Chapter Fifteen.

            On the drive to Stratford with Reina I thought it would be a lot more nerve wrecking because we’ve hardly hung outside of the bedroom together let alone go on a trip together. It was funny though when I picked her up this morning because she was so tired even though it was already ten in the morning. She wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt and her hair was up in a messy bun, a backpack slung around her shoulders along with a suitcase that had everything she needed. When I saw her I started to laugh and she gave me the world’s biggest death stare, sliding into the car next to me and falling asleep almost immediately.

            My house from the university was only two hours away so for the first hour I let her sleep and then when I stopped at Starbucks I woke her up to ask if she wanted something and of course she did, sending me in to get her a coffee. I wouldn’t ever tell her this but when she slept she was probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I couldn’t help but continuously glance at her while I was driving when she stirred a little and snuggled up more into the seat, her knees hugged to her chest and her head on her shoulder. She looked uncomfortable but when I returned with her coffee she seemed to be in a better mood.

            “Wait I never gave you money.” She muttered, picking her backpack up from the floor. “Sorry. I don’t really think when I wake up.”

            “It’s fine.” I responded casually, shrugging my shoulders when she looked at me in confusion. “I got it.”

            “Well would you look at that…Justin actually paid for something for me.”

            “Don’t get used to it Reina. You were tired and forgot. That’s different.”

            It wasn’t different. I would pay for anything for Reina if she wanted it and when I pulled back onto the road when we were only a half hour away she knew I was lying, sending me a cheesy grin and reaching into her backpack to get clothing out for whatever reason.

            “What are you doing?” I asked.

            “I’m changing my clothes. Do you honestly think I’m going to let your parents see me like this for the first time?”

            Are my parent’s opinions important to her? Another mixed signal just came right into my head but I tried to push it out of my mind because if I started to believe something that isn’t true I’m just going to put myself in a situation that I don’t need to put myself in.

            “They aren’t going to care Reina. They aren’t like that.”

            She didn’t seem to care. Instead of answering me she stripped herself of her shirt so she was only in her bra and I tried so hard to focus on the road but how the hell am I supposed to do that when she’s stripping right next to me? I could tell she knew I was looking too because she looked at me out of the corner of her eye and let out a laugh as she pulled down her sweatpants and I almost choked on my coffee when she was in a thong. There were cars passing by us every second but she didn’t care and I really loved how she was so confident. That was one of the sexiest things about her because she loved her body and she had no shame of it but yet she didn’t expose herself to all of the guys. Just me.

            “Should I wear jeans or a-“

            “Jeans.” I immediately said. “I love it when you wear jeans.”

            She didn’t say anything at first, she just looked at me for a second before she nodded her head and slid the jeans up over her ass and fastened them, pulling out a light purple sweater and sliding that over her head so that she was dressed. I thought she was done but she pulled the mirror down so she could un-do her hair from the bun, her curls falling into waves down her back as she ran her fingers through it a million times I swear. The thing about Reina is she looked good before and she looked good now. She didn’t even need to try.

            “You look nice.” I decided to say. I should have said beautiful or gorgeous or perfect but I didn’t because that would make it obvious.

            “Thanks. I’m kind of nervous.”

            “You? Nervous? That’s a new one.”

            “I know right? I’m never nervous.”

            Then she brought her thumbnail up to her mouth to bite on it as she looked out the windows when we were nearing closer and I’m not sure what happened to make me do it but I took a leap of faith and entwined my fingers with her hand after I took it away from her mouth and just rubbed my fingers around her palm to try and somewhat relax her. I can’t even look at her when I do these things because I get all nervous and jittery but she didn’t pull away and that was the most important thing to me. She didn’t pull away.

-------- 

             “Okay.” I said after I closed the door to the car. “So now that you’re officially here I really need to tell-“

            “They’re here!” My mom called.

            My god I didn’t even get a chance to tell her what I had so stupidly told my mom and I was thinking about telling Reina on the way here but one, she was asleep for the first hour and two, she was so nervous on the way here I didn’t want to make her more nervous and tell her that I told my mom we were dating. She would have wanted to go back and I didn’t want her to go back.

            Enwrapping me in the biggest hug, my mom kissed my cheek I think about three times before she turned her attention on Reina and that’s when my dad came outside along with my brother and sister, my heart picking up speed because she was about to find out and she was going to be so pissed when she did.

            “It’s so nice to finally meet you Reina! You’re even prettier than he described.”

            Oh my god I’m literally going to crawl into a hole. Reina was so confused and she gladly accepted my mom’s hug, laughing a little in disbelief I think.

            “Wow, thanks. He’s told you about me?”

            “Of course! I didn’t believe him when he said he finally found a girlfriend but here you are. I was wrong Justin, I’ll admit it.”

            She looked like the wind had been completely knocked out of her and for a second I thought she was going to get right back in the car but her reaction wasn’t what I expected at all. When she looked at me and I gave her the worlds biggest pleading look she sent my mom a smile and grabbed her backpack off of the seat of my car.

            “Well I couldn’t have chosen better.”

            Reina was actually going along with it and I thought she’d be pissed at me for making it up but she wasn’t. Instead after we grabbed our suitcases out of the back of the car she met my dad and my brother and sister for the first time and as I watched her with them I just honestly couldn’t think of anyone better to be with. I’m so addicted to her and so attached. I’m protective as hell and it’s just so weird for me because I’ve never been like that with anyone before. I didn’t want one person to hurt her or put tears on her face or make her upset. I wanted to be the one she came to when she had problems like last week when she showed up at my doorstep and sobbed in my arms. When she had a bad day or when she just wanted to talk my arms are the ones I want her to run into and nobody else’s. That’s how I honestly feel.

            “I made some tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch. I hope you like that Reina.” My mom told her once we entered into the house. “I can show you your room first though if you’d like.”

            “That’d be great, thank you. Oh, and yes I’d love some.”

            Following them down the hallway to the guest room, I listened to my mom give her the whole speech about where everything was and to ask her if she needed anything before I went into my room, which was right down the hallway, and set my suitcase down on the carpet.

            I have a feeling Reina and I are going to have to talk soon about what just happened and as soon as my mom went to go get lunch finished Reina was in my room in the matter of seconds, gently closing the door behind her and placing her hands on her hips with the cheesiest grin on her face. She thought it was funny and I have to admit, it was a little funny.

            “Care to explain?” She asked.

            “I know I should have told you and I’m sorry Reina but I told her this like two months after we met just to get her off my back for awhile. She pressures me all the time about getting a girlfriend and I didn’t know what else to tell her but thanks for going along with it.”

            “Oh no problem. I think this is going to be fun.”

            “What’s going to be fun?”

            “Oh you know…”

            Walking over to me, she hooked her arms around my neck like she always does and I wrapped my arms around her waist so I could pull her closer.

            “Pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Acting in loveeee.”

            Then she laughed and I just rolled my eyes, sending her a small grin before my mom called us out for lunch. When we were back out in the dining room I took a seat next to her and my sister took a seat next to me after she told Reina how much she liked her hair and Reina said she liked hers more, which I thought was adorable of her to say because I know it made Jazzy’s day.

            “This is really good.” Reina said. “Thank you for making this.”

            “I just like you more and more by the second.” My mom responded, Reina completely blushing once she heard her. I couldn’t help but smile as I ate more of my soup and my dad thankfully changed the subject, asking me how school was going and how my grades were. My grades were okay. They weren’t that amazing but at least I wasn’t failing and when my dad asked Reina how school was going for her she told him about how she made the Dean’s list this semester and I never even knew she was so smart. Why did I never know this?

            “Wow.” My dad said. “That’s impressive Reina.”

            “Well it’s not exactly up to me. If I don’t get the grades I do I wouldn’t be able to keep my scholarship but thank you. That means a lot.”

            “You’re on scholarship?” I asked.

            My mom and dad glanced curiously at me because obviously if we were dating I should have known this by now but I didn’t. I didn’t know much about Reina and that never bothered me until now because I feel like I don’t know her as much as I want to. She’s not exactly the type of person who tells you everything about herself and that frustrates me because I just want her wall to come down but I understand that because it’s been broken so many times it’s difficult for her to start over again with someone new. It’s just going to have to take time.

            “Uh, yeah.” She replied. “I wouldn’t be able to go if I wasn’t. It’d be way too expensive.”

            For a second I thought about her parents but then I remembered the conversation we had when she said they weren’t really in the picture. God I want to know more about her past and what happened but I don’t think I’d ever find out. I’m not mad that she won’t tell me I just care so much about her and I know it hurts her because she looked sad right now.

            My brother then asked my dad if they could build a snowman outside and my dad agreed, asking the both of us if we’d like to join. Reina surprisingly said yes and stood up so she could go put on her coat and everything, me rising up right beside her so I could join. She looked distracted and it looked like she was thinking about something else and when I tried to follow her into the guest room she paused and just stared down at her shoes for a second.

            “I’m just gonna change and then I’ll uh, I’ll be out. Okay?”

            “Sure.” I reassured, putting my hands in my pockets. “That’s fine.”

------- 

             After an hour of being out in the cold, Jaxon, my dad and Reina and I had successfully built a snowman and my dad asked us all if we wanted to get some hot chocolate. Reina was about to say yes but I told my dad we’d be in there in a couple of minutes because I still hadn’t talked to her about what happened in there because she hasn’t said a word to me since then. All she’s been doing was talking to Jaxon or my dad and acted as if I didn’t exist. I’m not sure if I did something wrong or anything but I was going to figure it out so when my dad and Jaxon went inside to leave us alone I tugged on the sleeve of her jacket so she’d look at me.

            Reina looked beautiful right now and she always did but she especially did right now because her cheeks and nose were all rosy from the cold and she was kind of shivering a little, her arms wrapped around herself as the wind whipped around us at all different speeds.

            “Why have you been ignoring me?” I asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

            “No. You didn’t do anything wrong I’m just in a funk or something, I don’t know.”

            “Was it something about the scholarship? I won’t bring it up again if it makes you-“

            “Justin.” She spat, staring down at her boots again. “I said I just don’t want to talk about it, alright? Please just drop it and lets go get some hot chocolate.”

            God, I hate it when she’s upset at me. I can’t stand it when she ignores me and when something I do irritates her because honestly that’s the last thing I want. When she turned around to go back inside I did the only thing I could think of to lighten the mood and grabbed some snow, tossing it in her direction so it landed on her back. She turned around to face me and she couldn’t help but smile when I had a grin plastered on my face, already reaching down to roll up another snowball into my hands.

            “Seriously?” She laughed. “What are we? Five?”

            “Possibly… you gonna chicken out? I’m amazing at snowball fighting.”

            Just like I knew would happen, she started to laugh and rolled up a snowball, me ducking when it went my way and I chucked one at her again. This time it hit her on the neck and she finally hit me on the chest with one when I tried to run a little bit away from her.

            “Justin!” She shrieked, erupting into laughter. “Oh my god you got it down my shirt! You ass!”

            Now I was running towards her to hit her with another one and when she tried to run she fell into the huge pile of snow, erupting into another fit of laughter when I sunk on top of her in the snow and was laughing more than I ever have before in my life.

            “Victory!” I teased and looked down at her. “See?”

            She was breathing heavily and she had little bits of snow in her hair as it began to melt against her skin and when we both stopped laughing and when we were both just staring at each other she pulled me down more on top of her and kissed me. That different kiss that I like happened again finally and I groaned from how damn good it felt, adding some tongue into it to try and somehow let her know that I liked her. Just say it Reina, please. Just tell me you like me so I won’t be so damn nervous around you.

             “Victory.” I repeated again when she pulled away. “Double win.”

            “How corny could you get?” She laughed, starting to shiver again when the snow started to over power the energy we had just used.

            “I hate it when you’re mad at me.” I mocked her from the other night and bent down to kiss her cheek. “Don’t be.”

            “I’m not.” She replied. “I swear.”

            “Well good. You want to go get hot chocolate now? You’re shivering.”

            She nodded so then I helped her to her feet, grabbing onto her hand without her permission so we could head back into the house.

A/N:

JEINA IS FLIPPING LIFE WTF. 

OMG GIVE ME A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please comment and let me know what you thought because I made it a long one!

Also... let's just take a moment and notice the fact that only fifteen chapters are posted and this story is almost at 200,000 reads.... WHAT...? I love you guys so much it's ridiculous. 

Twitter: @believeeexoxo

Instagram: @ drxwsdeanna