MIA

"Sorry," I apologized to Jackson for the umpteenth time as I gently pressed the icebox wrapped in cloth against the spot where the ball had hit him. The pharmacy lady had been kind enough to provide it, but his cheek had turned a bright shade of red.

Now I understand why they say Korean skin is delicate.

"It's okay... Ouch!" Jackson had been insisting that it was fine, but honestly, it wasn't. I couldn't help but feel responsible since Ethan had bailed on me, and he had to come to pick me up. We were still killing time because Miles had called to say that his car had just started moving, and he had a long way to go before reaching home.

Which meant we were stuck with each other.

"I think I should try something else," I suggested, removing the ice pack from his face. The redness seemed to have lessened a bit, which was a relief.

"Maybe the ointment," he said, and I remembered that the pharmacy lady had given us an ointment. She had mentioned that it would help reduce the pain and redness on his cheek. What a kind lady.

"Okay," I said, looking around for the ointment package. "Found it," I whispered to myself as I picked it up from the floor. I handed it to Jackson, but he just stared at it.

"What?"

"Put it on," he whispered, glancing at me and then around us.

"Huh?"

He sighed, taking the ointment package from my hand. He squeezed some onto his fingers and then grabbed my hand, placing it on top of his fingers. "What are you do-"

"This," he smiled, guiding my hand to his cheek and helping me rub the ointment from my fingers onto his skin.

"Oh," so smooth.

"Yep," he shifted closer to me, and I found myself frozen in place.

I swallowed hard, feeling his gaze on me as I 'tried' to concentrate on applying more ointment to his cheek. It was difficult.

Have you ever been close to an incredibly attractive guy? Well, I hadn't, not even with Ethan, whom I used to have frequent group work with. And now, here I was, in close proximity to Jackson, and my hands were seriously trembling.

As I massaged his cheek, I suddenly remembered how close we had been before the little girl hit him with the ball. Oh gosh, if she hadn't, would we have...

"No," I shook my head, denying those thoughts.

"Mia," I heard Jackson call my name, and I glanced at him, noticing him smiling. "You're blushing."

My hand stopped, and I began coughing uncontrollably. "It's... the weather... It's really hot, you know," I stumbled over my words, feeling as if the universe wanted me to get caught, because right after I spoke, a gust of wind blew forcefully, hitting both of us at the same time.

Just great.

"Ah... Definitely the wind," Jackson teased, nodding his head while biting his lip and looking at me.

That was it.

"I'm... done," I blurted out, pulling my hand back and moving away from him. I needed some space to clear my head, but it was hard when we were still so close.

I put the ointment back in my bag and stood up. "I'm going for a short walk, I'll be right back," I gave him a brief smile and walked away before he had a chance to respond.

I strolled around the block, gazing up at the beautiful stars and listening to the laughter and chatter of people enjoying themselves. My feet came to a stop in front of a small restaurant, one of those places where you stand and eat. Suddenly, my stomach growled, demanding attention.

The aroma of grilled meat on skewers wafted from the restaurant, making my hunger even more intense.

"You hungry?" a deep voice whispered behind me, and I let out a scream, ready to smack the stranger with my bag. But my fear turned to relief when I saw who it was.

"Jackson, are you crazy?" I stood on my tiptoes and playfully hit his head. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! And were you following me?"

"Of course I was," he muttered, rubbing the spot where I hit him. "So, are you hungry? Let's go," he said, excitement evident in his eyes as he gazed at the food.

"It's just meat, calm down," I chuckled, amused by his reaction.

"Just meat?" He dramatically clutched his chest. "You wound me."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just go," I grabbed his wrist and led him towards the restaurant. "Good evening, ma'am," I smiled at the older woman behind the counter who was preparing the food.

"Oh, you're a pretty dear," she remarked, making me blush. "Thank you, ma'am. I'd like to buy two meat skewers, please."

She nodded and then turned to Jackson. "Oh, you're handsome too. What a beautiful couple."

Jackson burst into laughter, having heard similar comments multiple times that day. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, bowing politely.

The woman smiled and brought out two skewers for us. "How much?" I asked, reaching for my wallet.

"No, I'm paying," Jackson insisted, pulling out some cash from his pocket.

"It's cool, let me pay," I insisted, noticing the woman enjoying herself as she watched us playfully argue over who would foot the bill.

"What kind of boyfriend lets the girlfriend pay on their first date?" he nudged my shoulder, smirking.

"Jackson!" I whispered, half-scolding and half-pleading. "Stop it."

"This is too adorable," the woman remarked, her eyes filled with nostalgia. "You both remind me of the time I went on my first date with my husband."

Not a date! This is not a date!

"You know what," she said, offering us the skewers, "it's on the house."

"Thank you so much, ma'am," Jackson smiled, taking his skewer. He then grabbed my hand, and we walked away. "Have a nice evening, ma'am," we waved at her as we headed back to the car.

"Stop freaking out, you know," Jackson suddenly said as I took a bite of the meat.

"Freaking out?"

"Yeah, your face always turns red whenever someone says I'm your boyfriend. It's cute, though," he stated, chuckling as he enjoyed his own skewer.

"Oh, don't mind me. I can be a bit weird. And you're not the only guy people have assumed is my boyfriend. It just feels strange because I've never had a boyfriend before," I confessed, biting my lip and speaking softly. "It might not mean much to you since you've had a girlfriend before."

It suddenly became silent but the comfortable type.

Jackson glanced at me, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. Finally, he spoke up, his voice gentle. "You know, Mia, just because I've had a girlfriend before doesn't mean your feelings and experiences are any less important or meaningful. Everyone's journey is unique, and it's completely okay that you haven't had a boyfriend before."

His words brought a sense of relief, and a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Thank you, Jackson. It's nice to hear that."

He squeezed my hand reassuringly and as we strolled along, it suddenly struck me that Jackson and I were still holding hands. I vividly remembered him pulling me away from the restaurant, but I had assumed I let go of his hand. Yet, here we were, fingers intertwined, and I questioned whether it was a conscious decision or if I simply didn't want to release his hand.

Just then, his phone rang, causing him to slide his hand away from mine to answer the call. The absence of his warm touch left me feeling strangely chilly, as if something was missing.

"It's Miles," he whispered to me as he pressed the speaker button on his phone.

"Yeah, I'm here," I replied, hearing the sound of cars in the background, indicating that Miles was still on the road.

"How are Maddy and Max doing?" I asked, curious about his siblings.

"Well, after going a bit crazy in the car, Maddy decided to take a nap, while Max has been asleep for a while now," he explained. "I'm almost home though, where are you guys?"

I looked at Jackson since he was the one driving us. "Um, we're around Gregfield," Jackson answered.

"Oh, that's not far from the house," Miles said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "you know, I need some excitement to keep me going before I lose it here. So let's have a race, you up for it, Jackson?" I could practically hear the smirk in Miles' voice as he challenged Jackson.

"You know it," Jackson replied, grinning at me after he answered.

Boys.

"Great, it starts... now," Miles said and hung up the phone. What a cheater.

"Come on, let's go," Jackson suddenly lifted me up, his arm around my waist, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him in surprise. "Not again, Jackson!"

"You'll be too slow, and Miles will win," he chuckled, running towards the street. "I'm pretty fast, trust me. Hold on tight!" I glanced around and noticed people looking at us. We passed some girls who made cooing sounds, and I couldn't help but cringe a little.

"Jackson, people are staring," I laughed as he kept running, and I noticed our car up ahead.

"Let them stare. It's a free country," he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. He was absolutely crazy, and I couldn't help but laugh and look at him in amazement at how serious he was.

We reached the car, and he gently put me back on the ground. "Get in," he said cheerfully, opening the car door for me before getting into the driver's seat himself. He closed the door and looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Ready to beat your brother?"

I playfully placed my hand on my chest. "That's the sweetest thing you've said all night."

He burst into laughter. "Oh gosh, I missed you." He turned on the engine and started driving.

Me too, Jackson. Me too.

.....