Sophia, Jake, and I have spent every Thanksgiving together since I could remember. The location may change every year, but the company doesn't- our families gather to eat, drink, and enjoy each other's company.

This year, we're celebrating at Jake's house, and for the first time, Jake was going to be doing all the cooking. Since the summer, Jake has been obsessed with cooking.

He has cooked or baked almost any recipe he could get his hands on. We were all impressed when he said he wanted to take on Thanksgiving, but not really surprised at this point.

I have to say, his newfound passion in the kitchen has been a major turn on for me, and I've been more than willing to watch while he works.

I promised him that I'd help him prepare the turkey the day before Thanksgiving, so I was on my over to his house when I got a call from Sophia.

B: Hey!

S: Hey, where are you?

B: On my way to Jake's, why? What's up?

S: Oh, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to pick up some things from Aiden's house.

B: I can't Soph, I promised Jake I'd help him get things ready for tomorrow.

S: Ok, it's fine, I can just go on my own.

B: You sure?

S: Yeah, don't worry about it, but tell Jake he needs to make those sweet potatoes with extra marshmallows, just for me.

B: Will do! Tell me what happens when you're done!

S: Ok, I'll call you later.

I park my car and walk up Jake's driveway. I ring the doorbell, and I'm greeted by Jake's mom.

'Hi Mrs. Black! How are you?'

'I'm good Bella, come on in? How are you?'

'Good. I'm here to help Jake prepare for tomorrow.'

'He's already in the kitchen, go ahead.'

'Thanks!'

I walk towards the kitchen, already hearing the familiar sound of pans clinking.

I turn the corner and I find Jake aggressively digging through a cabinet, muttering to himself in a very frustrated tone.

'Hey!'

He turns his head, 'Oh hey! I'm glad you're here! I need your help, can you stir my cranberries?'

I stare at him with a puzzled expression, I lean towards him to whisper, 'Is that code for something?'

He stares blankly, 'No. I actually mean, can you stir my cranberries? They're on the stovetop, right over there.'

'Oh!' I laugh, feeling my cheeks flush slightly.

Jake laughs softly and turns his head back towards the cabinet.

'I can't find my mom's fucking cake pan,' he informs me.

'Have you asked your mom?' I retort with a smirk.

He shoots me a withering stare, 'Yes.'

I shake off my coat and drape it over the back of a kitchen chair and make my way towards the cranberries.

Thirty minutes later…

The cake pan hunt had been long called off, and Jake was cutting up onions and celery for his turkey's stuffing.

'Ok, so what else do you need my help with, besides cranberry monitoring.'

'Can you start on the apple cobbler?' he replies, wiping away a tear that was running down his cheek.

'Yes! Anything to get away from the onions,' I reply waving my head in front of my face.

'Onions make me cry so hard,' Jake replies, wiping away another tear.

'Oh, I thought you were just so happy to have me help you,' I respond with a smile.

'You're just loving the sight of me stressed out, aren't you?'

'I am actually, I never get to see this side of you.'

'Yes, you do,' he responds softly, 'You're probably one of the only ones.'

'I do?' I look over at him curiously.

'Yeah, any time you and I play mind games with each other. I get stressed.'

I reply with a soundless 'Oh.'

He walks over and scrapes his veggies into a buttery frying pan.

The sound of the pan sizzling takes away the awkwardness of the moment, and for that, I am thankful.

Since Halloween, Jake and I have had a few debates over what we should about our "relationship". We argued over making it public, telling only Sophia, continuing to hide it, and even just ending it.

Currently, we are still undecided. Not to mention, this turmoil has also dried up our sex life. So, we're not in a great place right now.

'Can you set two apples aside for me to use in the turkey?' Jake asks from over his shoulder.

'Sure,' I reply curtly.

I toss the apples into the mixing bowl, along with the butter, sugar and cinnamon. I take a spoon and start to stir them when Jake catches a glimpse at what I'm doing.

'Oh, you should just use your hands, don't use a spoon.'

'My hands?' I ask.

'Yeah,' he turns off the burner with his veggies, and walks over to me.

He puts both his hands in the mixing bowl and starts mixing the apples, sugar, cinnamon together.

He removes his hands, and takes a step back, nodding in the direction of the mixing bowl, 'You try.'

I place my hands in the bowl and start turning over the apples, trying to spread the cinnamon around evenly.

I feel the heat radiating off of Jake's body as he stands behind me, looking over my shoulder.

I take a small step back, leaning my body into his. I feel his breath on my neck, as he lowers his head to whisper, 'What are you doing?'

'Nothing,' I respond innocently.

He lifts his head, wraps his two strong arms around mine, and slips his hands into the mixing bowl alongside of mine.

His large hands overlap mine, interweaving our fingers together as we work the mixture.

I lean my body against Jake's warmth even more, this time, grinding my ass gently against his jeans.

The energy between us starts to electrify, and Jake lowers his head again, this time to whisper, 'My parents are home right now, someone can walk in here at any moment.'

As if it were clockwork, Sophia walks into the kitchen, 'Hey guys, I-' she stops abruptly, and Jake and I fly apart.

I force a smile across my face, trying to act casual, 'Hey Soph, what are you doing here?'

'What am I doing here? What the hell did I just walk in on?'

Jake, suddenly very focused on finding the infamous cake pan again, replies, 'Bella's helping me get ready for tomorrow.'

'I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about what I just saw,' she rebuked.

'Nothing, Jake was showing me how to mix the apples for the cobbler,' I respond in a very nonchalant manner.

'Well, that may be what you were doing on paper, but what I just saw was like the recreation of that scene from Ghost, but with cobbler instead of clay.'

Jake snorts, 'Soph, come on.'

'No, you two tell me right now, is there something I should know?'

I shake my head vigorously, 'No!'

I look up and meet Jake's burning gaze, and I can tell immediately that he's upset as he responds coldly, 'Nope.'

Seemingly convinced for now, Sophia drops the topic and throws her coat on the kitchen table.

She sighs deeply as she pulls out a chair, plopping down, 'I'm so happy you two aren't hooking up behind my back because I really need my two best friends right now.'

I reply, 'What's going on?'

Jake gives up on the cake pan search once again and starts focusing his energy on his stuffing. I try to catch his eye as he walks past me, but his gaze is fixed straight ahead of him.

I hear Sophia chattering, and I should be paying attention, but I'm distracted by Jake.

Is he mad at me?

'…so, he's throwing my stuff across the front lawn, and I'm yelling at him to stop,' Sophia exclaims, 'when out of the blue I'm overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him.'

At this, I turn my head to face her, 'What?'

'I'm not sure what it was, maybe it was the way his hair was all disheveled or how passionately he was throwing my stuff. But I went for it,' she says with a shrug, 'and then we had sex in his room.'

At this, Jake stops mixing his stuffing, and grabs a towel to wipe his hands.

I'm in utter shock, 'You what?'

She nods in agreement, 'I know, it's completely insane. It's just…in that moment, all these feelings just came bubbling up to the surface.'

'Ah, you had breakup sex,' Jake replies with a knowing nod, tossing the towel on the counter.

'Breakup sex?' I ask.

Jake glances in my direction, then looks away quickly, 'Yeah, it's when you both know it's over, but you decide to do it one last time.'

'Well, at first, that's what I thought it was,' Sophia responds, 'but now, I'm not so sure. I miss him, and if he can agree to my terms, then I'd love to get back together.'

I laugh, 'Agree to your terms?'

'Yeah, I want to break up before we leave for college, no matter what,' she replies confidently.

'So, you're not wavering on that?' Jake asks.

She shakes her head, 'Hell no. I don't want us going into a new chapter in our lives with a relationship holding us back. I want us both to experience everything.'

'I get it,' I reply, 'I really do, I think it makes sense. Why potentially ruin the love you have for each other by trying to make it work- it's better to have a clean break.'

'Have a clean break?' Jake retorts, 'You sound like you're talking about a class you hate, not someone you're dating.'

'I just mean, why not just end things on a good note and not risk potentially ruining their chances later in life,' I reply.

'Ruin their chances for what? Getting back together?' Jake responds heatedly, his eyes burrowing into mine.

'Yeah, maybe, if that's what's meant to be,' I respond defensively, glaring at him.

'I think you're trying to make a logical decision about something illogical, like love,' Jake rebukes, 'A relationship is not a contract, it's messy, it's organic, you can't always control how you feel, sometimes you just have to go with the flow.'

'I agree that love is illogical,' Sophia responds, 'but when were you ever in love, Jake?'

Jake's gaze still on me, he blinks rapidly, as if waking up from a trance. He turns to face Sophia, 'Just once, a long time ago.'

'Wait, Bella did you know about this?' she asks me in disbelief.

I shake my head rapidly, not meeting her gaze.

'Why didn't you ever tell us! Who was she?' Sophia asks enthusiastically.

'Just some girl at camp,' Jake murmurs, 'she broke my heart when she turned down the other half of my turkey sandwich.'

'OH MY GOD! You're so full of shit dude!' she yells, 'You've never been in love. We were in camp with you every year, I don't remember you caring about any other girls.'

Jake raises his hands in the air, 'You got me, I've never been in love.'

'I knew it,' Sophia replies, leaning back in her chair, satisfied.

He laughs briefly at her reaction, then turns back to his stuffing.

I take a deep breath, 'I've been in love, just once, and it does nothing but scare the shit out of you, so how can you not want to try to control it?'

Both Jake and Sophia stare at me.

I continue, 'I mean is it so bad to want to protect your own heart? If Sophia wants to end her relationship before college to save herself from pain further down the road, I think she should.'

Jake nods, 'I get it, but don't you think by putting a stop to something artificially, you're not letting that love run its course? Won't you always wonder what it could have been?'

Sophia exhales, 'I think Jake's right Bells.'

I turn to her, 'What? What about everything you said?'

She replies, 'Oh, I still believe what I said. I think you're both right.'

'How can we both be right?' I reply, confused.

'I think you can cut off a relationship before it gets messy to save yourself the pain, but you will probably always wonder what could have been if you had just let it play out naturally,' she responds.

A heavy silence falls upon the room.

'So, moral to the story, never fall in love and never get into a relationship,' Jake says with a shrug.

'Celibacy, here I come!' Sophia replies, hands raised in the air in mock excitement.

Finally finished with the cobbler, I ask Jake, 'Do you want to bake this now or later?'

'Now is fine.'

I walk over to the oven, 'What temperature should I cook it at?'

Jake responded without looking up, '350.'

So, that's how it's going to be.

Annoyed by his attitude, I set the preheat temperature and place the tray on the counter.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I ask, 'What do you want me to do next?'

This time, noticing the change in my tone, Jake looks up. His eyes meet mine, narrowing briefly as soon as he recognizes the expression on my face.

He glances around the kitchen, then a slight smile spreads across his lips, 'You can peel the potatoes.'

He looks back at me, a very pleased expression across his face.

I scowl, and reply with a grumble, 'Fine.'

I pick up the peeler and start peeling potatoes over the sink.

I exhale loudly.

'Why's this whole thing stressing you out?' Sophia asks, curiously, 'I'm the one in the relationship nightmare!'

My jaw clenched, 'I'm not stressed, and I just want you to be happy, Soph.'

'And what about you? Why are you so mopey?' she asks pointing a finger at Jake.

'I'm not! I'm just stressed about tomorrow,' he replies with convincing earnestness.

'Ok, fine,' she replies.

'You could always help us out, you know,' he adds with a sly smirk.

'Oh no, I've got way too much on my mind, I'd be no use. I'm more of a judge, from afar.'

'Mhmmm,' Jake replies, unconvinced.

'Bells, have you talked to Marcus lately?'

Thrown by her topic change, I stammer, 'Uh, I've talked to him in school.'

'I only ask because Marcus won't stop texting me about you.'

'Oh yeah?' I ask, focusing intently on peeling my potatoes.

'Yeah, I know you told me that you're not interested, but Bells, he's really into you,' she replies.

'Oh, I'm aware,' I groaned.

'There's no way you think you could give him a chance?' she asks, 'Jake, tell her she should at least give him a chance.'

At that moment, a potato slips from my hand and drops into the garbage.

'Shit' I mutter to myself.

Jake glances over at me, 'Bells can make up her own mind.'

'Ugh, fine,' she responds, frustrated.

At that moment, Jake's mom and dad walk into the kitchen.

Jake's dad greets us all, and turns to Jake, 'How's it going in here?'

'It's going,' Jake replies feebly.

He claps big hand on Jake's shoulder, 'I'm sure it's all going to be fine, you've got Bella as your Sous Chef, and a Sophia as your groupie.'

We all laugh, even Jake seems to relax a bit.

'Ok, we're going to head out for a bit, and run some last-minute errands for tomorrow. Do you need anything, Jake?' his mom asks, kindly.

'No, I'm good mom, thanks,' he replies.

'Ok, we're off then!' Jake's dad bellows, as they turn and leave the kitchen.

We hear the front door close.

Sophia turns to Jake, 'When's your brother getting here?'

'Leave him alone Soph, he's bringing his girlfriend this year,' Jake replies, filling up a big pot of water to boil for the potatoes.

Sophia scoff, 'You know I can't help myself; Emery is my end game.'

I roll my eyes, 'Your end game?'

'Yes, I will never not be in love with Emery, I can't help it.'

Jake sighs, 'were we not just discussing your relationship with Aiden?'

'Oh please, like you haven't been into two people at the same time,' Sophia retorts.

Jake frowns, 'fair point.'

'Soph, every year, you get shot down, just give it a rest this year, at least for his girlfriend's sake' I plead.

Sophia shakes her head, 'I'll be respectful, but I'll never deny my love for that man.'

Both Jake and I laugh at the ridiculousness of her determination.

'Ok guys, I'm going to head home for a bit and contemplate my life choices,' Sophia says as she stands up to put her coat on.

'Come back if you decide you want to lend a hand,' Jake says with a sly grin, knowing full well she won't return until tomorrow.

'Oh yeah, I'll think about it,' she retorts.

She gives both of us a hug and walks out of the kitchen.

With the sound of the front door closing once again, Jake and I are standing in silence.

'Jake, I…'

Before I get any other words out, he marches across the kitchen and pulls me in for a deep kiss.

Our mouths met with a crash, my lips parting immediately, welcoming him inside. Our tongue melted together as if we were never apart.

Jake was pouring himself into me, as if telling me that he was giving me everything. I could taste the passion; I could feel the weight of his body pressed up against mine.

My heart started to pound in my chest, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I pulled away, gasping for air.

I could feel my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

Jake, looking confused asks, 'What's wrong?'

He runs his hand through his hair, 'Bells, I'm sorry for being such a moody asshole to you earlier.'

I nod my head, still panting slightly.

'Jake, I don't want you to break my heart,' I gripped the counter, 'I'm afraid I'm going to lose you twice now- as a friend and as…whatever it is we're doing.'

'I don't want you to break my heart either, you know.'

I exhale, 'So, what do we do?'

He gently places both hands on either side of my face, looking into my eyes, 'What do you want to do?'

I pause at this question.

What do I want to do?

Instantly, I knew what I really wanted, 'I want to give this a try,' I reply.

His face lights up, 'You sure?'

I kiss his lips gently, 'Yes, I'm sure.'

He rests his forehead against mine and whispers, 'Good.'

'How long do you think your parents will to be gone?' I ask, the corner of my mouth lifting slightly.