Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but don't worry, I have been actively working on GD. It's just that I'm also working on a secret project that I can't tell you about yet, so I've been putting down ideas for both GD and the secret project. Here is the most recent chapter! I know you've been eager for more. I promise that I won't be disappearing for another 6 or 7 months like last time. The end of the year is just a very hectic time for me. There's Christmas (Merry Christmas btw!), then 6 days later, it's New Year's (Also Happy 2020!), and then just 4 days later, it's my birthday (Happy- Wait a minute…). I'm working on a better sleep schedule set soon so I can start getting more rest and not feeling so tired at work. Did you know, working a 5-hour shift really freaking sucks when you've only slept for 3 hours and haven't eaten anything… Don't worry though. I'm doing so much better not than I was last year, and I'm going to keep improving. I won't leave you guys hanging like I did before, and even I may seem to be idle; I'm always working on the next chapter. That's my New Year's resolution. To improve my writing and to not let you all down!
Chapter Nineteen
Ice Cold Fun
(Jade)
I wake up to my alarm going off and I swat at my phone until it stops, yawning and rubbing my eyes with my other hand. Damn...that was a really good nap… I open my eyes and see that Tori and I switched positions. Now she's holding me from behind, but what surprises me is the pair of hands resting firmly on my breasts. Granted, it's over my shirt, but it's still unlike her to be so handsy. I chuckle to myself and try to move her hands, but she has one hell of a grip on me. I turn my head while nudging her and eventually, she starts to wake up.
"Five more minutes…" She mumbles it into my back, and I smirk, trying to turn more.
"Trust me, you can grab my boobs another time, but we gotta get up." She shifts around, waking up more, and I feel her grip tighten. As funny as this is, it's stirring up feelings I'm trying to keep to a minimum. "V-Vega… Baby, seriously, let go…"
"Wha-?" I feel her head move off of my back and her hands fly away from my chest. Oh, thank god… I sit up and look at Tori as she apologizes with the deepest blush ever. I can't help but marvel at how cute she is right now.
"Don't worry about it." I lean over and peck her lips, grinning when she scrambles for something to say. "Seriously, I definitely don't mind you feeling me up in your sleep, okay? Now let's get up so we can get ready for the next part of your birthday surprise." The change of subject perks her up and she scoots closer, grabbing my hand.
"Your gift?" Those damn eyes get me every time… I squeeze her hand, shaking my head.
"No, you'll get my gift later. My, my… Someone is a little selfish today." I smirk and get up, grabbing my brush and combing my hair to put it in a loose ponytail.
"Hey, it's my birthday. I can do whatever I want and be selfish about it, okay?" She gets up too and stands by me, waiting. I stand behind her and quickly comb her hair too, getting rid of her bedhead.
"Does, 'whatever you want' include molesting your poor, dear girlfriend while she's vulnerable?" There's that blush again. She gets nice and red and stumbles for something to say while I just grin.
"That's it!" I start laughing when she turns around and grabs my hands. I try to pull them back but she's strong. The laughing immediately stops when she plants my hands on her chest, holding them there.
"T-Tori!" She lets go and I quickly pull my hands back, feeling my face get really hot.
"There, now we're even." I'm at a loss for words as I watch her blow a kiss at me before putting her shoes on. I shake my head quickly to clear the dirty thoughts and grab my boots, wishing the blush would go away too. You are my kind of woman, Tori Vega...
"Okay, okay. Enough fondling each other. We really do need to get going."
"Hey, you started it." I shove her playfully as she stands up and I start laughing.
"I distinctly remember you starting it by grabbing my boobs in your sleep."
"And if you keep it up, I'm gonna finish it too." She and I both freeze and I just sort of stare at her with a raised eyebrow. She fumbles for a moment before crossing her arms and turning around. "You know what I meant, you perv!" I smirk and just shake my head, standing to kiss her cheek.
"Okay, okay. No more messing with each other. Let's go. We're going to be late for the first part of your gift. Don't worry about Jack, Rachel's going to watch him for you." She nods and I toss her one of my jackets before putting one on as well. Tori is deep in thought as she starts heading up the stairs, probably trying to figure out what her gifts are, and I quietly grab two things from my dresser, tucking them into my pockets. I'm excited and nervous at the same time…
When we get upstairs, Mom and Rachel are baking cookies and I swipe two off a tray before Rachel throws a hand towel at me.
"Hey! Those are for the office, not you!" I laugh and dodge the towel before rushing out of the kitchen with Tori.
"Thanks Ma!"
"Don't ask me to save you any, you little punk!" I pass her one of the cookies and take a bite of my own as we leave the house.
"I have a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it has yet to be better than Rachel's. I don't know what she does different, but they're always perfect and she likes to flaunt that." Tori eats her cookie and gives me a funny look.
"Hey, you never made me cookies…"
"Vega, I baked you a red velvet cake just last week because you were sad that the grub truck ran out of it. If you wanted cookies, you should have asked."
"Oh yeah… Alright then. Next time you bake, you have to make me your cookies." She unlocks the car and we get in.
"No problem." I chuckle and pull out my phone, giving her directions to where I want her to go.
She asks me about a billion times where we're going, and it takes all I have not to give in. I would love nothing more than to tell her, especially when she pouts, but I really want this to be a surprise. We make it downtown and she takes the final turn before I guide her to a good spot to park.
"We're here?" We get out and she looks around, excited. I step behind her and cover her eyes, shushing her.
"Hang on, Vega. We're not there yet. First, you have to trust me…" I pull a blindfold out of my pocket and place it over her eyes. "You can't look until we get there."
"Aww…" I just smile and make sure her car is locked up before holding her hand. We start walking and I can tell she's listening super closely to what's around us to figure out where we are. That gives me an idea and I dig through my pocket, pulling out my earbuds and phone.
"No cheating, Babe." I put the earbuds on her and start playing music. She pouts even more, and I test the volume by whispering silly things to her. No reaction. Perfect. I take her hand again and we resume walking.
"Jade… You're no fun." She's louder with the music playing and I find it really funny. I take out one of the ear buds.
"We'll be there soon. Be patient." I put the bud back and keep guiding her as we head down the street.
When we reach the right building, I take her inside and all of our friends are there, including Cat and Missy. Tori's parents are here too with her sister and Evan. I explain that she can't hear much, and I bring her to the middle of the room before counting to three. On three, I take out the earbuds and everyone shouts surprise. Tori jumps and rips off the blindfold, looking around like a madwoman.
"What is this?!" I take her hand and turn her around so she can look through the door behind us. There's tables and food and music playing while a fresh clean ice-skating rink waits to be used.
"Happy birthday, Tori." She turns around and starts hugging me and I hug her back, chuckling. "I'm just going to assume that you like it."
"I've never been ice skating before! This is so cool!" She starts hugging everyone around and I just watch with a smile. When she's finally calmed down, we all head inside and start getting our skates.
"Just hold on to me and go slowly. Don't want you breaking that leg again, okay?" She nods as I lace her up and get my own skates on.
The moment we touch the ice, she seems to get really nervous, but I make sure she's holding me, and I hold her too as we slowly start gliding. I don't want to say anything, but she's not very good at this. Not that it's a bad thing. She definitely has trouble moving on her own, but she starts to get the hang of it after a while. She has the biggest smile on her face, and it makes me feel really good inside to see how happy she is. In fact, everyone seems happy. Cat and Andre are skating together, Robbie is hanging by the snack table with Beck, Trina and Evan are together, and Tori's parents are relaxing and watching us all. Everyone's having a good time. I look over to the side and see Missy skating by herself. Okay, maybe not everyone… She looks uncomfortable.
"Jade, are you okay?" Tori squeezes my hand and I give her a smile.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about something. Don't worry, it's fine." I kiss her hand and we move a little faster. "So, how are you liking your birthday party?"
"I love it! When did you even have time to set this up?"
"All I did was pick the place actually. The guys set this all up for you. You know how bad they are at picking gifts, so they decided to put the party together. Beck and Robbie decorated, and Andre brought the food and music."
"I'll have to thank them… This is awesome! It's the best birthday I've ever had!" If I was feeling good before, I'm feeling amazing now. Knowing that she's having a good day is all that matters to me…
"Whoa!" We both look over to Missy and we see her slide too fast and land on her butt. I let go of Tori and quickly make my way over to her, helping her back to her feet.
"Easy… You okay?"
"Y-yeah… I'm just not very good at this…" I help her over to the exit and get her to sit down.
"Just try to be careful, okay? Don't need you hurting yourself, or the baby. Rest for a little bit, then come back onto the ice. Tori and I will skate with you if you want." Beck grabs her a drink and sits with her, and I make sure she's alright before going back over to Tori. I can already see the questions in her eyes, and I decide I can't avoid this talk forever. She takes my hand and we start skating again, but I can tell she's mildly distracted. "You can ask me, you know." She looks at me, embarrassed, and nods.
"Sorry, it's just weird for me to see you being that nice to Missy."
"I just don't want Missy putting herself through any unnecessary stress while she's pregnant…"
"Why are you acting so protective though. I get not wanting anything to happen to her or the baby, but you seemed to just change in an instant. Literally. You barely talk to her and only acknowledge her when I bring her up."
"I know…" I try to think of how to ease into it, but I start to realize there's no easy way around it and I might as well just explain. "It's because of Rachel… She and my mom were trying to have a baby a few years ago but…" I trail off, not sure how to continue. We slow down and I notice Tori has stopped moving.
"There were complications?" I nod and let go of her hand to rub my face and fiddle with my hair.
"Yeah… My mom won't tell me what caused it but the whole ordeal put Rachel in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. All I knew was that Rachel had lost the baby and it wasn't until I was older that they told me it almost killed her. It really messed her up for a while. It really scared me too, you know. I know we're not blood related, but I really do love her. She's helped raise me since I was just a little kid. That's my family…" Tori takes my hands again and hugs me tight. This feels just like earlier when I told her about my brother… I sigh and return the hug. I feel like I'm hogging her birthday with all my sad life stories…
"I'm so sorry, Jade… How is she now? I can't imagine losing a child like that is something you can just 'Get over'..." I feel her wobbling a bit so I pull out of the hug and take her hand again so we can go sit for a bit and she can rest her leg.
"She has her bad days. Some days, she just doesn't have the energy to get out of bed, so my mom will spend the whole day with her, helping her distract herself, making sure she eats. Here, sit down." We grab seats that are a little bit away from everyone and I get us something to drink. "My momma might not look it, but she's really sensitive, and her going through that just seemed to amplify it. I mean, remember how freaked out she was when you got hurt? She didn't know you for that long and she already cared about you a lot. You and she are a lot alike, actually." I smile, thinking about Rachel. "I guess that's why you two get along so well."
"She is pretty cool. Both of your mom's, really. I like hanging out with them on the weekends when you're working. We always order pizza and play Mario Kart on your Switch."
"So that's how you're gotten better?!" I start laughing. I knew there was a reason Tori was beating me in so many races. I wasn't just off.
"Yup, Rachel's been giving me tips and it's been really fun wiping the floor with you." She just shoots me a grin and I shove her some."
"Oh shush, you. This just means I need to start playing more. Be prepared to get your butt kicked next time." She laughs and stands up, taking my hand.
"Come on, let's skate some more." I follow her back out onto the ice and we start off slowly before getting comfortable again. She's pretty good for a newbie but that doesn't mean I'm letting go of her hand any time soon.
The party goes on for about another hour. Missy came back out onto the ice and joined us for a while too. All in all, I'm positive Tori had a great party. Eventually, the guys start packing everything up and we all get our skates off. We could only book this place for so long and I still have a dinner to take her to.. I text Rachel and have her come to pick up Missy. She and Mom will keep her entertained and make sure she's taken care of tonight. This way, Trina can sleep in her own bed and Tori won't have to worry about Missy. She can sleep in the guest room and Rachel can give her a spare set of my pajamas. Tori tires to help clean up but everyone shoos her away and I assure her that it's all taken care of.
"Don't worry about that. Today's your day to just cut loose and enjoy yourself." I kiss her cheek as she puts the ice skates back in the box. "Come on. It's time to get ready for dinner so we're heading back to your place. Gotta dress nice, right?" I smile and take her hand as we say bye to everyone.
"We should stop at your place too, so you can get changed too." We get in her car and get buckled up.
"What, you're saying I don't already look nice?" I joke as she starts driving. She turns red and shakes her head.
"No! You always look great, I just-"
"Babe, I'm just messing with you." I chuckle and reach behind her seat, pulling out two boxes. "I had my mom borrow your keys when we were eating lunch and she put these here for me. I think you'll like it." I wink and feel the car jump a bit when she hits the brake. "Careful Vega. Gotta get there in one piece, otherwise you'll never see me in this, and you'll never get your gift." She starts speeding up and I laugh. "It'll be the same result if you get pulled over. Relax." Her face doesn't lose the redness, but at least she starts driving more carefully.
When we get back to her house, we head inside and get changed, her in her room and me in Trina's room. I didn't actually plan anything for my hair, so I brush it out and keep it simple. I pull out the new white top and blue skinny jeans that I bought just for tonight and put them on. I swap my boots for my new white heels and put my other clothes in the shoe box. I'm just about ready when there's a knock at the door.
"Jade? I'm all set to go." I fix the straps on my heels and open the door, feeling my stomach leap when I see Tori looking gorgeous in a yellow blouse and white skirt.
"You look amazing…" She blushes and smiles, looking me over.
"I could say the same about you." I take her hand and get her to do a little twirl so I can get a good look at her. She really does look so beautiful. "Okay, are you absolutely sure you're ready? We have to be there soon." I check my phone. I made the reservation for 8 and it's already 7:40. Tori takes a step back and it seems like she's thinking about something.
"I'm pretty sure there's nothing else I need to do." I nod, picking up my jacket.
"Alright, let's get going. I'm starving and I know you're excited just to have pasta." She giggles and I make I sure have all my things with me before we go out to my car. I chuck the boxes in the back and hold her door open before getting in myself and backing out.
I start driving and Tori turns on the radio for some music. It's already preset to her favorite station and almost immediately starts singing along to a song that's playing. I just chuckle and keep driving to the restaurant. When we get there, a valet takes the car for me and we go inside. I confirm the reservation and we're seated immediately, which is good because they're really packed tonight. I pick up my menu and flip through it. We've only been here a few times for dates, but I know its Tori's favorite place, next to Dave and Buster's, and they really do have good food. While we're reading the menus, a waitress comes over.
"Hello there, my name is Anise and I'll be your waitress this evening. Can I get you some drinks?" I look to Tori and nod.
"The birthday girl can go first." She blushes, ordering an orange juice and club soda, and I just ask for a cup of coffee. When Anise leaves to get our drinks, I look through the menu again, eventually deciding on Chicken Pomodoro. Tori keeps looking at the menu and I just watch her. She always has a tough time deciding what she wants here and it's adorable. She finally puts down the menu and looks at me, excited.
"Hey, can we split the calamari? We never got it last time and it looked so good…" I sigh, smiling, and nod.
"You can have anything you want, Beautiful.."
"Stop…" The blush comes back and she smiles, looking back down at her menu. Anise comes back with our drinks and takes out appetizer order: The fried calamari, two Caesar salads, and fried cheese sticks. Tori puts her menu aside after deciding she was lasagna and looks around the restaurant, taking in the scenery and music playing in the background. I take this opportunity to get up, feigning a trip to the restroom, and sneak off to find someone to help me out with part of my surprise. I manage to track down the Manager with the help of some of the waitstaff. After some begging, and slipping him fifty bucks, he agrees to my plan and promises to follow through with what I need. I get back to the table and see Tori is on her phone.
"Got bored without me?" She smiles and shows me her phone just as it turns off.
"Nope, just making sure we're not disturbed. I don't want anything getting in the way of our birthday dinner date." She puts it in her purse, and I do the same thing, since it's a really good idea. She sits back and sips her drink and I go back to watching her like before.
"So, birthday girl. Did you have a good day?" She sets down her glass and has a big grin on her face.
"I had the best day! This was the most awesome birthday. Thank you, Jade."
"If it makes you happy, I'd give you anything, you know that."
"I know...but thank you just the same. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes." I just smile and reach over, squeezing her hand. Before I can say anything, the Manager comes over.
"Excuse me. I'm afraid there's been an issue. You ladies will have to come with me." Tori looks concerned and turns to me.
"What happened?" I shrug and stand up, grabbing my purse. She looks back at the guy and she crosses her arms. "We already ordered our appetizers. They'll get cold if we leave."
"I'm sorry, but this is a serious matter and we must get this sorted out." I sigh, faking some grumbling, and grab Tori's hand.
"Come on. If out stuff is cold, I'll make him comp the meal. Let's just figure out what's going on." Tori stands, pretty reluctantly, and we follow the guy down a hallway, past the kitchen, and to a door. He opens it and the room inside is dimly lit with candles on a table and there's soft music playing. It's a private room, just for us. I look at the Manager because this was more than what I'd asked for. It's even better… I'd just wanted a table in the back of the main dining hall by the musicians. The manager leaves before either of us can say anything to him and shuts the door. Tori is on me instantly, kissing me, and I try not to giggle when I kiss her back. When she pulls away, she's holding my face like I do to her sometimes, when I just want to do nothing but look at her.
"Jade… This is too much…" She sighs, touching her forehead to mine, and it feels like my knees want to give out on me. "I love you so much…, thank you." She gives me one last kiss before we sit down at the table. Our appetizers are already here and fresh drinks like the ones we had before, including a pitcher of lemon water. We scoot out chairs closer together and lean against one another as we eat. I catch Tori deep in thought at one point but when asked, she tells me it's nothing. She's still smiling, so it can't be anything bad.
Anise comes in, takes our meal order, refills our drinks, and just does an amazing job at making sure we're comfortable. I'm making sure she gets a damn good tip.. Our food comes in and Tori and I eat, sharing bites here and there and enjoying each other's company. By the time we're done eating, we're both close to full and decide to split dessert. We get a slice of cheesecake to share, but I guess the kitchen wanted to be nice and cut us a big piece. It's practically two pieces in one and we can't finish it. That's how full we were.
When the bill is paid, I can't thank the manager enough for everything he and Anise and the chefs did. Everything was perfect… I leave Anise a fifty-dollar tip and I promise them that we'll eat here for every special occasion and damn near every date in the future. Tori and I leave the restaurant and I hand my ticket to the valet so he can get the car. Tori is leaning against me and I wrap an arm around her lovingly, deciding that now is the time. Nervous or now, I can't put it off any longer.
"Tori?..."
"Yeah?" I clear my throat and pull out the small box from my purse, opening it to reveal a key.
"How would you feel about moving in together?" She pulls away and stares at the key with big eyes.
"What? Are...are you serious?" I nod and take the key out of the box, holding it out to her.
"I've never been more serious about anything. I know you might think we'd be moving too fast, but I think that we're ready for a big step like this. I... already have my own place. Well, technically, it's Rachel's. She bought the house, but I pay her rent and everything. I've been slowly moving my things out of my parents' house." I close my mouth when I realize I'm talking really fast and Tori looks back and forth from the key to me before she finally settles on looking at me.
"You really are serious…" She picks up the key and looks at it. I got her name laser engraved on it, so she knows it's really for her but now I'm starting to feel as if it was too cheesy... "You know, my parents would want me to think it over first…" I start to tell her that I've already discussed it with them, but she stops me. "No, it's okay. Even if you hadn't asked them, it's still my decision at the end of the day. No matter what. That's why," Oh god, here it comes. The big fat no… "I'll do it." … … … Almost two full minutes pass as I try to process what she just said to me, then it hits.
"W-wait, really? You'll really move in with me?" I start smiling big and nearly drop the box when I grab her hand. "You mean it?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I? I really, truly love you, Jade... This is a big step in our relationship, and you're right. We are ready." I pull her to me and hug her tight, feeling really, really happy.
"You're amazing, Tori… I love you."
"I love you too…" She hugs me back and we stay like this for a moment before the car pulls up. I tip the valet, help her in, then get in too.
"Hey…" I look to her as I start driving. "Would you like to see the house? It's not far from here. Actually, I made sure it wasn't far from your house, so even if you weren't sure about moving in, I'd be closer to you." I stop at a light and watch her put the new key with her car keys
"I'd love to see it. I gotta make sure there's enough room for all my stuff, right?" I chuckle and nod.
"Right. I hope it's big enough."
It doesn't take long for us to reach the street and I start getting giddy. I didn't work my ass off for nothing… I pull into the driveway and Tori stares out the window at it, mouth dropped.
"Jade, this place looks amazing…" We get out and she walks around, looking at the front yard and the landscape.
"I know it's not really fancy looking, but you'll like the backyard. Plenty of room for Jack to run around, even room for another dog if you ever want to get one."
"What do you mean? It looks awesome." She smiles and comes back over to me. I nudge her towards the front door and let her unlock it with her new key. Watching her do that gives me little butterflies and I push open the door, leading her inside. I shut and lock the door behind us and let her walk around, exploring. There's not much decoration wise, I'll let Tori decorate all she wants, but we have the basics in furniture. I even like the new bed, though I'm still used to mine. I'd rather keep it at my mom's house so I can spend the night there once and awhile.
"It's two bedrooms, but there's also an office that could be converted into another bedroom. There's the living room, kitchen, laundry room. A decent sized basement too, but I'm not sure what to do with that yet." We walk into the kitchen and I turn on the lights.
"This kitchen is huge…"
"Yeah… I wanted to make sure it was a comfortable space since I cook the most out of both of us. Plus, there's no dining room so I'm going to convert part of the kitchen into a little dining area." I let Tori keep the lead and I follow her around, eventually going upstairs. She opens the first door and it's the bathroom. The next door is the office, the one after that is the smaller bedroom, and finally, we reach the Master bedroom at the end of the hall. There's the attic too, but I'd rather she not go up there just yet. I'm working on a secret project that I don't want her seeing until I'm done. She opens the door and walks in, turning on the light.
"So, this is...your room?" I smile and place an arm over her shoulders.
"Correction: Our room. I wouldn't stick you in the guest bedroom, Tori."
"Really living together…" She smiles and walks around the room, checking out the furniture set I picked out. Everything is a range between dark and light gray that looks nice with the white walls and black carpeting.
"So, you really like it? If you want to change anything, just tell me. This is going to be your place too, so it's only fair that you get to help decorate it."
"I do like it, and I'll think about it. I don't want to throw off the good energy too much." She opens the curtains a bit and looks back at my, laughing. "You know, I bet the view is nice when it's not dark and starting to rain." I smirk and sit on the bed, nodding.
"I hope you somehow fit an umbrella into your purse, otherwise we're going to get all wet when we leave." Tori comes over to sit beside me and pretends to dig through her purse.
"Nope, no umbrella. I just have my phone, make-up, keys, a watermelon, my mom's piano, and the lost city of Atlantis." I grin, pulling her into my lap.
"Well then, all we need is that watermelon, the piano, a hammer, and Gallagher, and we've got ourselves a show." She laughs, covering her face, and I laugh too.
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"Hey, you're dating me, so what does that make you?" She pauses for a moment and then smiles.
"Lucky." My heart leaps and I can't fight the blush. This woman kills me when she says stuff like that…
"That makes both of us..." I hug her tight to me and lean down, kissing her. She returns the kiss and soon, it starts to get pretty heated. We're clinging to each other, my hands on her waist, and I have to stop myself from reaching under her shirt. I have to let her go at her own pace…no matter how badly I want more. I start to pull my hands away, but she grabs them, making me look at her.
"Jade…" She stops me and I stare down at her, anxious. "It's okay…" She moves my hands back to her wait and I'm trying my best to get them to stop shaking.
"Wait, does this mean you…" She puts her finger to my lips, nodding, and starts kissing me again. I try my best to relax, though it's not easy, but eventually get my heart to stop beating so fast. I lay Tori back in the bed and just stare down at her, my hands still on her waist. She reaches up and cups my cheek, smiling.
"I love you…" I smile and dip my head down to kiss her forehead.
"I love you more…" I kiss her deeply and slowly move my hands to the hem of her shirt.
The Next Morning
I look down at Tori, watching her as she sleeps, and I smile, rubbing her back. I woke up not too long ago, but I haven't felt the need to get up just yet. I just want to stay here and enjoy the moment. Last night was way better than I could have ever expected… Tori moves closer to me and yawns before sitting up. Our eyes meet and she blushes while trying to hide her smiling face. I chuckle and move her hands away, leaning in to kiss her.
"Morning, Beautiful…" She giggles and tries to pull the blankets up to cover herself. I smirk, letting her, and pull her against me afterwards. "No need to be so shy, Babe. I've seen just about every inch of you now."
"Jade, stop… You're making me blush again." She tries to push me away and we both end up laughing. "You're insane."
"And you still love me." I grin and nuzzle her neck. "So, I have to know. What brought this on?"
"Well, you did such a good job with my birthday, I figured you deserved something nice."
"R-really?!" I look at her, eyes wide and mouth open, and she starts laughing.
"No, not really, silly." She sits up and stretches while I lean back and watch her. "No, I decided that I'm tired of letting my past with Steven get in the way of our relationship. I love you more than anything and I honestly can't think of a better time or place for us to have our first time." I smile and shake my head, kissing her cheek.
"And you call me crazy. You really are something special, Tori." She just smiles and leans over, grabbing her phone. She turns it on and unlocks it.
"Let's see if I got any texts from my parents wondering where I'm at. They probably expected me to come home last night so I'm not sure how to explain me staying with you in our new home." She chuckles and scrolls through her messages and I turn my phone on as well. I hear a sharp gasp as I'm putting in my password and I look up to see her as white as a ghost.
"Tori?" She drops her phone on the bed and jumps out of bed, pulling her clothes on. "Hey what is it? What's the matter?" I pick up her phone and feel all the blood leave my face. She received several messages from her sister about an hour ago, demanding to know why her phone was off, but the last one was the reason for Tori acting so erratically. ['Dad's been shot']. I get up and grab my clothes, putting them on and grabbing my bag. "Come on. I'll take you to the hospital." We run down the steps and out to the car. We hit the road and I hear Tori pray that he's going to be alright, so I reach over, grabbing her hand, and do the same.