Burning Bridges, Building Love

Pointing and laughing Jake nearly feel out of his chair. Five months, he’d spent five months with this woman and still she had his head spinning. She made him feel normal where no one else could. She scared his shitless over simple things. She pressed him to be not only a better actor but a better person. She pressed him to let go when he couldn’t and told him it’d be okay when others were telling him to suck it up. She made him laugh hard enough to make his sides and the corners of his mouth hurt. She made him happy, and currently she was standing on a table with a pint of beer in her little under aged hand, yelling for no reason. Well, there was a possibility it was for a reason but Jake highly doubted it when it came to Rayne.

Rayne giggled as half the bar cheered at her. She had no idea what she’d just said, she wasn’t drunk she was just yelling random nonsense. With another giggle she looked around the dimly lit bar and began jumping across tables, right for Jakes.

He pointed at her and took his beer from the table top. Wit ha warning look he stood up. Rayne stopped at his table and jumped down, swinging and arms around his shoulders. That hadn’t been what he’d been expecting, though she still had an evil little elfish grin on her features.

“Don’t hurt me.” Jake laughed. Rayne looked up at him and laughed harder.

“I was going to tackle you then I remember I had a beer…” She held up the pint to him. Jake frowned taking it from her and stuck his tongue out. “Hey! That’s mine!” Pouting she batted her lashes at him.

“You’re under age little one.”

“And you’re well over age old man.” She sot back reaching for the beer. Jake easily held it out of reach. “Oh come on!”

“That’s not the proper way to ask!” Jake took a large drink from her beer. Rayne huffed. “A normal person would say please.” He added quickly remembering the time Kristin had told her it ‘wasn’t the proper way for a lady’ to ask; Rayne then punched her in the stomach and took whatever it was Kristin had taken and stated ‘she wasn’t a lady and neither was she’. Jake laughed his ass off that day. Rayne got in serious trouble for it.

“Please…?” Rayne whined. With another large mouth full, and watching her offended look he passed back the now half empty pint. “Holy shit Batman you drank half of it!” She squeaked.

“I’m not Batman, nor am I the ass who played him.” Jake burped at the beer form settling in his stomach. “Oh, that was a bad idea.” He laughed running a hand over the side of his face.

“I am proud of you Brokeback.” Jake shoved her into a chair with a scowl. “What? I can’t call you Batman, I can’t call ya Brokeback, what the hell do ya want me ta call ya?” She teased innocently.

“How about Jake?” He shrugged. “Miss Lady-like.” Rayne pointed at him for the nickname. “Hey, alls fair in love, war, and friendly fire.” Rayne laughed hugging him close to her.

“To true!” She cheered clicking glasses with him. They both took large mouth fulls.

Jake stared, half hung-over since the Advil was just starting to work, at the board before him and what Eli had just told him. Lifting his hand in a time-out motion he licked his lips and pointed at it almost horrified.

“Ya.” Eli laughed.

“Whoa, wait…why did I become the sacrificial guinea pig? Don’t I have someone to do this for me?” Jake gasped at the idea.

“Not since you said you’d do your stunts yourself.” Eli mused gently. “Besides, a paddle board, how can she injure you with that?” Eli laughed walking away.

“I shouldn’t have gone drinking last night.” Jake groaned, pulling at his face worriedly.

“Sooo…sacrificial guinea pig, are you ready for this?” Jake spun at the soft words. Swearing he jumped back at house close Rayne stood to him. Rayne simply smiled at him. “Hung-over?” Jake nodded weakly and she simply held a wrapped hamburger from a fast food joint near buy. “Grease, the next best hangover cure besides a few beers.” Jake took it nervously, skeptically. “Trust me.” She beamed.

“Is that why you’re a ray of sunshine this morning?” He grumbled taking a bite. It tasted horrible after a long, long night of drinking.

“Nope. I went with the best hang-over cure!” she boomed loudly, hands on her hips as if she were a super hero. “Despite the fact I didn’t have a hangover. I’m young, I bounce back quickly.” With that she strutted closer to the board, picked it up and walked away.

“You suck!” Jake hollered, his own voice hurting it head.

“And I’m good at it!” She called back making his swear at her under his breath.

Rayne watched as Jake walked back from make-up. He was in ‘tradition native dress’ with ‘Sacred paintings’ on him as well. His shirtless form with a few black swirls on one side of his face, across his chest, and down his right arm and leg made every muscle and contour stand out.
They were doing scenes where Jake’s character had been accepted into her characher’s ‘tribe’ and she was showing him around

Jake had a way of throwing Rayne’s whole world into a whack. Somehow, emotions she got as simply being a girl and had never tapped into or hardly knew about cmae to life making her light headed. He made her giggle when nothing was fun, her hands were become clammy and shaky, her knees turned to jell-o, her heart pounding a million miles and hour, and her normally jumbled brain running a million miles per-hour seemed to flat line into a world of complete and utter blankness around him. She never knew what to say yet she could never stop talking. She wasn’t sure what to do about it with all the other girls hitting on him and how often they hung out. Ruin the friendship to try and take it a step further she didn’t know was there or not, or stay content with being friends. Jake confused and amazed her on a daily basis.

“I so don’t trust this.” Jake whispered, legs hung over the side of the board in the water as Rayne stood behind him with a huge paddle. They bobbed up and down as Rayne watched him closely.

“I won’t kill you.” She sighed at him. Giggling as the board rocked back and forth in the small waves.

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” He muttered honestly. This had possibly stupid, dangerous, and dumb written all over it meaning she’d be amazing at it. He really wasn’t worried about her, no he was worried about the film crew circling them in boats, causing the waves, and Eli directing them. “I’m worried about them.” He whispered eyeing the boats.

“Honestly,” Rayne walked across the board with carefully balanced and placed steps. “Me too. I think they need to move out.” She breathed crouching behind him and wrapping one arm around his shoulders. “But I’ll protect you from the big bad ocean.” Pinching his cheeks she teased him.

“Shut up.” He laughed. “I’m not afraid of the ocean. I’m afraid Eli will accidently have us run over.” Rayne giggled hugging him into her chest.

Jake relaxed into her as she did into him, his hands on her forearm.

“Well, if that happens hopefully we survive. I’d hate to die in paradise.” Jake snorted at her words and nodded, looking around the at all the out crops of rock before them with greenery and trees atop them and climbing some of their sides. It was absolutely stunning.

The filming had moved from Hawaii a few days ago to Caribbean islands that just took the breath away in beauty.

“Just don’t point and laugh stating, this could be awesome or this could be painful, before we got run over, Okay?” Rayne giggled resting her head on his shoulder.

“Okay. I won’t. I’ll probably yell abandon ship so we cane hopefully swim for out lives.” Jake nodded, patting her arm in approval. “I don’t wanna do this.” She breathed against his cool skin. Jake rubbed her arm gently. “I just…I’m tired of filming.” She admitted.

“Why?” Jake asked gently.

“I’m tired of half the girls picking on me and I feel like I’m failing at this. I hate failing, I’m not a failure.” Jake shifted sitting up right and pulling her closely, putting his head down so no one could read his lips easily.

“You’re doing amazing and you’re right, you’re not a failure if you were failing at this I’d be helping you more to succeed just like I’d know you do for me. As for those girls, they’re just jealous they had to take their cloths of to even feel sexy and beautiful and you don’t and when you do take your close off to film, not to feel sexy or beautiful, half the men around you nearly have heart attacks and you exceed any and all kids of beauty all of them have combined, and not just because you’re pretty, but also ‘cause you have an amazing personality. So tell them to shove it like normal and keep on being your weird and sometimes terrifying self.” Rayne’s heart was beating so hard in her chest as his sincere words she thought it was going to come out of her chest. She could also feel a heavy tinge of pink in her cheeks as a weak smile grazed her fingers.

“Thanks Jake.” She breathed

“I mean it.” He asked looking over his shoulder at her. Laughing she pushed him.

“You’re such a fucking suck up.” Jake gave her an award winning smile as she stood up.

“Hey, sometimes sucking up keeps you alive, and gets you places and last time I checked you said you’re good at sucking. I can only assume you’re good at sucking up too!” Rayne smacked him gently with her paddle and listened to his roar with laugher as he rubbed the side of his head. “Now that was just mean.”