One week later…
(Andi's POV)
I felt myself slowly returning to consciousness as a warm ray of late-spring sunlight shone on my face. I squinted my eyes shut tightly, yawning and stretching my arms out over my head. I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and sluggishly standing up. Once my vision was clear, I glanced around to see the room empty. I raised an eyebrow, wondering where Jax was. He usually hung out playing his Xbox when he woke up before me.
Ahh, yes. Jax, my boyfriend. I still grinned stupidly every time I thought of him. I finally had a boyfriend for the first time in my life and it was Jax freakin' Novoa, the guy I hated more than anyone else. Or, used to hate. Ever since we officially started 'dating' last week, he's been nothing but sweet and kind. He wakes me up each morning by kissing me gently like the world's most beautiful alarm clock. He brings me flowers and cuddles me at night, even though it's cliché. I didn't care how cheesy it was, damn was it nice. I cared about him and he cared about me. It was simple and pleasant. And every time his lips met mine, all common sense drained from my mind and I focused on him, nothing but him. Nothing but his devious smirk, soft black hair, and gentle hands. His thick accent, deep chocolate-colored eyes, and his bad-boy attitude that covered his truly sweet, romantic personality. I don't care if I am turning into a lovesick puppy like Emma, now that I've experienced love, I've realized it's totally worth it.
I noticed my iPad was on my lap still. I must've fallen asleep while playing it again. I clutched it in my elbow and slowly trudged down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Mrs. Novoa was at the stove, sprinkling spices into a large pot of what appeared to be soup.
"Morning," I muttered groggily.
"Good morning, dear," she replied joyfully, not even looking at me.
"Where's Jax?" I asked, opening the fridge and grabbing an orange from the door.
"He left about half an hour ago. Said he had to go pick some things up from the store."
"Oh, okay." I replied slightly disappointed. I shrugged, biting into the citrus fruit in my hand.
Mrs. Novoa turned around, placing a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "It's alright. Jax told me about your mother and your past and I know how much he cares about you. I just want you to know that you'll always have a place in this household."
I smiled gently, happy to know Jax wasn't the only one who was there for me. "Thanks, Mrs. Novoa."
"Please, call me Caitlyn." She took a step forward and wrapped me in a kind, motherly hug. I stood frozen in surprise for a moment before reciprocating the gesture. Caitlyn pulled away and smiled at me before returning to her recipe.
"I'm making my famous homemade chicken soup if you're hungry. It should be done in about two hours."
"Alright," I replied, taking my orange into the living room where Jax's uncle Mason sat watching 'The Price Is Right'. I sat down on the recliner and he simply smiled at me, nonverbally welcoming me. Once I finished my orange, I laid back and turned on my iPad, lazily playing SurvivalCraft. I only did so for about twenty minutes before I got bored. I chewed the inside of my cheek awkwardly. I'd never realized how boring my life was without Jax. Or my chainsaw. I thought about playing Halo upstairs, but I kind of felt bad about always hiding up in Jax's room and never interacting with his family members. They were taking me in out of the kindness of their hearts. The least I could do was talk to them!
"So…" I croaked out awkwardly. Damn me and my anti-social personality, I thought. Jax's uncle's gaze left the TV and rested on me, as if he was waiting for me to continue. My eyes darted across the room for something to talk about. I felt relief wash over me as an old-school NES caught my eye from under the TV stand. "I see you have an NES down there."
He chucked. "Yeah, I do. When I was a kid, the NES was the shit. Had the same one since college." He gazed into space and from the look on his face, I could tell he was reminiscing about his past. I smiled. Jax's family was just so pleasant to be around. He shook his head and turned back to me. "I'm surprised a joey like you knows what that is. It's all about the Xbox One and the iPhone Six these days."
"My dad has an old NES, too. We used to play together ever since I was little. He could always beat the hardest of the original Mario levels and I loved to watch him play through once I lost all my lives. We played everything together, from Mario to Qix to Zelda. Oh, and how we loved Super Mario 3. He even let me play Mortal Kombat, but we had to do that in secret because my mom didn't want her six, going on seven-year-old playing such a 'bloody abomination of a game.' Even after my parents got divorced, I loved visiting his apartment. We had the same routine every time I came over. We'd play together while snacking on Cheetos because he knew my mom didn't let me eat them at home. When we got bored of video games, we'd watch Spongebob and Judge Judy while munching on microwave popcorn until my mom called, furious that he hadn't brought me home yet." I felt myself staring off into space just like Mason had, reminiscing about the 'good old days.' Tears began to accumulate in my eyelids as I remembered all the good times we had together, but I blinked them away quickly and snapped back into reality as Jax's uncle laid a hand on my shoulder much like Caitlyn had.
"I'm sorry, Andi. I know you've been through some rough times. How 'bout we play a round of Super Mario 3 for old time's sake?" he asked in his Australian accent that was even thicker than his nephew's. I grinned, finally feeling like I was back to my old self.
"You're going down!" I retorted cockily as I grabbed the player two controller. As he turned on the TV and inserted the game cartridge, he matched my attitude with a confident, playful smirk that reminded me of Jax. W
"I've been playing this game since 1988, sweet pea. I'll crush ya faster than you can say tanooki suit!" We settled on the floor as the game loaded.
"Oh, you're on!" I shot back as we started the game. We took turns playing levels like normal, focusing on the game more than ever. Every so often I added in superfluous jumps, moves, and trick shots just to show off and impress Mason. He knew well what I was doing and purposefully ignored my futile attempts. I had a plan to trick him into a corner. I was going to grab the hidden whistle in the first castle and surprise him. Then when it was my turn again, I'd use it to jump to world 4. Being just as competitive as me, he'd naturally use his whistle (He'd gotten the one hidden in stage 3 and claimed he was saving it for the hard worlds) and then not have it for the harder levels later on. It was genius!
I smirked evilly, trying not to let my confidence show. I decided to beat a stage that wasn't required rather than move on. I knew he'd match my gesture and I'd have the perfect chance to run straight into the castle. However, the tables turned as he moved straight to the tower rather than the other unnecessary stage I expected him to challenge. I watched in horror and awe as he flew right through the stage, grabbing the raccoon tail and flying right to the hidden whistle.
"Ha! Got 'cha! Did ya really think I wouldn't pick up on your little plot? I know all the secrets of this game, darling." he spat victoriously.
I glared back at him, fire in my gaze. "That's it, I'm gonna crush you!" I yelled.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?"
"You aren't that old!"
An hour and a half later, we were both in world six, teasing each other like squabbling siblings. I elbowed him in the rib as he made a snide remark about my careless death from dashing head-on into a chain-chomp.
"Like you've never died foolishly!" I retorted.
"I haven't!"
"Oh, puh-lease. You didn't come home from the hospital knowing how to play Super Mario 3!"
"Of course I didn't. This game didn't come out until I was twelve!"
"Oh, that's cl-"
"Children, please!" a voice called from the kitchen. "The soup's ready, why don't you two pause that nonsense and come eat?"
"Can't we eat while playing?" Mason replied in a whiny, childlike voice.
"No," came the simply reply. We paused the game and dropped our controllers, going to the kitchen.
"I'm just kidding, babe," Mason said as he kissed wife on the cheek. The gesture reminded me of my significant other. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing at the store that could possibly be taking so long. It was already 5 o'clock…
Suddenly, my mind drained of thoughts about Jax as Caitlyn set down a bowl of chicken noodle soup right in front of me on the kitchen table. I licked my lips, sitting down and staring at the food ravenously. I hadn't eaten anything but an orange today; I was starving. I grabbed a spoon and dug in.
I laid back on the floor, my heart racing. Mason had just beaten the final level of the game as small Mario without a single power up.
"Wow," I panted. "You're a legit Mario champion."
"You bet I am. But I will admit, you did give me a good run for my money. Maybe in a year or two you'll be able to match me."
"Or maybe a few months if I practice," I challenged playfully. He chuckled, patting me on the back and switching off the console.
"Run along kid, Jax'll be home soon."
"He better be!" I replied with a laugh, slightly serious.
I walked up the stairs and went into Jax's room, collapsing on the bed. I pulled his soft navy blue blanket up to my chin. I settled in, turning on th TV. I glanced at my watch. It was seven o'clock! Where was he!? I tried my hardest to stay awake for Jax's return, but I couldn't I was exhausted from playing Mario for hours and my stomach was full of warm soup, so I let myself go and slowly faded into sleep.
I woke up about twenty minutes later to the sound of a motorcycle. I sat up immediately. I knew immediately that it was the Wildcat I knew so well. I jumped up and stared out the window like a dog whose master had just returned. I say my badass boyfriend riding up the street at top speed, one grocery sack and a little white paper bag around his arm and felt very mixed emotions. One side of me was ecstatic to see him while the other side was pissed that he had been gone all day and had nothing but two bags to show for it.
I watched him closely, pressing my face against the screen of the open window and taking a large noseful of the cool late-spring air. He parked in the driveway, pulling off his helmet. He had an excited smile spread across his face. I raised an eyebrow, surprised. Jax really wasn't the type of guy who walked around with a stupid smile on his face, so I was a bit concerned. I heard the front door open and his aunt and uncle say something to him. The sound of a plastic bag crinkling filled the house and then faded as quick as it had come. I sat back down on the bed. There was something seriously weird going on here.
"I'm fine, Aunt Caitlyn! Andi's upstairs, right?!" Jax yelled. From the sound of his voice, he was nearby. I listened as his boots struck the stairs rapidly. He popped into the room quickly and dashed straight to me. He sat on the bed, wrapping me into his embrace. He leaned in and his lips met mine. I grabbed his shoulder, trying to push him off. Questions first, kissing later. However, he was much stronger than me and held me to him. I couldn't deny how good it felt to have his body touching mine again. As soon as he pulled away, I stared at him acusingly.
"Where have you been all day!?" I yelled.
"Buying things!" he replied overenthusiastically. I pushed him away from me.
"Okay, what is wrong with you today? You disappeared all day to go shopping, which doesn't make any sense because you're a wizard, and now you show back up acting all weirdly happy and affectionate with a creepy-ass smile on your face. What is going on!?" The smile vanished from his face and he glanced with an expression similar to that of a kicked puppy.
"I didn't cast a spell because this is something special I had to buy. You mean so much to me, Andi. Before, you said you hated me because I always used my spells when you had to work hard for things. I wanted to prove that I can change."
"Jax…" I whispered. "That's so sweet." His crestfallen look perked back up to his usual smirk.
"Close your eyes and turn around," he said. I complied, my heart racing. I heard the paper bag rustle and then suddenly felt cold metal around my neck. He pulled my hair out of the chain and turned me around.
"Open them." I did so, looking down and gasping. Around my neck was a beautiful silver chain holding a shining ring with tiny imprints around the outside. I looked closely to see the imprints as tiny wolf and snow leopard heads with faintly etched trees in the background.
-Flashback-
Jax pulled away from my lips, chuckling slightly.
"You make me so happy," he whispered.
"I can't believe I somehow managed to turn Jax 'The Bad-Boy' Novoa into a romantic softie," I teased.
"Hey! I've done my fair share of evil things to balance it out. And you're turning into just as much of a romantic softie as me," he retorted.
"I am not!"
"The old Andi Cruz would rather eat broken glass than make out with a guy, especially this one. And look at you now; you can't keep your hands off me." I laughed, remembering how much different I had been before I fell for Jax.
"True, true, and true. But how am I supposed to help myself with a sweet-talking hottie like you running around?"
"So you admit you're becoming a softie?"
"The day I die will be the day I admit I'm a softie."
"It's nothing to worry about. We're two of a kind. You're a lone wolf and I'm a snow leopard. Both of them are lone, solitary creatures who live on their own and take care of themselves. But now that we're together, we're inseparable."
"That's beautiful. I want a t-shirt or a ring that says that. Yeah, that what I want my wedding ring to look like…" I said, fantasizing about jewelry inscribed with such a wonderful analogy.
"Your wedding ring, huh? So you want to marry me?" Jax asked, picking up on what I said. My eyes widened when I realized my mistake.
"No no no no no no no! I uh- I meant that it-"
"Admit it, you've thought about marrying me!"
"No, you've got it all wrong!" Jax jumped up from bed, opening the window.
"Andi wants to marry me! Hey everbody, Andi wants to marry me!" he shouted out. I shot up, covering his mouth with my hand. He fell to the ground, still shouting. That turned into a wrestling match that quickly evolved into an intense make-out session. Jax held my hands above my head, playfully nipping my neck. We pulled apart just in time for his aunt to walk in on us giggling stupidly on the floor, Jax's upper body laying on top of me. She looked at us like we were psychos and left, shutting the door firmly behind herself.
As soon as she was gone, Jax turned toward me, eyes sincere and loving.
"I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too, Jax."
-End Flashback-
I stared at the beautiful ring in awe. I looked up at Jax who was smiling adorably.
"I may not be able to buy you a wedding ring just yet, but I can get you a promise ring," he said, pulling a matching ring out from under his shirt. "Look at the inside," he added, fingering the chain around his neck. I flipped the ring to see two familiar words engraved next to each other around the inner silver. It read, "unvergesslich" and right next to it, "незабываемый." The words both meant 'unforgettable' in German and Russian, respectively.
"Jax….." I spoke, unable to form any other words. "I….. I love it….."
"I knew you would." Everything about the rings were just so perfect. The animals on the outside and the words in foreign language because I took German and he took Russian. He must've spent hours at the jewelry store in town waiting for the engraving. He spent his whole day having these made for us. I was speechless. I stood up to wrap my arms around him and let myself go, sobbing into his neck. I couldn't comprehend how amazing this was.
"Jax," I whispered through sobs.
"Mhmm?"
"Never take it off."
"I had them waterproofed specifically so we could shower without taking them off." He sat down on his bed, holding me in his arms.
"I love you, Jax."
"I love you too, Andi."