(Follows on from Jake and Amy leaving the dinner table after the revelations, filling the gap before Jake knocks on the door.)
Doesnât conform to canon.
It wasnât until the receptionist called out âExcuse me Sir,is everything alright?â that he realised heâd been stood transfixed on the staircase for who knows how long.
âUhh⊠What? No.â He struggled in response, still staring at the flight of steps that led to the rooms upstairs.
âIs there anything I can do to help then Sir?â the young blonde haired woman at reception asked tentatively.
âWhat? No, Iâm okay. A-okay. Iâm fine. Super fine in fact. Super-de-duper fiiiiiâŠâ he trailed off after he finally turned towards the reception desk, mid-sentence, to see the bemused look on the receptionistâs face blinking back at him.
â⊠Iâm going to go⊠that way⊠over thereâ he points to the open double door leading through to the lounge bar and then slinks off embarrassedly through them.
He walks through the lounge and straight up to the bar on auto-pilot. Most of the guests staying at the Maple Drip Inn were still through in the restaurant, they hadnât even made it to their appetisers, so the bar is all but empty.
âWhat can I get ya?â the bartender asks Jake as he grabs a seat at the bar.
âAnything but damn PilsnerâsâŠâ Jake mutters under his breath while shooting a glance through the open door-way in the general direction of the stairs.
âMaybe. Yes. A little, I was confused.â
Jake was pulled out of his musings by the bartender clearing his throat.
âSorry man. Double scotch please, neat.â The bartender walks away to fix his drink. Jake leans his elbows on the bar and runs a hand through his hair. Drinking copious amounts of scotch felt like the dumbest, and best, idea at this point. He was going to need to seriously think the latest events over, and having a scotch to steady himself seemed like the most appropriate accompaniment.
The short glass of amber liquid is placed in front of him and the bartender barely has time to pull his hand away before Jake has sunk it and gestures for another. He undoes his top button and rolls the sleeves of his dark shirt up to the elbow. The bartender places another scotch in front of him. Jake looks up and sees his reflection in the mirror mounted on the back wall of the bar. The second he makes eye contact with himself he sharply looks away and turns to look out of the window at nothing in particular.
âI think Iâd be pissed at myself if I donât say this⊠I kinda wish something could happen between us romantic-stylezâŠâ
âIâm sorry, itâs going to cost HOW MUCH? Youâve got to be kidding me!â
The raised voice from the reception shakes Jake out of his daydream. He instantly recognises it as Teddyâs. Jake slides off of his bar stool and walks quickly and quietly towards the open doors leading to the reception. He pokes his head around the door frame to see Teddy standing at the reception desk with his back to him, having a heated discussion with the young blonde from before. His weekend bag is laying at his feet.
âIâm sorry Sir but thatâs the only room available on such short notice.â The receptionist explains apologetically.
âFine. I guess itâll have to do. Donât have any other option do I?â Teddy hands over his credit card and starts to turn around to pick up his bag. Jake springs back away from the doorway, his back flat against the wall and guilt floods through him.
Amy hasnât changed her mind then. God, I hope Teddy doesnât decide to come through for a Pilsnerâs to drown his sorrows.
Jakeâs fear is assuaged as he hears footsteps, which he assumes to be Teddyâs ascending the stairs. He breathes a sigh of relief and looks up to see the bartender staring at him with a puzzled look on his face.
âItâs okay. Iâm a cop.â Jake announces across the bar to the bemused bartender in an attempt to explain his frankly strange behaviour. He pushes himself away from the wall and walks back over to his seat at the bar. He picks up his drink and swirls the liquid round, staring blankly at it.
âYou want to know why she went out with him and not you?â
âBecause he actually asked her out.â
Jake shakes his head and finishes his scotch. Without prompt the bartender takes his glass away and starts to pour him another.
What am I doing here? Why am I not upstairs with my smart, funny, smoking hot girlfriend? Why am I even sitting here knocking back scotch like the world has ended?
This is a no-brainer. Amy used to like me. Past-tense. Sure, Teddy is convinced she still does but he just doesnât get that we are partners. Weâre close as hell, but if Amy wanted something to happen romantic-stylez sheâd have said something or broken up with Teddy ages ago.
Sure it was dumb of me to invite Teddy up here without asking her if she was cool with it. I was just being a good friend. A good partner. But I shouldnât have gotten so involved. Sophia must be furious. Sheâs such a cool girlfriend. The coolestâŠ
âYou know what, this is officially too much for me, so I'm gonna go upstairs and rip the heads off some dolls. Good night.â
Damn it I have to fix this.
Jake grabs his third double scotch and throws it down the hatch. The burning liquid hits his throat and he suppresses the need to choke. His dad had once told him that real men never cough when drinking hard liquor. It was the kind of throw-away comment that stuck in a kidâs head.
With that Jake stands up, takes a deep breath and heads for the stairs.
Heâs walking quietly and steadily down the corridor past identical wooden door after identical wooden door until he reaches the right one. He stops a few feet away. He stares at it for a second, suddenly feeling his heart thudding against his ribcage and his breathing quicken. Jake closes his eyes.
Eyes closed. Head first. Canât lose.
He opens his eyes and takes the last few steps towards the door. He knocks three times confidently.
âHey, it's me. Please open the door. Come on, let's talk. I'm sorry.â
He stands there staring at the wooden panels, straining to hear any movement from inside the room. After what seems like an age he hears footsteps approaching.
Thank god. She canât be that mad after all.
The door opens a crack. âHey Jake.â
Sheâs standing there leaning against the door frame with her arms folded and her expressive brown eyes looking up at her.
âAmy. Can I come in?â
This is my first ever fanfic piece. This pair have really gotten into my head and I'm filling the B99 shaped hole in my life until the next episode airs.Â
tangentwithtanner
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
pixelskylines
germansingergirl
snowghoul
andulkaphoto
sugurugetos
