A/N: Hello everyone! Before we get on to the newest update, I just wanted to tell you that you might see a lot of scenes in this story that are set in the same places—cars, driveway, etc. This can't be helped since I can't really make drastic changes to where this story takes place since it happens alongside another established story. We're a bit limited in finding parts in TMMM where Jake and Tessa could talk. I couldn't really make them suddenly be having a trip in the Caribbean or something like that. So anyway, there's that.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Don't forget to vote and comment!

***

Jake

Even before the next three weeks of torture that confirmed it, I had seriously cross-examined myself and what exactly it was that I Intended to have with Tessa. No man liked to be a cat stupidly chasing a laser beam. Not only did the cat have to know why it was chasing it—it had to know what to do with it once it finally caught it. No rational man would ever like to make such a comparison of himself but that should prove how low and desperate I'd gotten. Because I was chasing after that damn laser beam like it was the end of a lifeline and I knew exactly what to do with it once it was firmly caught. Okay, here is where we stop with the cat parallelism because it'll get weird if we don't.

Suffice to say, after putting some distance between myself and Tessa as per her request, and clearing my days and nights of any other women after gently letting go four of the five (Gia was still in Paris) I'd kept company with recently, I've had a lot of time to think long and hard about why this situation with Tessa mattered. Because it did matter, whether she agreed or not, and I was going to make her see that—eventually.

"So, 'fess up. Does it feel weird now to know you've fallen hard for the kind of woman you never even considered before?" I asked Brandon as I tossed back my one and only glass of scotch tonight.

Brandon glanced back from watching his wife dancing merrily with Mattie and Rose, his expression still soft with that dreamy smile he'd been sporting almost on a daily basis since he'd gotten married. It had been permanently fixed on his face all night as Charlotte returned from her self-imposed shame and isolation to celebrate her birthday with family and close friends. "No. I figured if she'd been exactly the kind of woman I preferred before, we wouldn't have ended up married—and happily, at that. It's not a one-size-fits-all, mind you, but I think the fact that she's different should have clued me in that my relationship with her wasn't going to go in the usual pattern."

I smiled because Brandon was echoing my thoughts. I hoped to God it would help him understand once it was time to tell him about Tessa and why it was different this time. I itched to tell him right then and there because his counsel—whether it was personal or business—was something I could always count on but this would have to wait. I wanted Tessa and myself to come forward in a united front because torn as we were right now, we would be easier to rip apart and I had no illusion that Brandon's fierce brotherly concern wouldn't do us in.

"Do you believe then that the right woman changes you?" I asked, briefly catching Tessa in my periphery as she sat talking and laughing with Martin by the bar. She looked perfectly sweet tonight in a simple, blush-colored sundress that warmed her complexion and brought out the deeper brown tones of her dark eyes and hair.

Brandon raised a brow. "I feel like this is a trick question coming from you but I'm not really sure there's a good answer, Jake. I think she has to know the kind of man you already are or she's signing up to be with one that doesn't exist in some basic level. She's there to show you the better version of yourself. The more important thing to realize is that you're letting her because you want nothing else but the best for her—whether that's of the world or yourself."

When I didn't say anything while swishing the drink inside my glass in thought, Brandon nudged me in the arm. There was curious amusement on his face.

"Don't tell me Charlotte was actually serious when she said you had lady love problems," he said. "Who is she? Do I know her? Because if I don't, I'll have to meet her because I've never seen you this serious your entire life."

Deflecting, I narrowed my eyes. "I was pretty serious about Charlotte."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "You adore my wife, sure, just like everyone does but if you were really serious, you would've fought me a lot harder for her."

"You two are so married now you even say the same thing she does," I muttered under my breath, uncomfortable with Brandon's quiet scrutiny. Because he was watching for clues, alright. And it wasn't the best time to clue him in about my plans for his sister. Some were pretty honorable, the rest not so much to any brother.

"But seriously, Jake, do you need help?" Brandon prodded. "I wouldn't normally ask but I have recent perspective on the kind of gut-punch you get when you've met the woman you can't live without."

I made a face. "I've still got it, old man, so don't worry about me. You just focus on winning husband of the year, okay?"

Brandon let me off the hook to my utter relief. It was a good thing he was completely obsessed with his wife. He would've picked up on a hell of a lot more had he been paying attention—like my not-so-subtle cornering of Tessa by the bar after her father went to talk to Nicole and Zach.

"I can give you a ride home later, if you like," I told her as I leaned back against the counter and watched the scene she had her eyes on. Brandon had Rose in his arms, twirling her around fast in some kind of dance as the little girl giggled her heart out. "That is, if none of your recent dates are picking you up after the party."

I inwardly winced at the jab because I'd held it back for about a week now no matter how raw it rubbed me. I promised her a truce and I was adamant to stick to it but my mouth could only hold on to its muzzle for so long.

I was prepared for a quiet but blistering set-down so I was surprised when she just glanced up at me with a bemused smile. "They're not so yes, I accept your offer."

"I was expecting you to tell me that it's none of my business," I confessed before I could mentally kick myself.

She sighed a little. "It's not but we both know that's not going to stop you. Tonight's too perfect a night to ruin with another argument when we've managed without one for three weeks."

I should've stopped here but she was right—nothing was going to stop me if it was important enough to me. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I'm not going to put my life on hold for a guy, Jake—not even for you," she answered calmly.

"You didn't have to do that to prove it. I know you wouldn't," I said a tad bit sulkily. "You have more steel in your spine than you show the world, Tess, but I've seen it enough times to know it's there, constantly bearing the weight of your insecurities and fears."

She was silent for a moment that I glanced down and found her staring pensively into the distance, a small frown drawing in her brows. "And you think one of my fears is letting a man affect my decisions and ending up making stupid ones."

I shrugged. "Every decision about a love you can't have looks stupid one way or another. But when it's yours, every decision seems fated."

"Huh," was all she said before setting down her drink and straightening away, deliberately avoiding my gaze. "I'm going to chat with Felicity about getting people home in case they've had too much to drink."

As she moved away, I managed to grab a hold of her hand, squeezing it for a fleeting moment before releasing it. She paused and stared at her now empty hand before looking up at me.

I smiled. "Let me know when you're ready to get out of here, okay?"

She nodded mutely and it was another hour before she was anywhere near ready. Most people have headed out, including Charlotte and Brandon, and I busied myself with helping to put away chairs and tables while Tessa finalized the bills with Felicity.

"Jake's giving me a ride home," she told Felicity. "Do you need us to drop you off too?"

Felicity beamed and shook her head. "Gilles is driving me home after we close up here. Don't worry about me. Go home and get some rest. It's been a long day for all of us."

The two girls hugged goodbye and I tipped my imaginary hat to Charlotte's bodyguard as we passed him on our way out. My casual stride betrayed nothing about my racing heart as Tessa and I quietly walked toward my car.

Something was up. It was the first time she'd accepted my offer in the last three weeks. It scared the hell out of me to find out but I couldn't make myself turn around and take the offer back.

We seemed to both know we were treading on murky waters because neither of us said a word on the drive over to her apartment. She made no move to get out of the car when I pulled up in front of the building so I turned off the engine and leaned back, my heart pounding.

"I can walk you up, if you want," I offered after a while.

She shook her head. "Let's stay here for now."

I shrugged and fell quiet again.

She finally tilted her head sideways to look at me, her expression a little puzzled. "I've been waiting for you to launch into the conversation you've been wanting to have for the last three weeks. Why am I not hearing it? Did you change your mind?"

I smiled a little. "No. But I'm not going to go on a relentless rant again because it obviously couldn't reach you. I can't tell you over and over again what sounds like bullshit to you."

She chuckled softly. "I didn't exactly call it bullshit but..."

"—but it was all lies and a bunch of nonsense to you. That's called bullshit."

Tessa exhaled out loud and leaned her head back. "I just think that you're overreacting. I may be Brandon's sister, Jake, but I was my own woman when I willingly stumbled into bed with you. You honestly can't tell me that we had sex and you fell head over heels in love with me. That one switched turned off for you after that night and a different one flicked on and suddenly you're a brand new man who wants brand new things with just one woman."

Put that way, I could see where my actions seemed incredulous and absurd to a spectator who didn't know the internal riot I was going through. And maybe this was my punishment for all the times I'd been careless with women and the feelings and expectations they'd brought to what I'd considered very casual and convenient relationships. I wasn't going to be given any time or room to slowly learn what it was to fall in love and work for that love. I was dropped headfirst into it, flailing and faltering as I struggled to find my footing without losing sight and hold of Tessa. I had to throw everything I knew out the window, learn from scratch and deal with the disadvantage of my not-so-impressive romantic history in order to even have the slightest chance with the most emotionally cautious woman I know.

"I don't know what switches turned on and off that night, Tess, but I know that while all of this may seem sudden to you, this is coming from something I suspect has been there for a while," I said, clearing my throat when my voice caught. For a notorious talker, these words weren't coming to me easily because for once, they carried so much weight and I meant every precious bit. "Even if I didn't see you clearly then, I still saw you differently—more beautiful than you or the world could ever appreciate and braver than you would ever give yourself credit for."

Her eyes had widened and her mouth opened to speak. "I'm not—"

"There you go again, about to dispute any praise like you always do," I interjected. "It's not hard to figure out why you have trouble with the concept that a man—even as dense and ill-reputed as I am—could see you for what you really are all of a sudden and want you for himself."

I could see that the brutal honesty made her uncomfortable and got all her walls up. "So you realized I was a shiny, new toy and wanted me for yourself. That's not love, Jake. That's you being entitled. There's a big difference."

My next statement probably wouldn't be the best argument to use because the last thing I wanted was to remind her of my notoriety but it would seem that only the barest and most brutal truth would get her attention.

"Oh, I know there's a big difference between love and my sense of entitlement which I don't possess, by the way—at least not with you," I told her. "If I just felt entitled to have you, I wouldn't bother giving you time and distance when I know I could just seduce the caution out of you. I wouldn't bother trying to make sure you understand what any further actions between us would mean for the future. I would just take what I want over and over again until something else catches my attention. I've been entitled with other women in the past, Tess, and trust me when I say that I know the glaring difference and the reason for that difference is the difference itself—I'm in love with you."

Her cheeks were flushed rosy and her eyes were flashing as she sucked in a deep breath. Her chin quivered as she visibly attempted to control her emotions and I had to curl my hands into fists to keep from pulling her close and kissing all her doubts away. We needed to lay all of this out so that nothing could be blamed to the heat of a passionate moment.

"And I should believe you because you're so well-versed in the subject of love, right?" she finally said with a curt laugh. "You can't possibly be wrong because you have so much experience with being in love before, self-proclaimed playboy that you are."

"I've been in love before," I countered before faltering. "Well, I thought I was in love but I couldn't have possibly been because not having her wasn't destroying me like not having you right now is."

The hurt on her face was clear even in the shadows inside the car.

"Maybe the next girl will finally bring you down to your knees," she said as she unstrapped her seatbelt with hard yanks. "Or the next one. Why not continue your usual pattern in your search for love and trial it on a few good dozen women?"

I gaped at her as she scrambled out of the car and strode toward the building entrance. As soon as I regained my brain function, I dashed out of the car and chased after her—like that damned cat after the laser beam again.

"Tessa, wait!"

I caught her elbow and the momentum brought her almost stumbling backward but she landed safely against my chest. She tried to wriggle free but I locked both my arms around her, my lips pressed against the curve of her neck as I rocked her gently.

"I'm stopping here, Tess," I murmured against her sweet skin, my eyes fluttering close for a moment. "I'm stopping here where you are. Keep me here. Keep me here for good even if don't deserve you. Even if I still have so much to learn and prove to you."

I could feel her shoulders trembling as she breathed in deeply. "I can't trust that we won't regret this."

I drew her tighter against me, scattering small butterfly kisses along her neck. "The only thing we'll regret is not trusting ourselves with a chance."

Slowly, she turned within my arms, looking up at me with a fierce light in her eyes. Wordlessly, she slid her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss as tumultuous as our emotions right now.

I took her mouth with all the pent-up hunger and frustration of the last few weeks, only softened at the edges by the tenderness swelling inside my chest at the sweetness of her surrender.

She made no protest when I broke our kiss for a moment to lift her into my arms and carry her inside. 

***

Tessa

There were perks to moments of sheer insanity.

Waking up in the arms of the man of your dreams, for example, despite the alarms going off in your head. Looking into those eyes as dark green as the forests you could get lost in. Running your fingers through those dark golden locks that you'd mussed up all night.

There was a time when I'd dreamed of this—of waking up and finding Jake beside me—and for all my resolve, I couldn't deny that I was perfectly happy in this moment. Even happier when he'd rolled on top of me, pressing hot little kisses along my shoulder as he filled me in one full stroke.

I clutched at him, my fingers digging into this skin as I shifted to wrap my legs around his hips. He plunged deeper into me and I gasped out his name as the slow, sleepy pace of the early morning built up in momentum. Jake caught my harsh cry with his mouth as my climax rippled throughout my body. His breathing quickened as his powerful shoulders worked to steady him as he thrust deeper and faster into me. His entire body grew taut as he drove himself inside me one last time, a long, hoarse moan escaping him before he collapsed on top of me.

I ran my fingertips along his sweat-lined spine and held the back of his head with my other hand.

Pressing a kiss on top of his head, I murmured. "Are you okay?"

His head shifted a little in what I interpreted as a nod. "Am I too heavy?"

"No," I said, wrapping my legs tighter around his hips. "You're perfect."

We stayed that way for a moment until Jake lifted himself on his elbows and glanced up at me. "Spend the day with me."

I raised my brow. "It's Friday. You have work."

He lifted his own brows at me. "I rarely pull this but I do own the company. I think I can get away with skipping a day. Marj can make my meetings magically disappear."

I smiled. "I have one class today."

"Am I a bad influence to ask you to skip it?" he asked so hopefully, it was almost comical.

I shrugged. "It depends if you can make it worth my while. What do you have planned?"

"Spend time with you," he said, kissing my chin. "Convince you that this can work. That you and I can just be Tessa and Jake without either of our pasts haunting our present and destroying our future. I want a chance, Tess. Please say yes."

I studied Jake. While his obvious attractions were definitely potent, something else about him was reaching me far behind the iron gates I'd surrounded myself with. Maybe it was the raw desperation in his eyes as he waited for my answer. Maybe it was his gruff admission last night that I suspected surprised him as much as it surprised me. Maybe it was the tenderness I couldn't ice up inside of me after spending the night and a good part of the early morning in his arms. Whatever it was, it pulled me in the opposite direction of where my logic pointed.

"If we're to be just Jake and Tessa for a day, let's go somewhere and do something that won't constantly remind us of who we are," I told him. "Let it be a day that exists outside our normal daily lives. It might be the only way we can find that courage that's constantly evading us."

Jake's grin was ear to ear before he kissed me quite thoroughly. "You're not going to regret it, Tess, I promise."

While it was hard to get out of bed, we managed it. Jake took a quick look out the window before announcing that we were going to the beach and that he was going to pick me up in an hour. As soon as he left, I scrambled into the shower and shaved everything that needed shaving. I went through my collection of bikinis to choose a pair, already feeling the nerves wrecking my concentration. My problem with a bikini is not usually about fitting in it but rather filling it. I had a petite, slender frame which came with a set of small boobs, narrow hips and an unimpressive ass. I'm not going to cause any Pamela-Anderson effect when I strut down the beach.

So what? You're not Pamela Anderson. You're Tessa Maxfield and Jake Hastings worships your body so beat it.

I smiled. To say that he worshipped my body was a bold claim but to describe it any other way would be an understatement.

I put on a nautical-inspired halter-style top with horizontal navy blue and white stripes and a matching blue bottom. It was more on the athletic side but it flattered me the most. I threw on a pair of denim cut-offs and a thin white shirt over it with a few buttons left open then popped on a pair of large sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat before filling a small canvas tote with some beach essentials.

I almost didn't recognize Jake when I saw him parked out on the road in a very rugged, no top Jeep Wrangler, dressed in a faded chambray shirt, board shorts, a well-worn baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Gone was the smooth, debonair businessman everyone knew. He flashed me a rakish grin before telling me to hop in.

"I didn't know you owned one of these," I told him when he revved the engine to life.

"It'll be the first of what I hope to be many things you'll learn about me today, Tess," he said. Once we were out on the road, coasting along with traffic heading for the highway, he reached for my hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. He continued to hold my hand between us as he drove and I fought the tears that pricked my eyes at the significance of such a small, quiet gesture.

"Aren't you going to ask where we're going?" he asked after a while.

I shook my head. "If I start looking for facts and details, I'm going to start overthinking it. I'd rather not today."

"Amen to that!" Jake howled out loud before happily slapping on the steering wheel. I couldn't resist the same stupid-ass grin on my face that he had on his. Jake looked incredibly happy and I couldn't wrap my head around the possibility that I was the reason for it, no matter how badly a part of me wanted to believe his words last night.

The combination of his conviction and confusion about love when he was talking last night left me flailing for solid ground because the presence of one should negate the other. As magical as the last several hours had been, a part of me worried that when the smoke cleared, Jake would find himself wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into and that doubt would kill me.

You said you don't want to overthink today so don't.

I promised him a day and I'd give it to him.

It took no time before we arrived at Revere Beach which was just twenty minutes north of Boston on the highway. It was the oldest public beach in the country and its two mile-long stretch of sand and sea would normally be packed with people in the summer. At the end of September, it was significantly quieter, even on an unusually sunny day. This wasn't our usual scene but it was perfect as no one would really recognize us here. We went to get something to eat first so we poked our heads into a small, quaint cafe from across the road where we got some wraps and iced coffee. While finishing our food, we continued to walk along the row of small shops, most of which had just opened for the day.

"Let's go in here," Jake said as he pulled me into what appeared to be a small guitar shop. The owners turned out to be an older couple and they lit up at the sight of us, eagerly inviting us over.

"Do you know how to play?" I asked when he picked up an acoustic guitar with a shiny wood grain surface stained a deep reddish brown.

"I do." He sat down and propped the instrument on his lap, his fingers gently strumming. He looked up at me and grinned crookedly. "Your brother and I once thought we'd write songs and make music. We were probably like fourteen or fifteen then. I was the lead singer, of course, because Brandon's just not that charming, and I'd play my guitar and he'd play the keyboard. We were going to call ourselves Haste and Max."

The image of Jake and my brother as teenage wanna-be pop stars was too much for me and I started laughing so hard I was clutching my stomach.

Jake shook his head wryly and smiled. "You find that amusing, huh? We really felt we were pretty solid but the call to run corporate empires came and could not be ignored. So we became businessmen instead."

"Do you still have your guitar?"

"Nah. I gave it away. I got too busy."

I was wiping my eyes and still shaking with laughter when his mindless strumming started to shape itself out into a melody. Soft, lilting music filled the cozy store, familiarly sweet and comforting.

Then he started singing.

"You with the sad eyes,

Don't be discouraged

Oh, I realize

It's hard to take courage

In a world full of people

You can lose sight of it all

And the darkness inside you

Can make you feel so small."

His voice was husky and almost lazy, completely unaware of its devastating force to my soul. The words were old and known by heart by most people but each one was heavy with the same promise—a love that accepted, encouraged and gloried even in what seemed unworthy to the world.

"But I see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful

Like a rainbow."

I didn't even realize I'd been holding my breath until the last note faded. Jake, whose gaze had never left me the entire time, smiled a little shyly at me as if unsure of what to do next.

A shaky breath left me as I wordlessly walked to him and cupped his face with both my hands.

His smile broadened. "I love you."

I kissed him, telling him the words that were rattling behind the bars that caged them in.

"Great cover, great voice, great girl."

We broke apart on a laugh and turned around to find the couple watching us with knowing amusement. The man winked at Jake and his not-so-embarrased wife just smacked him playfully on the arm.

Jake went with the old man to look at other models and I quietly walked up to the woman and asked her to package the guitar. It might not be the best model but it meant something important to us. I had a feeling it was going to be the first of many that I would buy Jake if it would keep him playing and singing, even just for me.

When Jake paused at the door on his way out to glance back at me, his eyes widened when he saw me carrying the guitar case.

He opened his mouth to speak but I just pressed a finger against his lips and winked. "We, Maxfields, are a sentimental bunch."

Jake grinned and took the guitar case from me before putting an arm around my shoulders. "Let's find a spot on the beach, shall we?"

It wasn't long before we laid down the large beach towel I'd brought. Jake promptly took off his shirt and dropped down on the towel in front of me.

"Sunscreen, please?" he asked and though I couldn't see through his sunglasses, the adorable downward curve of his mouth told me he was doing the puppy-dog eyes.

I couldn't even bother to pretend to be reluctant because I liked my hands on Jake. Liked the fact that he welcomed my touch, even craved it. Liked his promise that mine would be the only one he'd know now.

It's so tempting to just trust it. So why don't you, Tessa?

He turned around and took the bottle of sunscreen from me, his smile mischievous. "Top off, please."

"Just because you say please doesn't make your intentions less dishonorable." I smiled back and wrinkled my nose at him before popping the rest of the buttons of my white shirt.

Jake's shoulders visibly tensed when he fully saw my bikini top, as modest as it looked. "I can't seem to remember ever seeing you in a bikini before even though I'm pretty sure I have at some party at some point."

"I always covered up," I told him. "I was... I'm not... comfortable with the attention as you already know. There's not much to show."

Jake's head snapped up sharply. "To the rest of the male population, there shouldn't be, but to me, yes, there's plenty to show. You're incredibly lovely, Tessa Marie Maxfield, and if I have to show you every single day of our lives until you finally believe me, I will."

My heart shot up my ribcage and ricocheted at the blunt determination in his voice and the unworded implications of the rest of his statement. But I couldn't summon the strength to ask exactly what he meant. Fortunately, he didn't need words as he leaned down to kiss me while his hands worked on my shorts. I was too busy sinking back down on the towel and kissing him back that my shorts were off before I knew it.

That was when he pulled away and smiled down at me. "Perfect. Now I can put sunscreen all over you."

We spent a heavenly couple of hours on the beach, soaking up some sun, frolicking along the water, and sometimes just lying on the towel as Jake played a few more songs for me.

When the sun started to get too hot, we packed up and jumped back into his Jeep. We spent a couple more hours on a scenic drive along the coast after that, stopping by at some cozy roadside restaurant for lunch. We'd huddled in a quiet, shaded corner in the backyard patio, talking for what seemed like hours.

"I really need a shower," I told him as we entered Boston center again. "I feel sticky and I have sand in my hair and shorts."

"You can shower at my place," he said. "I was thinking of ordering in some dinner. We can chill afterwards, maybe snuggle in the couch. What do you think?"

He was being very casual about it but there was a fragile uncertainty in his tone as he briefly glanced at me.

To say yes would be extend the day I'd promised him. It would roll into an evening I knew I wouldn't be spending home alone at my apartment. Then it would continue the next day, and then the next until it became a full-blown something else.

Could I handle that?

Could you handle more of the happiest day of your life? Hell, yes.

I smiled at Jake. "Sounds like a plan."

A new kind of energy was buzzing through me as I followed Jake into his condo building. Despite the familiar spaces that triggered long-ago memories, I held my ground, shoulders squared and chin raised. Yes, those memories happened but they happened in the past. It was time to make new ones.

Sandros and the small staff Jake employed at the condo was suspiciously absent when we arrived.

"Actually, I might be able to make something," Jake said as he rummaged through his fridge. "How does prawn linguine sound to you?"

Jake might actually be a decent cook but one would never know because he rarely ever tried. I've only ever eaten the sandwiches he'd made before whenever he'd hang out at our house. And he brought these cheesecake brownies once when I was stuck in bed with a sprained ankle. He mentioned in passing that he made them but got flush-faced and tight-lipped when I teased him about it. The only way I could explore his potential in the kitchen was to keep myself from teasing him again.

"Sounds amazing to me," I said. "Do you have anything for dessert?"

He rummaged some more. "Hmm. Not really. I could make cookies but I t don't know if we have any chocolate chips."

"How about some cupcakes from Elspeth's?" I asked, perking up at the memories of some decadent treats from the small bakeshop across the street from Jake's building. I first had them when he'd brought me a box of thirteen assorted types for my thirteenth birthday. Brandon used to also bring back some whenever he'd come back from hanging out with Jake. "Are the cookies and cream ones still your favorite?"

"Of course. Is yours still the mint chocolate?"

I beamed. "Yup. It never fails. I'll go run down and get some while you get started on the pasta, okay?"

"Only if you also bring back some salted caramel ones," he said with a quick kiss on my lips. "Now, go before she's completely cleaned out by the afternoon rush hour folks."

I was eagerly picking out flavors from the cooler display before ordering when a woman came to stand beside me, chatting on her phone as she looked through the pre-selected gift box options.

My blood turned cold.

"I've missed you, Jake. I know I missed several of your calls but the shoots were hectic. I tried to call you back but with the time difference and everything, it was just too confusing."

Gia Davis in all her glorious and glamorous five-foot-eight beauty. She was in a silky red dress that hugged her every perfect curve, her now ombre blonde hair tousled seductively to frame her also perfect face.

She didn't notice me. She was too busy smiling into her phone, even giggling a little breathlessly.

"So anyway, I thought, the first order of business should be to end both our misery so I'm coming to see you." Her voice dropped lower until it dripped with sexual suggestion. "I'll bring some salted caramel cupcakes and we can do that thing again we did last time. I remember how much you liked it."

I struggled to breathe as I staggered back.

That was when I caught her attention and she lowered the phone to ask, "Are you in line?"

I blinked to clear my vision, only my sheer stubbornness to walk away with dignity the only thing keeping me upright.

"No, I'm not," I said in a hollow voice. "I've decided that it's not worth it."

I whipped around and dashed out of the bakeshop, striding blindly down the sidewalk with no real direction. A rushing pedestrian bumped me as he walked past and I nearly lost my balance. I sagged against the stone wall of a shop, breathing deeply, forcing the air to return to my lungs as I closed my eyes and fought the sting of tears I swore I would never shed for him again.

"You're so stupid, Tessa," I hissed under my breath. "So stupid."

Despite the warmth of the late afternoon sun, I felt so cold to my bones. Empty, too, if I were to look closely at where my heart used to be. It was in pieces, scattered somewhere on the sidewalk from where I left the bakeshop and the man I should've never trusted in the first place with it.

At the first burst of anger, some of the cold left me so I seized on it.

It was what saved me before. It's what would save me again.

I took out my cellphone and despite my trembling fingers, I typed up a final text to Jake.

[Me: Today was nothing like I expected and I need to think on my own. Thanks for everything.]

I had a blazing set-down ready but in the end, I chose not to spill more of my blood. I wanted to walk away with my pride in tact if nothing else. I didn't want him to know that I was falling apart and I definitely didn't want him running after me. He'd know soon enough.

Refusing to stay there looking like a victim for all the world to see, I hailed a cab and directed the driver to a hotel by the harbor where no one could track me down for the night. When my phone started to ring with Jake's number, I let it continue until my voicemail picked up. It'll keep him from thinking anything was wrong and make him leave me alone for a little while.

When I finally turned it off, I felt a little of my control returning.

Too bad that it's too late.

***

So, what do you think?

I honestly try to write a simple romance story but it's hard to give your characters real struggle without giving them real places where those struggles come from. I think we've seen what Tessa struggles with—something that's touched us at some point in our own lives—and it would seem that for all his insensitivity, Jake sees much of it. But he's not without his own issues.

We'll see how they manage next week!

By the way, this book is coming to a close pretty quickly. I wrote this to be a bit more novella in length so hope you stay tuned in.

Also, I hope you like the music. I love this song. I think it's important to have someone in our lives (even if it's just ourselves) to be telling us this. As Jake once said to Tessa, we don't have to be everything that the word 'beautiful' means. We just have to find how it already perfectly defines us. 

So let's love and not hate. 

XOXO!

Ninya

♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: True Colors cover by Artists Against Bullying ♪♪♪

You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged

Oh I realize, it's hard to take courage

In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it

And the darkness inside you makes you feel so small

But I see your true colors shining through

I see your true colors, that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show your true colors

True colours are beautiful

Like a rainbow

(Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh)

Like a rainbow

(Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh)

Show me a smile then, don't be unhappy

Can't remember when I last saw you laughing

If this world makes you crazy and you've taken all you can bear

You call me up because you know I'll be there

I see your true colors shining through

I see your true colors, that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show your true colors

True colors are beautiful (Cheer up! ) like a rainbow

I see your colors though they appear to be different

You should never be afraid because your difference is the difference

We live in a time where to be yourself is hard

And the way you really feel can leave you emotional scar

But stay strong, stay firm and never back down

Being yourself is the only way to act that

(Like a rainbow)

Trust me, I'm a fighter and a lover

But the only time I fight is to reveal my true colors

You know

(Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh, Oh oh oh oh)