A/N: Guys, I'm SO SO SO sorry for the LONGGGGESTTT update!!! It's my senior year, and all summer I was working on four AP assignments, and now I finished applying for colleges, so I'm crossing my fingers for that. To calm my nerves, you guys are going to get a lot of updates soon!!!
Previously on Chapter THREE:
"I smell lavender with cedar wood," he murmurs into my shoulder. "And I heard crying… are you alright?"
I close my eyes as I answer him, "I am now."
He turns me around and looks intensely into my eyes, his hands never leaving my waist.
"Are you sure?" he whispers. Instead of answering him, I nod as I bite my bottom lip, willing my eyes to look into his eyes, his hair, his face, everywhere, instead of wandering down his own full ones. "Stacey…"
"Yes?" I manage to whisper. For some reason, I feel faint- must have been the overwhelming aroma of… lavender… or lemongrass. Or maybe it is because of the fact that I only have to tip my head slightly forward in order to finally make our lips meet.
FOUR
I wanted to so badly. It has been such a long time since I felt his warm, soft lips against my own. Needless to say, the last time was also that time when we finally became one- the night before his accident. Unconsciously, my forehead scrunches up in a frown at the flashback.
"Stacey?" he asks, panic clear in his voice. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"
I blink rapidly as I try to smooth my forehead. "You. I was thinking about you…" which wasn't even technically a lie. With that, I wrap my arms around his shoulder, stood on my toes and met my lips with his own. At once, I feel the familiar electricity that shoots throughout my body, warming my once frozen hands and toes. Our mouths mold together perfectly, and for a while, as we show our love for each other, it seems as if everything would be ok – and maybe, I think I've deluded myself into thinking, even for just a second, that nothing bad had even happened.
Out of the need to breathe alone, we parted, breathing heavily, his breath warming my face and I can smell the familiar lemongrass scent of his, mixed with hot chocolate and an aroma that was just so… Jacob.
"Wow," he murmurs, starring at my lips all the while gripping me for dear life. I nod, not trusting myself to form coherent thoughts. I've always been a babbling fool after a good make-out session with Jacob, and today is no exception, especially because I've wanted to jump him ever since that moment our eyes met in that horrid excuse of a camp.
I look up at him through my eyelashes and open my mouth to say the three words I've wanted to tell him. But as I opened my mouth, a shrill noise came out of my pocket…
Wait, what???
Oh, my cell phone is ringing! I thought about letting it go to voice mail, but I'm worried that it might be my mom. So I reluctantly disentangle myself from Jacob's warm embrace with an apology glance, and answer the phone, not bothering to see who interrupted my precious moment with my one true love.
"Hello?" I turn around and walk to the window. At once, I feel large, callous hands wrap around my waist, much like the way he did outside. I lean into him, not wanting to lose contact.
"STACEY!!!" someone from the other line yelps. "Ew, PJ, get the hell away from me!" I laugh, knowing they're on their "off" stage of their on-again-off-again relationship.
"Hey Amber," I reply. "What's up?" Jacob snuggles his head into my shoulder, gave it a kiss and whispers to my ear, "Tell them I said hello." I close my eyes, enjoying his body's closeness with mine.
"Uhhhh," I moan softly, feeling my knees weaken at the contact of his lips on my neck. Of course, my incoherency did not go unnoticed by Amber, as slow as she might be sometimes.
"Oh, gross!" she shrieks. "Are you banging Jacob right now? I'm happy for you, but really? While I'm talking to you?! I see how it is!!!"
"Amber," I say blushing with Jacob chuckling into my neck, obviously hearing her little tirade. "Shut up, he says hello and we are not doing anything!" Though, I very much wish we were. "Is there any particular reason why you called, or do you just mean to harass me?"
"Don't you wish, girl. Tell him I said hello back. Anyway, so you know how me, PJ, Drea, and Chad are going on a cross-country for the vaca?"
"How could I forget?" I say, I actually got off easy this time. Drea and Amber have been planning this cross-country trip for a while, but I told them I'm bailing when Jacob invited me over for the spring break.
"Well, Drea gave us all the states that we'll be passing by to get to the wonderful state of California, and we'll be going through so many ballin' cities like Las Vegas and that dessert place in whatdoyoucall it state?"
"Uh huh, I really don't know what you are talking about," I say.
"Whatever," she replies dismissively. "Anyway, we're passing through Colorado, and it would be fun to see Jacob again! Do you think he'd mind??? Drea doesn't know yet, but she's been nagging me about not contributing to the planning of the trip at all, so I thought I would surprise her with this brilliant idea of mine!"
"Oh my goodness!" I exclaim excitedly. "That would be such a good idea! I still have to ask Jacob and his parents, but it'd be nice to spend some time with the whole gang again! How long do you think you guys can be here for?"
"Ask me what?" Jacob asks, obviously too busy worshiping my neck to overhear anything Amber had said. I cover the mouthpiece and reply, "You know how they're going on a cross-country trip? They want to come hang out with us, and they wanted to see if it would be OK with you and your parents if they stop by."
"That would be great!" he says. "I remember some wonderful memories that all six of us had. It would be nice to make new ones – that way maybe, it would come easy for me to remember the rest." I kiss him on the cheek in reply and go back to talking to Amber.
We have a two-week long spring break, and the gang would be staying with us for about three days, the rest of the days would be spent driving across states they haven't even visited yet. I'm excited beyond belief!
"Are you sure your parents won't mind?" I ask Jacob as I hang up the phone with Amber.
"I'm sure they won't," he says dismissively.
"But won't they be away when they come?" I say remembering him telling me how his parents would be vacationing in Europe for a week in the occasion of their anniversary.
"Yes, but they trust me – they trust us," he says, taking my hands and bringing it to his lips. "But if it will make you feel better, let's go and talk to them now."
We walk back to the living room hand in hand and I see Mr. and Mrs. LeBlanc cuddling and watching T.V. It's so wonderful to see these two people so in love after all these years. It gives me hope for young loves like Jacob and I – I can just imagine being with him… for the rest of my existence.
"Hey mom, hey dad," he greets them.
"Well hello there, you two!" Mr. LeBlanc replies. "I hope you're finding everything to your liking, Stacey. Just feel at home! This is as much your home as ours!" I've always liked him – he reminds me so much of my deceased father, and in a way, he is the father that I lost as a young kid. Since Jacob and I started dating, he treated me like his own daughter, which was fine by me. It was especially hard for the three of us when we thought Jacob was dead. We didn't know what to do, and being with each other reminded us too much of the son they thought they lost, and the soul mate I was hoping I didn't lose. But despite it all, he stood by me like my own father, for which I was grateful.
"Everything is wonderful, thank you!" I sneak a glance at Jacob, who was watching me with his mesmerizing slate blue eyes the whole time. I clear my throat, and that seems to wake him up from whatever daydream he's having.
"Oh yeah," he says, looking up to his parents. "Mom, dad, would it be OK if Amber, Drea, PJ, and Chad stays here for awhile when you're gone? They're going on a cross-country trip, and they wanted to spend three days with us, if it's alright with you."
"Oh, absolutely, darling!" Mrs. LeBlanc says, and I go to give her a warm thank you hug. "Just be sure to be good and safe." She winks at me and I blush, looking at Jacob to see if he noticed the double meaning behind her words. I blush further when I see him containing his laughter with his eyebrows raised.
Oh yes, he got it…
This will be such a long spring vacation… And I have no doubt it will be one of the best times of my life as well.
A/N: Reviews and encouragements make me write faster!!! So R&R please!!!