Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
X
Oh God, this sucks! This sucks so fucking much!
There's a upside and a downside to the amended rules of this stupid mash up of games Rayna suggested they all should play. The obvious upside is that you don't have to end up in a confined dark space for seven minutes with someone you really don't want to. But the downside is that the more people turn down their potential seven-minutes-in-heaven partner, the more alcohol flows, the more clothes and such are getting discarded, and the longer this damn game continues to drag on and on, with seemingly no real end in sight.
And there is definitely a reason why this game was more popular back in Junior High and is normally played with just a handful of people, because this is so not working, not with a group this large with several couples who're all refusing to canoodle with someone other than their boyfriend or girlfriend or crush. Not that she can blame them!
Tara tries her best not to think about the fact that she's slowly starting to feel the effects of the shots she's had to take, nor that she's running out of things to shed. So far she's lost Jax's leather jacket, her earrings, her bracelet and her sandals, and Jax right beside her has also lost his watch, his belt, his socks and his shoes too. There aren't many things left to take off for either one of them, and it certainly makes Tara nervous, while Jax seems to have slipped on an unreadable mask again for now. If he's feeling nervous at all, he doesn't show it, instead he seems to be oozing nothing but confidence at the moment, which she once more finds herself envious of.
Kelly, one of Max's and Chelsea's friends who've also joined the game, just spun the bottle and it has landed on Lowell, and when both agree to go for it, applause and whistles and the usual crude suggestions from the guys follow as they're being ushered into the closet. Chelsea's got the watch to keep track of the time, while Max and Tino hurry upstairs to get some more liquor, and that's when Rayna enlists Tara to help her find a bathroom in her somewhat inebriated state.
Tara absentmindedly reaches for her shoes and is just about to slip them on again when several people from the group around her speak up in protest, nearly all of them already in different stages of undress themselves.
But before she can even get out a word to defend herself, Rayna's already doing it for her, her speech slurred. "Jesus, guys, would you calm the fuck down. She's just putting them back on to go the bathroom real quick."
Jax, still sitting on the floor, casually curves his hand up her bare leg as Tara comes to a stand right beside him, and she realizes right then that the alcohol she's consumed still doesn't diminish how his touch effects her. All she can hope is that the goosebumps raising along the path his hand just took aren't as easily noticed by anyone else as they've been clearly noted by Jax, at least judging from the satisfied smirk that crossed his face just now. She somehow manages to smile down at him despite her prickling skin and galloping heart. "I'll be right back."
"I'll be right here." He replies, playfully winking at her when Rayna grabs her by the arm to pull her up the stairs along with her, in search of the nearest bathroom.
There's a line, of course, but thankfully it's short and once the two friends are inside and behind the locked door, Rayna rushes for the toilet while Tara just can't hold her tongue another second longer, pulling the v-neck of her shirt away to glance at her own bra beneath at the same time. "I know you're drunk and all, Ray, but what the hell were you thinking with this stupid game?"
Rayna's already taken a seat on the toilet, ignoring her friend until she's done doing her business, glad that the music is drowning out the trickling noise, the only other audible sound is Tara's ongoing protest of what's to come. "I have barely anything left to take off, the next thing will have to be my belt, and after that I've only got my shirt and my shorts left ... ugh, this is so not how I thought this night would go. I'm soo not drunk enough to strip in front of everyone." She adds, wetting her fingertips to try taming some fly-away hairs near her temple.
The toilet flushes behind her, and a moment later Rayna steps up next to Tara by the sink, washing her hands and surprising the hell out of her when she speaks up, sounding way more sober suddenly than she's been letting on. "I thought it would give the two of you a way to really come out as a couple. You know, make it officially official."
"Wait." Tara stops fussing with her hair and fully turns towards her friend, grasping Rayna by the shoulders and turning her so they're standing face to face, before she questions out loud in total doubt. "You're not really drunk, are you?"
"I am ..." Rayna makes a gesture indicating something small with her thumb and forefinger, "... but just a little, though." Then she shrugs, grinning instantly when Tara stares back at her completely slack-jawed for a long couple seconds.
"Oh. My. God." Tara enunciates each word, her eyes going wide in disbelieve. "What ... wait ... I mean, why?" She tries to form an actual question, but the right words evade her, considering she could've sworn her so called 'wing-woman' was pretty much plastered already, only to find out now that it isn't so at all. But on some level she probably should've known, because out of all her female friends, Rayna's one that can hold her liquor and more often than not outdrinks the rest of them.
"It's just that if everyone thinks you're drunker than you actually are, you can sorta-kinda get away with way more shit than when they think you're sober." She tries to explain. "Like if you do something stupid, you can just blame it on the alcohol the day after."
Tara shakes her head. "Why though ... why tonight?"
"This way it'll look like drunk old me convinced Jax and you to play, giving you two a chance to get everyone used to the idea, instead of it looking like you played just so you could rub your new relationship status into everyone's face. Get it?" Rayna's grinning again, completely ignoring the stunt expression on Tara's face and instead continues talking. "Although it's so obvious that biker boy's got a thing for you, game or no game. Anyone can tell by the way he keeps looking at you."
"What do you mean? How's he looking at me?" Tara asks out loud, because even though she's been blissfully aware of all the little looks Jax has been giving her, and the affection she thinks she can see reflecting back at her in his eyes, she finds herself longing to hear it confirmed by someone else, to reassure herself that she isn't fooling herself by looking at the whole situation with rose colored glasses and seeing something that isn't really truly there.
Rayna smirks. "You know, like, how he's been looking at you, like ... like you're a sexy little Rubik's Cube or something, and he's having the time of his life tryin' to figure you out."
At that Tara actually snorts, reminded suddenly of Jax's frustrated outburst from just last night on their way to Lodi, when he'd asked her why she is the way she is.
'Why are you like this?'
- 'Like what?'
'Like how you are?'
Yeah, he was certainly not having the time of his life trying to figure her out then.
As if Rayna can read her thoughts, she adds. "Dude, have you not noticed how he's been acting towards you? Or the pissy looks he threw at the guys when that damn bottle landed on you?"
But again before Tara can follow her train of thought and speak up, Rayna's beating her to it, smirking even wider when she adds. "And oh-my-God, the jealous looks those girls threw your way when Jax refused them and started chucking shots and taking shit off instead." She lets out a giggle. "That shit was priceless, T!"
"I know." At that Tara smirks herself, because she couldn't help but notice the envious looks thrown her way either, nor could she ignore how oddly satisfying it made her feel to have Jax turn every single one of them down, presumably because of her.
"And fucking Emma." Rayna interrupts her thoughts again, chuckling out loud and grinning back at her mischievously. "Girl, I thought she was gonna choke on her own spit when she saw you sitting on Jax's lap."
They both giggle at that, mostly because Rayna's description is spot on, Emma had looked like she was about to keel over. "If I were you though, I would've straddled him right then and there and would've probed his tonsils with my tongue, you know, just really stick it to her."
"Really?" Tara muses, her face contoured in shameless amusement, before she shakes her head no a moment later. "No, that's not really my style."
"Well, I'm petty like that!" Rayna adds with a shrug, before making another observation. "Is it not your style because you're still feeling a little bad?" When she sees the barely there nod of Tara's head, she shakes her head and goes on to advise her. "You need to get over that already. I mean, it's not like you stole her boyfriend or something. He was never hers, T, and he was never going to be hers. You have nothing to feel bad about. You're into him and he's totally into you too, and thanks to my brilliant idea to play this game, it kinda let everyone else see it too, including fucking Emma Roth."
Tara snorts again and raises her eyebrows at Rayna's mentioning of her 'brilliant idea', this time shooting her friend a are-you-serious look. But as she thinks about what else Rayna has said, she keeps quiet, not sure what to say, she just manages to nod at last, while Rayna rambles on, repeating herself in not so many words. "I'm just saying, he's turned down every chick, and you've turned down every guy."
"I know."Tara's finally speaking up again, then gestures to herself though, to her clothes. "But because of your brilliant idea I'm now down to just a belt, shirt and shorts. I really don't wanna end up in my underwear, Ray."
Rayna takes a step back, giving her a measured look for a moment. "Well, what are we talking about here? Some lacy-see-through stuff? Granny panties? Hearts or polka dots or ... what?"
Tara sighs, lifting her thin black cap sleeve shirt that barely covers her midriff, to reveal her black bra for Rayna's inspection, who nods in approval a second later. "This isn't bad at all. It's kinda sexy actually, in a kind of simple way, but not see through or anything."
Tara turns to the left and then to the right in front of the mirror, examining herself in profile from both sides. "Yeah, I mean, ... it could pass as a bikini top, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it totally could." Rayna agrees, but then in typical Rayna-fashion she gestures to Tara's crotch and blurts out. "Lemme see what you're working with down there though?"
"I don't care what they'll say, I'll down twenty shots if I have to, but I'm not taking my shorts off." Tara protests, tugging her shirt back in place all the while shaking her head vehemently. "No fucking way."
"Holy shit, baby." Rayna replies in shock instantly, then her eyes are glued to Tara with a look of pride and approval, and Tara should've known that nothing gets past her friend when Rayna finally speaks up and accuses her a breath later. "You totally put on something sexy in case Teller and you end up knocking boots, didn't you?"
"No I didn't." She protests way too quickly, and knows that in her friends eyes it makes it seem like she's right. In truth though, she's nowhere near ready to have sex with Jax just yet, no matter how frustratingly aroused he makes her with just the simplest touch. That being said, kissing and fooling around has certainly crossed her mind when she chose what to wear earlier today, and imagining now where the night might lead, combined with the alcohol she's consumed, has a grin growing on her lips even though she tries so hard to suppress it.
"Un-fucking-believable, T." Rayna stares at her with a hint of disbelieve and awe. "A couple hours ago I had to convince you to give the guy a shot, and here you've gone a complete one-eighty on me, wearing sexy underwear and ready to jump him."
"I'm not ready to jump him." Tara rebuffs, shaking her head, but then glances back in the mirror, fidgeting with her hair again and fighting to contain her ever-growing smirk.
"Yeah, okay, sure." Rayna replies giggling sarcastically, nudging her hip against Tara in a playful way when she too turns to look at herself in the mirror. "Whatever you say, T."
"It's a matching black thong, okay? Happy now?" Tara huffs, giving Rayna a ticked off side-eye when she adds in explanation. "I just wanted to feel pretty, for myself, not him. There's no way these shorts are coming off tonight, not for this game, and not for Jax either."
"Alright, if you say so." Rayna blurts back, another teasing smile on her face, but then surprises her when she adds a moment later. "On second thought though, the shirt should probably not come off either, not as part of the game anyways." She winks.
"What?" Tara meets her eyes in the mirror now, clearly confused. "But you just said it looks like a bikini."
"It does, but we're not at the pool or the beach." Rayna's swiping the pad of her fingers beneath her eyes to fix her smudged eyeliner, all the while holding Tara's gaze in the mirror and goes on to explain her sudden train of thought. "You know how girls want a badass bad boy, who's still sweet and good to them though? Well, guys, ... guys want a good girl, one that's only naughty for them. You get what I'm sayin'? Teller will lose his shit if you're taking your shirt off for everyone to see."
Tara mulls over what Rayna's just thrown at her for just a split second, before she fires back. "Yeah, but he'll also lose his shit if I agree to seven-minutes-in-heaven with someone else." Damned if I do, damned if I don't! She pins Rayna down with an angry glare. "This is all your fault, you know?"
"How was I supposed to know that you two are the most unluckiest people in the world. I mean, what are the odds that out of all the times you and him have spun that damn bottle, it wouldn't at least once end on either of you." Rayna tries to justify herself.
"The odds aren't great when there's fifty people playing." Tara huffs in annoyance, obviously exaggerating the number of players, before she adds. "Maybe ... maybe we'll just have to bow out, and go upstairs and dance or something."
"I'll figure something out, T, I've got a plan." Rayna says suddenly, turning back towards her friend now to get her full attention and giving her a nod. "I'll get Jax and you in that closet. And after you can bow out like everyone else did coming out of that closet, and go do your own thing." She gives her a knowing look, before she sing songs with a smirk. "Bow chicka wow wow."
Tara ignores her teasing though, instead feeling slightly alarmed at what Rayna might do next. "How? What are you gonna do?" She wonders out loud, not sure she can take any more surprises from her friend tonight.
"Just trust me, okay?" Rayna tries to reassure her, but then adds a moment later, contradicting her own optimism that it will all work out. "But ... just in case I fail, I'll just act sick, alright? And give you and Jax a reason to bail with me, okay?"
X
The first thing Tara notices the moment they make their way down the stairs is that Max is shirtless now, getting ogled by every girl in the room. And the second thing she notices is that a few people have apparently left, most notably Lowell, Kelly, Bright and Chelsea, leaving the circle of potential players a tad bit smaller again.
She shoots Rayna another glare, but Rayna's ignoring her, already back to playing the part of the tipsy goofball, giggling and stumbling a little now that all eyes drift to them for a moment as they're finding their way back to the game.
"You missed two spins, girls." Tino speaks up, reaching out his hand to Rayna to help her sit down when it looks like she's about to trip over her own two feet, before he adds. "And a little bit of drama too."
"Really?" Rayna blurts out in wonder, obviously fishing for someone to explain what happened.
Tara turns her attention to Jax, returning his smile and taking his offered hand as she takes a seat in her spot right beside him, before she kicks off her shoes again and whispers to him to explain the unspoken question of their long absence. "There was a line."
"And also I was feeling a little sick." Rayna adds with a slur, loud enough for everyone to hear, and so she quickly smiles. "I feel better now though."
"So here's what went down, ladies." Ben, who's taken a seat in Bright's former spot right next to Emma, suddenly pipes up to fill them in on what they've missed. He's clearly enjoying this game, at least judging by the way he can barely contain the smirk on his face when he explains and gestures to each player he's referring to with the lit cigarette in his hand. "So Mel got Max, and she was cool, but Max refused and lost his shirt. Then Max got Em, and that time Max was cool, which pissed off Chelsea, and when Em seemed cool with it too, it pissed off Bright, then Em changed her mind because of Bright, and lost her socks, and that's why it's now Em's turn. Although Bright split." Ahhh, that explains why Chelsea and Bright must've left.
Holy shit! Are Emma and Bright already over again?
Tara and Rayna share a quick glance, clearly wondering the same thing, before both their eyes land on a smiling Emma, who doesn't seem the least bit effected by the fact that her boyfriend has apparently stormed off, instead she quickly reaches for the bottle and gives it a fast enthusiastic spin.
Just like every other time before, there's quiet chatter among some, laughter and smiles among others, nobody really paying all that much attention as the bottle spins and spins around, again and again, seemingly losing a little bit of momentum with each pass.
But when it starts to really slow down, everyone grows quiet and their attention is back on the bottle, and just when it looks like it might stop on Tino, or maybe even make it to Rayna right next to him, which due to the rules they've all agreed on beforehand would mean a do-over for Emma, the bottle excruciatingly slowly moves past both, only to finally come to a complete stop pointing right at Jax. Of course!
Maybe Tara's only imagining the tension that suddenly fills the air, but she could swear it's there, and it's real, feeling the attention in the room drift to her for a moment now when she glances between Emma and Jax, before shooting Rayna another knowing look too.
All eyes are on Emma a second later though, waiting to hear if she'll refuse first, which would mean she'd have to drink, strip and spin yet again, or if she's game to seven-minutes-in-heaven with her proposed match Jackson Teller, and with her agreement leaving it up to Jax to take her up on it or not, and refuse on his part.
After all the refusals Jax has dished out so far tonight, it should've made it clear to Emma that he's going to turn her down too, but apparently that doesn't stop Tara's former best friend from giving him a salacious smirk and wink, and a not so subtle nod, letting him know she's up for pretty much anything with him. The usual suggestive claps, shouts and whistles erupting by the half naked and already tipsy crowd all around them, and even has one of the other girls giving Em a high five in open approval. What a bitch!
Truthfully, it really hadn't bothered Tara much when the other girls had tried to see if Jax was interested or not, because one, she wasn't nor has she ever been particularly close with any of them, and two, of course she knew he'd turn them down, and therefore it had all just been harmless fun and games, leaving her smiling and laughing along with everyone else.
But this? Yeah, there was no denying that this felt like a deliberate low blow directed right at her!For Emma to actually do this though, it fucking hurt, which was undoubtedly her goal, and Tara can sense that the majority of the people in the room, the ones who know that Emma and her had always been inseparable best friends, know it too. And like the vulture's that they are, Tara could see it on their faces that they were obviously hoping for more drama. They would probably love it if a fight would break out between Emma and her, and because of that very reason Tara plasters on a smirk of her own instead, refusing to give them anything else to snicker or gossip about, and also refusing to give Emma the satisfaction of seeing the hurt she'd just inflicted.
"Sorry." Jax shakes his head, not really sounding sorry at all though as he's giving Emma an uninterested look, and with it he's bringing Tara out of her thoughts and drawing her attention wholeheartedly back to him again too, along with everyone else for just a second.
Eyes flicker back and forth between Emma and Jax again, as some of them let out an "Uhhhhhhhhh" and "Buuuuuurrn" to obviously tease her now after Jax's rather unapologetic refusal. Tara however can't bring herself to even look back at her former friend this time, not even wanting to know how she's reacting to Jax turning her down or the way everyone's teasing her this time, and so she keeps her eyes locked on Jax right beside her instead.
And just as quick as it had started, the teasing stops again when Jax quickly grabs the shot glass Tino has just filled for him and gulps it down without a second thought, then reaches up and curls his fingers around the collar of his black t-shirt, right before pulling the garment over his head in that ridiculously sexy way only boys do, before carelessly tossing it someplace behind him, leaving him bare-chested in all of his chiseled glory.
Cheers and applause erupt from all the girls in the room this time, and despite his best efforts, Jax's full lips lift in a sexy grin, like he knows exactly what kind of effect he has on every female in the room. Everyone already knows that he's a far cry from the lanky teenager he was when he first shot up to six feet height like a weed back in eighth grade, but usually it's a day at the lake, or a angry fist fight that has him shrugging out of his shirt, not getting ogled so openly by all the girls. Over the years he's filled out quite nicely, and from the looks of it he knows it too, since he has clearly no shame, flexing his pecs and arms for his captive audience in the room, which draws a genuine smirk and little chuckle from Tara now too and has him winking and blowing a kiss to her when he notices.
"This damn game is rigged. Why the fuck are only guys shirtless so far?" Tino complains out loud, interrupting the girly cheers, looking around the circle of female players when he calls out over all the noise. "It's about time one of y'all to show some real skin."
"I agree. Let's get on with it." Opie adds through a cloud of smoke he's just exhaled, tossing the filter of his cigarette into the red plastic cup he's been using as an ashtray, and drawing attention back to the game instead when he nods back at Jax from his seat right across from him. "Your turn. Make it count, bro."
"Yeah, yeah ... I'm on it, I'm on it." Jax laughs, grinning wide as he's linking and flexing his fingers in front of him, overextending them to the point that his knuckles make an audible popping noise and has everyone chuckling, before he leans forward and finally gives the bottle a forceful spin himself with a silent wish on his mind.
As the bottle spins, there's a few quick words thrown back and forth between the guys now, one after the other boasting how much they're benching these days with how many reps, and so on and so forth, but it's all just white noise to Tara when her focus is divided between Rayna and Tino whispering back and forth in what seems like an argument of some kind, and the still spinning bottle right in front of them.
The bottle loses force, slowing down more with each pass, and just like all the previous times before, the room grows quieter again the slower the bottle spins.
Seemingly on its last go around, the clear vodka bottle inches further ever so slowly, when out of the blue Rayna points at the TV set sitting in the corner of the basement, that's been playing muted music videos on MTV since they've gotten here, and shouts. "Holy shit, is she fucking naked?"
And just as expected everyone's attention turns to the television screen simultaneously, Jax and Tara's included, taking in the scene of a woman thrashing seductively in a bathtub, yet clearly wearing some kind of clothing that's clinging to her, contradicting to what Rayna supposedly just saw.
"Fuck no." Replies Ben in disappointment, realizing that it's Meat Loaf's 'I'd do anything for love' video. "This video's ancient, she's not showing shit. Just a big tease." He explains, but Rayna argues that she saw nipples, swearing that she did, and Ben accusing her of being too drunk to know what the hell she saw, just as everyone turns their attention back to the bottle, realizing that it has in fact come to a stop pointing at none other than Tara.
"Thank fuck, finally." Jax exclaims as an impossibly wide smirk stretches over his face, and he's already scrambling to his feet, his hand tugging on her arm to get her up with him, causing her to both smile and blush when their friends applaud and laugh out loud at Jax's rather exuberant reaction.
Tara's obviously feeling relieved that they've finally gotten lucky in this game, and yet she can't shake the nervous flutter of butterflies in her stomach, caused by the whistles and shouts from everyone, and his touch, when Jax manages to pull her up and tugs her flush against him.
For the first time since they've decided to play this stupid game, she's actually really enjoying herself, and because of it a glimpse of the old Tara shines through again, and she can't help but tease him for just a second. "Wait a minute." She says loudly, trying to be heard over everyone else talking and teasing, and it has the desired effect, because they quiet down when she places her hand against the middle of Jax's bare chest to take a step back from him. But her smirk is lopsided, and there's a real twinkle of mischief in her eyes when she adds. "Don't I get a chance to refuse?"
Laughter and shouting erupts all around them, everyone's clearly amused by her teasing Jax for a change, even Jax it seems. And so when she's playfully reaching for her belt, Jax just raises his eyebrows at her in a challenge, but is already shaking his head in a I-can't-believe-this kind of way when he gruffly replies. "Don't you fuckin' dare, babe. That shit ain't even funny." And just like that he's already grabbed her by both her wrists and tugged her closer again, before spinning her around and ushering her forward ahead of him. His hands firmly on her hips now, steering her in the direction of the closet, while their friends erupt in another bout of laughter just as he barks an order at her out loud. "Get your ass in this closet, Knowles."
The suggestive ribbing the guys have been doing to each other all night starts up again, and just like before she's not really paying them any mind, too focused on her own heartbeat pounding in her ear at the moment, but that all ends when the damn closet door's being pulled open by none other than Ben Tatum himself, gesturing with his hand for them both to step in while grinning first at her, before focusing his attention on Jax right behind her. "How many times you think you can get it done in seven minutes, Teller?" Ben muses, obviously teasing, and chuckles all around follow.
Jax smirks back rather smugly. "This might be news to you, Tatum, but not everyone's a minute-man like you."
The implication of his words has heat rush through her body, undoubtedly making her blush even deeper, but she refuses to comment or acknowledge what either one of them just said. The old Tara would've had a smart ass remark for both, but clearly that old confidence of hers is gone again just as quickly as it had appeared, because Tara finds herself speechless instead.
Jax and Tara are both smiling despite getting practically shoved into the closet a beat later, he has to duck his head a bit because of his height, and sweetly pushes some empty hangers out of the way for her too. Then they're both turning back towards their friends just as Max taps a finger at the watch in his hand, telling them that their seven minutes are about to start as soon as the second hand starts over, and it's in that moment that Tara catches Rayna's smirk and wink from across the room, and the realization hits her all at once that all of this has been her doing.
"You've got seven minutes, lovebirds. Make it count." Max teases and just like that the door is closed in their faces and they find themselves standing incredibly close in utter darkness. At first they can't see anything, but since the basement had been rather dimly lit itself, it only takes them a few blinks and seconds for their eyes to adjust to make out each other's face again.
They stand frozen for a couple more seconds, neither making a move, eyes trained on one another, the voices on the other side of the door become more and more muffled, letting them know that their friends are stepping away, and with it a tension filled silence settles between the two of them instead, hinting at the possibilities of what will happen now.
Tara can't really understand what it is she's feeling, maybe it's knowing that they're on a set time limit, that their friends are mere feet away, that he's still deliciously shirtless, or maybe it's the fact that this right here is pretty much solidifying that they're an item now and therefore the news will surely spread like a wildfire during a drought, but whatever it is, all she knows is that this is just different than how she's ever felt before, and it's so damn scary, but at the same time so incredibly exciting too.
In all actuality it has only been seconds since they've stepped in here, but she's become intensely aware of their proximity to each other, the way he's inched even closer in the already small space, his hands on her hips again, holding her to him and pressing his body against hers too. And even though it sounds like such a damn cliché right out of some girly romance novel, but Tara swears the warmth of his body, his hands on her, and his scent filling her nostrils, mixed with his mere breaths feathering against her cheek, is making her weak in the knees and honestly a little dizzy in her head too.
Tara sighs deeply, focusing on that inhale and exhale of air, wishing for her stupid nerves to settle again, because how fucking embarrassing would it be if she was to actually faint right now while standing nose to nose with him. She'd never be able to live that down, and so to break this spell she's finding herself under, she's the one to break the ice and finally speaks first. "What -."
Her words are cut off when Jax is instantly silencing her with a near bruising kiss, pressing his lips to hers, his hands suddenly curving around the sides of her neck and jaw, the tips of his long fingers disappearing in the hair at her nape, angling her face and holding her in place just how he needs her. But before the kiss can deepen, he pulls back just enough that their lips part again, his nostrils flaring as he draws in a deep breath through his nose, a look of longing etched into his young face when he searches her eyes for just a second. What for, she's not sure.
Tara hesitates herself for just a heartbeat or two, but then slips her hands upward across his bare chest, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she's allowed to touch him like this now, before stopping at the back of his head and letting his silky blond hair slide through her fingers. Then she's the one to suddenly pull him closer and pressing her lips against his first this time, instantly deepening the kiss, and this seems to be what he's been waiting for, a sign from her that she's into it, that she wants this too, because the next thing she knows he's suddenly turning and walking her the few inches towards the back wall of the closet.
He's caging her in with his much larger frame, one of his hands slips down, across her shoulder, his palm gracing the side of her breast, the tip of his thumb just a fraction of an inch away from her already puckered nipple, before he stops said hand at her hip again, tightening his grip on her, before groping needy at the fleshy curves of her ass and at the same time grinding his hips against hers too.
The sensations he's evoking are too much, and it's clear that he feels the same when he breaks the kiss just long enough to whisper the words "Jesus Christ, you feel so good" against her mouth, which has her mumbling back at him in a breathy gasp. "You too."
A heavy sense of possession is radiating off of him, from the way he's holding her face determinedly still to better explore her mouth, kissing her like his life depends on it, the way he's using his other hand to grope her, while simultaneously pinning her to the wall with his body and grinding into her for his own pleasure too.
He has taken complete control over all of her, and even though Tara never even imagined that she'd be into that sort of thing, - especially after what happened with Michael Dunley -, she now shockingly realizes that him taking charge like this is turning her on in ways she didn't think were humanly possible. It's baffling to her, but it doesn't make it any less true, because his domineering hold on her has electric sparks of desire shoot straight through her, lighting every nerve in her body up like a fuse, and leaving her eager and pliant in his strong and apparently very capable hands. Jesus Christ indeed!
This knowledge changes everything, and at the same time it explains so much! Like why her best efforts to have a relationship with Logan amounted to nothing. Why even though Logan is certainly good-looking, the attraction she felt for him was never more than skin deep. And it all made sense now, because despite his jock status, Logan had not once made her feel like he was crazy with need for her, like Jax was doing now. He'd never wanted her enough to shut everything else out, and in turn she'd never wanted him either. All in all, Logan's touches had barely registered as a fizzle, while Jax's touch is igniting fireworks deep within.
Is this the difference between liking someone and loving them? With that thought any remaining doubt she'd had about her feelings towards Jax evaporate into thin air. She knows now that Jackson Teller will change her life, her whole world and her with it, in more ways than she could even imagine yet.
They're so lost in each other that they lose any sense of time too, and so it's no real surprise when the door is suddenly yanked open, causing them to get caught red handed in a hot and heavy make-out session and startled by the whoops and hollers from their friends.
Laughter and teasing erupts, but it's all good naturedly, and Tara's thankful that she's still somewhat hidden from view by Jax's much larger body and can at least try to compose herself before having to show her face. Jax seems to have the same idea, because with his back still turned to his friends, he's reaching between them, trying his best to adjust the hard-on to make it less obvious, which is easier said than done considering he's still shirtless and has nothing to conceal it with.
Tara can't help but feel a little bad for him since she's played a part in his physical reaction, then their eyes meet, exchanging mirthful yet knowing looks, when a heavy hand lands on Jax's shoulder, trying to tug him back repeatedly. Some of the chatter of their friends start to intrude their little bubble they've found themselves in, telling them both that time's up and to come out of there already, and right as Jax turns to get this over with, knowing he'll most likely have to face some ridicule over the still obvious bulge in his pants, Tara surprises him when she turns with him and with it giving him a bit more time to recover.
He's got to admit he's impressed by how inconspicuously she manages to turn and step ahead of him, her hands tugging on his to keep him as close as possible, and with it she's making it more than clear to him that she'd prefer that the rest of the basement crowd wouldn't find out just how much she's aroused him in just a matter of seven minutes.
They're both back to completely ignoring the suggestive comments and questions thrown at them, and he instead wraps his arms around her waist from behind, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Let's get the hell out of here."
"Okay." Tara nods in agreement, looking back at him over her shoulder, she whispers. "Are you good?"
Just one corner of his mouth turns up, right along with his eyebrows, but his quick glance down to his own crotch is so fast and nearly imperceptible that she's sure nobody else is catching on to the meaning behind his next words. "Yeah, much better now."
They finally break apart just enough to grab their things off of the floor to quickly redress, announce their exit, and moments later climbing the staircase to head upstairs, under the protests of their friends who are trying to get them to stay and continue playing instead.
X
For some privacy, Jax brings her to the same room where he'd had his little chat with Rayna earlier tonight, glad to find it still empty so he'll finally get the chance to give her the present he got her for her birthday.
Tara looks wearily around the room, her eyes stopping for a moment on the mahogany colored leather loveseat, with all its possibilities, before she decides to focus on the oversized bookcases instead. She has her hands stuffed into the back pockets of her denim shorts, stepping closer and trying to distract herself by reading some of the titles on the spines of the countless books, her stiff posture giving away that she's a little bit nervous to be completely alone with him again so shortly after they've just been all over each other in that basement closet.
"You okay, babe?" Jax's question from right behind her startles her, and has her looking back at him over her shoulder only to realize he's much closer than he'd been a second ago.
She nods, willing herself to relax again. "I'm fine. You?"
He nods his head as well. "Never better." But barely a second later he smirks at her playfully. "Actually , that's a lie, I was feeling more than better during those seven minutes in heaven with you."
Tara shakes her head at his teasing, a slight blush showing again high on her cheeks when Jax juts his chin towards the two-seater. "Let's sit, I've got something for you."
She raises both her eyebrows in question back at him, giving him a playful look of her own, but before she can actually say anything, Jax beats her to it. "And no, what I wanna show you is not in my pants." By the little chuckle that escapes her lips, it's clear that she got the obvious reference he'd just made to what she'd said to him during their date last night at the drive-in.
This banter, this easy way of talking and getting what the other one is saying, it's downright refreshing, and to his own surprise he realizes just how fucking much he looks forward to keep verbally sparring with her.
Her amusement at his joke has broken the brief tension again, and he can see her visibly relax right before his eyes when she's making herself comfortable on the couch right next to him.
She curiously watches him fish for something in the inside pocket of his leather jacket, half expecting to be presented with yet another joint, but then meets his eyes in shock when he's holding a rectangular jewelry box out to her, and the sweetest of smiles is splitting his face in half when he says. "Happy birthday, babe."
"You really didn't need to get me anything." She says almost like on reflex, but she does really mean it too. He won't hear of it though and there is no stopping him from practically shoving the gift into her hands, leaving her no choice but to take it from him and accept it. When she flips the lid open under his watchful gaze, her eyes immediately widen in even more surprise, taking in the expensive looking silver necklace with the crescent moon shaped pendant attached to the chain. "Wow, Jax. It's ... it's so pretty."
His smile is growing wider the longer he watches her marvel over the necklace, clearly elated that she seems to like the gift he's picked out for her, but then he can't help but explain why he's chosen this particular one, pointing at the stars etched into the crescent moon pendant. "When I saw it, it made me think of us, talking and looking at the stars together last night."
"And almost getting arrested." She adds smirking, desperate to add some humor back into this moment, to keep herself from getting chocked up by this gesture of his.
"Yeah, that too." And he smirks right back, because how could either one of them ever forget a first date like that. Then he adds obviously joking. "I looked, but seems like cop car pendants aren't a thing."
"Probably not." She quips back instantly, glad they're able to joke like this about what happened just yesterday, as her gaze returns to the jewelry in her hand.
"You like it though, right?" Even though the look on her face already tells him she does, he can't help but ask out loud, because it is after all truly the first time he's ever bought a girl nice jewelry like this before.
Tara's nods and smiles brightly back at him, before she can't hold back any longer and leans in to wrap her arms around his neck in a quick hug. "I love it. Thank you."
She eagerly tugs the necklace free from the box, holding it out to him. "Will you put it on me, please?"
Jax quickly takes it from her, and while she's holding her long hair up and out of the way, he's draping it around her delicate neck and quickly clasping it shut in the back.
She runs a hand over the pendant resting above her sternum, looking back at him expectantly now when she asks. "How does it look?"
"You look perfect, babe." He replies, that same sweet and genuine smile on his face again as before.
And it's all he has to say before she reaches out to cup his face and press her lips to his. An electric spark igniting again, pulsing between them when they bridge the gap and tumble to the couch wrapped up around one another in a heady kiss.
X
Their hot and heavy make-out session had been rudely interrupted when another couple stumbled into the room unannounced, but it had been the proverbial bucket of cold water Tara had clearly needed to get a hold of herself, especially now that there'd be more rumors making the rounds if they didn't show their faces around the rest of the party again.
And it's like Jax could read her mind, because despite feeling like he wanted to spend the rest of his life alone with her just hidden away someplace and keep kissing her like the world might end tomorrow, he'd asked her if she was ready to join their friends at the party again instead.
So they took their sweet time, making sure to be seen, hand in hand roaming the rest of the house together for a while, and that's how they've ended up here now, waiting in line in the kitchen to get another drink, right along with their friends, who've all finally emerged from the basement as well.
The music is still somewhat loud, but it's turned down just enough that you can almost talk without shouting. Jax and Opie have their heads turned towards each other in conversation, with Opie teasing his best friend about what did or didn't go down between Tara and him after the two of them left the basement. But Jax just grins whilst shaking his head, letting Opie know he's not gonna kiss and tell, before glancing over to Tara, whose attention is temporarily on her own friends, busy showing off her new necklace to Rayna and Cass, who both seem to be impressed by his choice of a birthday gift for her as well.
Moments later Jax lets go of her hand to step up to the keg, grabbing two plastic cups from the clean stack and starts filling them, and with his attention momentarily turned away, Opie leans into Tara to shout whisper in her ear. "Had to drive him around all afternoon so he could get you that." Glancing down at her necklace for just a split second, then adds. "It's the real deal too, won't turn your neck green after a shower."
Opie's not one for small talk, at all, so Tara pulls back to meet his eyes in obvious surprise, and in doing so is greeted with a smirk from him a heartbeat later, and his joyful facial expression is telling her way more than his words ever would, making it clear to her that he approves of her dating his best friend. And even though she'd already figured as much, it's still good to know that both his and her friends seem to approve of what's going on, and are on their side, it certainly helps to not let her nerves get the best of her, whenever she still feels someone's curious eyes on them every now and then.
Opie brings her back out of her thoughts when he glances down towards her necklace then up to meet her eyes again, making it clear he's still talking about the gift from Jax when he asks. "You like it?"
Tara's hand instinctively reaches up to run her fingers over the pendant once again, nodding back up at him at the same time with a smirk of her own now. "I love it."
"Good." Opie nods pleased, then both their attention shifts back to Jax when he joins them again, handing Tara her drink, while Opie steps around him and up to the keg now to get his own.
Jax simply curls his arm around Tara's neck, tugging her closer to him, before they lean back against the kitchen counter, sipping on their beers, all the while waiting for all their friends to get their drinks too.
They try to talk, but it's just too damn loud to even try to carry on a real conversation, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering all they've done is talk and make-out, so a little wordless companionship won't hurt, and it allows them both to get a little lost in their own thoughts to try and process everything that has happened so far.
But then Tara notices a couple of guys, that she instantly recognizes from the Lodi football team, huddled in a group on the opposite side of the kitchen. They're downing shots after shots, acting very obnoxious while doing so, and one after the other has started to glance her way, before talking and laughing among themselves. She vaguely remembers their names, but one in particular stands out, Braden Travor, who's shamelessly flirted with her once in front of Logan, clearly just to piss him off right before a Friday night game. With that thought it mind, Tara forces herself to look away, trying to let it slide off of her back and not let whatever they're clearly gossiping about her ruin her night.
She glances up at Jax beside her to focus on all the good that has happened tonight, but that's when she realizes that he has noticed the looks they've been giving her as well, because his face that's been mostly smiles and smirks all night is suddenly looking angry and sharp, and before Tara can stop him from doing so, he's already gaining everyone's attention when he's shouting across the room. "What the fuck's so funny?"
The group of jocks bursts out laughing, talking to each other again, clearly not intimidated by his angry scowl directed at them, and Tara's stomach sinks instantly, her nerves roaring to new heights, but for entirely different reasons now than most of the evening. What she fears is about to happen, is something she's put rather high up there on the cons side of those pros-and-cons-lists she's made about the handsome, but pissed off, boy standing right next to her.
Jackson Teller likes to fight. He'll fight with his friends for fun on occasion, for sport, so to speak, but more times than not, he'll end up in a real fight after a few choice words coupled with a few too many drinks. He's got a short fuse, it's no secret either, everyone knows it, and yet there always seems to be some dumbass that wants to provoke him anyways, thinking they can take him on. Boys will be boys, and drunk boys have proven to be the worst!
"I said, what the fuck is so funny?" Jax roars even louder now, uncurling his arm from around her and stepping further into the room.
Everyone's attention instantly shifts to the guys and Jax, and even though the music is still blaring, leaving the rest of the party oblivious to what's happening in here, somehow a small crowd has formed in the doorway already, everyone eager to see what's about to go down.
Tara stands frozen in place where Jax left her, clutching her drink in both hands, her heart beating out of her chest, and her eyes nervously flitting around the room, from them to Jax, to Opie, who's stepped up next to him, and the rest of their friends, just to land back on Jax again.
What is she supposed to do here? As his girlfriend, is she supposed to try to stop him? Or back him up? She suddenly regrets that she usually stepped away whenever one of these fights broke out in the past, not wanting to watch something like this, not wanting to watch Jax get hurt, but if she had, she would maybe at least have an idea how Jax's ex handled this sort of thing and wouldn't feel so utterly clueless and out of her element at the moment, as much as she hates to even admit that to herself.
But if she thinks feeling this confused and nervous has her on edge, things suddenly spiral from bad to worse when Braden Travor breaks away from the huddled group and steps towards Jax with a shit-eating-grin splitting his face in half. He's not a small guy, he's tall and muscular, and if the look on his face is any indication, he's not scared to go toe to toe with Jax either. That becomes even more clear when he glances back over his shoulder at his buddies who've stepped up right behind him now in a show of solidarity, and with that grin still firmly in place says. "We're just curious how that that all went down?"
"How what went down?" Jax bites back, gritting his teeth, knowing full well he just took their bait.
The guys laugh again, spurring him on when Braden's eyes cut to Tara across the room, then stop on Opie for just a split second, before he focuses back on Jax right in front of him. "Like, did you each get your own turn, or did Winston and you cross swords like a bunch of faggots while tag-teaming her?"
Tara's mouth gapes open in shock, along with some of the other people standing around, the little chatter that was still going on here and there comes to a screeching halt too, and if it wasn't for the music still playing, you'd have probably been able to hear a pin drop.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Opie practically growls at Braden in the same breath that Jax is lunging at him.
Fists are already flying, a few body shots land, but nobody's actually got a good hit in just yet. They're just tumbling around in an uncoordinated violent fury, people rushing out of their way as they're knocking into shit, into the table and chairs and kitchen counter, empty beer cans and other things clattering to the ground in the process.
That's when Max suddenly fights his way into the kitchen, shouting at them, trying to put a stop to it, and finally gets the other guys to jump in and help him. Lowell, Ope, Ben and Tino are dragging Jax away, and Braden's guys wrestle him under control, while either boy argues their displeasure, still seeing red and wanting to go on fighting.
"Look, everyone knows I've got no problem with a good brawl, guys." Max clarifies, sounding a lot calmer again, glad that nothing in his home has been seriously damaged yet. "But c'mon, take it outside, 'cause I ain't cleanin' this shit up."
"Let's go." Jax shouts in the direction of Braden, angrily shrugging out of the hold his friends have on him, before shrugging out of his jacket too, shoving it carelessly into Lowell's hands.
Despite that same cocky grin popping back on Braden's face, the raging fury in Jax's eyes has him hesitating for just a second, but to his misfortune Jax's seen it too and can't not call him out on it. "What, you scared now? C'mon, let's finish this, you fuckin' pussy."
And then everything is happening too fast that Tara doesn't even have time to think. Everyone's just rushing out of the kitchen and out the back door in a blur of bodies, with Jax and Braden and the other guys up ahead of the crowd, and Tara lost someplace in the back, getting tugged along by Joe and Rayna flanking her on either side, weaving their way through to get a front row seat to the spectacle that's about to unfold.
She finds herself glancing to her friends, debating if she should ask Ray or Joe to pinch her, because this whole night seems to be turning more surreal with every passing second. Here she was, on her sixteenth birthday, letting everyone in on the fact that Jax and her are officially dating, then Braden Travor just insulted her for everyone to hear, and now Jax is out for blood in defense of her, and to top it all off she's realizing that people are literally stepping out of the way for her to let her through, like some scene right out of the bible, when the Red Sea parted for Moses.
By the time Tara and her friends find their way to the front, both boys have already shrugged out of their t-shirts, and out of nowhere some girl she doesn't even know steps up to her, muttering "Here" as she shoves Jax's shirt and leather jacket into Tara's arms, then turns and disappears again, blending in with the rest of the spectators all around. Twilight zone type shit!
Unlike before in the kitchen when Jax had just thrown himself at Braden, they're both still on their feet now, circling around each other with raised fists as if this was an actual boxing match, except that neither is wearing gloves or a mouth guard, and there aren't any rules to abide by either, as far as she knows.
The noises and voices of everyone around her, including her own friends, seem to fade away, and all she can hear is Jax himself, right along with the pulsing of her own heart. Most of the girls are looking on with unsure expressions, and most guys seem to cheer, ready for a show, but Tara just watches on with bated breath, clutching Jax's possessions to her chest to quiet the pounding of her erratically beating heart. How the hell did they end up here? Suddenly staying hidden away in the office didn't sound so bad anymore.
Her eyes focus in on Jax, he is the kind of tough she so desperately wants to be. He just does what he wants to do, and he doesn't apologize for it, that much is clear. If only her own fearlessness wasn't an act. If only she could be truly brave like Jackson Teller.
Jax is repeatedly raising his fists up in a taunting gesture, baiting Braden to come at him, and he tries a few times, but so far Jax has dodged every punch Braden has thrown, which Jax pointedly punctuates with a well timed chuckle and it seems to piss Braden off more and more with each missed hit.
Then, suddenly, when Jax tries to dodge yet another blow, he's not fast enough and somehow Braden actually manages to make contact for the first time. Not even close to being a knockout or do any real damage, but enough to cause a small split in the corner of Jax's lips, surprise the hell out of him too, and has him spitting blood for a second.
But what follows next almost seems like it had been a calculated move from Jax after all, because in the blink of an eye in which Braden smirks cockily at his friends in the crowd, Jax leaps forward, putting all his weight behind his punches, and starts to deliver blow after blow after blow.
Time seems to move in slow motion while Jax continues to strike Braden's face, the other guy not once getting another hit in, instead just trying to block his own face from taking a beating. He's doing a shit job at that too though, because a crunching sound can be heard, that can only be described as gross and has several people wincing, leaving no doubt that Jax just broke Braden's nose. He tumbles to the grass in a bloodied mess, embarrassed, but not stupid enough to try to get up, so he just stays there, clutching his face, and with it seems to signal the end of the fight and Jax as the victor.
Braden's friends rush towards him, checking on him, while Jax raises his arms up in triumph, bathing in the cheers that erupt all around, mostly folks from Charming, but then he suddenly scans the surrounding crowd, his eyes narrowing and Tara instinctively knows he's looking for her, and it has her finally releasing the breath she'd been holding.
Tara could swear her heart skips a beat when their eyes finally connect. Never in a million years could she have anticipated to end up in this moment, and that instead of feeling repulsed by what had just gone down, she's shocked to realize that Jax fighting for her honor is doing the weirdest fucking things to her insides instead. Apparently Jackson Teller pushes buttons she didn't even know she had, and she finds herself mesmerized and spellbound by this statue of a guy, glistening in sweat, and already stepping towards her while calling her name. "Tara, c'mere."
Jax reaches her with a few quick strides, reaching out for her hand, tugging her out of the midst of her friends and further into the ring so to speak, and with it into everyone's line of view too. She follows along with him leading the way, her eyes on him the whole time, too awestruck and honestly too speechless at the moment to react in any other way.
But Jax brings her out of her stupor when he quickly pulls her in front of a still bleeding Braden, who has just gotten up to walk away, drawing his attention back to them when Jax demands out loud. "Hey, dickhead, you owe my girlfriend an apology." Tara can't help but glance up at him when the word girlfriend has slipped past his lips, because it is the first time he's openly called her that, and it's surely a moment she'll never forget.
"Fuck you, Teller." Braden growls back, trying to sidestep around them again.
But Jax blocks his way once more, tugging Tara securely to his side now, and has both Opie and Lowell stepping up behind them as well. His eyes are glinting dangerously back at Braden, gritting his teeth when he orders him again. "Apologize right fucking now, or I swear I'll break more than just your face."
Braden looks away, meeting his friends' eyes, surely contemplating his options, but to Tara's obvious surprise he meets her eyes at last and mutters under his breath. "Sorry."
Clearly not satisfied with that shitty excuse of an apology, Jax looks like he's ready to snap Braden's neck. But it's in that moment that Tara seems to gather all her courage and makes a move of her own, reaching up and gliding her fingers along Jax's stubbly jawline to draw his attention to her instead. He glances down at her, meeting her eyes in question, and even though her voice is rather quiet, it still somehow comes off strong when she says. "It's okay, he's not worth wasting any more time on."
Jax lets her words sink in before he nods contently at her, then his eyes drift back to Braden with a look of disdain, spitting at the ground right in front of him, before he allows Braden and his posse to finally walk away.
Tara sighs in relief, glad that this is finally over, noticing the crowd that had gathered is beginning to disperse all around them too, thinking how she'd like to do the same, but then to her horror, Jax seems to have other ideas.
Within seconds he's hopped up onto the patio table, standing there in all of his still shirtless sweaty glory, and as predicted has already managed to draw everyone's attention right back to him. Tara can only thank her lucky starts that he hasn't pulled her up there with him, but at the same time her heart's accelerating again at what her boyfriend might be up to now.
He doesn't leave her or anyone else wondering for long though when he's clapping his hands at the off chance someone hasn't noticed him just yet. "Look, I'm only going to say this once, so all you motherfuckers better listen up. If I find out you're talking shit about Tara, about my girlfriend, I'll beat your fucking asses, your own mother won't recognize you, got it?"
Tara's not just surprised by his words, but also by the claps and shouts of approval that erupts around them too.
But Jax puts a stop to that when he adds. "Hold up, I'm not finished. As for all the chicks who think you're off the hook 'cause I'd never lay a hand on any of you, you're right. I won't touch you, instead I will kick your boyfriend's ass in your place, or your brother's, your cousin's, your best friend, hell, I'll beat the snot out of the guy you've been crushing on since before you grew tits and I'll make damn fucking sure he knows why I'm doing it too. You got me?"
He hops down from the table, landing on his feet right in front of her, and she's blushing and smiling, yet feeling so flustered, she doesn't know what to do other than shake her head at him for a long moment, before she finally steps into him to whisper under her breath. "I can't believe you just did that."
"The fight or the speech?" He wonders out loud.
"Both, I guess." Tara quips back.
"Had to be done." Jax just shrugs as if to say 'it's no big deal', and reaches for his shirt still draped over her arm. She watches him pull it back on, holding his jacket out to him next, and he quickly slips it on too.
Jax grins then, stepping into her and cupping her cheek to angle her face up to kiss her. Their lips a mere breath apart when a slow clap starts somewhere besides them and has them both pulling back to see who's behind it.
To their surprise it's Opie, and he's sporting a downright wicked grin when he steps even closer, right along with the rest of their friends. "Fuck me." He suddenly blurts out, his eyes on Jax when he adds. "My best friend has finally fallen."
Fallen? Fallen where? Tara wonders, not understanding what Opie's getting at, her eyes bouncing perplexed back and forth between Jax and him for a second, while the little snickers of the other's probably should've glued her in, but instead they're barely registering with her.
"Don't start, Ope." Jax warns in reply, he's not ready to talk the L-word just yet and it has him suddenly fidgeting with his pack of smokes, lighting up and looking down at his feet a little unsure, his whole posture such a stark contradiction now to the guy that had just stood up there on that table and dished out threats for all to hear.
"Just callin' it like I see it." Opie fires back, a smirk curving his lips upward still when he joins Jax by pulling out his own pack of cigarettes and quickly lights up too, but then the subject's dropped again and instead they start talking about the fight that had just taken place, much to Jax's relief.
Jax wraps an arm around Tara's waist, tugging her closer to him again, pressing a kiss against her hair between drags from his cigarette and trading words with the rest of the guys, who are all chiming in now about the way Jax had pummeled Braden to the ground.
Meanwhile, Tara finds herself practically melting against him, because in his strong arms like this, all her troubles are momentarily forgotten. That is until she opens her eyes again and catches the pointed look both Rayna and Cassidy are practically shooting at her, clearly with something on their minds that they want to share, but for some reason seem to think they can't do so at the moment.
"What?" Tara silently mouths the word, knowing that Jax's focusing the other way, and even if he wasn't, he couldn't see with the way she's got her head angled down.
Ray glances over at Cass for just a second, before they're turning their eyes back to her and both mouth back simultaneously, careful to form their lips around each word so she'll hear them, even though neither one is making an actual sound. "He. Is. Falling. For. You."
"No. You're crazy." She mouths instantly, wanting to shake her head, but doesn't because she knows it'll draw his attention back to her.
Cass and Ray just nod at her, rather enthusiastically, when she dares another glance their way, and it's then that she suddenly takes the time to think back to Opie's cryptic words from a few minutes ago, and can hear them replaying in her head. Is that what Opie was hinting at? Does he really think that Jax is falling for her?
Tara's tilting her neck up to look at Jax, as if she could confirm it somehow, and the adoration she sees in his eyes when he glances back at her, suddenly has her knees go weak yet again. Her heart is picking up its pace again at the mere thought that what Opie said could be true. She knows she's already falling for him, but knowing he's also already feeling the same certainly adds a whole other level to that feeling.
She tries to relax against him, tries just to keep her eyes focused on what is happening in front of her, tries to focus on the guys' conversation, but there is no use, because instead her brain is keeping Opie's words on a loop, right along with Jax's response too. And it leaves Tara with no doubt, that even though he might be feeling it, he wasn't ready to share that with her just yet anymore than she was ready to tell him she was falling for him too.
But still, this revelation has her emotions all over the place, and has her feeling a high she's never experienced before in her life. And honestly it's not just Opie's words, but everything - literally everything - that's been leading up to this, like the unusual way Jax came into her life, at her most vulnerable time, and the feelings that developed from it when she'd least expected.
Somehow, in the midst of real fear and self-doubt, Jackson Teller came in and has swept her away in a whirlwind, with his natural good looks, his charm, but also with his goodness, and now after only a couple of weeks, she's in so deep that she can't even see the top anymore.
To give her heart to him might seem reckless, at least her head still tells her so on occasion, and maybe it's the most reckless thing she's ever done or ever will do, but the fact of the matter is that he brightens her entire world somehow simply by being in it, and as she glances up at him again she makes a silent vow to try to figure out how to do the same for him.
X
Author's Note: I can't believe it's been two months since I last updated this. I'm truly sorry it took so long, but here it finally is: the new chapter. Lots is going on in this chapter, and I'm curious to hear your reactions. So if you're still with me, and you've got a minute to spare, leave me a few words please?
Thanks for still reading.
