strange new way, as if what she was about to say harbored some unknown, forbidding danger. “I think I agree,” Gaia said.

“Oh, yeah?” Jake said. His face lit up and overshadowed his words.

“Yup,” Gaia said. It was as if a mental dam had broken and she was no longer afraid to tell him how she felt. “I've been thinking about it. I'm sorry it took so long for me to figure this out. But it's probably better, because now I feel even more strongly.” Gaia broke off. Now's the time. Don't back down. Say how you feel. She looked into Jake's brown eyes and swallowed. “I really like you, Jake.”

Jake's face flushed and he moved forward slightly. “I like you too,” he said, stunned.

Gaia exhaled. Keep going. Go for more. Let your guard down. You've always wanted to. “No, I mean I think I really like you. I'd go so far as to say I'm in deep like with you.”

Jake's face went deep beet red. He let a little laugh escape. “Deep like?”

“That's what I said.” Gaia smiled.

“Well I guess I feel the same way,” Jake said. “So what does that mean… you know, in terms of our relationship.”

“It means…” Gaia looked down and focused on her chopsticks. Keep going. Say it. “It means I'm ready for us to be official.”

“Which means?” Jake asked.

“You know.” Gaia shrugged. Her face went rosy. She started wriggling her shoulders. “Boyfriend and girlfriend. That whole thing.”

“And you just assume that your wish is my command?” Jake asked. “Now that you've decided we're officially a couple, then we just automatically are?”

Was he serious?
“Well, I mean, no…” Gaia picked up her chopsticks and looked at them. Had she totally misinterpreted where he was coming from? “I just—”

“It's okay,” Jake said, smiling. “I'm just playing. I'm glad you feel that way, and I couldn't agree more. I just didn't want it to be
too
easy for you.”

“You thought that was easy?” Gaia asked.

“I guess not. But doesn't it feel strange that you can just say ‘I agree,' and we immediately move into this new relationship realm? I feel like you should at least tell me what you think is so great about me.”

“Oh, come on.” Gaia rolled her eyes. “You know I'm not good at this stuff.”

“Forget it, then,” Jake said. “I'm burning the contract.”

Gaia laughed, then caught herself. “Okay. You want to know? I'll tell you. I think you're sexy and smart and fun to be with… and an above-average martial artist.”

“Above average? Come on. Give me specifics. God is in the details.”

“Okay. Well… you have good kissing lips and a nice deep voice.”

“Much better.” Jake was really beaming. “What else do I have?”

Respectable abs and a shapely butt.
But the waitress walked up before Gaia could put the thought into words. “Here's the edamame.” She placed a bowl of steaming, salted green pods on the table. “And your tea.” She set dainty little teacups in front of them, filled them with tea, and left the teapot on the table. “And here are your waters.” She took out a pad and pen. “You ready to order?”

“Sorry,” Jake said. “We've barely had a chance to look at the menus.”

“No problem,” she said.

She walked away, and a cloud of heavy silence settled above the table. Gaia looked at Jake and felt the irresistible urge to bite him, but in a good way. She had been so frazzled when she arrived that she hadn't had a chance to check him out. He looked great—freshly shaven chiseled features, deliberately mussed hair gelled into maintained mayhem, all framed by a black button-down shirt. Looking at him, she felt like the paparazzi could show up any minute and they would all be chirping, “Who's the girl with Jake Montone?”

“So…,” Jake said.

“So.” Gaia realized she was staring and snapped out of it. She smiled—there was no denying what was happening. She was diving headfirst into the fire. Committing to a guy she felt very strongly about. And it felt right. Her
smile grew bigger, into an all-out cheek stretcher. She wasn't accustomed to this feeling, whatever it was. Was this happiness? She liked Jake, and Jake liked her. That was all that needed to be said for now. That was enough. Gaia felt like she was floating. If fear had an antidote, whatever this was… was it.