Note: Hello! Happy Holidays! Sorry for the delay, as you all well know, it's the Holiday season, so a lot has been happening. Very little time for the computer, but I'm hoping this chapter makes up for the absense? Between Christmas and New Years, I've been able to get a night to fix up this chapter and get it posted. On to the next chapter after this! (I'm hoping to get the next one out before the year is done) In this chapter, I decided to bring a little lightness into their lives, only if for a night. ;)
(I also had an awesome thought of Jake and Diana spending Christmas together and inviting Cassie over since she'd be alone too. Jake sipping eggnog spiked with rum on the couch with Charlie Brown Christmas playing in the background making fun of the crap he didn't notice as a kid as the girls decorate a tree and Cassie going to bed early and Diana making excuses to snuggle up with Jake on the couch with Frosty the Snowman playing as she sleeps and Jake finding simularities between him and Diana's relationship with a cartoon snowman and I just have a lot of feels for this show/this couple I'm stopping 'cause I'm so dumb. Sorry, not sorry.)
Shut up, he wanted to tell her.
She had completely blindsided him, and he knew that was why he was so pissed off; so helplessly upset and sick in his stomach over it.
He liked her; had feelings for her and he hadn't even seen it coming.
Chapter Ten: Midnight City
He was about ready to walk in and pull the damn girl out of class when he finally saw her walking out, shuffling papers between in her binder as she walked forward. Other kids were doing the same, though most of them screaming and yelling and jumping all over the place. It was too bad the girls, and even Adam, couldn't be as excited as the rest of the idiots in the school. Because while they were still teenagers, they had the responisibilities of adults.
In midstep her head lifted and her features went from one emotion to the next, her legs slowing as she grew closer.
He had been there the day before as well.
It was just Wednesday night when he'd left after cooking a meal at her house, Melissa declaring to spend the night leaving him to follow Cassie home. And that was exactly where him and Cassie had put some things together. The secret Diana held plagued him like no other, and he was determined to find out what exactly her and Cameron had been so adament about keeping away from him and the rest of them. Now it was only a matter of time until he actually brought it up. Which was only partly why he'd been standing outside her school, waiting for her at the end of the day.
Wednesday night, he'd brought it up with Cassie, hoping for a further opinion than the ones he'd come up with all on his own.
"Well, if it's not about the circle, and it's something about you, do you think it could be because you could ruin some important event?" Cassie had asked him, standing on her porch as he faced her on the walkway in front of it.
Jake shrugged, shaking his head in absolute frusteration over the whole thing. "Or they're trying to avoid an event?" He blew out air through his mouth, the cold night allowing him to see his own breath. It was nearly summer, yet the nights were still freezing.
"Maybe you hurt someone and they're trying to prevent it?"
"Or someone hurts me."
It was just a suggestion, but as Cassie's blond head turned, so did Jake's and they stared at eachother. Both of them knew the answer, but Jake couldn't find the words to actually say it.
Cassie shuffled uncomfortably on her feet. "Could it- Could you...die?"
Thursday afternoon had consisted of Jake waiting outside the school, inside of his truck instead of out of it like he was now. If she had to be at work, then he was going to be there if no one else could, and since Cassie held her own job, and with Faye's absense, Melissa had been following her around as of lat, so he felt he was the last viable option to-
"I told you not to babysit me like this. You look like-" She stopped herself as she finally reached him, looking around them at the few guys and girls who'd caught them and were watching with growing interest.
He wanted to ask her what exactly she thought he looked like, but thought better of it. "I parked under the shade at least. I'm hidden enough." She gave him a face that made him turn away before he smiled too wide, opening the passenger truck door. He wasn't sure what it was that changed the fact that she used to annoy the hell out of him. Or maybe he knew exactly why she had turned from annoying to entertaining. "I told you before I left Wednesday night that if you were working, then I'd be lurking."
"Like a creep," she muttered before sitting up in the truck.
He glanced up just in time to see Cassie and Melissa give a small wave, more Cassie than Melissa, who was still confused and conflicted about having seen him parked outside the school just the day before. Diana mentioned it when he got inside, starting up the engine.
"Who cares?" He asked her flatly, putting the truck into gear.
Ethan had listened while Jake talked, explaining with a lame excuse as to why Jake was around for the second day in a row. But without much acceptance in his voice, Ethan seemed too tired to argue his hanging around Diana. Adam still wasn't talking to anybody and though it had only been two days since the last time anyone had seen Adam, it was leaving everyone on edge. Even himself. But Ethan looked like he was taking the brunt of it, dark circles under his eyes and a lack of an attention span. Diana practically hovered over him when he was actually around, aimlessly doing chores and picking up random items. Even waiting on tables and then leaving as soon as the customer left. He was practically a ghost.
Jake sat at the bar, eating the basket of french fries he'd ordered just to have something to snack on while Diana moved about the floor and behind the counter. His gaze would drift between her and everyone else, including the doors he could see and the windows that were in view. His whole body practically hummed, anticipating what was to come, and hoping that it wouldn't.
"You should try smiling," she said to him while walking back behind the counter, pouring ice water into a new glass which clanked against it as it filled.
He shoved a fry into his mouth and talked over it. "What?"
With a small smile of her own, she peeked around them at different areas just over his shoulders. "Believe it or not, you have girls staring at you. It wouldn't hurt to make friends. Get passed some of the old rumors?"
"I don't give a shit about rumors."
With a huff she put the pitcher of water back under the counter and stared right at him when she said, "And believe it or not, a smile looks good on you". At the last second before she walked away, he opened his mouth to show the chewed food on his tongue and she grimaced. "You're impossible," she muttered while walking away again.
"Likewise." His eyes followed the movement of her hips, swishing as she hurried to a table. The sound of her voice was too low to make out what she was saying to the people eating, but he could hear the bubbly tone of it. As he turned back, his thoughts were interupted by a face next to him which was smiling timidly. Like someone wanting to pet a cute dog, but not sure if it would bite or not.
He would.
"Uh, Jake? Do you- do you remember me?"
Jesus, really?
He shook his head once for a no, staring down into his basket of half eaten fries, hoping she wouldn't do something crazy like ask him out. In the past, he might've thrown out some witty remark, leaving her with a wink or a smirk, but now he was between rejecting her before she even had a chance of saying anything. In the past, he'd been amused by the few girls who had been brave enough to approach him. Now, all he felt was embarrassment.
"Oh, well I was in your Biology class Junior year. You helped me on a quiz?" The only thing he could remember about Biology, or science in general was that he was good at it. So good that Mr. Johnson had held him back after class to help some of the other students who were struggling. That was, when he actually showed up to school. He couldn't remember tutoring this specific girl even if he tried, but he didn't want to be rude at the same time. Nodding, he made brief eye contact before glancing around them. Before he could find Diana, the Biology girl was talking again, pulling his attention. "That test let me pass the semester and I didn't have to take it over again. I just wanted to say thank you. I mean, I know it's meaningless now, and you told me not to tell anyone you'd tutored me because Mr. Johnson made you stay after school with me-" He tuned her out the moment he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Diana eyed the girl more than she did him, a thoughtful crease between her eyebrows.
"...so thanks."
Jake looked at the girl, pausing on the color of her hair. It was a very light brown, curled and held back by some small clip things. Her eyes were wide and weren't on his for longer than the half of a second at a time out of nervousness. It was...sweet.
"You're welcome."
She went to speak again, but he took the opportunity to turn back to his fries, shoving three into his mouth at once, dusting the salt from his fingertips and she took that as her que to leave. A heavy sigh came as he settled back, his shoulders caving in just a bit, not wanting to be bothered again. She was sweet, but she wasn't-
"You'd be a lot more approachable if you actually smiled at them."
"Which is why I don't."
Diana's own smile had him staring at her mouth until she turned away, bustling to get more waters out to the tables.
When she came back around the counter, she dropped a glass she was about to fill and it shattered.
The resturant went quiet from the startling noise, all but the kitchen, and Diana instantly apologized to everyone around the tables. Jake was already up, heading back from the storage room after grabbing the broom and dust pan. Her hands reached for the broom and he gave it to her, bending down to pick up larger shards, holding the pan so she could sweep up as much of it as possible.
"That was a dumb move," she said mostly to herself.
"You work in a resturant. It's bound to happen."
"Everything okay?" Jake glared up at Wesley, the new graduate of Chance Harbor, due off to State in the fall. His unnecessary hand touched Diana's arm when he leaned his head over her shoulder to inspect the small mess.
"Balancing problems, Wesley?" Diana was quick to deflect what Jake asked before Wesley really had time to think about it, but he took his hand back regardless.
"Yeah, everything's fine," she rushed. "I wasn't paying attention and I dropped the glass."
He smiled at her. "Hey, it happens."
Jake stood to full height, his glare not lessening even when Wesley caught him; even when Diana caught him.
He shifted on his feet under Jake's scrutiny. "Um, I'm gonna get table six their food."
After a beat or two, Jake lowered again, letting Diana sweep the rest into it. Her voice low and rushed, he already knew this was an arguement neither of them were going to be right about. "I know we're all looking out for eachother, Jake, but you gotta stop acting like everyone's a suspect."
"Everyone's a suspect until proven innocent."
"Wes asked me yesterday when I got my coat from the back if we were dating."
Jake's back stiffened. "You and I?" He waited for more of explanation, but one wasn't coming. "So?" He snapped in impatience.
"So, I corrected him, but you acting like he's a natural born killer is obviously being taken the wrong way. He doesn't know why you're looking at him like that." And apparently, neither did she. Sure, Wesley was a suspect of sorts, but it was mostly that he just didn't like the guy. Not only that, but anytime he was around Diana, he couldn't keep his grubby mitts to himself. "He doesn't know what's going on, so basically... You basically seem like-"
Her words cut off when Jake stood, towering over her by a little less than half a foot.
"Like..." He waited for her to continue.
Blinking a few times, she seemed to gain her voice again and corrected herself. "Like a jealous boyfriend."
Slowly, Jake tilted his body around her, his arm brushing against her as he jerked the contents from the dust pan into the trashcan under the counter.
"What the hell does Wesley Richards care?" He remembered Wesley Richards. A couple of grades under his own. Some obvious jock with obvious good grades to go with obvious looks and an even more obvious well-rounded family with corporate connections to big cities.
The guy was a tool wrapped in a pretty little boy-next-door ribbon.
Her throat moved as she swallowed, lashes lifting to peer up at him. She was nervous, and that was a good thing. So long as she was nervous, she was affected by him. Uncharacteristically patient, he waited for a reply.
Her voice seemed a whole octive lower than it had been just a minute before. "I don't know. I just didn't like being asked."
With a scoff, he stepped back from her. "Town's resident bad-boy cramping your style, Meade?" The ghost of a grin came across her mouth and he frowned at her in confusion. "Why're you smiling?"
"It's just been a while since any of you have acknowledged that I'm a Meade..." He watched her grin fall, the spark in her eyes fade as she became serious again. "I didn't want it spreading around. It was more that I was worried I'd cramp your style."
When light poured into his vision, he squinted towards it, distracted by the response he'd been about to give. Adam came into view along with a taller person right behind him. When the face was noticable, fragments collided together, memories clashed, some sort of eruption went off in his brain that shot all the way down into his fists; the burn in his knuckles for the lust to come in contact with something hard at a fast pace.
And that very face recognized him too, though it seemed to be in much different spirits than his own.
"Well, if it isn't one of the hunters..."
Diana spun around, her side hitting against Jake when she backed up seeing who it was.
"The fu-"
"Now, now... Not in front of the lady."
"Adam?" Diana's voice was low, as if she were trying to keep Jake or the other one from hearing it.
Slight recognition filled Adam's eyes before they glazed over with an indifference towards her that had Jake glancing down, just to see her pained expression. He should have known with Adam acting as he had been, that his snake-like ways would land him a snake charmer.
"Armstrong, was it?" Kline asked him, his pressence came with a rattling in Jake's head. "Couldn't finish me the first time, so you decided to follow me here?"
With a difficulty, Jake finally spoke, though it was through his teeth. "What are you doing here?"
"Heard this place had the best grilled salmon in town," he shrugged as he stood before the counter, thankfully not moving behind it. "I got hungry."
"You need to go."
"A threat already? Come now, I thought we were passed that?" Kline lowered his voice then. "You tried to kill me, I tried to kill you... We're over it, right?"
"Why are you here, Kline?"
His smirk turned to Diana and Jake faught against himself to keep his hands off of her; his every instinct telling him to push her behind him. If he showed any further interest in her than what might have already been seen, it was only a matter of time before it was used against them. Showing a weakness would be the worst thing he could possibly do in front of this guy. And his greatest weakness at the moment was Diana.
"Aren't you the ever popular girl..."
Despite him trying to keep an unreadable face, Jake frowned in thought, not bothering to look at Diana. Kline's face was oddly partial to her already. Like he'd seen her before. Like he'd met her before. He seemed upset that she was even standing next to Jake. Like- Holy Hell. This was her half brother. This was John Jr.
The world was not so kind, he decided.
"Small world," Jake announced to no one in particular.
"Adam, do you know who this is?" She asked him as if he didn't know and she was about to tell him. Jake and Kline both exchanged glances to one another. Both of them knew perfectly well that Adam was well aware. Diana was being hopeful, but he was sure she knew as well.
"John Kline. Fatherless kid with dark magic... I should have put that one together." Jake berated himself for not attaching the pieces together sooner.
His birth name was John Kline, but he was obviously named after his father. Another woman wooed into the dark talents of John Blackwell.
John's leering blue eyes moved from her to Jake, then back to Diana again. His ever-present smirk when looking at her had Jake's hands trembling. He formed fists at his sides, his nails digging into his palms.
It drew John's attention to him and he almost grimaced.
"Wait, are you- My God, you're in the Circle, aren't you?"
Diana's hand reached out to Jake's wrist, her fingers feeling as though they wanted to wrap around him, but he silently pleaded her not to, and he was left with cold air when her hand fell away from him. As a member of her Circle, naturally, she would be close to him and even more so when scared. To Kline, they were raised together in a circle of witches and it was normal to be such close friends. What Kline didn't seem to know yet was that Jake hadn't been born into it, much less that close to them to begin with.
Why hadn't Adam told him this?
"Fantastic!" Kline's hands clapped together loudly, finally gaining attention from a few patrons around him. "Witch turned witch hunter, turned witch again? You left home and came back, but I don't know the story..." Doing his best to stay casual, he knew Kline wouldn't be so radical as to actually do something in front of all the eyes that watched him now. Jake walked forward, resting his hands on the counter top, hoping he looked more relaxed than on extreme edge like he was.
"You come back for revenge?"
Those blue eyes narrowed, sheer menace dripped from his voice. Keeping the sound low that he actually had to lean forward into Jake's face. "I came for my sisters and to kill the last Circle that remained in the Northwest. You just happened to be here. I guess you'd call that a three-in-one?"
His hands burned to feel Kline's face beneath his palm, to slam his temple repeatedly into the corner of the counter and watch him drop to the floor in a bloody heap.
But he knew better. The guy was almost psychic when it came to others attacking him. He thought ahead of time - ahead of plan - figuring out someone's each and every move against him so he could easily deflect it. Jake had held his own for some time when him and the True Believers were tracking him and his circle down, but he wasn't able to for long. Kline had let them capture him only to get inside the very place they took witches back to before killing them, and he'd set the place on fire, leaving his own coven behind except for one, to wipe them out. Except for one. The one they'd seen him around the most. Blackwell had two kids from three different Circles. So the one he'd taken with him had to be another Blackwell. The one who hadn't died; Colin Reed.
Witches had elements, and Kline had discovered his long before he'd discovered how to use dark magic. Which made sense now that Jake had put it all together. He was a Blackwell, and the symbol on his palm had to have been there when he'd set fire to that wearhouse. Just as it was on Diana's hand, and on Cassie's. Just as it had been on Cameron's...
His eyes went from Jake straight to Diana, and his stomach tightened.
"Nice to see you," he said to her, his voice trying to sound soothing when all it sounded like was a slithering snake. "Always a pleasure, baby sister."
"I'm not your sister," she spat at him, almost making Jake grin. He wasn't sure why he felt a sense of pride going along with how she reacted to Kline, but he knew it upset the guy even further that she wasn't so keen on being at his side. Even bloodties weren't going to work on her.
What about Cassie though?
"I'll be seeing you again," he promised before strolling out. Diana raced behind the counter and before Jake could stop her, she reached Adam.
"What are you doing?" She whispered furiously through her teeth, holding onto him like he was some life line.
Jake stood back, watching Kline who stood by the door, his long peacoat made him look too much like his father, and Jake was once again kicking himself for not putting it together sooner. But it was the unblocked jealousy written all over his face towards Adam and Diana's exchange that had Jake staring at him, taking it into account.
Adam's eyes closed. "Let go, Diana."
"You don't know what you're doing. We're all worried about you! Your dad's worried about you!"
And just like that, Ethan's voice was heard from behind them.
"Adam?" Looking over his shoulder, Jake could see Ethan had paused before trying to rush forward. "Adam!" Yanking his arm from Diana's grip, Adam was out the front door, getting a smirk from Kline which made Ethan stop in his tracks. "No," he whispered under his breath in disbelief. Ethan had caught on a lot faster than the rest of them, but then again, he'd known Blackwell when he'd been just a teenager.
"Ethan Conant, I'm guessing?"
But Jake knew better than what Kline was making it sound like. He was trying to make it seem like he knew Ethan already. Like he knew his whole life story; like he knew everything about everyone already. Jake could see the unfamiliar, faked recognition in his eyes. He had no idea. He knew about them only from what Adam was filling him in with, and Jake finally realized the one thing he had over John Kline: full information.
Adam wasn't filling in on everything, and he had to wonder why. Especially considering the skull had so obviously turned him into a very different sort of himself. So what exactly was Adam planning that the rest of them were lost on?
He mentioned this much to both Ethan and Diana in the stock room, the door closed and locked for Ethan's own state of mind.
"I'm glad you're out of school now," he told Diana. "The less places you have to be, the better."
They'd had no choice but to tell Ethan...everything.
Between finding out Blackwell was Diana's father, to what he'd done to the Circle to get the girls fertile. What happened to Charles, and Nick's second death, and how Diana and Cassie had killed Blackwell themselves. He also told information that was new to Diana as well. That when he'd been a hunter, he'd hunted down the Circles of the Eastcoast, and one that included John Kline and Colin Reed, both of which were Blackwell's offspring. And Adam who'd made a new friend with the four other Blackwell kids, and a crystal skull they had no idea how to find and get back. This much he'd been actually hoping on an answer from Ethan about.
"The Elders are the only ones who'd know, but how does Dawn have any power back?"
Jake knew nothing of having her powers taken in the first place and looking down at Diana, who sat on the couch with her arms crossed over her stomach, looked to not know either. Ethan looked at him, his eyes squinting.
"How did you know so much about them?"
"About the witches? Because it's what we do, what Isaac did. It's easier to...take someone out when you know their life stories."
Silence.
Ethan stood up from beside Diana on the couch, touching his pocket that held his phone.
"Guess I'd better find out a few things. We were all stripped of our powers the day after after the boat fire by all the Elders. If Dawn has her powers back, there's a way for me to have mine, too. I need- I need to help."
Jake said nothing, but he nodded to him, knowing Ethan could plainly see the amount of understanding he had. A thought came to mind before he reached the closed door of the stock room.
"I know I screwed up in the past, and I'm not going to make excuses for what I did, but for what it's worth..." He looked towards Ethan, seeing him staring back. "I'm sorry." With a nod from Ethan, Jake continued before he could leave. "I know I have no place to ask this, but considering what's going on, I don't want any chance of Diana being alone while the...others, are in town." Ethan seemed to know what he was going to ask before he did, crossing his arms to face Jake without the air of a child like he normally had. Ethan had always been slow, in a way. Easy to take advantage of, and Jake had done just that. He felt horrible about it now, how it all had gone about, but there wasn't going to be a repeating of the past. And how he'd left had nearly landed Ethan bankrupt.
He could have said these things, to help settle of the air between himself and Ethan, but he didn't.
"I know I don't deserve it. The trust you had in me is no longer there, but..." His voice trailed before he took a breath. "I'd like to ask for my job back."
Silence hung heavy in the room and he could feel Diana's eyes on him, her mouth opening to say something, God forbid she even try to argue it. But she remained quiet, both of them hovering on Ethan's every breath at the moment.
He blinked and grabbed for the doorknob. "You start tomorrow. Same hours as Diana. And I'll kick your ass if you try any of the same bullshit you did the last time." Jake said nothing, instead nodding to let him know the whole thing was taken and accounted for. "I'm getting everyone out of here. Why don't you two close us down for the rest of the evening? I'm going to Dawn's."
"Ok, Mr. Conant." He gave a small grin to Diana, shutting the door behind him and his voice could be heard through the hall beyond the door as he told the people they were closing.
Jake looked back down at Diana, her small smile knowing.
"What?" He snapped to her, instantly annoyed.
"That was a nice moment you two had."
With a scoff, he sat down next to her.
"I was just trying for an easier way for us to keep in numbers. Melissa should get a job with Cassie."
"You sure you won't get sick of me? You can hardly stand me as it is."
He could feel his eyebrows pull together as he looked at her. She seemed sincere and it irked him like nothing else. "Is that what you think?" The sound of his voice was casual enough, but the question itself brought a whole other string of questions with it, muddying the mess of a friendship they already had. The lines on his side were blurring and he could almost bet they were doing the same on her end.
Or so he hoped.
The door opened and the air instantly became thick with regret and a longing to slam a fist into a face. Wesley cheered, making his way to Diana, but he stopped when he saw Jake. "Um, we get the rest of the night off..." His eyes left Jake when the glare was finally brought into view for him, and Wesley's baby blue eyes shot to Diana. "Isn't that awesome? The rest of the night!"
"That's really awesome, actually. I can get home and get to sleep early."
He laughed at her as she stood, his height just the same as hers. Jake felt like patting him on the head. Or shoving said head into the wall right next to him.
"What? It's a Friday night! You should be out partying!"
"Uh, I don't do much partying anymore. Now I'm lucky if I get five hours sleep."
"You're like an old lady."
Her mouth opened at him in mock offense and he gave her what Jake guessed to be his most endearing grin. "I mean, a hot old lady. A cougar!"
Diana laughed and walked out of the room, making Jake stand up, moving to follow her out.
His voice was low so it wouldn't carry passed the door when he told Wesley, "You're an idiot."
Wesley said nothing in reply, Jake guessed he agreed.
After turning all the lights off and locking up with the spare keys Ethan had given her, Jake walked beside her to his truck, looking around them for movement. Wesley had already left ten minutes before, having some club event to get to, after he'd learned Jake would be working with them. Of course, his hours were mostly different from Diana's. As were the other two, the bartender and the cook.
"You know, that place Wesley mentioned sounded fun." She was talking about some club in the city that his second cousin's best friend owned. Or something of the like, he'd only heard Wesley say club and watched Diana's face go from unsure to interested. "You need some fun."
He looked at her when she settled in the passenger side of his truck and gave her no sign of humor.
"Fun for me is getting you home cuddled up in your comfy little bed, having sweet dreams of bunny rabbits and flowers."
She grimaced at him, her eyebrows that came together formed lines between them.
"How the hell old are the girls you've dated?"
"Watch your hands," he said, slamming the door a little harder than it needed to be. Not seeming to mind, she looked down into her purse, fishing out her phone to check it when he got in on the other side.
"You didn't answer my question."
They'd pulled onto the main road, his brights on so he could see the sides of the pavement they drove on. He wasn't taking any chances of not being able to see anything. "What question is that?"
"How old are the girls you've dated?"
With a shrug, he actually answered her without some change-of-subject witty reply. "Couple years younger, few years older. But I don't think it would be considered actual dating."
"Gross."
"You asked."
"You've never wanted to date someone? You know, dates? Movie and dinner? Walk her home? Kiss at the door?"
Rapidly growing uneasy by the second, he shifted in his seat as he drove. "I've never met someone who I felt I wanted to see and hang around everyday."
"Everyone meets someone. You'll meet your someone and then you'll be proven wrong on all your misconceptions on what a relationship is actually like."
"Really..." He made sure the sarcasm wasn't lost in the sound of his voice. When he pulled onto her street, he couldn't help the question that lingered there, burning on his lips. "Is that what you found with Grant?"
She was completely silent until he turned off the truck, unbuckling himself though he didn't bother getting out. He truly wanted to hear her response. He hardly noticed Cassie's car that was parked in front of Diana's on the other side.
"It's what I thought I had with Adam. What I thought I could have had with Grant, but...the timing's never been right with either of them. Grant was as close to something normal as I could get to, and I guess I kind of latched onto him really fast because of it." He looked at her, seeing her picking at the nail polish on her fingernails. "It's my own fault. I'm not as exciting as Cassie is for Adam, and I'm not stable enough for Grant."
Before he could say anything to her, she pulled the handle and opened the door, sliding out just as he got his own door open.
"Who's staying the night?" He asked her, watching as she unlocked her door. When it opened, she started saying something but the sound of giggling drowned her words. Jake quickly stepped up, walking in right behind her, and closing the door to lock it. He knew that sound. It was Faye.
"Hello?" Diana called out, not bothering to mask the fact that she was highly confused.
Two girls came out, Faye made a face when she saw Jake there, but Melissa bounded down the steps, grabbing Diana's hand.
"We're doing something crazy tonight. Faye and I made a pact, and we're sticking to it. All four of us."
"All four of who," Jake asked, trying to get answers from a bunch of rowdy, girly teenagers. Cassie peered at the top of the stairs, giving Jake an apologetic grin.
"Girls only, Jake. You can leave," Faye waved her hand after flipping her newly curled dark hair over her shoulder.
"We've been staying in numbers lately, Faye." Instead of giving an annoyed glare to Diana, Faye's eyes brightened as well as the rest of her face. "Oh! That makes Jake the designated driver then! Good call, Di."
Jake could see the disapproval of the nickname on Diana's face as Faye tugged her to the stairs. "Just where the hell do you plan on going, which you're not, by the way."
Melissa finally looked at Jake, her sneer not wavering in the least. Even with him glaring down at her. "Out," she said to him plainly, watching Faye head up the stairs to leave the job of getting Diana upstairs to Melissa. He had a sharp feeling that came over him to pull her out of Melissa's reach.
"Let's go dancing or something." Faye suggested, leaning on the banister over the entryway.
"There's no where to go dancing around here, Faye." Despite her having said that, Diana actually looked slightly interested in where they were going with all of it. As any normal girl would, but they weren't normal. He didn't know how many times he'd have to constantly remind them of this before it finally got across.
"Ugh! The town we live in!" Faye shook a fist to the ceiling in over dramatics, looking back at Cassie who was actually almost laughing at the whole scene.
Jake realized he was on his own with this and squeezed his eyes shut, sighing heavily. He pinched the brim of his nose, hating to admit to himself the fact that this was the one time he actually wished Adam was around. At least he'd have someone else not approving. When a hand touched his wrist, trying to pull his hand from his face, he knew exactly who's eyes he'd see.
Diana smiled softly up at him, her eyes trying to coax him along with that gentle grin of appriciation.
He forced himself to recoil and she let her hand fall, turning away from him as her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment. Faye noticed their small interaction, eyeing Jake rather than to stare at Diana.
He knew she saw. Just by that small move, he'd made himself obvious and apparent to her.
She knew.
"Wait!" Diana called out, thankfully pulling everyone's attention, but he wasn't thankful the moment she spoke. "I know someone who's cousin's friend owns a nightclub. It's a Friday night. We could get there by ten or eleven depending on how fast we can get ready and leave. We'll dance until it closes and be home before the sun."
"Perfect!" Melissa practically screamed, looking up to Faye who was looking apprehensive.
"Who?"
"Wesley Richards."
"Wesley Richards? As in quarterback, captain of the football team, Wes?" Faye's grin grew, looking to Jake who probably looked about as thrilled about the name as Faye was at seeing he'd walked into Diana's house right behind her. "Well?" She threw a hand out to Diana, suggesting action from her. "Get to callin'."
With a quickness, Diana reached into her purse and dialed a number he knew was going to be Wesley's.
"Hello?" He called out impatiently. "Does no one remember the fact that we've got witches trying to kill other witches? And you girls wanna get dressed up like some bad Britney Spears video and go dancing at some club that plays Bieber Bros and Justin Jonas?! Are you fu-"
"Wesley? It's Diana...yeah! Hey, I have a couple of friends interested in dancing tonight...is that offer still up?"
He had no idea how he'd gotten pulled into this. He was about ready to yank his hair out. When she had gotten off the phone, a text came through for directions and all the girls ran upstairs to get dressed and ready. All but Diana who looked up at him with wide eyes.
"You need to get out too, Jake."
He groaned. "Just...go get dressed. Let's get this night over with."
With a fast kiss to his cheek, making him jerk with the movement, Diana was up the stairs just as fast as the girls had went. Faye's voice carried down, talking about how she'd brought a few different outfits and something Melissa had. Diana mentioned Cassie borrowing something. "I have plenty of tiny dresses that could fit you." She had told her as they walked into her room. Something about showing off her legs was said and Jake had practically ripped the banister from the stairs at the very thought, still trying to reason with them while they giggled and talked over him.
He was nonexistent.
He groaned at the kitchen island, his leather jacket laying on the counter in front of him. It seemed like a distant memory ago that Cameron had shown up, claiming to be his one and only child he'd have in the near future. A week ago, Diana had left with him to his grandfather's, quickly warming the strange, isolated, old man's heart.
How rapidly things had changed...
It was a good fourty minutes before they finally came down. Faye was first, causing him to sit up as she pulled out a stool next to him, her heels high enough to allow her to sit down easily as a means to keep off her feet. The dress she wore was black. It had sleeves, though it was some type of mesh, see-through thing allowing to see her bra through it easily. She looked really good, and he told her so.
"Wow, not what I thought I'd hear from you, but thank you. Future reference though? Maybe say it without the depressed tone and face to match?"
"This isn't what I wanted to be doing on my Friday night."
"It's the least you could do for trying to kill us, right?"
He looked to the ceiling before looking at her. "There she is. I was wondering when your other self would make an appearence."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you trying to be the next Blackwell?"
He held his breath a moment, not quite comprehending that his thoughts were being said out loud to him, in Faye's voice nonetheless. Obviously, the moment she'd caught wasn't going to go without being brought up. It was probably worse that this was Diana; someone she'd always had some sort of self-competition with.
"I mean, all who's left is Melissa. Unless you're counting Nick's relationship with her part of your own plan?" After a short pause, she went on. "Seriously, Jake. I thought better of you."
"And you've never given anyone the chance to think better of you."
Her face dropped, the whole appearence thing going to shit because she'd been trying to mask what she felt. But she'd never been good at it, so it wasn't about to start right here. "I was pissed off with Cassie, but Diana? It's Diana, Jake. How far do you even think you have a chance with her?"
He should have known Faye would see his insecurities, she always did. Because her own matched his as well. Only difference was that Faye never felt much guilt.
"Didn't take long for you to get weakened by Cameron's words, huh? Let me fill you in on something though, Diana will never go for someone like you. You're too messy. She likes 'em cute, sensitive, romantic and non-criminal. You don't fit into any of those things."
Melissa's heels clacking against the floors as she walked up to them.
Standing, Faye adjusted herself and walked out. The sound of her heels receding as she did. When they became quieter, he settled, feeling absolutely defeated. Everything he thought was said out loud to him, making them all the more real.
"You have feelings for Diana, don't you?" And even after he'd been so damn rude to Melissa, she still tried to help in that sympathetic tone he could hardly stand.
He shook his head, mostly to himself. "Do I make it that obvious?"
Guess she wasn't the only one trying here...
"No, but Faye does."
He had only one question to ask. "Does she know?" Knowing perfectly well that he meant Diana, Melissa shook her head.
"I don't think she does. She's not stupid though, Jake. She'll catch onto it eventually."
The way she sounded made it seem like she was implying something. But he had no idea what it was.
"And then what?"
A shrug came from her tiny, bare shoulder. In a navy blue strapless dress that hugged her small hips. "And then being friends is gonna be difficult?"
He nodded, understanding though he really wanted to just drop the whole thing at that point. Talking about it anymore made him more uncomfortable than he normally felt. "I told you before, I don't want to be friends. I'm not like the rest of you."
"Yeah, you are. Or you wouldn't have gotten a job to be around Diana."
"Does she see it that way?"
"Not yet, but she asked us why we thought you wouldn't rather work with Cassie. She thinks it's because you feel guilty over Cassie and Adam having to end things to save your life."
Ah, that again. He said nothing about it and Melissa stared at him from the middle of the room.
"So, you did get a job there to be around her." It wasn't a question.
He shrugged, not wanting to talk about it, much less to Melissa. "I took one for the team."
She grinned knowingly at him and he grunted, letting his head fall forward.
He could hear Melissa chuckling as she left the kitchen.
An hour and a half and Wesley had met them in the back parking lot of the resturaunt on the other side of the corner where the club boomed. Lights outside the two story club lit the sky, the front entry jam packed with hoards of people. "Oh, Jake..." He'd tried to sound more surprised than unpleasently so, and Jake only wanted to tell him it was mutual for him. He didn't want to be there just as much as Wesley didn't want him to be. They'd taken Diana's father's car, Cassie sitting in the front with him in some little white number that was indeed, rather short. Her hair was straightened like it normally was, but her eyes had some smokey looking color around it, bringing out the intensity of her gaze. He wanted so badly to tell her to change. To have them all change. Preferably into some jeans and a baggy tee shirt. That was until Diana had come into view from behind her, with some deep purple thing that showed way too much leg and far too much pushed up cleavage. Her makeup was extremely light, her eyelashes long and full and pretty much the only thing besides the nude lipstick on her mouth to match her shoes. Her hair was down and curled tightly, bouncing around her shoulders.
He wanted to have enough hands to drag them all back to Diana's dad's car and shove them into the trunk, driving them that hour and a half all the way back home to Chance Harbor where they'd be forced to stay. But even so, he knew this was kind of a safer place to be. Around a city with a bunch of people everywhere. They could be taken from their homes a lot more simply. And in any case, they would have ended up doing something extreme had he refused. At least this way, he could be around if something were to happen.
"Ready to go?" Wesley said to them, offering his arm to Diana which she took.
Melissa, still trying to get into his good graces without his permission, grabbed onto Jake's arm to have him help steady her. It was either push her off or help her along and he chose the latter. Cassie walked with Faye, the two of them increasingly becoming closer and closer, despite all the odds against them. He supposed it was due to their likeness in having nothing in common anymore. That thing in common once being himself.
When they reached the doors, Wesley pounded on it five times in a certain rythm, turning to face them all. "Now, they check ID's with the bouncers at the front, so you're good on not getting checked at the bars. There's two on either side of the club. It gets crowded, so be careful. I'll be inside too, so..." He looked at Diana specifically, but made sure to look all the girls in the eye. "Save me a dance!" Faye cocked an eyebrow, biting down on her bottom lip in anticipation. Her excitement could probably be seen from space.
"Any problems, come find me or Tony. He's always in the back where the VIP tables are. That's my cousin's best friend. I know him. You have any problems and can't find me, go straight to the back where he is. He'll take care of you." The door finally opened, the sound pounding out like it had been contained and finally was released. A huge man with a bald head and a black shirt peered around them, his eyes hitting every one of the girls until he turned a small sneer on Wesley. Wesley patted his shoulder, but took it off when the man shifted his weight, straightening even more. "This here's Mike. He's nice. Aren't you, Mike?" The man didn't move, nor did he blink. Wesley frowned a bit before forcing a smile on his face again. "Other than that, have fun!"
Faye reached between Diana and Cassie to grab Melissa's hand, passing by Mike after giving a kiss on the cheek to Wesley who looked more than pleased. Cassie shrugged to Diana who'd frowned at her, both of them taking each others hands. Jake's hand reached out to Diana just as she turned to him, raising it as if she were about to grab him as well. It made them both pause for a second, staring at eachother, but Jake quickly recovered, pushing his mouth against her hair over her ear.
"You need to stay within distance of my vision. I mean it. I don't need you getting drugged and taken away where none of us can find you."
She turned her head slightly, a smile on her mouth which he stared at as she spoke.
"Then maybe you should dance with us."
Cassie eyed them, smiling delicately to Jake before she smiled even brighter to Diana. His one confidant was being taken hostage by her teenage rebellion.
He let Diana pull him along until a hard hand hit his stomach, stopping him from walking any further.
"ID?"
Wesley grabbed Jake's shoulder, looking at Mike directly.
"He's with me, he's ok."
Mike took a second longer before actually letting him go ahead. Jake jerked his shoulders, re-adjusting his jacket before walking inside. Diana reached out for his hand again, but he made a gesture, telling her to go along. Cassie waved quickly at him, the four of them already dripping one by one into the crowd. And holy shit was it crowded.
"Thanks," he said quickly to Wesley, peering at the shorter guy with his dress shirt on and super tight jeans.
Wesley only smiled, patting Jake's back. "Let's get a couple drinks, huh?"
"Not for me, I'm driving."
"Ah, designated driver, eh?" Jake looked around them, getting bumped by a couple of girls who took a bit longer in passing him to get to the bar to smile up at him. "For such a good looking guy, you don't seem to care for attention."
Jake said nothing, but he gave a small grin. He was trying, at least.
"Well, let's get me a drink then, and you some water..."
Her hips dipped, Cassie's head fell back. Faye's hands moved down her stomach to her hips, and Melissa's shoulders swayed. All three of them finally getting into a song after only two had played. It took a little while to get into the atmosphere of the place. The warmth, the smell of hot bodies, the grinding and everyone touching. But the girls found their own little spot, mouthing words to the songs they knew and getting into the feel of the beat. Everything around them vibrated beneath their heels.
"I'm already sweating!" Cassie yelled over the music into Diana's ear.
"I know!" She answered back. She was sure she'd be deaf by morning. "I can't even smell my own perfume anymore!"
"I'm thirsty!" Melissa yelled right on que, and Faye seemed to have already taken note on what they were talking about.
She leaned forward then, grabbing at any one of their hands she could first, which happened to be Diana's. After a moment, she let them go. "Let's get some damn drinks!"
"Woo!" Melissa cheered on, holding onto Diana's shoulders as Faye worked to maneuver them through the crowd. It was so packed, she doubted they'd ever find eachother again if they got split up, so she was sure to check behind her, seeing Cassie was holding onto Melissa just as she was holding onto Diana. They all piled against the bar, backside against stomach, and stomach against stomach. Uncomfortable, but reasonable. Faye was getting irritated that her looks weren't enough to get her service, so she lowered her chin, her eyes focusing on one bartender in particular. They were hustling around eachother, men and women. When he dropped his drink in the middle of filling it, his head turned towards her and he walked over robotically. She was using her solo magic to get them served, and for once, Diana didn't feel any protests rising in her throat. She smiled to Faye, though she wasn't looking at her.
"What can I get you?" The man asked Faye in particular.
"We'd all like shots. Vodka."
"Lemon drops!" Melissa squealed.
Faye nodded to the shorter girl, grinning back at the bartender. Fluttering her lashes, though it wasn't needed. "Oh, lemon drops..." All four of them had decided on paying their own ways, so with a lift of her wrist, Diana had her clutch in hand. It was nude and matched her pumps, the strap around her wrist secured in case she were to drop it. She pulled out money, putting down her share just as Cassie and Melissa did the same. Faye waited until all four shots were down before putting her money there too. The guy took it, winking to Faye before leaving, turning back to the mess he'd left with the plain expression as to not knowing how it had happened.
All four of them laughed, clinking shot glasses.
"To being some damn sexy witches!" Melissa yelled out over the music. It didn't matter. No one could hear them. They all cheered in unison, taking down the shots with ease. They were both sweet and sour, making the girls grin and look around at eachother. "One more..." Melissa said with a huge smile, causing Cassie to laugh at her. Cassie looked reluctant to any more being taken, but she didn't say anything to it. They all shot back another before deciding to squeeze through the gyrating bodies, continuing to dance as the high from the alcohol came.
It must have been a good hour later before she finally saw Jake. Diana grabbed Melissa's hand, pulling her along since they'd lost Faye and Cassie somewhere in the crowd. They'd all four been dancing with some guys when Melissa had urged Diana on to get another drink, and it sounded like a good idea to her. This was about to be her fifth shot, and she was deciding lemon drops might be one of her favorites.
"You look like a loner," Diana said into Jake's ear, making him jerk around to meet her face to face. He took in her flushed appearence and almost scowled, looking to Melissa.
"Where're the other two?"
"Dancing," Diana answered for her, looking down at his glass. "What're you drinking? You're supposed to be driving."
He lifted the glass, swivling the clear liquid inside. "Which is why I'm drinking water. Maybe you should do the same."
She shook her head no, grinning at him until she saw some bleach blond head peer from around him. Melissa stood behind her, trying to get to the bar to gesture a bartender over to her. The girl - woman - gave a small glare to Diana, looking her up and down. Her hand came off of Jake's shoulder she hadn't noticed was there until it dropped. "Oh, sorry," Diana quickly apologized. "I didn't know I interupted."
"Who're you?" Diana's eyebrows shot up, looking to Jake who looked mildly annoyed. The woman was obviously older than herself, but not by much. A ton of red lipstick on her mouth and fake eyelashes, along with some fake breasts to match in a red dress that looked like it was formed to fit her body. She was beautiful, and another woman who could be mistaken easily as her twin, in a black dress, stood next to her, chatting up Wesley who's eyes were on Diana, his smile growing when she spotted him.
She hadn't realized in coming here, that there would be women who'd notice just how handsome Jake was. She hadn't thought ahead of flirting with some guys and dancing and going home after a fun night outside of crazy-town. The fact that Jake was being talked to, bothered her. But what could she do? It wasn't her place to tell him to be careful that John Jr. could have possibly sent some beautiful demon from the deepest parts of Hell, to flirt with Jake and lure him somewhere to kill him.
Or was it?
"Sorry," she said again to the girl this time, a mock smile on her face. Jake stilled when she leaned against him, her chest touching his shoulder so she could be able to get her mouth near his ear without being overheard. "Be careful. John could have gotten anyone to infultrate us somehow, and since he saw you today, you could be first on his list."
He turned slightly, not much bother shown in his eyes. "Don't worry about it. She's just a regular girl, bored in a club."
She wanted to argue the girl part. This was a woman. A woman on the prowl.
"Who happened to come right up to you and want to fend me off?"
"She thinks you're competition. Of course she wants to fend you off. Have you seen you?"
Diana paused for a moment, not sure how to compute that in her hazed head. "Why would she choose you? There's literally a hundred other guys in here!"
Jake's frown turned more towards her then, the girl behind him becoming impatient, sipping at her drink from the black straw that was inside of it. That same color of lipstick was smeared on Jake's glass she noticed then. Had he let her have a sip of his water at some point? She grimaced.
"Am I that unattractive?"
"What?" Now she was confused. Between what he'd thrown out meant to be a compliment, and being drunk, and the girl's mouth which was on Jake's glass...
"Why would she choose me? That's what you asked. So now I'm asking, am I that unattractive that she wouldn't want to talk to me?" But he didn't seem upset that she'd said it. He looked...amused.
"N-No! I'm just- What is she doing here? It's suspicious!"
"It's not suspicious, Diana," he replied matter-of-factly.
"Oh?" She threw out with some sarcasm. She put one hand against the counter, right next to where his own was. Her other hand formed into a fist that she set against her hip. "What is it then?"
"I don't know." He stared at her from his little bar stool, the club bouncing around them. He seemed too still. Too steady for such a wild environment. "Why don't you ask yourself what it is, and let me know?"
Her arm was tapped, pulling her attention away as slow as honey dripping from a jar. When she finally turned, Melissa was offering her a shot. Melissa smiled to her as Diana grabbed the shot glass, clinking it against Melissa's and glancing to Jake who looked severely disapproving. Tipping it off to him, she shot it back feeling the burn waft into her nostrils. She coughed, setting it down against the bar top. "Jesus, what is that?" Her eyes watered, and her throat burned.
Melissa coughed as well, but she was smiling. "Cinnamon shnapps."
Diana took a moment to comprehend what was said and for some reason, it was funny to her and she laughed. She threw her head back, holding onto the counter as she felt her feet move without her concsiously doing so. A hand touched her back and she quickly calmed herself, a moan barely making it to her own ears as she settled against the large, warm hand. He looked worried and she shook her head at him.
"I'm okay." Her eyes moved from his to the woman beside him, his fingers splaying over the fabric of her dress, making her thoughts muddled.
Melissa gave no warning before pulling her along into the sea of people.
From there, things started becoming hazy. Her mind already had been, but before where she could hear the music, she was now feeling it. Like the sounds drank up through her veins and raced down to coat and cover her skin. A pair of hands grabbed her hips and she let it happen, feeling like at any moment the wind would pick her up and she'd float away. Her eyes opened to see Melissa with her arm up and around the neck of another guy. Cassie and Faye had managed to find them, but neither were with their own set of guys anymore. Faye held Cassie's hand, both of them swirving their hips from side to side.
And then something jerked her to the side, knocking her from her bliss.
Jake was there, his face stern and apointed to someone Diana couldn't see. She guessed she'd been dancing with someone he didn't like, and she was too happy to see him with her instead of that woman with the red lips and fake tits to repremand him on being rude.
She blinked slowly, smiling up at him as his mouth moved, saying something she couldn't hear. There was just no care in the world but the moment she was having right now, and she wanted it to last. There was nothing bad, and nothing hurt. Only the feeling of a lightness that wasn't granted in her everyday life. She touched her hands to his chest, willing her lips to move so she could tell him to dance with her - she wasn't even sure Jake could dance, but she wanted it to happen so badly that she willed it. It wasn't hard to reach her magic, even as buzzed as she was. He frowned down at her, a grin forming on his face even though he was obviously trying to fight against it and stay angry for whatever reason. He leaned down to her ear and she could finally hear him.
"Stop using magic on me..."
Her heart nearly lept into her throat. How had he known? He could feel it obviously, but how? Was he paying that close of attention? It didn't matter. She moaned, happy he coudn't hear it since he might take it the wrong way and run away from her. Her hands moved up to his shoulders until she reached his neck and pulled herself against him. It took a moment, but his hands finally, tentively, touched her back, tightening when he became used to the contact.
She wanted so badly to be able to form a sentence. To tell him she'd wait a long time if it meant him being comfortable enough to get close to her. They were friends, after all.
Her fingers played with the hair that touched his neck, finer than she would have thought, and a lot softer.
When he pulled back, she grinned up happily at him, her eyes lazy and barely able to stay open.
"We need to get you four out of here. I think you're done for the night."
Cassie actually snorted when Jake eased her down into the car. He'd told her to watch her head and right then, she'd smacked the back of it against the side before sitting down beside Faye who was close to passing out.
She snorted, and then said, "ouch". Regardless of her being the most sober, she was still influenced and a little more goofy when she was, he found.
He made sure there were no limbs or part of her dress in the way, and shut the door, looking to Wesley who was smiling as broadly as...he didn't know.
"Thanks for helping me get them out of there."
"No problem. Not many guys you can trust with girls like this," his eyes narrowed up at Jake. "If they trust you to get this way, knowing you're the one taking them home, I guess I can trust you to get them there safely?" He was teasing, but the implication that Jake would take advantage of any of them, even jokingly, bugged him.
"Screw you, Richards."
"Right, um, okay. Well, drive safe."
Wesley started walking off when Jake grunted to himself. The guy was only being as good as a guy should be. Watching out for these girls had only recently become a responsibility of his, as well as looking out for their best interests. "Hey!" He called out to the guy, getting a nod in return. "You too."
Wesley gave a wave, taking the hint as Jake hope he'd take it. That he might not be a nice guy all around, but he was trying to... He didn't know.
He sat down in the car and started it, glancing at Diana who's eyes were barely open in the passenger seat but she had a lazy grin on her face.
"You have a good time tonight?"
She nodded, yawning after.
"Good, 'cause it's not happening again. Not for a while at least."
She sighed, "I know."
All the girls slept at Diana's. Cassie, being the ever persistant, was wobbling on her own two feet, trying to get Faye into the guest bedroom to lay her beside Melissa who'd basically crawled into the house, giggling all the way until Jake had yelled for Cassie to stay by the car with Faye and Diana. No room for patience, he grabbed Melissa by the waist and hauled her up, getting a loud squeal from her as though she were on some rollercoaster. He plopped her on the guest bed, about to tell her to stay when he realized she passed out.
"Jesus."
He peeled off her shoes and raced back down the stairs, throwing his jacket to the side of the room before walking outside. He was needing a really hot shower after this long night. Annoyed and tired from driving, and confused by the strange and quick progression that had happened until actually arriving home.
Diana was already halfway out of the car when he walked out, seeing that Cassie had managed to pull out a giggling Faye. Her hand went up, beckoning Jake to her and on a sigh, he walked up to her and stopped.
"I'm not mad at you for liking her. It's just-" She paused, forcing her hazel eyes to widen. "You're my first love, is all."
Uncomfortably, and obviously not anywhere near as gone as the rest of them, Cassie made eye contact with him and Faye giggled again, letting Cassie take her away with soothing words, reteaching her how to walk, basically.
Diana shut the door behind her, breathing heavily. "I did it."
He was almost going to laugh, but decided better of it, grabbing her slim hips and ducking down to pull her so her waist would fall over his shoulder. Lifting, she gave out a grunt as he did so, turning around to walk easily up and into her house. Halfway up the stairs, she spoke.
"You did the same thing at the club," she hiccuped like a cartoon. "Your hand was on my ass."
"I was making sure your underwear wasn't showing to the rest of the people outside the club. You made it to the doors, but then you couldn't walk."
She hiccuped again and he set her down gently onto her bed. There was low giggling down the hall, Cassie's voice heard over Faye's calling out to whomever. Diana smiled and forced her eyes open as Jake pulled off her heels. Her legs looked incredibly long in the dark purple dress she was in, her toes were red from being in the heels so long. She looked tired and half drunk and absolutely beautiful and he wanted to just leave her there and gain a piece of mind elsewhere.
"What you did for us tonight...was really nice." She was slurring all the way, but he couldn't tell if it was more from the unknown number of shots she'd taken, or if was due to her being so tired.
"You would have gone if I had or not. It was safer this way," he admitted.
"You danced with me."
"No, I lingered with you. You weren't dancing either."
"I wasn't? I thought we were dancing?" Her voice sounded intoxicatingly romantic and soft. "Next time, we'll dance."
He swallowed down a grunt at the image that unwantingly popped into his head. "There isn't going to be a next time, remember? This was your guy's last fling. It's down to business now. You all have to start getting serious again."
"I didn't even get to have a fling." She pouted.
He froze, staring down at her. Her eyes were closed, her body opened to him as if she completely trusted him.
"Mmm, not a fling. I want something to feel as exciting as a fling, though. I want to be written in the stars for someone."
"Whatever." He stood up, forcing her words away. "You taking off your dress, or what?"
She frowned as she thought, pushing herself up from her pillows, and he wasn't sure what she was trying to do. That was until she pulled the straps from each shoulder and pushed them down, revealing the same colored bra as her dress, laced, which left little to his imagination and he scrambled over her, trying to stop her actions which she'd obviously taken literally. "Wait! I meant let me leave the room first!"
"So leave," she huffed out with difficulty.
He abruptly turned, swallowing hard as his heart jammed against his chest, hearing the fabric rustling together as she pushed it off of her body. A heel fell from the bed, clunking on the floor and he nearly gasped, his whole body reacting to the sound as if the shoe had actually hit him or something. He was jittery and nervous and he gave a great breath, raising his hands to his face to rub them over his eyes.
Her footsteps could be heard, but he was too afraid to turn around. The damn girl was probably naked, parading around her room behind him and he didn't know because he was facing the half closed door. "What're you doing?"
Then a series of bumps came, one deep and then one sounding like she'd fallen onto the floor. He turned, worried, seeing that exact thing had happened.
"Jesus Chr-" He rushed to her, bending down to grab her arms, seeing her shoulders shake as she cried. Only she wasn't crying. She was laughing so hard she couldn't catch a breath. Her hair covered half of her face, the rest lying around her shoulders and chest, almost covering her bra completely. He almost thanked the Heavens that she at least was still in a bra and underwear.
Almost.
She let him pick her up and he sighed, planting her against the wall, but she sprung off of it like a cat put in water. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Her body slammed against his and he tried his damndest to keep from noting how soft she was, and how warm, and how good she looked in just a bra and tiny underwear.
"S'cold," she replied, smiling up at him as if she had some secret he didn't know about.
He grunted at her, pointing to her bed. "Get in it. I'll find you something to wear." Not looking back, he walked to her dresser and pulled the top one open. To his horror, there was lingerie and a small box of condoms on the left side. He slammed it shut, hearing her murmuring something behind him, though it didn't seem important enough for her to be louder about. He opened the next, slamming that one shut too considering it was filled with sports bras and small work out shorts.
Nothing was getting his mind off of her body at the moment.
He opened the next, feeling a flood of relief at finding shirts. He grabbed the first one, tossing it to her. She fumbled with it, half leaning towards one side of her bed.
Walking over, he grabbed her shoulder to steady her, taking the shirt to unfold it. Once he was settled that she would sit straight, he bent down and made sure to keep his eyes off of her chest. And stomach. And her thighs.
"Lift."
She did as told, understanding to lift her arms up so he could pull the shirt down over her. He stretched it down over her, trying his hardest not to let his fingers touch her skin, considering he was going to have a hard enough time getting the image of her body out of his head as it was. Her head fit through the collar, her hair mussed over her face a bit as he adjusted the shirt over her hips. It wasn't big enough to cover her entire body, but it would have to do. Her arms fell down like it had been hard to hold them up and she blew air, trying to get the hair out of her eyes. He chuckled at her, awkwardly brushing it out of her face, then lifting her heavy, long strands from beneth the shirt to fall along her shoulders and down her back.
He could barely breathe.
"Lay down."
Once again, she did as told. She must've been drunk, because even though his voice was soft, it was a demand, and she was following. If she wasn't under any influence, she would have most definetly told him to go to Hell. She fought the comforter, letting him pull it back so she could scoot under it and lay her head down. As he set it around her shoulders, flashes came back of him doing the same thing at his grandfather's house. What a difference a week made. And yet, he was pretty sure it had been there all along. Dorment, waiting for a little push, a small nudge.
The nudge had been Cameron.
The touch on his arm made him look back over at her. Brown eyes dark and looking up at him, trying hard to focus.
"I don't want you to go."
That barely breathing thing became a nonexistent thing. He was pretty sure he had stopped breathing altogether.
"Don't do anything stupid..."
Jake frowned at her, not understanding what she was saying. That was when his and Cassie's conversation came to mind. He instantly went to his knees before her, seeing her turn to keep facing him, her hand pulling back from his arm. How the hell was he supposed to go about this whole thing? He figured spitting it right out was better than saying a bunch of crap to confuse her influenced brain.
"Am I gonna die, Diana?" Her head lifted the slightest, strands of curls falling across her chest as she moved to stare at him clearly.
"Don't try to save me. Ever. Do you hear me, Diana?"
"No," she practically whispered, like it was too painful to speak normally."I can't promise that."
Falling back, her eyes closed again and she moaned softly.
He swallowed hard, trying to get back to the point of why he was so close to her face.
"Is that how I die? Saving you?"
She wouldn't answer, but he was sure it had something to do with it.
Damn, but it was wrong to go about it this way. To manipulate her drunken state to get her to tell him some things. He wanted to keep talking, keep asking. He wanted to know what she really felt about him.
"Night, Diana."
Forcing himself to get up and move away from her, he heard her mumble something and he stopped to turn and ask what she'd said. Her words were clearer, but she wasn't any louder. Still, he heard her like a blowhorn from a boatyard.
"It wasn't suspicion. It was jealous- I was jealous..."
"You done in here?"
Like a cat, he jumped in the air, turning to the sound of the gruffed voice. Cassie looked like death.
"Uh, yeah." He muttered, moving out of the room.
She closed the door without even bothering with a goodnight, but it didn't matter. Jake grinned to himself, feeling like something had lit him up from the inside. She had admitted to being jealous. A huge step in his book.
Now all he needed was for her to realize it and say it sober.