-Chapter Thirty Seven­-

“Aw, look, they’re so cute together!” I overheard a girl coo as we passed her.

I laughed, hugging Jake closer to me. “Ya hear that? We are so cute together!”

He laughed a deep, rich laugh. “Yes we are, because we fit so perfectly together.”

In my mind, I thought of how that fact was completely true. We were a great couple―well, to me we were, and because of Jake’s statement, maybe we are to him too? I’m not sure if he was just saying it to play around, or if he really meant it. I looked up to meet his big, green eyes, and then I saw it. His eyes looked different than the usual, playful look that I grew used to. He returned my smile with a soft one, his eyes going back to their normal state.

I gave him an odd look and looked away, not questioning what just happened aloud. We walked down the pathway for another few minutes, just enjoying the scenery, before I asked him randomly, “What do you see in me?”

                Jake waited a moment, before looking at me and asking dumbly, “What do you mean by that?”

 “I mean what do you see in me?” I laughed. “What is so great about me that made you want to date me? Honestly, there’s nothing special about me.” A guy like him, dating a girl like me. What is so great about me?

“Hm. What do I see in you?” he repeated the question, thinking about it. “Okay, first, you’re one of the most gorgeous girls I have ever laid my eyes on. You’re stunning, Alex, and I don’t know how you cannot see it. Second, I love being around you; I just feel so happy when I wake up, knowing that I’ll be able to see your face again. And ugh, your laugh. Your laugh is like music to my ears, and I would be able to listen to it for forever and a day. Third, I love how you smile all the time, and how I know how to make you blush.” I blushed at the last part. “See, like that,” Jake told me, pinching my cheek with his free hand. “The list just goes on and on, but must I continue?”

I smiled softly, knowing that he genuinely meant all of what he said. I didn’t really know what to say to that, so all I did was loosely wrap my arms around his neck, stand on my tiptoes, and capture his lips in a passionate kiss. My heart melted, and my legs jellified. We parted, but I kept my arms around his neck, and he kept his arms on my waist.

Jake’s grip tightened around my waist, and he pulled me closer to him. His breath fanned my lips when in a hushed tone he whispered, “And, I absolutely love your kisses.”

* * *

“Okay, so that boy over there,” Jake paused, pointing at a little boy who was sitting alone on a bench, “he was walking along with his dog, and he had ice cream in his hand. Then, he accidentally let go of his dog’s leash, and the dog ran away, chasing after some car. The boy wasn’t fast enough to catch his dog, and as he was running, he accidentally dropped his ice cream. That’s why he is sitting alone, looking all sad.”

I laughed at Jake’s story. We were picking out people in the park, and making up stories to go along with how they look. “Hm…” I scanned the park, looking for someone good to make up a story about. I spotted an old couple who were laughing together, and feeding a flock of hungry birds. I smiled. “That old couple,” I chose. “They were crushing on each other back in the day, and one day, the man had the balls to ask the woman out on a first date. The date went terrible, but they didn’t mind, because they both enjoyed each other’s’ company. As they grew closer, they began to slowly fall in love. Then, they got married, and started a family. They have been in love ever since, and don’t plan on falling out of love any time soon, because they know that no matter what, they will always have one another, and they know that they wouldn’t be able to live without the other.”

I sighed. I wish Jake and I could grow old together. I love seeing old couples; they give me a reason to believe that there is such a thing in love, and that if you really love someone, you’ll stay with them until the end. Hopefully, that could be me and Jake in the years yet to come. I could only imagine Jake and I as an old married couple…

“You know what would be amazing?” Jake asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“What?” I kept my eyes focused on the couple, as the old woman threw her last piece of bread out to the birds.

“If we could be like them one day. I hope that’ll happen.”

He basically just read my thoughts. “Really?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. We were sitting under a large oak tree, staying in the shade, and letting the breeze softly blow by. It was warm, and the temperature was slowly dropping. His arms were around me, and my head lay on his chest. I had been listening to his heartbeat since we decided to sit down in this position.

“Well, I hope we can be like them one day, too.” I smiled.

“Hey, Alex?” Jake asked after a couple seconds of silence had gone by.

“Yes?”

“When did you first start liking me?” he drawled.

I thought about it. When did I, again? Slowly, I replied, “Right before we had are first kiss in the coffee shop, why?”

“Just… Wondering,” he replied.

I craned my neck to look at him, cutting my eyes. “When did you start liking me?”

After one short minute, he spoke up. “Well, I actually didn’t know what I was feeling towards you, but then after we kissed in the coffee shop, I knew I wanted you; I knew I wanted you to be mine.”

I had to stop myself from saying “aww!!!”  or “eep!!!” I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “And you came to that conclusion over the three days you didn’t talk to me, I’m guessing?” I let out a small laugh.

“Exactly.” He sighed, then added, “With the help of Danielle and London.”

Silence lapsed, and I didn’t reply. Instead, I just relaxed into him, letting my eyes gaze upon my surroundings. After a few moments, I abruptly asked a question. I don’t even know where that sudden question came from; it just popped in my head.

“Did you love Audrey?” I instantly regretted my words. They didn’t mean to come out! I mentally cursed―well, my way of cursing, but whatever. Jake’s body stiffened next to me. Dang it! I knew I shouldn’t have asked. It was a sensitive area for him to talk about, and I knew that too, so why would I ask? Even though, I only got a short summary about it from Lily that one night, I know there had to be a little more to the story; especially from Jake’s perspective. He had never spoken to me about Audrey before, or even after the night Lily first found out about the two of us.

I was afraid to look at him. I closed my eyes, and inhaled a deep breath. Letting it out, I opened my eyes and turned to Jake. His green eyes were cold, and he glared at me.

“Why are you asking about her?” His voice matched his facial expression, cold and emotionless.

I backed up some so I could be able to look at him without craning my neck to the side. I suddenly felt cold when I couldn’t feel his body heat emitting from him. “Jake…  Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask that.”

“Then why did you?” he questioned without hesitation.

“It slipped… I think we should get going now. It’s getting kind of late don’t you think?” I stood up, wanting to change the topic, and for this one to end as soon as possible. I probably just brought back up memories of Audrey that weren’t necessary. I frowned as I looked away. I know I made him upset, and I didn’t want him to be mad at me, especially when we were having a great time together.

You can’t definitely count on me to ruin the moment.

A warm hand wrapped around mine. I turned around, seeing Jake standing up behind me. His face was soft, and he looked down on me, his eyes filled with regret. “Alex, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. She’s just a sensitive subject.”

“It’s okay. It was my fault anyways.” I laced our fingers together. “Now come on. Let’s get home.”

The ride home was a bit awkward for me, because of the question I had asked about Audrey. I wasn’t exactly sure of what was going through Jake’s mind at the moment either. The look Jake gave me… I know he doesn’t want me talking about her, but it’s not something I could forget right when he tells me to.

When we got back to Vicky’s, Jake decided to not come in this time, which really surprised me. He always comes in.

“I’ll see you later, alright?” he said, holding both of my hands in his.

“You’re not coming in? Not even for a little bit?” I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed. It was because I had to ask that stupid question back at the park, wasn’t it? Ugh.

“No, sorry. Me and London are going to go hang out with my dad for a little family bonding time. I haven’t been around him as much, since I’m always here,” he explained.

I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded. “Okay, see you later than.”

What really, really, really, surprised me is when he leaned in to give me a kiss. I was practically in pure shock when he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I covered it up with a forced, closed-mouth smile, and walked into the house, using my key, without saying another word to Jake.

I just had to ask that question…

* * *

Waking up was the hardest thing for me to accomplish the morning―well, afternoon. Danielle and I both woke up at twelve thirty-seven PM, our bodies sprawled across two of the paint-splattered sofas. We stayed up until about five AM watching a Glee marathon. Danielle went disappeared into the elevator, saying something about being hungry.

After pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail, I removed a pale yellow set of sheets off of me. I went to the bathroom, used the toilet, brushed my teeth, took a shower, and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. I wore a pair of light colored, denim shorts and a pink and yellow flannel shirt.

Walking towards the elevator, I check my phone. No good morning texts from Jake? No missed calls either? I then remembered what happened yesterday evening. Would he still be mad at me about that? I sighed. I really wish I hadn’t asked that question about Audrey.

Later on after Jake left yesterday, London had called me, asking if I wanted to go to the mall with her. Of course, having my mind still wrapped around Jake, I said no. Then, I had asked her if she and Jake hung out with their dad. She said no. Which means that Jake lied. I was more than upset when I figured that out. He really lied straight to me.

 What I needed now was some caffeine. Coffee might me a good thing to have this morning. Writing a quick note, I put it on the counter top.

Dear wonderful family of mine, I am going out to the coffee shop. I guess you can call if you need me. Alright bye.

Love, Alex.  

I took a set of car keys from the key rack, and walked outside.  The cold wind nipped at my bare legs, making me wish I chose a pair of jeans instead. I hopped into the rental car that Danielle and I were to use. Usually, Dan only used this car because I mostly got rides from Jake.

Turning the key in the ignition, the car roared to life. I pulled out of the driveway and made my way to the coffee shop. I wondered if Brent was working today. Maybe I could talk to him if he was.

I arrived at the coffee shop. The warm temperature engulfed me when I walked in, and I smiled as I saw Brent trying to pick up a girl. Just as I was sitting down at my usual booth, Brent’s eyes locked on mine. He smiled at the brown haired girl he was with, and sauntered over to me.

“Where’s your boyfriend? Did you dump him already?” His eyebrows went up.

“No, I did not dump him.” I smiled wryly. But it’s starting to feel like he dumped me, I added silently.

Raising his hands up, he replied, “Alright, alright. What’s up with that moody look on your face?”

I looked at him for a second. “What moody look?”

“What happened with Jake?” Brent sat down on the opposite side of me. “I can talk to him if you’d like me to.”

“No, please don’t. I accidentally brought up Audrey,” I told him. I assumed that he knew who Audrey was, which he probably did.

“You’re freaking screwed.”

“Uh, okay? Not exactly the response I wanted to hear…” I fixed my eyes onto a stop sign outside the window.

“Sorry, it’s just that whenever someone brings her up, he freaks out about it. Last time someone said anything about her to him, he kind of just disappeared for a day or two. No one really knows where he went, but no one really bothered looking for him, because we all knew that it would be best to leave him alone.”

I thought of all the places he might have gone to then. Then, I remembered. The tree house. Maybe he went there. He did say he goes there a lot whenever he wants time to think…

“I’ve got to go!” I stood up abruptly, grabbing my purse, and zoomed out the door. I threw my car door open, and got it.

* * *

It took me forever to get to the tree house. I tried getting there by memory, and after all of my failed attempts, I somehow made it. I parked my car on the side of the road. Hopefully nobody will get it towed. After all, this is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The rocky pathway was just the same; everything pretty much was.

I followed the path until I heard the wind chimes and the river in the distance. Good. I was close. I spotted the house. Once I got closer, I drowned in a pool of second thoughts.  

“We all knew that it would be best to leave him alone,” is what Brent had said in the coffee shop about an hour ago. I don’t know. Should I really bother Jake about it? Deciding that I should go, I sighed and hoped for the best. What’s the worst that could happen? I needed to clear this mess up, after all, I did make it.

I climbed up the ladder, and made it the top. The wooden door creaked as I it slowly moved back in forth with the wind. It was open. Was that a good sign? I poked my head inside. I looked around the empty room―yes, empty―and was disappointed when Jake was nowhere to be seen. I walked in, through the room, and out onto the mini balcony.

I gasped when I saw him sitting there. His back was pressed against the wall of the house, his jaw was clenched tightly, and tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks. His head was down, and he didn’t see me stop when I saw him. Immediately, I sat down next to him and wrapped my arms around him, not saying a word. He didn’t even really acknowledge my presence. Sure, he knew I was there hugging him, but he didn’t seem to even care. I noticed a long, slim piece of paper in his left hand. It was a picture from a photo booth. The first three were of him and a girl making funny faces and smiling at the camera. The fourth picture was of them kissing. My eyes saddened, coming to realization.

It was Jake and Audrey. They looked perfect together. She was literally stunning. This was the first time I had seen Jake cry. He always seemed so happy, and never seemed to think about Audrey―but how couldn’t he?  Jake held the picture tighter in his grip and looked at me.

“How did you know I was here?” I completely crumbled when I looked into his eyes. He looked so vulnerable. All the happiness that is there all the time, it was nowhere to be seen. Just sadness. They were puffy and bloodshot from crying.

“Because I know you, and you told me you come here when you need alone time, or to think.” I touched his cheek. “Jake, I’m sorry, I really am.”

He turned from me and looked out onto the river. “I miss her so much.” He paused, and breathed in a shaky breath of air. "Do you know what it’s like for me? Knowing that Audrey being put into a hospital was my fault? It was all because of me, and now she is in a coma.” He cursed in frustration, something he hardly ever did, squeezing his eyes closed. “She may never wake up because I made such a stupid decision!”

“Jake―”

“Because of me, she could have died,” he continued.

“Jake―” I tried again, but was also cut off this time.

“She got hit by a car, Alex, because I decided to kiss another girl.”

“Jake―”

“What!?” I shrunk back at his sudden tone of voice.

“Why are you getting mad at me!?” I asked harshly.

He was taken aback by my tone, now. “Alex, sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you again.” He pulled his hair. “I’m probably going to end up ruining this relationship too. I’m such a freaking idiot,” he muttered.

“No you aren’t. Jake, listen. What hospital is Audrey staying at?” I was hoping he would tell me. I had a slim chance of getting a real answer from him.

He looked at me, and hesitantly, he replied slowly, “St. Joseph. Why?”

“Because. I think you should go see her. Maybe it will help you… Vent a little.”

Jake sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “You’re right… Can you give me a ride there?”

“Why would you need a ride? Don’t you have your bike?” I knitted my eyebrows together.

“She ran out of gas.”

“Where is it―?”

“She. Not it,” he said sternly.

“Where is she?” I asked him a second time, rolling my eyes.

“I got it towed last night.”

“Last night? Wait. Did you―Did you sleep here?” He nodded. “You must be starving! You stupid boy! Why would you spend the night in the woods all alone!? You’re such an idiot!” I huffed.

“Okay, mother,” he said sarcastically. “Nice to know that I really am an idiot. Gee, thanks.”

“Welcome.” I sent him a small smile, and sat on my knees, turning my full body to him. I put my hands on both sides of his face and dried his eyes with the pads of my thumbs. Glancing at his lips, I gave him a quick peck. “Let’s get you to the hospital now, okay?”

“Okay.”

We arrived at the hospital. It was in Orange County, and it took us about twenty-five minutes or so to get there.

“Thanks for driving me here,” Jake thanked me, opening his car door.

“You’re welcome.” I smiled. The car ride had gone nice―nicer than I had expected it to be, at least. We laughed, and sang along to the songs on the radio. He seemed a completely different than before at the tree house. I was planning to ask him if he really went to go see his dad yesterday, but I decided not to. I knew he didn't, and I didn’t want to push it.

He leaned over the middle console, giving me a quick kiss, before exiting the vehicle. He waved goodbye with an unsure smile on his face, but briskly walked into the hospital anyway.

“I sure hope this will help him clear his mind some,” I murmured, putting the car into gear and going out of the hospital’s parking lot. I went back to Vicky’s house. 

Hello, there, love. Yeah, yeah, no party!? Sorry. Next Chapter. Promise. I didn’t expect what I have in this chapter to extend as long as it did, so I didn’t really have room to add the party. It will be in the next chapter. First person to comment gets a dedication!! xD

          ~Storylover11~