Rachael, It's None of Your Business

“Jonathon!” I yelled, racing across the expanse of his and Pat’s apartment.

No answer.

I stopped at the bathroom, which had a closed door, and pondered carefully. Then, “I’m pregnant and you’re the father.”

The door opened instantly, and Jonathan’s head poked out. A toothbrush hung out of his mouth, and his hair dripped water down his neck. I didn’t have to see to know it to be true, but I knew he only had a towel around his waist.

“I thought you were on the pill,” he hissed.

I smiled happily, but didn’t say anything as I pushed my way through the door of the bathroom. The wood of the door was moist against my back, and Jonathan was blank in front of me.

“Maybe you should start rubbering up, Mr. Toews.”

His slender shoulders shrugged, as he turned and spit into the sink. He was able to reach the sink from where we stood, so the way his muscles and tendons shifted as he twisted fascinated me. I dragged my index finger from his sternum down his flat stomach, over his bellybutton, and stopped where the towel started. I tugged lightly, not really intending to pull it off, but his hands shot down to mine to hold my hands in place.

My lame attempt at a joke was forgotten as a small smile crawled across his face. And suddenly, I knew what he was going to let me do. He only let me do it a couple of times, but those couple of times I enjoyed more than he thought I should. When he said my name, he dragged it out painfully slow.

I bounced on the balls of my feet in anticipation. “Yes?” I breathed.

He pinned me with his hips, and suddenly the air between us was even more hot and stuffy than it was before. I loved the way he could still send shivers up my back. I bit my lip, holding my breath until he spoke. Finally, after an exaggerated heave of his chest, he said, “Would you like to pick out my clothes?” he asked.

“Yes!” I screeched, yanking his towel from his waist and darting from bathroom.

As I passed through the TV room, I skidded to a stop in front of Pat. Just as he opened his mouth to question the blue towel in my hand, he was interrupted by a loud, “Rachael!”

I grinned at Pat. “I think he’s about to disown me.”

“I don’t think so. Tazer isn’t a big supporter of five-finger love. He’d waste away if you weren’t around.”

Huh. I’d have to remember that. Also, how did Pat know that?

Just then, Jonathan came out of the bathroom. I knew because whenever he came near me the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I turned around, feigning innocence, and noticed the bathmat he clutched around his waist. His look was steely, and I instinctually backed up around Pat.

Jonathan took a step forward, so I hid behind Pat and clutched at his shoulders. “Remember?” I tried feebly, “I’m the answer to your hate of five-finger love!”

If anything, I think I just pissed him off more. Pat’s shoulders stiffened as Jonathan tried to reach around and grab me. Jonathan’s arm encircled my waist as he heaved me over his shoulder. “Pat!” I screeched, “Stop standing around and save me.”

Pat raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know if you’re aware, Rae, but Tazer here is in a bathmat. We don’t bond like that on the team.”

As Jonathan carried me off towards his room, I could only glare at Pat. Traitor.
---
When I touched my lips, they were swollen. My breath was shallow, and my heart was up in my throat. But that’s alright, because the mark just under Jon’s collarbone meant I got back at him.

He had his back to me as he slipped his jeans over his hips. I watched his shoulder blades move as the sound of his zipper bounced off the walls in his room. I sighed desolately – Jon took longer than I did to get ready.

He ignored me, so I sighed again. This time, louder and more exaggerated. He ignored me again. “Jonathan!”

He turned around slowly, and said, “I heard you the first time. What do you want?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and crossed my arms over my chest. “You don’t have to be rude about it,” I noted sourly.

His response was muffled as he threw a cotton t-shirt over his head. At my confused expression, he repeated himself. “If you want to say something, say it. You don’t have to do that ridiculous sigh that chicks do.”

I got off his bed and shoved past him. “I’m not going anymore.”

He moved quickly after me. “What Rachael? You have to come. I already told all the guys you were coming! You can’t bail on me now.”

I turned around on my heel and glared venomously at him. “You should have thought about that before you started treating me like I’m a fucking moron.”

His brown eyes that under normal circumstances thrilled me, were currently painfully masked. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. It always irked him the wrong way when I made an implication to him not treating me right. The possibility of an argument made goose bumps erupt up my arms, but I was disappointed when he just moved me roughly out of the way and left his bedroom.

I stalked after him, ignoring Pat as he went towards the front door. “Fine, Rachael, don’t come. It’s not like I fucking wanted you to, anyway.” And then he slammed the door behind him.

Even though he couldn’t hear me, I yelled after him anyway. “Fine! It’s not like I wanted to either!”

I turned around and was met with Kody and Pat’s shocked and worried faces. “What was that?” Kody asked carefully.

I shrugged and walked back towards the kitchen where the keys to my apartment were. I completely ignored Kody’s calls as I left the apartment.

Out in the warm July Chicago air, I kicked roughly at a stray rock that sat on the sidewalk. I had been walking for about thirty minutes, or so my watch said, and I wasn’t anywhere near my apartment yet.

“For fuck’s sakes, Rae, stop!”

I heard Kody’s voice, and my anger slowly started to ebb away. As I stopped, Kody’s blonde hair appeared in front of me. “I’m not going to be gentle about this, Rae. What the fuck is going on with you and Jon? Pat told me it’s almost a daily occurrence for you two.”

I stiffened my back. “It’s nothing. I just piss him off is all.”

Kody’s eyes suddenly softened, and I had to look away. His fingers gently grasped at my shoulders. “Is this about Austin, Rachael?”

I pulled away. “No it isn’t,” I replied softly. I felt my nose start to run, so I sniffed.

“Rae –”

“It isn’t, okay?” I yelled, pulling myself roughly from her grasp. “Not every time I have problems with a guy it’s because of Austin! Maybe Jon and I just aren’t working out. Maybe I don’t love him.”

Kody looked pain-stricken. “You don’t mean that.”

I sneered in her direction. It wasn’t directed at her, but at the thought of Jon. “Don’t I?” And then I kept walking.
---
I could hear the jovial laughter of a lot of people coming from the backyard of Patrick Sharp’s place he shared with his fiancée. Instead of knocking on the door that I knew no one would hear, I went around to the backyard.

I had already taken several calm, deep breaths, but it wasn’t helping. I spotted Jonathan talking to Ben Eager fairly close to where I was standing. But I still had to pass people to get to them, and they all greeted me with a smile and my name. I smiled warily, but only to be polite. I knew the smiles didn’t reach my eyes.

“Jon?” I called quietly.

He stopped talking, and looked over his shoulder at me. I could see the beer in his hand, and I was immediately reminiscent of that party he’d taken me to all those months ago.

My eyes stung, and I had to swallow the lump in my throat several times. When I spoke, my voice shook. “We need to talk.”