I think it's safe to say that tonight has been a disaster.
Here, let me explain:
Both my mother and Alice talked me into (I would use forced, but I'm trying to go easy on them) going to my high school prom. Of course, I'd almost rather do anything else than go to a silly school dance. I was technically only a junior anyway, and god only knows how many chances I'd get to attend prom. Nonetheless, I had let them dress me up and curl my hair and put my makeup on… but on one condition: my date would be Jacob.
Neither of them was pleased, but they'd agreed to it. They were worried that Jacob would try something with me, as if he was that desperate. I was happy, since I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather endure prom with than Jake. And believe me, he was all for it too. He actually told me he was happy to go if it made me happy. So, all was well. I mean, until my father found out.
Furious would be an understatement. He absolutely refused to let Jacob go with me, all the while insisting that I still go. It drove me insane. He made me madder than I've ever been. To this moment, I still don't know what his problem is.
Anyway, lo and behold, Collin Marshall decided it was finally his time. He asked me to prom two hours before it was supposed to start. Every fiber in my being wanted to refuse him, but my father wouldn't have it. So, I reluctantly attended prom with Collin. Well, for about an hour.
I was so miserable that I fled the scene. Every couple holding hands was just a cruel reminder of what I wanted with Jacob, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I literally ran away from my prom, in nothing but a dress and some high heels. It was absolutely freezing outside, but I didn't care. I just had to get out of there.
After walking for nearly two hours, I ended up in a forest somewhere near a lake that I think I could safely say I had never seen before in my life. I didn't mean to go this far, but I was so lost in my thoughts earlier that I didn't pay attention to where my feet were taking me. And I missed Jacob.
I think part of me knows why my father wouldn't let me go to prom with Jacob, even if I don't want to admit it to myself. My father can read my thoughts, so he knows how I feel about Jake. He knows I'm awfully in love with him.
Before I could wallow in my sadness any longer, I decided to call Jacob. There was no way I could find my way back to my house from here. I hope he can find me. Shit, I'm such an idiot. Pulling out my phone, I hurriedly dialed Jacob's number and waiting while the lines connected. A ring and a half went by before he answered.
"Nessie! Is something wrong? Are you alright?" He sounded both happy and concerned at the same time, and I bit back a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine Jake. I was just; um… could you pick me up? I'm not quite sure where I am." I held my breath as I heard shuffling on the other line. Seconds later, he was speaking again.
"Yes, of course Ness. Can you tell me your surroundings? What direction did you walk in when you left your school?" I bit my lip, thinking for a moment.
"Oh, I headed toward your shop!" I exclaimed, happy that I'd remembered. "Yeah, I walked past your shop, and then turned right on that road just beyond it. I walked on that road for a long time until I reached this lake. That's where I am now; I'm in a forest by a lake."
"Oh, Nessie…" He didn't sound very happy now. "I… I know where that is. But it's kind of far, even in a car. It'll be awhile. But I'm on my way Nessie. I'll be there as soon as I can." I heard his car starting in the background.
"Thank you so much, Jake. I'm sorry for making you do this."
"Nessie, I don't mind at all. I'm just worried about you. Try to stay warm, ok?"
"I will. And my phone's about to die, so I won't be able to contact you soon."
"That's alright. I'm on my way now. Stay safe, Nessie. I love you." I let those words sink in for a second, closing my eyes and locking the memory in my brain. He was on his way. He loved me.
"I love you too, Jake." I hung up quickly; sure I had given away too much by the tone of my voice. But that was the least of my concerns. It was dark out, and the air was getting colder and colder by the minute. I passed the time by thinking of Jacob. I know it's horribly cliché, but I couldn't get him out of my head.
Sometimes, I was sure he felt the same way about me as I felt about him. He would cup my face in his hands or pull me into his lap, and I'd be sure he wanted me that way. But as soon as he was there, he was gone in an instant. It was like we were playing this game with each other, and I didn't want to upset him by setting up the rules. I knew Jake wouldn't string me along like that if he knew how I felt about him. He wasn't like that. But what if it was all just a joke to him, and he thought it was a joke to me, too? That seemed to make the most sense.
There's was basically no chance that he was interested in me. He was twenty-five and gorgeous. He could have any girl he wanted, and I knew he wouldn't pick the Cullen hybrid.
"Nessie! I'm sorry it took me so long. Are you alright?" God, I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even heard his truck pull up. I was a nightmare.
"I'm great, now that you're here," I told him honestly. He was to me in an instant, his strong arms wrapped around me and pulling me close. The sudden shift from cold to hot made my skin erupt in goose-bumps.
"Mm, you're so warm. Warmer than warm. You're like a human heater." I mumbled it into his neck, trying to press my face to his skin so I could feel it again.
"Yeah, except that I'm not entirely human," he said, laughing and rubbing my back. I tried rolling my eyes at him, but I was unable to restrain my laughter. "Nessie, you're cold as ice. Let's get you home."
I didn't want to go home, but I had planned to make negotiations on the drive back into Forks.
Jake led me to his truck, one hand wrapped around my waist and the other holding my hand in his. I was thoroughly enjoying our closeness, and I hoped he didn't pick up on my heart racing.
"Ness," he started hesitantly, opening the passenger door for me. "Why didn't you call Edward? I mean, I'm absolutely glad to come, but he could've gotten here ten times faster than me." I chuckled, and Jacob was obviously surprised at my response.
"I don't have a death wish, Jake. Besides, I wanted to see you. I've missed you tonight." Shit. Did I really just say that? I felt my face heat up, and I cursed myself for being so stupid. Lucky for me, Jacob grinned from ear to ear.
"You do have some valid points. I'll give you that." He gave me what I thought was going to be a quick peck on the cheek, only it lasted slightly longer than usual. But I wasn't complaining. In fact, I savored every second of it. Jacob pulled away; his face was still inches away from mine. I felt his warm breathe against my skin, and I found myself casting frequent glances at his lips. If I leaned over, even just a little, I could press them against mine.
But Jake drew back abruptly, as if he had just woken up from a dream. I coughed awkwardly as he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side.
My head was spinning, and I was definitely not trusting myself to say a word. Instead, I let the awkward silence fester into this weird romantic tension (well, on my side at least) as Jake sat in the driver's seat and shut his door. I tried not to watch him, but it had become impossible not too lately. He looked perfect doing anything and everything. It was quite frustrating.
As I sat on the other side of the vehicle, pining after the love of my life, he was unsuccessfully attempting to start the car. The engine sputtered and died, over and over and over again. He mumbled "shit" under his breath several times, and eventually he gave up.
Jake threw the keys onto the floorboard and turned to me with eyes that looked glassy with pain. "Ness…" he whimpered it; suddenly refusing to meet my gaze. "I'm really, really sorry. This stupid piece of shit won't start and I left my phone at home…" It would be hard to explain the mixture of emotions rampaging through me at that moment, but I'll say it was somewhere between ecstatic joy and undeniable happiness.
"Yes! Sleepover with Jake! Oh my god, we haven't done this in years. Come to the back seat with me. Please? It'll be fun." His face was priceless. The complete and utter shock was unmistakable, and I was happy to notice his expression quickly turn from one of that to one of happiness.
"Nessie, you can't be serious. Are you really happy about this? We won't be able to get home until morning, you know!" I laughed musically, slumping down in the seat.
"Oh, Jake, this has turned into the best night of my life!" I leapt over the seat and landed safely in the back with my dress still intact.
"What do you mean, 'turned into'? Isn't prom supposed to be, like, the best night of your life already?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me. I stifled a full-blown laugh, but a sharp sort of chuckle still managed to escape.
"Oh, please. No night of dancing with Collin Marshall would ever make my top fifty best nights," I said confidently, earning a laugh from Jake. "Besides, what best night of my laugh, wouldn't involve you? You're like, the main part of that equation." Again, I was left to wallow in how much of a complete idiot I was before Jake spoke again.
"That's it, I'm coming back there," he said, squeezing over the seat and landing with a thud on the back floorboard."
"Wow, how graceful," I crooned, watching him pull himself up. He grinned up at me before pinning me against the window and holding me there.
"Hey, watch yourself Nessie. If we're going to be here all night, you better start being nicer to me." He tried to sound serious, but he broke off in a smile toward the end. I liked the proximity of our bodies, and I wanted to keep us in this position for as long as possible.
"Oh, should I? Jake, you know how hard that is for me. I can't be nice to you," I told him, smiling and trying not to look at his lips.
"Nessie, you know what they say about girls who are mean to boys? It means they have a crush on them." He smirked like he'd won, and I laughed as he moved his face closer to mine in an attempt at intimidation. I felt my face heat considerably, but I soldiered on.
"Ha, you wish I had a crush on you," I said, stressing the word like he had. Now his cheeks had a healthy blush, or maybe I was just imagining things. He back off abruptly again, putting a safe distance between us. I was immediately cold without him close to me, but I decided not to say anything.
"I'm really sorry tonight didn't work out," he said, slumping against the seat. He sounded… Upset? Angry? "You look beautiful, though." My heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, um, thank you." God, I was a mess. What was he doing to me? He'd gone from flirty and confident to shy and secluded in seconds. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so damn frustrated.
"Did Edward ever tell you why he wouldn't let us go together?" He asked, looking at the ground.
"No," I said, catching his eye. "Did he tell you?"
I saw him smirk, and even more confusion filled my head. He finally shook his head, but that knowing smirk was still plastered to his face.
"He didn't tell me, but I already know." His eyes finally met mine, and I cocked my head in confusion.
"Oh, do tell. Why was my father acting like demon spawn?" Jake laughed at that, hard. I felt satisfied.
When he had recovered some, he gave me my answer.
"Well, your demon spawn father can read minds." Jake said it like it was the final answer, but I was still thoroughly confused.
"Yeah, but, that still doesn't exactly explain…" I trailed off as we made eye contact again, his gaze enough to shut anyone up.
"Nessie, he can read my mind. He knows what I was thinking earlier." Now he had this smirk on his face that was distracting me from everything else.
"What were you thinking earlier? And why did it make my father so mad?" Jake slid closer to me ever so slightly, that evil smirk still on his face.
"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you," he said, chuckling. "Just know that it made Eddie very, very angry." I rolled my eyes, annoyance and curiosity taking me over. Well, and attraction to this stupid dog.
"Jake, tell me! You can't lead me in like that and then not tell me!" I was so curious that I thought the feeling would eat me alive if I didn't find out soon. I slid over to him until I was practically in his lap and tugged on his shirt, forcing him to look at me.
"It's not nearly as exciting as you think," he said, smiling down at me. I rolled my eyes at him, causing him to wrap his arms around me in a bear hug. I laughed at his weak attempt to dissuade me from finding out. I was also enjoying him holding me, but I wasn't going to let that be known. I smiled at him, squirming in his grip as he tickled my sides and made me laugh so hard my eyes started watering.
"Stop trying to distract me and get on with it!" I said, still laughing and choking at the same time. He laughed at my current state, releasing me from his grip.
"Ok, fine. I was just thinking about… you. In, like, a romantic way. Just, being with you like that. Not anything bad really, just kissing you and holding your hand and things like that." His cheeks were red and he refused to meet my gaze, but my heart was still hammering. He let out a short laugh. "Um, Edward didn't like that."
I beamed at him, immediately wrapping my arms around him in a hug. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
"Jake, that's one of the sweetest things you've said to me." My hands found his hair and I ran my fingers through it, smiling again as he pulled me into his lap. My heart was racing, and I wasn't sure if he had actually just confessed his feelings for me or not. But he was smiling, so I took that as a good sign. I also decided to take the initiative by kissing him on the cheek, my lips lingering a few seconds longer than they needed to. "I'm lucky Edward hasn't read my thoughts," I said, my voice coming out in a breathy whisper.
Jacob's brow arched and he smirked at me, making me immediately regret saying what I'd said.
"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" I cringed at the question, although I knew it had been coming. Jacob leaned into me, making it close to impossible to form any type of coherent sentence. He breathed on my neck and I instinctively pressed against him, gripping his t-shirt in my hands until my fingers turned white.
"Jake," I breathed, trying to talk slowly so I wouldn't stutter. "I think we both know I've thought about having sex with you." His body tensed beneath me, and I swore his heart sped up. He let out a low moan, and I pressed my lips to his neck in an effort to satisfy my own growing needs. And no, I'm not talking about sucking blood.
"Fuck, Ness. Really?" His voice was low and his breathing was ragged, and his hands had found my upper leg under my dress. I nodded against him, trying to give him my sweetest possible smile.
"And not just sex," I added, feeling him up under his shirt. "But… romantic stuff, too. Holding hands and… kissing. Yeah, lots of kissing." I straddled his waist then, pushing him back against the seat. He was hard underneath me, and I ran my hands up and down his bare chest.
"Do you… do you want that? To kiss, I mean?" He sounded so sweet when he asked. He literally had a straining erection, but he was asking me if I wanted to kiss him. I smiled and cupped his face in my hands, enjoying his gentle touch as his hands trailed up and down my back.
"Yes, Jake." It came out as a whisper, and he responded immediately, pulling me even closer to him and placing his hands on my hips.
"I love you Nessie. I love you more than anything," he whispered, his lips barely brushing against mine.
"Jake, I love you too. So, so much." He moaned against my lips, making my whole body shudder. He wrapped one arm around my waist to keep me hoisted on top of him, but the other her used to run his hand all over my body. I bit my lip, trying and failing to stifle a moan of my own.
He kissed my chest first, on the skin exposed by my dress. I closed my eyes, my body completely relaxing against him. Chills ran up and down my spine as his mouth moved along my collarbone, his soft lips leaving a trail of warmth behind.
When he got to my neck, I had to grip his shirt again to contain myself. He felt so good. I had ached for him for so long that his skin against mine was absolute perfection.
I waited as his lips continued to trail upwards, finally reaching my cheeks. He moved agonizingly slowly, but I enjoyed every second we spent like this.
He kissed the very edge of my mouth and then pulled back, his lips hovering over mine. He moved his arms on either side of me, gripping the fabric on the seats.
"I'm in love with you," he breathed, his whole body shaking. I wanted him to know how much I loved him back. I wanted to show him.
"I'm in love with you, too." I smiled, my lips just barely brushing against his.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me.
His kiss was nice and gentle; his lips were warm and soft against mine. I pressed against him again, molding our lips together to deepen the kiss.
Our first kissed melted into two, then three, then four. I couldn't get enough of his lips, and I loved the way he moaned against mine.
He slipped his shirt off over his head, breaking our lip contact for a second. "Is this ok?" He asked; his cute lips were red and swollen. I brushed my fingers against them and nodded.
"Yes," I breathed, kissing him lightly again. "I love you, Jake." He smiled against my lips now, and I moved my hands eagerly across his chest, feeling the muscles I'd dreamt about. "Sorry, I feel the need to tell you every five minutes."
He laughed, kissing my forehead and rubbing my thighs. "I love you too, Nessie. I feel the same need." He kissed me again, more urgently this time. I guided his hands up under my dress, and Jake continued moaning my name and "I love you" against my skin until light started breaking through the clouds.
My god, prom night really did turn out to be the best night of my life.