A/N: I'm currently in Boston doing some college hunting, so I wrote this on the way up (talk about a long 8 hours!). I made it extra long for you guys, in hopes that I'd get more reviews. I only got 3 reviews again, which made me really sad :( . I've decided that if people really wanted to read my story, they'd tell me through reviews - therefore, this story will not be updated until I get at least 6 reviews (that's twice as many as I got for the last 2 chapters) for this chapter. Sorry, but that's how I've decided to roll.
I'd just like to thank ForbiddenxMelody and wolfwhisperer for sticking with me the whole way through and reviewing every chapter. You guys are awesome!
It was finally Saturday night and Miley was sitting at her vanity, trying to decide how to put her hair. She wanted to impress Jake, but she wanted to be herself too; figuring out how to do that was the problem. She sighed and dropped her chocolate curls in defeat. She gasped when she realized that it was the perfect look and slowly reached for the hairspray, trying to move as little as possible so as not to disturb her currently perfect hair. She finally grasped the bottle and slowly inched back, constantly looking at her hair as a hunter would his prey. She raised the bottle in the air, ready to strike, and finally attacked with all her might. The room filled with a thick mist as the hairspray spread everywhere, until Miley was finally happy with the outlook. Her hair looked absolutely perfect – not a single hair misplaced. Miley's look of triumph, however, was short-lived as she heard a series of hacking coming from her door. The mist cleared and she saw her father wheezing at the door, trying to breathe through the sticky hairspray.
"Lordy, Darlin', you tryin' to kill me? What are they going to say at my funeral? 'Robbie Ray Stewart was a good man; it's a shame he died via hairspray. Wait, this guy died by choking on hairspray? You sure he wasn't a woman?' Bud, if I die, please let me die in a manly way, like getting hit by a bus or getting shot down by the FBI."
Miley chuckled at her dad's overdramatic antics – he always was a weird one, though not as weird as the rest of her family, but she loved him anyway. Any dad that lets you be a teen pop star by night is one amazing dad.
"Miles, you look absolutely gorgeous – which means that I'm gonna need to talk to that boy, because I swear, if he puts a hand on you I'll make sure that no one finds his body ever again," Miley could only roll her eyes and how overprotective he was. She's fifteen and he still treats her like a porcelain doll – it was starting to get a bit ridiculous.
"Fine dad, and hey, that way, you could always get your dream of dying at the hands of the FBI!" she couldn't help but add sarcastically. She saw his eyes light up.
"Hey, you're right! I'll get to work on planning it right now!" Miley saw her dad's joking smile and visibly relaxed. He left to let her finish getting ready and she walked into her Hannah closet to grab her favorite pair of shoes.
Just as she was slipping them on, she heard the doorbell ring and the butterflies suddenly zoomed into her stomach. She tried to relax and think of Lily's advice as a way to calm down. She had finally told Lily and Oliver about her secret relationship with Jake through a three-way telephone conversation, and the reactions were as expected. Lily's deafening scream caused her to fall out of her chair and onto the floor – Miley couldn't hear in that ear for a few days after. Oliver just remained quiet for about five minutes, until he finally spoke up.
"But I thought you said 'no'."
Lily then proceeded to yell at Oliver about being a slow idiot and not listening to the conversation held during his five minutes of silence, which of course led to them bickering, yet again. They never noticed when Miley hung up.
Her dad's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she quickly finished putting on her shoes. One last check in the mirror was all she needed to give her a boost of confidence before she turned off the lights and headed down the stairs.
As she came into view downstairs, she heard Jake's breath hitch and couldn't help but feel a burst of power soar through her. She saw his eyes looking over her outfit and a large blush coloured her cheeks. Her simple, ocean blue dress brought out her eyes and her small, black heals accentuated her long, curvy legs. Her long, chocolate tresses flowed over her shoulders and down her back, with a few lazy curls surrounding her face. She looked casual, but still breathtakingly beautiful; and Jake couldn't keep his eyes off of her.
Miley approached him, a shy smile on her face, and he gracefully took her hand and kissed it before intertwining their fingers. He looked directly into her eyes and she knew that he was telling the truth.
"You look beautiful, Miley."
The butterflies were back and with a vengeance. They fluttered around in her stomach, bouncing around like they were trying to escape eating Aunt Pearl's Road kill Ravioli. She gave him one of her bright smiles, which he returned before turning to Mr. Stewart.
"I promise to have her home by eleven, Sir, unless you would like her home earlier."
Mr. Stewart was surprised at the boy's politeness and was about to take up his offer of having his daughter back earlier, but one look at Miley's pleading face and he knew he couldn't do that to her. Besides, he seemed like a nice enough young man that didn't treat his daughter like a piece of meat. He could see it in the boy's eyes that he truly cared for his daughter – the same look he had when he looked at his deceased wife. Maybe it was finally time to let Miley fly.
"No, eleven is fine. Make sure she comes back in one piece, or I swear I shall do unthinkable things to you, boy," he couldn't help but throw in a threat – he was a father after all.
Jake looked at him with a serious face, before turning to Miley.
"I promise, Sir, that I will never let anything harm her. Ever."
Although Jake was talking to her father, she knew that he was talking to her too – she could see it in his eyes. She knew that he would never let her get hurt and it made her heart swell even more. Her father also knew how serious he was and couldn't help but actually like the young man. He nodded at Jake, giving him approval to take out his daughter. Jake smiled at him and with a small 'goodbye' from Miley, the couple made their way out of the house. He sighed as he watched his baby girl smile brightly at the boy as they walked away hand in hand, before he retreated to the kitchen to have an ice cream sundae.
The couple walked down the driveway to Jake's awaiting limo. Of course, they would be riding in style to their location – this was Jake Ryan after all. He opened the door and helped her step inside before winking at his driver, who nodded in return, and entered the car as well. Once inside, Miley turned to him.
"So, where are we going? Movies? Or are we going to dinner, because you never told me what to dress for, you just said casual, so I dressed casual, but I didn't want to seem like a slob, so I spruced up a tad-" Miley's rambling was cut off suddenly by Jake's lips and she instantly forgot about what she was saying. He pulled back and smiled.
"Did you know how cute you are when you ramble?" her cheeks turned pink. "And to answer your question – it's a surprise." Miley frowned.
"…Is this the part where you take me to an abandoned warehouse and kill me? Because if it is, I'd like to step out of the vehicle, please." Jake just laughed and shook his head at Miley's overactive imagination. He pulled out a scarf, which Miley looked at worriedly.
"No, I'm not going to kill you, and even if I was going to kill you, I'd smother you with kisses until you couldn't breathe," she giggled. "But this really is a surprise, so I hope you trust me enough to let me blindfold you until we get there. It's ok if you don't want to."
Miley contemplated her situation. She really did trust Jake, and knew from his talk with her father that he wouldn't harm her in any way, so she decided to throw caution into the wind.
"Alright, big boy, make me blind."
Jake smiled and carefully wrapped the delicate material around her eyes before gently tying it in a knot. He slowly traced his fingertips down her arm, causing it to erupt in goosebumps, before he intertwined his fingers in hers.
When Jake wrapped the scarf around her eyes, Miley's world became dark and a cold fear wrapped around her. She had always been a bit afraid of the dark, which was why she slept with the curtains open to allow the moonlight in. She felt Jake's fingers slide down her arm lightly, sending a pleasant chill through her body, and her fear slowly started slipping away. When she felt his fingers wrap around hers, she suddenly felt safe and knew that she would always feel that way with Jake.
They sat quietly, enjoying the peaceful silence and just the feel of each other. The car slowed and finally came to a stop. Miley felt Jake scoot closer to her and he whispered in her ear.
"We're here. When we get outside, I'll take off your blindfold. You have to trust me, ok?"
Miley nodded and let him lead her out of the car. He pulled her by the hand for a bit before they finally stopped. Miley was excited to see this secret surprise and was growing impatient. She felt Jake move behind her and begin to untie the blindfold. Her eagerness was growing and she felt the butterflies come back two-fold. He softly told her to close her eyes and she did so without question. She felt the silky material fall from her eyes and her excitement reached its peak. He slowly counted to three and she opened her eyes, ready for the greatest surprise in the history of surprises. Her eyes got used to the light and when they focused, she saw…
Seaview High School.
Miley whipped around to face Jake, a disappointed and slightly aggravated look on her face.
"School. This is the big surprise? Taking me back to school? Listen, Jake, I know you're new at this whole 'becoming normal' thing, but normal kids leave school for the weekend, not go back to it!" she was panting heavily and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Jake only watched her with amusement and a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Who said that this is the surprise?"
Miley stopped short and looked at him incredulously. He looked deep into her eyes, searching for an answer to his next question.
"Do you trust me?"
Miley stared back and nodded. He grasped her hand once again and led her to the school's entrance. He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door before pulling her inside and up the stairs. She followed him wordlessly as he led her through the different hallways until they reached a small door she had never noticed before. He unlocked the door before opening it for her, motioning her inside with his head. She looked at him before looking up the dark stairs, trying to gather all of her courage. She took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness, slowly climbing up each step until she reached a door. She gently turned the knob and pushed the door open, causing a loud screech to echo in the dark. Light flooded the stairs and she gasped in surprise.
She was on the roof of the school, overlooking all of Malibu and the calm ocean next to it. Strings of lights were pinned up around her, casting a soft glow in the oncoming twilight. A blanket was spread out on the floor, surrounded by pink, red, and white rose petals. As she moved closer, she saw a single white rose on the blanket, as well as a bowl of strawberries. She picked up the rose and noticed a small card lying underneath it.
'A white rose for the beginning of a beautiful relationship with a beautiful girl'
She smiled with tears in her eyes and gently wiped them away. She felt his arms wrap around her from behind as he gently whispered in her ear.
"Surprise"
Miley broke out into sobs and she covered her mouth in an attempt to stop them from escaping. Jake, completely freaking out (seeing as how he's never had to deal with a sobbing girl before), thought he had done something terribly wrong and tried to think of a way to quickly fix it. He turned her around and rapidly began to apologize.
"Oh god, I'm sorry, Miley! I thought you'd like it! I didn't mean to upset you! We can leave right now if you want, I'll go call my driver and he'll take you to any place you want to go-" a bone-crushing hug stopped him from speaking any further. Miley's arms were wrapped around him so tightly that he felt like he couldn't breathe.
'Maybe she's trying to kill me like an anaconda – wrapping her prey tightly until they can't breathe anymore'
He continued to think along these lines until Miley began showering his face with kisses. She finally stopped and stepped back, allowing him to breathe again while she gently held his forearms.
"Jake, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. No one's ever done anything like this for me. It really is a wonderful surprise and I'm sorry that I doubted you," she looked deeply into his eyes and softly said, "Thank you."
Jake's heart was pounding wildly in his chest at her admission. The fact that he made her so happy gave him this indescribable feeling that he wanted to experience over and over again. Right in that moment, he knew that all the trouble he went through to set up this date was completely worth it.
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After finishing the bowl of strawberries, the couple sat on the blanket playing thumb wars. As they played, they talked about everything and laughed at silly jokes. Miley was trying to catch Jake's thumb, but he was easily evading her attempts.
"Tell me something about you," she asked him suddenly. He glanced up at her before concentrating on their thumbs.
"I'm an actor," he tried pinning her thumb down, but she escaped his grasp. She chuckled lightly.
"I already know that. I meant tell me something nobody knows – something about the real Jake Ryan." He was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
"I've never been to an amusement park."
Miley trapped his thumb under hers for a few seconds before he broke free and she looked up at him.
"You've never gone to an amusement park before? Not even once?"
He glanced up at her again before looking back at their fighting thumbs. He nodded.
"My parents always said I was too young for the rides and promised to take me when I was older. When I was finally old enough, I was too busy acting to take the time to go," he swiftly dodged her thumb. "What about you?"
She didn't want to tell him about her Hannah secret – not when their relationship was so young, so she told him one of her silly secrets.
"I eat my Oreos with peanut butter," he laughed at her admission and didn't pay attention to their game.
She took the opportunity to pin his thumb under hers and declare herself the winner. She paled when she saw the mischievous glint in his eye. Before she could run, he yanked her toward him and flipped her so she was lying on her back as he lay on top of her. He felt the breath fly out from his lungs as he looked down upon her. Her hair was fanned out around her, her lips partly open, her face flushed, and her eyes dark – she was the most gorgeous creatures he'd ever laid eyes on. He couldn't help himself as he dipped his head down and crushed her lips with his. He was drowning in her heavenly scent and he could taste the sweet strawberries on her lips. Being with her felt so right, and he wouldn't exchange this memory for all the fame and fortune in the world.
She kissed him back furiously, taking in as much of him as she could. Being with him felt so right, so perfect. She couldn't think of a time since her mother died where she'd felt this whole – maybe Jake was the missing piece in her life; the part that would make her complete.
Miley suddenly felt droplets on her face and broke away from the kiss. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was raining – except, mysteriously, it was only raining around them. She heard a roar of thunder, but saw no lightning in the sky. She looked up at Jake, confused out of her mind. He only looked down at her with a smile.
"Every time we've been together, it was storming outside. Since tonight didn't call for rain, I thought I'd make some myself."
She looked around and finally noticed the tiny sprinklers that were creating the rain and the speakers where the thunder echoed through them. She looked back at Jake with a brilliant smile and pulled him into a passionate kiss in the rain, the thunder washing over them.
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Jake walked Miley home that night, since she lived a few blocks away and it was a beautiful night. They talked and laughed, holding hands the whole way home. Of course, Jake's limo was silently following behind the couple, ready to take Jake home once he dropped Miley off.
They reached the front door with a few minutes to spare. They stood there, staring into each other's eyes, until Miley broke the silence.
"I had an amazing time tonight, Jake. I'm sure all of your girlfriends enjoyed it as much as I did." He looked her straight in the eye and told her with a serious face.
"Actually, you're the only girl I've ever done anything like that for, and you'll be the only one I'll ever do it for."
Miley smiled at his sweet honesty and rose on her toes to give him a goodnight kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back, giving her a few chaste kisses as she pulled back. She whispered 'goodnight' and slipped inside her door. He nodded at Mr. Stewart through the window and made his way to his limo. Just before he stepped inside, he looked back and saw Miley at her bedroom window, watching him leave. He blew her a kiss and watched as she caught it and brought it to her lips. He smiled and got inside, nodding at his driver to take him home, all the while dreaming of his beautiful Miley.