The Other Side - Chapter 10.5

"The Other Side - Chapter 10.25" 

"...biking around Sulima. Yeah. What do you mean did I crash? Of course not. Well, yes I realize it's been years since I've been on a bike but they have that old cliche for a reason..."

Becky blinked her eyes open to a flood of bright light coming in the hotel window. Jacob's voice floated over to her from the porch. Her bleary, sleep heavy eyes quickly woke up as Jacob's form filled her gaze. He had slipped on a pair of low-slung jeans, but his chest was bare. He was leaning casually on the wrought-iron railing, the morning sunlight glinting off the chiseled dimensions of his chest. He held his cell phone to his ear with one hand, his other hand running through his thick bronze hair. Becky's body started to tingle.

That is one beautiful man.

Jake's voice had paused as he listened to the voice on the other end. He laughed quietly, apparently trying to keep his voice low. "I love your lack of trust, Karlee. I'm sure if I crashed and tore up my face they would just write in my getting beaten in a fight. Isn't that what they did in Star Wars for Luke?"

Becky smiled a little. He was talking to his sister.

"Karlee, I just can't thank you enough. This whole experience is... amazing. And Becky is -"

Becky perked up, feeling a quick rise in her heart. What was he going to say?

"Awake."

Becky smiled as his eyes met hers. He mouthed good morning over the edge of the phone.

"So I'm going to let you go." Jacob's face lit up in a million dollar smile. "Yes, that's right, she is here right now. Yes, she was sleeping. Yes in my bed. Have you taken up a second job at a tabloid or what? Look, I'm not going to stand here and make her listen to our conversation. I'll call you tomorrow, or you can call me when you want to snoop again, whichever."

Jacob rolled his eyes, obviously not listening to her anymore. "Yeah, uh-hu, you're going to need to submit those questions ahead of time or I'm not answering them. You know the drill. Love you, Sis. Say hi to Graham for me. Talk to you soon."

Jacob snapped the phone shut and walked over to her. "Ugh, family."

Becky was watching the way his body moved as he got closer to her and didn't register his words until he was almost at the bed. Suddenly, the words clicked.

"Oh my god!" She gasped, "Family! What time is it?" She dove at the clock. 9:30 am. She looked over at Jacob, horrified. "My parents are coming home today!"

Jacob looked at her, amused. "Is that bad?"

"Jacob, they haven't even met you! What if they are already home?! Oh, my dad would be freaking out -" She pointed at him. "He won't care if that face is worth more than his home, he'll take a swing at it!"

Jacob laughed aloud. "Okay, I know I should be terrified -" He looked over at Becky's face and his smile lowered a little. "And, since you really are worried, maybe I am a little scared. Do I need to get you home now?"

Becky nodded, leaping out of bed. They gathered all her things and Jacob took her down to his car. Jacob managed to fit one of the bikes into the car and they figured they could come back for the other one later that day. When Jacob pulled in front of her house, she gave him a quick kiss.

"Sorry, I can't believe I forgot about them coming back. That's so unlike me." She frowned.

"That's okay, I understand. Want to meet up later, like this afternoon? I could swing by."

Becky smiled. "Sure, I can prepare my parents to meet you. Sometime after one. I'll call if that needs to change."

Jacob nodded and then, with some reluctance, drove away.

Becky quickly stole into the house, looking around worriedly. It looked like the house was still slumbering. Not wanting to take any chances, she tip-toed to the back laundry room to inspect the driveway. Thankfully, the spot where the rental jeep normally fit was still empty.

Becky breathed a sigh of relief. What in the world would she have said? Becky leaned against the washing machine, putting her head in her hands. She was used to being spontaneous, but she sure wasn't used to being irresponsible. Her spontaneous actions were adventurous - she explored, she talked with people... but she had never gone home with random boys. And, despite how close she felt with him, they still only knew each other a week. He still classified as random.

Here it is again, Becky thought. The sharp stab in her gut of worry and confusion. She was starting to get sick of it. When Jacon was within her physical radius, she was unmistakably happy. But once he was away her inner voice-of-reason started shouting.

Becky sighed and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a yogurt from the fridge. She then sat down at the table and instead of eating, she laid her head on the flat surface. The more she thought about everything the more ridiculous she felt. Here she was, wrapped up with some movie star who was not only not hers but not going to ever going to be hers. Yet, as much as she hated to admit it, she was in love with the boy. The way he made her happy, the way his arms felt around her, the way, in an instant, she had cared about him like no other person on this whole earth...

But Becky had never been one to run her entire life on emotion. She was rational; her spontaneity had never gotten her in trouble before. But now... now she was stuck. Becky bit her lip. She had put herself into a situation that could never work out. She had wrapped her perfect, logical life around someone who was a complete mess.

Delany entered the room with a giggle. "Hey Becks, you should read this article. It's about some man in Saratoga who gave birth to a gerbil..."

Becky lifted her head and raised one eyebrow at Delany. Even though it was almost ten, it was a little early for Delany to be awake. And talking about gerbils. "Good morning Delany, I'm surprised you're awake."

"The phone rang at nine - it was your parents. They're going to be delayed until very late tonight or tomorrow morning." She eyed Becky for a moment, her eyebrows raised. "Let me tell you, I had to make up a quick story as to why you were not awake and couldn't come to the phone at such a late hour."

"Ack - thanks for covering, Del. I, well, I completely forgot they were supposed to be home. I had Jacob bring me back right away when I remembered." She suddenly remembered what Delany had said when she walked into the room. "Del - are you reading a tabloid?"

"I wouldn't say I was reading it so much as I'm laughing at it. Really, this thing is classic!" She grinned at Becky. "Actually, I found it because I remembered who was in it. Look!" Delany flipped around the paper to show Becky what was inside.

Immediately, Becky was confronted with a picture of Jacob Jones. He was laughing, his arms wrapped around two blonde beauties. Becky felt herself start to go faint; she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She blinked twice but the image remained the same. Delany didn't seem to notice Becky's less than amused reaction.

"It describes in detail Jacob's relationships with other women, other actresses and his affairs with other men's wives," Delany said with a laugh, pointing to the blonde on his left. "Apparently, he banged that one over twenty times!" Delany had to pause to keep her laughter at bay. "But he never even realized it because he had so many other partners he couldn't remember them all!" Delany hit the paper on the top of the table as she laughed.

Becky got up and put her yogurt away, feeling nauseous. She knew it was just a tabloid. She knew that it was such a bunch of nonsense. She knew that Delany was just telling her about the story to emphasize how they actually knew Jacob Jones and knew that he was nothing like that... but it caused Becky to think about how little she actually knew about him. Maybe that article was completely false - and maybe it had some truth. How did she know he hadn't slept with dozens of women? The article was obviously fake, but maybe the picture wasn't?

Becky sat down again. She saw the concerned look on Delany's face but was afraid to open her mouth. She thought if she did she might be sick. A whole new worry passed over her - forget the fact that she was in love with him and that they could never be together... what if he didn't love her? Like, really love her. After all, how was it so easy for him to not think about the end of their time in Africa? Maybe because he was counting on it. What if she was just a notch on his belt? What if this was what he always did - he answered fan mail by meeting with the girl and making her -

Becky jumped up from the table, shaking her head. "I'm going to go get cleaned up." She then escaped from Delany's prying eyes into the bathroom.

The warm water washed away the stickiness of the hot African sun but couldn't wipe away her thoughts. She emerged feeling only slightly better. She absentmindedly layered a breezy lavender short-sleeved shirt over pair of white shorts. These jitters required some thoughtful words from Jim.

She poked her head into Jim's room to find it empty. He wasn't in the living room either. Becky went back into the kitchen, finding Delany snickering over another tabloid article but still no Jim.

"Hey, Del, is Jim not here?"

She shook her head, lifting her eyes from an article about a woman who made pastries shaped like Jesus in her sleep. "No, he walked up to the market about fifteen minutes ago. Why?"

"Just checking - but the market actually sounds like a great idea. Think I could catch him?"

"If the bikes are back now, then sure."

"One is," Becky said as she grabbed her shoes. Becky pulled her satchel over across her body and headed for the door. "I'm off, you want anything at the market?"

"Jim's got it covered," Delany said with a half wave, turning the page with a grin.

Becky grimaced as she caught a glimpse of Jacob's head and then headed for the bike. In a second she was off, pedaling hard. Her hair, wavy and untied, caught in the air as she made her way down the road.

She felt like her mind was on repeat. Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. It was all she could think about. It drove her nuts. Where was Becky in all of this? Why was he suddenly the focal point of her life? She loved being with him, but hadn't she also loved being with Becky, too? In these past couple of days, she couldn't stand to be alone, her thoughts threatening to drive her crazy.

Becky made it to the market and quickly latched her bike to a pole on the side of the road. She trotted past the first few stands, scanning the crowd. Jim's light skin was easy to spot among the patrons. Relief flowed through her.

"Hey, Jim!" she called, moving up next to him.

"Hey, Becks! One second." He quickly completed a transaction for a few oranges and then stepped out of the way. "What are you doing here, kiddo? Weren't you just in the shower?"

"Del told me you left, so I thought I'd come shopping too. Plus, I wanted to talk."

Jim nodded, his sandy blonde hair reflecting the sun. "Hmm, talking. About clothes and shoes, right? Definitely not about Jacob Jones?"

Becky already felt her stress lighten. Jim was just so easy-going, it was infectious. "Definitely not. But first, let's get some of that bread..."

The two of them purused the market until Becky's satchel was stuffed full of products. They ended their route at the edge of the harbor, the salty, tangy smell of fish and weeds wafting up to them under the hot sun. The storms of late had passed, and now the heat threatened to dry and crack everything in sight.

"So?" Jim asked casually.

Becky sighed. "So, I need you to tell me that I'm crazy. That I need to cut all this stuff out with Jacob right now."

Jim laughed. "Why do you need me to tell you that?"

"Because I do!" Becky surprised herself with the note of panic in her voice. She looked over at Jim desperately. "Because I can't seem to tell myself even though I need to. Jim, if I could go back and kick Jacob out of the house again I would. It's not that I don't like -" She caught Jim's eye - "okay, maybe even love him. I do. That's the problem. Because ultimately, I shouldn't."

"And so if I can convince you that there's something wrong with him, that you're no good for each other, it'll give you reason enough to let go?"

Becky scowled, already seeing the flaw in the plan. "Something like that. Maybe I just need a flux capacitor and Michael J. Fox."

Jim laughed and put his arm over her shoulders. "I think you want to go back in time, not Back to the Future."

"Whatever." Becky stuck out her tongue. "I should know better than to talk Hollywood around you; you'll always beat me."

"Damn straight I will." Jim gave a nod. "But the point is that you can't, Becks. You know all of these questions are because you're scared, right?"

"Yes. Shouldn't I be? I think I should be even more terrified than I already am!"

Jim looked down at his friend for a long moment. "To be honest Becky, there's one part of this that I'm not understanding. Just what part of this are you really afraid of? That your life might change? That you might have a challenging relationship? I don't think you're afraid of what you're feeling."

Becky shook her head and looked down at her tennis shoes, digging her toe into the dirt as she strolled. "The thing is, I have always been a person who has listened to her instincts - you know that, right?"

"Boy, do I ever. Heck, that's why you dove into the Moa for a wine bottle."

Becky couldn't bring herself to return Jim's smile. "I always trust my gut feeling. But that feeling also always coincided with the voice-of-reason. Now I don't know what to think. I've never been so... conflicted. There is a part of me that loves this - that loves him. Completely. But there is a part of me that is screaming at me to run the other way - that it's impossible, that it's going to be a disaster."

They had stopped walking and Jim looked down at Becky with concern. He could feel the very real distress in her voice. She kept her eyes averted from his.

"The fact is, one of those pieces of myself is lying to me. I need to find out which part before it's too late."


-----


Jacob was pacing the room, trying not to acknowledge Chris' amused eyes following him.

"Okay, yes, I know it's pathetic. I have a few brief hours without her next to me and I'm going stir crazy. I recognize how absurd that is."

Chris smirked. "I'm just glad I don't have to say it." He leaned back in his chair and put his heavily muscled arms behind his head. "Why don't you go do something then? Or at least watch TV and stop pacing like a madman."

Jacob paused and felt a smirk come over his face. "How about I get you out of this hotel. Want to walk down to the harbor?"

Chris shrugged. "I'd be fine with TV, but where you go I will follow."

Jacob grinned. "Let's go."

It didn't take them long to change scenery. Instantly, Jacob felt better. Getting into the open air was refreshing.

"You know, 'madman' is pretty accurate. I'm completely crazy - both for her and for wanting to be with her." Jacob said casually, recognizing that he was using Chris like an advice specialist. Jacob imagined Chris sitting in Dr. Phil's chair and couldn't hold back a smirk.

"So you really do want to keep this going then, do you?" Chris said, cautiously. He stood protectively on Jacob's left side, closer to the majority of the patrons of the harbor-area market.

Jacob's smirk dropped from his face. "More than anything, but I recognize the issues with that. Actually, that's a lie. I don't think I understand half of the issues with that."

"Especially for her."

Jacob finally lifted his eyes to Chris'. He hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Chris shrugged a shoulder. "Well, let me just put this out there. Knowing you, you're thinking about logistics. Dealing with a long distance relationship, perhaps. Explaining her to Karlee, to the press. Having to answer a million questions about who she is and how you met... but have you thought about Becky's issues?"

Jacob stiffened. "Of course I have." He wilted slightly under Chris's intimidating gaze. "Just not as much."

"It might be worth a thought. She's going to be an instant celebrity. What can that mean? You don't even know what that's like - you at least came up on the biz on a smooth incline of success."

"Right. You're right." Jacob frowned. "But - there's not much I can do. As much as I wish it weren't, that's me as a package deal."

Chris nodded. "As long as she realizes that."

"Oh, I'm pretty certain she does." Jacob thought about some of the things she had said, some of the concerns that she voiced that left him chilled with worry. Although I almost wished she didn't.

---

Not far away, Jim and Becky were walking. Their conversation had died as Becky retreated into her thoughts. I know Jacob. I know that he's not the person the tabloids say he is. And the tabloids are always making things up about people just to sell their stupid magazines because it's what the public wants to hear, right? She sighed. Still, it's not what I wanted to hear…

Becky looked up. In the distance, like a sudden mirage, she saw Jacob with Chris. Despite her dark thoughts, she felt a glimmer of happiness fill her soul. The way his hair was being ruffled in the wind and how he had the beautiful ocean behind him...

"Well speak of the Devil." Jim said

Becky laughed. "Come on, you could meet Chris -" But when she looked back toward Jacob, she stopped dead in her tracks.

----

Jacob had been talking to Chris when, all of a sudden, he heard someone behind him.

"Excuse me, are you Jacob Jones?" It was a girl about his age, pretty, blonde, and standing close behind was another girl, who must have been a friend of hers, holding a camera. They looked like tourists.

Jacob resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She was the first tourist to recognize him yet on this trip. She broke his record. "Yes..."

"Gosh, I hate to ask this but... can I have a picture with you? I am such a big fan!" Without even waiting for a response the girl giggled and stood next to him. Jacob gave a look to Chris but decided to comply. He figured one fan five days wasn't bad after all.

The friend raised the camera when suddenly, the girl grabbed him and Jacob was soon being kissed on the lips. The other girl laughed.

"Smile, Mr. Jones."

Instead of resisting, Jacob threw one hand up in front of the camera, blocking the shot. He barley even noticed the way the girl moved her lips on his, or even the way she reached around and grabbed a handful of the back of his jeans.

Chris yanked the girl's shoulder, pulling her off him. Jacob saw him do a quick scan for weapons before sprinting after the girl with the camera. Jacob was left to look at the girl who had kissed him, her expression smug, her hands on her hips.

Jacob raised his eyebrows at her. "Two questions," he said easily, his voice calm. It wasn't the first time he had been assaulted. "How did you know I'm here and what magazine do you work for?"

"I'll give you one answer - a magazine with sources." She reached out and ran her finger over his shoulder and down his arm. Her blonde hair blew in the wind and she gave him a wink.

Jacob smiled politely. Jacob wanted nothing more than shake her for the problems she inevitably caused - but he was a trained celebrity. Unlike so many movie stars in Hollywood, he followed the rules. There was one very simple way to deal with the press - with courtesy. People were always going to lie about bad behavior, that was a given. But when bad behavior came with a slew of witnesses - well, that was harder to deal with. Plus, Jacob was certain that Chris was going to get the film; if he kept his cool, Barbie's escapade was going to result in nothing.

Barbie's expression furrowed. "You know, for just being duped, you're pretty happy."

"Africa has that effect on me." Jacob's smile widened as he saw Chris emerge through the market with a slightly mangled camera. "Tell me, how much did it cost to fly over here just for that? And how many pay checks will you have to give up to cover the cost of not getting a photo?"

Barbie's confusion dissolved. "Well, Mr. Jones. You're right in that it cost a fortune, but you're wrong in that it was worthless. First off, I would work without pay for a year if it meant that I got to kiss you -" Her eyes lingered on his lips. Jacob rolled his eyes. "But more importantly, I'm sure I got my photo. Have a good day, Mr. Jones."

Then, before Jacob could stop her, she skipped off into the crowd of people. Jacob was still staring at the empty space she left, dumbfounded, when Chris appeared next to him.

"Jake -" Chris was out of breath.

"Good work, Chris -" Jacob put his hand over his face. "But it looks like there might be another picture -"

Chris cut him off. "Jake - I don't think that's your biggest worry right now. Look."

Jacob turned to look in the direction Chris was pointing, and he felt his heart stop. Staring at him, her expression a mask of disbelief and pain, was Becky.

----

Becky's head was swimming. She couldn't believe her eyes. All she saw was Jacob kissing a girl that wasn't her. Talking with her. Letting her caress his arm... Her mind was going crazy with tabloid stories. She suddenly believed every word. Becky remembered how he pretended to be shy on her porch, how he pretended to be sweet with the water hose, all those talks they had when Jacob seemed so sincere, so real. It was so convincing. It was so fake.

And then she remembered. He's an actor. It was all an act.

She turned and ran.

"The Other Side - Chapter 11"