new york, new york

chapter 70

It turned out that way over Jacob’s home was quite easy. Or then Tina could explain it very well. Either way I was standing behind his door. It took him few moments longer than usually to come open the door. Reason was obvious, he has been in shower, I could tell it from water dripping from his eyebrows.
-I was about to get up when you called, he told as he let me in. -But I woke up like three minutes ago. So if you don’t mind, I’ll go finish my shower. Make yourself home.
Jacob went back to the bathroom and let me have some time to check out his place. First I took off my shoes, I thought that Jacob wouldn’t mind it. Our meeting wasn’t as official as it had been before.
His apartment was nice. It was almost the highest floor, enough large for one person and would be wide enough for two, sunny, he had used lot of yellow in his decoration, mixed up with some dark wood, perhaps oak or something, making the place look cozy, comfortable and valuable at the same time.

-So what do you think? he asked when I was admiring the fully automatic kitchen.
-Quite a house you have. But what I’m more interested is what is going on between you and Tina?
-Going on between us? What do you mean?
I told what I had discovered. Jacob laughed.
-Well, let’s put it this way, we’re both single. Tina is about my age and when I need a day with a family I go to her. And when she needs to know the downsides of being alone, she comes to me. We are just friends, nothing more.
-So you’re gay?
Jacob laughed louder.
-So because I don’t sleep with Tina I’m gay?
-No not just that. I’ve doubted that for a while already.
-Anna, you have most confusing way to bring things up like that, Jacob said and kept toweling his hair. I knew that he knew that he couldn’t get out of that so easily.
-I’ll go get dressed. If we can continue our conversation after that? Would you snap the coffee maker on? It should be ready, Jacob said, went to bedroom and closed the door after him. I circled the coffee maker for a while until I thought I had found the right button. I pushed it and waited because nothing seemed to happen. But soon coffee was dropping into the pan. I sat down and while browsing Vogue I found I tried to decide with who I would set Jacob up. Perhaps Ben and Avi would have some cool candidates. I made new mark on my imagined pad, or actually two: one, call Ben and Avi and tell you’re in town again, two, buy yourself a real notebook!

Jacob came back dressed, poured some coffee (I refused because I had already had two mugs back at Tina’s) and asked if we could move to the living room. He didn’t get down on gay-topic and I gave him more time. Instead he asked me to sit on the couch and put a large clip book on the glass table in front of me.
-What’s this?
-It’s your file.
-My file?
-Yes. File about you. AG-file.
-Sounds creepy.
-Matthew has hundreds of these.
-Matthew?
-That friend of mine.
-Where does he work if he has to do something like this?
Jacob gave me ”you’re not stupid enough to think I’d tell you” -look and came to sit next to me.
-You don’t have to worry about any this material, Jacob said. -Right now you’re not important. Matthew is trying to find out if Helen’s pregnant but it seems hard. So I hope that in trade you’d give me some more information.
-I can’t promise that it’s useful, I warned him.
-And you think I don’t know that? Jacob barked with laughter. -It’s my risk, once again. So, do you want to see what information Matthew has gathered about you?
-Is he your boyfriend?
-Oh no, Jacob almost choked. -Hold your horses, girl. We’ll get there later.
-I know. OK, so what do they think they know about me?

Jacob opened the book. In the first page there was a big picture of my face. It was probably taken pretty soon after my moving in at AJ’s. I could tell that from my overgrown hairstyle. It was a good photo, clear and I was completely recognizable in it, even 1,5 years after. I didn’t look at the camera. Background was messy because of quite a lot zooming so you couldn’t really tell where I was.
-Who took this?
-Hold on, I have a list somewhere.
Jacob searched trough some papers.
-Here. Photo number one.
I checked the date. It was about the time I was already living at Brian’s. I could check it from my calendar or diary.
-Can I keep this? I asked from Jacob.
-Sure.
-Good, I can make notes.
We leaned to flip trough the book. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. There were just more pictures of every occasion. Once again pictures of Oliver and me made me to stop for the longest time.
-Do you think I could have one of these? I don’t have any pictures of him.
-Yeah, take ahead. I’m sure that Matthew has doubles of all these.
-That’s all? I asked when we came to the first blank page.
-Not quite, Jacob said and stood up. -I think I need some whiskey. Do you want?
I shook my head. Jacob went to get his drink and I browsed the pictures backwards. If I had bumped into these, it would have been shock. But I’d gone trough that with the magazine. Now I was more curious than anything else. I had been naive thinking that no one would find out about Boys and me. But I hadn’t been harassed because of that. Wonder why.

Jacob came back with his drink and sat across from me.
-You seem to take it easy, he noticed.
I shrugged.
-Well, there’s more, he said.
-There always is.
Jacob drank a little from his drink and then placed it on the table.
-We probably would not have met if Matthew hadn’t asked me to do an interview about you.
-So you work for him?
Jacob waved his hand in a way telling that it was still irrelevant.
-I told him that I would not. But then he gave me brief about you and I got interested. So I found out more about you, just as a person and decided to do a short article about you. Matthew was exited, because he didn’t have any idea what your status in Backstreet Family was. You are very controversial, you know?
-Pretty much.
-Anyway, so I set up a meeting with you. And from the first moment I knew that if nothing else you are exceptional. So I decided to chat with you more. See, at that point I still wasn’t sure I would do that article.
-I remember, I said. -And I was surprised at it.
-Well, it’s not common to tell that to one you’re interviewing.
-Yes, I know that you have other ways.
-We do. But somehow I wanted to be honest with you. And the real reason was that I doubted if I could do enough interesting piece of you without getting down to the Boys.
-So you figured out that I had something to do with them?
-After how you choked when I asked about celebrities? If you’re relationship with any of the Boys hadn’t been some kind of secret, you would have told me widely about your little adventure with that boy band.
-Probably.
-Then comes a part I’m little ashamed of. I followed you that night.
-Followed?
-Yes, to that certain apartment you later moved in. I sat in the taxi waiting outside.
-So you saw AJ as he left?
-Well, not exactly. He was pretty well disguised. But I took photos and took those to Matthew. He recognized Tom, AJ’s bodyguard.
-You - took - photos? What kind of paparazzi you are?
-Don’t get mad at me.
Jacob stood up and started to walk around the room ice clinking in his glass.
-You know the story I did about you. It was completely innocent. Sure, it was a risk because certain people could have picked up your name and face and count one plus one. Didn’t you ever wonder where I got your photo?
-I thought it had something to do with tap festival.
-No.
I had to think this trough.
-That’s why you knew everything when I told to you about that mysterious guy.
-Pretty much. I asked Matthew to keep me up-to-date and he did.
-Then why I’m not in the headlines in here?
-Don’t ask what I gave Matthew for that.
-Why did you do it?
-I guess I wanted to protect you. I really learned to like you.
-What about my job?
-What about it?
-Did you get it for me?
-No. I said a good word for you. But they did their own decision. I’m very happy they took you. But you earned that.
-Are you sure?
-Yes. Why?
-Because if you weren’t I would have to resign.
-Oh no, don’t do that! And for your information, even if I’d had got that job for you, they wouldn’t have kept you hired this long if you weren’t good.
-OK, I believe you.
-Good, Jacob sighed. -I wouldn’t let you ruin your life because of this. I wouldn’t let you ruin your life because of anything.
-Well, my life isn’t that fine. But what does Matthew want for change?

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I'm way too curious. Tell me what you think.

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