Chapter Forty Nine: Lovebug by Jonas Brothers

"So, am I your valentine?" Rose asked, giving Jack a wink.

"Actually, no," said Jack. "I had my eye on another girl."

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, mine isn't you either."

"Who's yours?" Jack asked.

"Cal," said Rose. "Yeah, that one kiss… just made me realize my love for him."

"Don't joke about that," said Jack.

Rose looked down. "Sorry."

"It's okay," said Jack. "I know that night was scary for you, but it was really scary for me too."

"I know," said Rose. She tangled his shirt neck around her finger and pulled him closer, giving him a loving kiss.

Jack lifted her chin and kissed her neck. Rose gasped, panting as he moved his way down. They continued kissing for a little while, and Jack pulled away. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Rose laughed. "Okay. That was sudden."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"We've been kissing for about five minutes," said Rose.

"Rose, it's four o'clock. We've been sitting there kissing for two hours."

"Damn," said Rose. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"We certainly have fun, don't we?" Jack said.

•••

Jack was waiting outside the girls' home, and Rose came downstairs. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Jack said, kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," said Rose. "It was hard to pick an outfit considering you didn't tell me where we're going."

"Well, I had this vision of making a picnic on the roof," said Jack. "But it's February in New York. It's negative five degrees."

"Yeah, I know," said Rose. "So where are we going?"

"I made a reservation at your favorite," said Jack, and Rose smiled. "And there's more after that."

Rose smiled. "Let's go."

•••

Helga got up from her bed and went to Fabrizio and Jack's room. She knocked on the door. Fabrizio opened the door, and standing in the doorway was Helga. "Oh, hey."

"Hey," said Helga. "I was just… looking for Rose."

"She and Jack went out," said Fabrizio. "I can let you know when they get back."

"Thanks," said Helga. She her mind was telling her to walk away, but her legs wouldn't move. Fabrizio looked at Helga, and they both inched closer together before meeting in a steamy kiss. They walked further into Fabrizio's room, not separating, and Fabrizio lifted Helga's shirt over her head. They undressed each other before sleeping together.

They both were panting as they absorbed what had just happened. "Just for the record, this isn't why I came here."

"I know," said Fabrizio. "Helga, what are we doing? We're not good for each other."

"I know," said Helga. "Let's just call this a one-time thing. It won't happen again."

"Okay."

•••

Jack and Rose were sitting at the dinner table, about to take a bite of their food. "I can feel my phone vibrating repeatedly in my coat pocket."

"Who is it?" Jack asked.

Rose took her phone out. "It's Helga," she said. She unlocked her phone and read the texts. "Oh my god."

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"If I tell you this, you can't tell anybody. And you can't tell anyone you know about it," said Rose.

"Okay," said Jack.

"Helga and Fabrizio hooked up," said Rose.

"What, they kissed?" Jack asked.

"No no no," said Rose. "Had sex."

"You're kidding," said Jack.

"Unfortunately not." Rose put her phone away. "I'm not giving her any advice this time, I swear. I'll listen and not say a single word."

"Good for you," said Jack, trying to encourage her.

They went to get ice cream, and they were slowly walking back to the home. "Whose idea was it to get ice cream?" Rose asked. "In the middle of winter."

"Not sure," said Jack. "But it wasn't the best idea."

"Okay, I'm throwing this away now," said Rose. "Thank you for tonight."

"Thank you for being my valentine," said Jack. He gave her a loving kiss.

Rose kissed him again. "Come to my room in five minutes."

"Okay," said Jack, and he gave her another kiss.

Rose went up to her room. "So talk to me about Fabrizio," she said, shedding her large coat. "I'm just going to listen. I'm not going to say a word."

"Well, I went there looking for you, and then it just… happened," said Helga.

"Are you…" Rose began.

"No," said Helga. "Never again."

"Okay," said Rose.

Helga nodded. "Listen, I'm going to go read downstairs, give you and Jack some privacy, and… be safe."

"You realize we've never had sex, right?" Rose asked.

"Got to teach you the lessons while you're young," said Helga. "Remember, no glove no love."

"How funny," said Rose.

•••

Jack jumped through Rose's window and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," she whispered, and she gave him a loving kiss. "Before we do anything, I just want to say how grateful I am to have you in my life."

"Same here," said Jack.

"You take such good care of me, and I just don't know how I got so lucky," said Rose.

"I love you so much," said Jack, and they sat on her bed.

"I love you too," said Rose, and she kissed him again.