I reassured him one final time that I had gotten home ok and quickly ended the conversation. I was at a loss for what to say to him. It was Jake Stephenson, for Pete's sake. He was the guy every girl had dreamed about since he moved there in eighth grade.

It was the craziest thing. He didn't miss a beat, just dialed in immediately to the "in" crowd. There was no struggle, no having to earn his way up the food chain, he just walked right into the spot that so many kids desperately wanted. That seemed insane to someone like me who had lived there my whole life and was virtually invisible.

The week passed quickly. I caught him so many times just staring at me from across the room. When Jenny and I were having lunch, he walked right by our table and shot me a sweet smile as he passed. I would have thought I had lost my mind, but even Jenny noticed. Her mouth gaped open in disbelief the first time she saw him do it.

I was so glad that I had her. She was the only person in the entire world that I could talk to and always listened so intently. We were both invisible, so she knew exactly how I felt. Although, I didn't understand how more people couldn't see how awesome she was. One look at her and anyone could see how gorgeous she was with long chestnut hair and deep brown eyes. Her best quality was her huge heart, and she was loyal to a fault. We were kindred spirits, friends for life, so she knew what a peculiar thing it was to have someone like him looking at me like that.

"Sky, what the heck? Did you see that? He literally just smiled at you, intentionally!" she shouted.

"Yes, it is the craziest thing. He saved me from being stranded the other night, then offered to give me another ride. When I refused, he called to check on me. I don't understand what is going on."

Jenny looked at me excitedly. "Well, we have the football game tonight so let's see if he sends you these mysterious signals then."

She was right, that night was the big game and he would be there playing his heart out. There was no way he would ever acknowledge me in front of his football friends, but who cared, I could still admire him from afar.

After school, I rushed home to get ready for the game. I always took a long time to get ready, but that night I seemed to take forever. Ten outfits in, I finally decided on a short blue-jean mini skirt with flats and a cotton top.

It was odd because I had never really cared about showing off my figure before, but that night I was paying a little extra attention to it. There was a part of me that was desperate for him to notice me.

I finished applying the last bit of make-up, a matte red lipstick that really made my blonde hair and green eyes pop. Before I knew it, a horn was blowing outside. Jenny smiled as I walked out the front door. She approved of my outfit. I hopped in and we were off to the big game.

We sat close to the field, but far enough up that the fence would not block our view. I did not understand how to play football, but that night I was laser-focused. It had always been so hard to understand with its ridiculous amount of rules. Who really knew what a Hail Mary was, anyway?

All of my focus was not so much on the game itself but directed at him and his every move. He was so strong, so athletic, and his ass looked perfect in that football uniform. He had not noticed me at all, but how could he? He had to keep his head in the game.

It was so cold that night, so Jenny grabbed us some hot chocolate. Maybe wearing a short skirt was not such a great idea. Goosebumps covered my legs. She was back before I knew it and I grabbed that cup like it was a life preserver being thrown to a drowning man. I sipped it slowly, soaking up every bit of its warmth. Thankfully, she also brought a blanket. That was the only reason I had not developed hypothermia.

The game ended, and it was finally time to head home. I could not wait to feel the warm air from her car heater blasting onto my chilled legs. We always waited for everyone else to leave so we didn't have to fight traffic. It seemed to take the crowd forever to dwindle down, turning us into living popsicles. Once everyone cleared away, we were nearly the only people left in the stadium.

We had to make a quick bathroom stop before heading for the car. Jenny decided she just couldn't hold it. She was taking forever, so I decided to just wait outside the door. "I'll be out here," I shouted to her.

Once I was outside, I leaned against the wall, hoping she would hurry. It was not only freezing but starting to get creepy with the emptiness of the place. I glanced over toward the locker room and couldn't believe my eyes. It was Jake, and he was walking straight toward me.

"Hey Sky, did you enjoy the game tonight?" he asked.

Did I enjoy the game? Is that even a question? I got to stare at you the whole time.

"Yeah, it was a good game, and you played your heart out. It would have been perfect if it wasn't so chilly out tonight." As soon as the word "chilly" escaped my mouth, I noticed that Jake's eyes follow my body, landing on my bare legs and then back up to my face.

"Well, it may be chilly, but the view is great," he flirted with a sexy little wink.

Holy crap, he noticed, the ten outfit changes worked!

"Thank goodness for hot chocolate or I would have turned into a popsicle" I replied shyly.

"Hmmm, sounds like you just need someone to warm you up," he said, stopping my heart mid-beat.

I was at a loss for words when I heard Jenny. "Sky, are you ready to go, we need to get home?" Jenny to the rescue, I flashed him a quick smile and headed toward the car with her.

I glanced back and there he was, leaned up against the wall watching us walk away. When we finally reached her car, I flopped down in the seat, letting out a big sigh. Jenny blasted the heat, and we slowly unthawed. The entire ride home we pondered what happened because there was no way that Jake was interested in me.

She dropped me off at home, and I ran straight to my room. As soon as I closed my bedroom door behind me, I collapsed onto my bed. Could he actually like me? He was definitely flirting. It was glowingly obvious. I drifted off to sleep with thoughts of his smile dancing in my head.

When morning finally arrived (way too soon for my liking) my phone buzzed, startling me awake. Searching with my hand because I didn't want to open my eyes yet, I finally found my target and answered my phone. Whoever was disturbing my sleep had better have a dang good reason. I was not expecting to hear his voice on the other line.

"Good morning Sky, I figured since we keep running into each other we might as well see what fate is trying to tell us. I was hoping I might steal you away for a bit."

I took in a deep breath, pinching myself and trying to convince myself that it was happening. Jake Stephenson was calling me and asking me to go out with him. I was equal parts excited and freaked out.

I finally mustered up a response, "What fate is trying to tell us, you say? That sounds very mysterious."

To my surprise, he replied, "Mysterious is my middle name and we shouldn't keep fate waiting, I will be there in half an hour to pick you up."

Thirty minutes, how could I possibly be ready that quickly? Somehow, I threw myself together and finished just as I heard him pulling up outside. It was a gorgeous sunny day, so I opted for jean shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers. He didn't say where we are going, so I was hoping casual would be ok. It was a relief to see he is wearing jeans and a t-shirt himself. Yes, I nailed it!

As I climbed into the truck, he greeted me with "Morning gorgeous, you look great today." Well, that was a perfect way to start our mysterious adventure.

I was stressing over what we would say, wondering how we would keep the conversation flowing. Quickly, those fears subsided as he explained that we are off to St. Augustine for a day of sightseeing and to grab lunch. How did he know that was my absolute favorite place to go? I loved escaping there for the day.

It was only about an hour and a half away, but it felt like you were being transported to a whole new world with its old stone streets and bands on every corner. Jenny and her family always let me tag along when they would go down for the day. Over the years I had become obsessed with the place.

We chatted the whole way there and poked fun at each other's music choices. He liked trendy pop music and rap, I preferred soothing country music. We finally stepped out of our comfort zones and listened to my choice halfway there and his the other half.

As we pulled into the parking garage, anticipation rushed through me. I could not wait to begin our day and stroll through the old streets with him. Suddenly, I had a sobering thought. What if he had only taken me there because it was so far away and he wouldn't have to explain to his friends why he was hanging out with me?

He only hung with the popular girls, the homecoming queens, the "Beautiful Ones." The thought weighed on my mind, but I pushed it aside. It wasn't every day that you got to spend time with a guy like Jake. I reminded myself to just happy that he had invited me.

We headed for the parking garage exit to find our way towards town when I felt him slip his hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. His hand was warm, rugged, and oddly comforting to me. He glanced over as if he was seeking confirmation that it was ok. I shot him a warm smile, and he knew we were just fine.

"I am excited to spend the day with you and get to know you a little better," he said.

The day was absolute perfection, and it hadn't even started yet.

*****

A/N

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait to see what these two get into. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.