Hey Guys- Sorry this took so long to update but I was having trouble figuring out how far I wanted to go with this one. Anyway as a consolation this is basically like 2 chapters in 1 so enjoy!
Walking into the set the next morning Jake still couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Last night had been the best night he had experienced in years. And that kiss! God if she only knew what she did to him. He sipped his coffee placing the sunglasses he had been wearing on top of his head and scanned the room. He couldn't wait to see her again.
He had purchased a second coffee and pastries from the café near his house in hopes that she would join him for a little breakfast before rehearsals.
"Romeo! I've been looking for you…is that coffee for me?" Kevin asked making a grab for the cup in Jake's left hand. Jake spun around making sure to keep the cup just out of Kevin's reach.
"No…and don't call me romeo." Jake said with a slight laugh to his voice.
Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and smiling broadly. "Oh come on. Are you going to tell me that after going on a date last night with Miley last night and walking in here with that smile plastered on your face that nothing happened?"
Jake looked at him seriously. "How on earth did you know I went out with Miley last night. I know I'M not stupid enough to give you information like that without a death wish."
Kevin shook his head in mock sadness. "Jake. Jake. Jake. I'm a DIRECTOR. I SEE ALL. Didn't you learn anything in College?"
Jake just looked at Kevin with an expression that indicated clearly that he didn't believe a word that was coming out of Kevin's mouth.
Kevin dropped the act and put up his hands. "Ok….ok…I'll tell you for an éclair. Jenna's getting sick around any food I seem to like and it's getting violent." He said with his eyes darting around making sure they were alone. "She tried to beat me with a whisk when I went near the kitchen this morning."
"Wish I had thought of that." Jake laughed and dug into the bag he was carrying and pulled out an éclair handing it over to Kevin.
"Oh…sweet Jesus that looks good." Kevin said drooling over the pastry.
Jake laughed again at his friend again.
"Ok. Spill…I want your source. They will have to be silenced." Jake said in a mock serious tone.
Kevin was now mauling the éclair but stopped to laugh at Jake. "Actually..you're gonna have a hard time with that. It was Mark. He was bragging last night at the shoot about how he was helping Miley out professionally by helping her 'network' " Kevin said putting air quotes around the word network. "When he told me that he arranged for you and her to have dinner I nearly kissed him." Kevin said seriously.
"I mean I thought Mark was going to be a lot bigger of a roadblock to my brilliant plan…" Kevin said taking another bite of éclair.
Then with his mouth full he continued. "And then I was going to have to somehow write it into the script that his character decides to go to Antarctica or something but really…how much more helpful could he be?" Mark said seriously stuffing his mouth with the last bits of éclair.
Jake was about to tell Kevin for about the 100th time to butt out when he was interrupted.
"So who are you both sending to Antarctica?" Miley said with laughter on her voice coming up behind them smiling brightly. She quickly glanced at Jake and he smiled back at her.
"Miley! You look wonderful this morning. Did you have a good evening?" Kevin said looking pointedly at Jake as he leaned into her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Miley smiled at him brightly. "I had a great time thank you." She said sweetly. She glanced slyly at Jake.
Looking only at Miley Jake spoke. "So Kevin…don't you have work to do?"
Kevin pretended not to get Jake's not so clouded comment about disappearing. "Actually…I…"
Jake took the bag of pastries and placed it in the middle of Kevin's arms still not breaking eye contact with Miley.
"I'll be going over there." Kevin added taking his new prize to his office.
Miley laughed and then looked at Jake sorrowfully. "Please tell me that wasn't breakfast that you had to give him to leave us alone." "I'm starving!"
Jake smirked handing her the coffee he had been holding for her and shifted the messenger bag that he had been wearing around his body pulling a second bag of pastries out. "I learned very early on living with Kevin to always bring backup." "Care to join me?" He asked tilting his head towards the gardens around the large house.
Miley smiled again. "I'd love too."
They went to a table in the garden and sat down.
Miley pulled out a chocolate croissant from Jake's bag and began to eat it slowly savoring every morsel.
Jake couldn't help but watch her. After seeing the expressions on her face he laughed into his coffee. " I nearly forgot about how intimate you get with chocolate. How does Mark feel about being second in your life to a snack food?"
"First…chocolate is not a snack food. It's a delicacy. And second…I don't think he's quite realized how serious chocolate and I am." She said with a sparkle in her eye.
"How did you feel about it?" She asked still smirking at Jake.
Jake smiled. "Sharing you with candy I seemed to be ok with. Anyone else though and I started to have problems." Jake said catching her blue eyes.
Miley noticed the look of meaning in his eyes and felt heat start to surround her. She coughed slightly and took a sip of her coffee.
She had had such a wonderful time last night that she wanted to go out with Jake again. She still wasn't ready to let him in completely after so little time together but she could feel herself weakening to his presence. She also hadn't worked out her feelings for Mark but as she had promised Lilly she wasn't going to let opportunities to figure out her future pass her by.
"So Jake…have you looked at your schedule for today yet?"
Jake shrugged. "Actually I'm just here for a rehearsal this morning and then I'm free. How about you?"
"Same. So…what would you think about lunch and a little more sightseeing with me? I know that you know this city way better than I do and I'd like to not have to go alone." She said trying to maintain her cool even though she could feel butterflies taking over her heart.
Jake was trying not to get too excited. He had been trying to figure out a good way to ask her out again without seeming like he was moving in on Mark. He knew that nothing would happen between them while they were together but he didn't want to just lay everything to chance.
"Sure. That sounds great. You want to meet me here after your rehearsal?"
Miley nodded and tried to keep herself from smiling too much. "Great. I'll see you in a little while." She said as she gathered her things and headed back to the large mansion.
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A few hours later Miley met Jake in the garden.
"So Miley. What would you like to do this afternoon?" Jake asked.
Miley smiled shyly. "Well…I promised Mark that I'd see the Louvre with him but everything else is fair game!"
Jake smiled at her enthusiasm. Paris was one of his favoirite places on earth and he couldn't wait to share it with her. "Alright….I have an idea where we can have lunch and do sightseeing all at once…will that work for you?"
Miley took his hand in hers. "Lead the way. Paris awaits!"
Jake couldn't help but have his heart beat faster as she put her hand in his and headed towards the metro.
After getting off at their stop they walked quietly hand in hand soon arriving at a beautiful park. Miley couldn't believe how vast and gorgeous the place was. There was a long entryway of grass that seemed to end in what looked like a palace with a huge fountain in front that could easily be mistaken for a small lake.
"Jake…what is this place?"
Jake smiled at her. "This is one of my all time favorite places in Paris. The Luxembourg Gardens." "You like it?" He asked looking down at her.
Miley could only nod. She had never seen such a beautiful park. There were couples in the grass having picnics as she was sure they were about to do. Children were playing everywhere and people of all ages sat in chairs along the sides of the enormous areas of grass eating, talking and observing the rest of what was going on.
They bought food from a small vendor at the side of the park and found a spot to sit in the shade of a large tree to eat their lunch.
They chatted easily about their days and their friends. Miley and Jenna were already on their way to being good friends and Miley was already trying to help her out with some good baby names for her new friend.
"I think I like the name Nathan or Noah…or maybe Brady.. you know something really fun and not too dorky for a boy. What do you think?" Miley asked excitedly taking a bite of one of the crepe's that they had purchased.
Somehow the thought of Miley thinking of baby names made Jake blush slightly.
Jake pretended to think hard on the subject. "I think if it's a boy I like the name…Jake!" He exclaimed as if just thinking of it.
Miley hit him on the arm. "Jake James? I don't think so sweetheart. Plus I doubt Kevin is the sentimental type."
Jake smirked. "He may not be the sentimental type but he owes me."
Getting up off the grass he handed Miley his hand. "Care for a walk?"
Miley smiled and took his hand so that he could help her up.
They spent the next hour walking around listening to the sounds of a violinist playing at the side of the fountain.
Miley had enjoyed everything about their afternoon. She loved how slowly Jake was showing her places. They could have easily hit 2 or maybe 3 museums in the span of the afternoon but Jake had insisted that Paris was not to be rushed. It had to be soaked in. And after today Miley couldn't help but agree. It had been wonderful. She and Jake had talked with a closeness and a friendliness that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Miley delighted in pointing to things along the way and having Jake tell her the French names for them. It had become her favorite game to try and stump him.
They had laughed and smiled all afternoon enjoying watching the other people in the park and the kids playing nearby. They had also become extremely comfortable being close to one another. Jake seemed to take every opportunity to take her by the hand or put his arm around her and each time it would send exhilarating tingles to her skin. She might not remember everything about the park after today but she could never forget how it felt to have him touch her.
After running out of grass to roam in Jake had surprised her by renting her a toy wooden sailboat that Miley could sail around the enormous fountain. Their boat had a dark wood base with sky blue sails. Miley had named it the Montana 2 and had transformed into the younger version of herself sending it clearly across the water and grabbing Jakes hand and running around to catch it.
Jake loved her even more like this. Her spirit had always been the thing that had most attracted him to her. Jake stood closely by and watched as Miley started a racing rivalry with a young boy next to her. They raced their boats across the fountain a few times with the Montana 2 always coming out on top. Of course the little boy didn't take very well to losing especially to a girl and ended up sailing his boat directly into Miley's sending it severely off course.
The course correction left the boat without steam drifting a few feet from the edge of the water.
Miley was disappointed but she wouldn't give up on getting the boat back. After a lot of pleading and batting her eyelashes at Jake he had agreed to try his best to reach out into the water to retrieve the wayward boat.
Jake laid himself along the edge of the fountain reaching as far as he could over the water to reach the Montana 2. Miley herself couldn't stop laughing from the sidelines. She loved that she was standing there watching a successful film star stretching himself out over a huge fountain for a $10 boat.
Jake gave her a death glare for laughing and Miley compromised and offered him her hand as a balance so that Jake could try and stretch the few more inches it would take to get his hands on the tiny sailboat.
Jake had such a look of concentration and determination to try and get that silly boat that Miley just couldn't help herself. Maybe it was the childlike mindset of playing with the sailboat in the fountain but she found herself dropping his hand letting his head and torso fall into the water.
The second his head and torso hit the water Miley squealed and took off to the other side of the fountain. Jake had been so shocked by the drenching of the water that it had taken him a moment after he had pulled himself out to realize that she had done it on purpose.
He quickly ran after her. She screamed playfully tried to keep away from her wet attacker. Jake being much quicker soon caught up to her grabbing her around the waist spinning her around and pulling her into a big wet hug making sure that she got her fair share of fountain water. They were both laughing hysterically and smiling.
Then Miley lifted her eyes and met his. The atmosphere changed. She now could feel exactly how much of her was pressed up against him. Her hands were clenching Jake's now soaked t-shirt and sweater. His hands were against her lower back holding her close to him.
Staring into those eyes she knew she wanted him. She wanted all of her days to feel like this. She tilted her head slightly and breathlessly whispered "Jake". His actions mirrored hers. His head was getting even closer. She could feel his breath against her cheeks. She closed her eyes waiting for that beautiful moment.
"Le bateau!" "Le bateau!"
They pulled apart at the sudden sounds.
The little boy who had crashed his boat into hers was now pointing at the side of the fountain where the boat was now resting peacefully.
Jake's eyes shifted from Miley back to the boat and back again. The look of desire and longing that had filled those eyes moments ago seemed to fill with shame as he noticed how they looked to other people and what he was about to do with Miley. He detangled himself from her and looked at her with dark eyes filled with sadness for what he had almost done.
"Miles…I…I" He said looking lost and confused. Then as if something had clicked in his mind he replied.
"I can't do this anymore." He said ruffling his hands through his hair.
Miley was frightened by the change in his beautiful green eyes. They held so much sadness she wasn't sure what to do. "What do you mean Jake?" Miley asked desperately.
Jake led her to a secluded part of the garden and sat down with her.
He looked over at her. "This. Miley" He said gesturing back and forth between the two of them. "I can't do THIS."
Miley wanted to get past the awkwardness and move back to how things had been "Jake…it was an accident. I mean we just got caught up in the moment." She said trying to play off their near kiss.
Jake's eyes flared. "NO." Then realizing the tone he softened. "It wasn't an accident."
Miley looked at him with confusion all over her face.
Jake sighed and looked back at her. "Miles I have been trying very hard NOT to kiss you since the moment I saw you and I don't think it's working very well." Jake said shaking his head and looking at the ground.
"I thought I'd be able to handle this. I thought that we could spend time together and I would let you decide if you wanted me in your life on your own terms but….I just can't pretend that I don't have these feelings for you." He said desperately.
He looked at her and took her hand in his. "I have felt more alive the past few days with you then I have the past few YEARS without you. And…and these feelings." He took a deep breath. "These feelings have been gone from my life for so long….I can't just ignore them." Jake said falling into sadness.
Jake smirked to himself. "And I know you. You would have hated yourself if we had kissed back there. You're not the type of person who could betray someone you care about. And make no mistake that's EXACTLY what we were about to do." Jake lowered his head even further.
Miley's eyes were too full of tears and her head was too full of confusion to say anything.
Jake looked at her expression and decided it was for the best. "I…I just don't think we should be together like this anymore. I just can't help myself from wanting…. to love you." Jake said ever so softly.
Miley shook her head violently. "No. Please. Please don't make me choose. Not yet. I'm just not ready."
Jake smiled softly at her. "I'm not asking you to choose anything. I'm just telling you that I can't lie to myself and to Mark anymore. I can't be with you like this afternoon or last night and pretend that it doesn't mean anything to me…because it does. Being with you means everything to me." He said standing up and looking at Miley who was still seated on the ground with her legs off to her side who was looking anywhere but at Jake.
"I just can't pretend that I don't love you…because…because you're the one person in this world that I care most about. And I won't pretend with something that important." Jake said softly.
Tears were streaming down Miley's face but she still refused to look Jake in the eyes.
Jake took another look at her, bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm still here for you but…I just don't think I can be your friend. At least not just a friend."
"And I don't want something to happen between us that you'll regret. That is just not something I think I could recover from."
"I love you Miles." Jake said softly. Jake stood up again sadly and reluctantly turned away from the girl he loved and walked slowly away.
Miley sat there in the middle of the most beautiful garden she had ever seen with the sun rays dancing upon her skin and felt completely and utterly empty.
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