MIA

Knock knock.

I couldn't believe I actually followed the guys' advice. Now I was standing right in front of Jackson's door, the silence mocking me as no one responded on the other side. Ariel had suggested paying him a visit since he wasn't answering his calls or responding to my text messages.

Convincing my dad to drop me off here hadn't been easy, but I had managed to persuade him, and now I stood frozen like a statue, my heart racing in my chest.

Still, no response.

"This was so stupid," I muttered, finally giving up and contemplating how I would have to take the bus home and keep trying to reach Jackson. As I turned to leave his house, a car horn suddenly caught my attention. I looked over and saw Jackson's car slowly approaching me.

A part of me wanted to run away, but that would just be foolish. I shook off the feeling and walked toward the car. Jackson stepped out, looking utterly surprised. "Mia?"

"Hey," I shyly waved, trying my best not to check him out as he emerged from the car, wearing a black tank top that made my cheeks turn crimson. I quickly glanced at his biceps before refocusing on his beautiful brown eyes.

"What—" My heart skipped a beat when I heard a loud barking sound from inside his car. "Oh, just a minute," he quickly said, taking a few steps back. I was confused until I noticed him open the back door, and a furry creature jumped out, landing on him and playfully licking his face.

"Okay, calm down, buddy," he chuckled, trying to soothe the dog and playing with its ears. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. It felt as if I hadn't seen him in ages, which was absurd since it had only been yesterday.

He managed to calm down the dog, and finally, his gaze met mine. "I'm so sorry. My mom said I needed to take care—" I couldn't hear the rest of his words. My feet continued to move toward him, and before I knew it, my hands were wrapped around his neck, and my head was resting on his shoulder. I felt his body freeze, and suddenly, my mind cleared.

I had just run and hugged him as if he were my long-lost lover or something.

I just love embarrassing myself, don't I?

Slowly, I placed my feet back on the ground and began to release my body from the warm contact. "I'm s... sorry," I whispered, preparing myself to face just love embarrassing myself, don't I?
him and come up with an escape plan.

Then it happened. It all occurred so quickly, but I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me back toward him until my face was pressed against his solid chest. We were now in the opposite positions—I was the one in shock while he lowered his head to the side of my neck, emitting a small chuckle.

"Why are y..you l...laughing?" I managed to stammer, my hands hovering awkwardly by my sides, unsure whether to rest them on his muscles or remain frozen like an ice block.

Definitely the second option.

"Oh, nothing," his voice suddenly broke the silence, causing me to almost gasp as his breath tickled my neck. "Just happy you'll still remember."

"Remember?" I echoed, my heart pounding in my chest.

He smiled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "You always hug me like this whenever you miss me or when you don't see me in class, like today. So I guess you missed me, right?" The scent of his cologne and the warmth of his body overwhelmed my senses, clouding my ability to think clearly. Instead of answering his question, I found myself instinctively trying to get even closer to him.

Bark!

I immediately pulled away, the realization hitting me that we were still outside. My eyes darted around, desperately hoping no one had noticed us.

I really need to keep my composure. "Um," I licked my lips nervously, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear as I attempted to start a conversation. "I... um, I just wanted to check up on you since I tried calling you and you didn't reply to my text messages." I lowered my head slightly, my voice trailing off towards the end.

He didn't say anything for a moment, and then finally spoke up. "Do you want to head inside?" he asked, sounding a bit odd.

I raised my head, confusion evident on my face. "Huh?"

He smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You must be hungry, and I remember someone telling me how they would love it if I made kimpap for them every Friday." Amusement danced across his features. He raised two fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, calling the dog over to him.

"I don't know," I glanced at the dog before looking back at him, uncertainty in my voice. "It seems like you have your hands full."

I chuckled as the dog approached me, its eyes fixed on its owner. It panted heavily, its tongue hanging out, drool dripping onto the ground. Its cuteness made me giggle, and my hands instinctively started to play with it, eliciting a louder bark of excitement.

"I think we should take her inside," Jackson intervened, his voice breaking through my amusement.

So it's a girl dog? Who would've guessed.

"Alright," I reluctantly released myself from her and watched as Jackson lured the dog towards his house. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and opened the door. The dog wagged her tail and barked happily. "Ladies first," Jackson said, stepping aside to let her enter. Then he turned to me, a playful glint in his eyes, and made a gesture as if reaching out his hand. "That includes you, Mia," he smirked.

God, I love the way he says my name.

"Fine," I blurted out, ignoring how adorable he looked in that moment. I grabbed my backpack and stepped inside his home.

Once again, we were alone.

"I didn't get a dog, in case you're wondering," he stated, locking the door and heading towards the kitchen. "Sometimes the animal shelter gets overcrowded, so my mom takes care of them from home."

"Oh, she's a vet?" I never knew that.

He looked surprised. "Didn't I tell you?" I shook my head. "Oh," he looked a bit sad. "I just assumed your mom had mentioned it."

That made me laugh. "Maybe she did, but I don't think I would remember."

"Why not?"

"Because the only thing I ever asked about was you." Did I just say that?

"Woah," he said, and I could tell he thought I was strange. "And here I thought I was the only one." Did I just imagine him saying that?

"What?"

He stared at me for a moment but then cleared his throat, heading to the kitchen. "Maybe I should start making the kimpap, and this time you're eating with chopsticks!" He called out the 'chopstick' part as he disappeared into the kitchen.

I wanted to dwell on his response, but a certain dog was bouncing around me, demanding my full attention. I guess she loved being the center of it, and who could blame her?

I made my way to the living room, the dog's tail wagging happily behind me. I dropped my bag next to me and settled onto one of the seats. As I started to relax, the dog hopped onto my lap, stretching her paws and releasing a yawn.

I guess she was tired.

I decided to gently stroke her head, particularly behind her ears as I had heard that pets loved that. Thankfully, it seemed to work. Her eyes grew heavy, and soon enough, she was fast asleep on my lap. It was adorable, until I felt her full weight on my legs, and boy, was she heavy.

"Um, Jackson," I trailed off, calling his name because I didn't have the strength to carry this adorable, big dog. I heard footsteps, and there he was, holding a plate of kimpap, his eyes fixed on the situation. "I need your help."

He burst into laughter.

"It's not funny," I told him, but he continued laughing. Even though his deep laughter was undeniably attractive, it was still annoying that he was laughing at me, which made me a little upset. "Fine, just stand there. I'll do it myself." I decided to nudge the dog, but she just groaned, and honestly, it startled me a bit.

"Don't wake her," he said, setting the plate down and walking towards me. "She rarely gets to sleep at the clinic, so it's a relief that she's finally taking a nap."

I sighed, listening to his explanation. "So, what do you want me to do? Stay here until she wakes up? My legs will go numb," I whined, not caring how it sounded.

"I have an idea," Jackson announced, seemingly realizing how serious I was. He came over and sat down beside me. "Just stay still, okay?" he whispered softly, trying not to disturb the sleeping dog.

I nodded.

I didn't want to say anything because, well, I couldn't think straight with him so close. My eyes were fixed on his hands as he touched my exposed legs, gently shifting them to the side. His grip on my lap was firm, and I felt him tighten it slightly, causing me to bite my lip to stifle a gasp as my legs went numb. He carefully lifted the dog's face and moved my legs away from her. "Okay, now move."

To where? The only option was to shift closer to him, our bodies colliding. I didn't mind, but the thought of him hearing my racing heartbeat bothered me.

I finally gave up on overthinking and shifted my body away from the dog. Instantly, his strong frame enveloped me, and before I could react, I felt his hand circle my waist while the other slid slowly, just like before, and lifted me onto the next seat. I would usually complain and tell him to put me down, but I remembered that we had to be quiet.

His grip on my waist tightenedas he slowly lowered me onto the couch. I hadn't realized that I was holding onto him too until I finally sat down and saw him almost losing his balance, but he managed to steady himself just in time. His face was so close to mine that I couldn't help but gasp at the proximity.

Neither of us wanted to say anything or move away.

As always, something had to ruin the moment, and this time it was my stomach. It growled loudly, catching Jackson's attention. He leaned back slightly, biting his lip to suppress a laugh.

Oh, what I would give to have him kiss me.

"Are you hungry?" he teased, making me look anywhere but at him.

"Yeah," I managed to mutter, my fingers nervously playing with the hem of my skirt. He nodded, getting up and heading towards where he had placed the kimpap.

"Argh, stupid stomach," I mentally cursed.

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