Unexpected (PUBLISHED)

Chapter Twenty-One: Marissa

Jake and I went out for a celebritary dinner the day after the talent show. It was just the two of us. I told Jake about what happened after he left. What happened was that Shawn came up to me right as Jake was getting into his parents car. Shawn was furious about our song choice and how close Jake and I were. He didn't like that the duet was about a girl who was dealing with a break up and that this amazing guy came in and changed her life forever. We started yelling at each other and that's when I blurted out that I wanted to break up with him. It just came out. I've been wanting to break up with him for a while but it was difficult to find the perfect time and place. He just laughed and that's when he admitted that he was sleeping with Lorraine behind my back. The rumors were true. He wasn't angry that I wanted to break up with him. He already had a side chick. Jake looked guilty when I told him but I had to assure him I was okay and that it was coming anyway. 
    He looked down and started playing with his food with his fork. "I feel like it's kind of my fault."
    I leaned on the table. "It kind of is." He looked up at me and I couldn't help but laugh which caused him to laugh too. "You made me realize that I wasn't happy with him. That I was in love with the idea of being in love. I didn't really love him."
    "Basically me with all the girls I've ever dated."
    "You're ex-girlfriends were total attention whores." I paused for a moment. "And, Shawn was cheating on me with Lorraine but that's no big deal."
     His mouth dropped open. "No way. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
     I waved it off. "It's fine. He told me after I broke up with him."
    He scoffed. "I wish I could've seen you dump his ass."
    I shrugged. "It was basically just screaming in the parking lot. It wasn't anything big."
    He chuckled and twirled his straw around his Diet Pepsi. "I guess Robbie was right about Lorraine and Shawn."
    She leaned over and gave me a serious stare. "You need to talk to him. You can't end a friendship because of a stupid rumor."
    "That turned out to be true."
    I shook my head. "I don't care about the rumor. I only care about how it might've ruined a friendship."
     He scoffed and took a sip of his drink. "I was just trying to protect you."
     I shook my head curiously. "What were you trying to protect me from?"
     He shrugged. "Lies. I didn't want you to think I was trying to break you two up."
     I sipped my drink and smacked my lips. "That relationship was dead before you and I even started talking. We were going to break up whether you were there or not."
      "I wish I could've been less interfering between you two."
       I shook my head and waved a hand at him. "I'm glad you did. You gave me the courage to break up with him. He wasn't worth my time."
       "Am I worth your time?" He asked.
        I nodded and ate a fry. "Oh, absolutely. Your time is much more special that Shawn's."
        He chuckled and played with his food. "I like spending time with you too."
        "I'm glad we got paired up as project partners."
        He smiled with a blush and ate one of his fries. "Me too. Damn, that bitch is good at her job," He joked referring to our teacher.
        I laughed and threw a fry at him. He threw one back.

*** 

After we split our bill and left a tip, we decided to go to a nice little park nearby. The sky was dark and the stars and crescent moon shined bright above us. The lamps on the walkway in the park casted shadows. There were a couple people in the park, but not enough to make a sound. Other than two kids who must've lived nearby who were playing on the swings. 
     I started humming the song that Jake and I sang for the talent show. He looked at me with a smile which caused me to smile.
     "You caught me when I fell," I silently sang to myself.
     "And then I took you home," He sang back softly as I looked at him.
     "Just to see if I was alright."
     "I held you in my arms," He sang. His hand reached out and grabbed mine. I didn't flinch or pull away. I just smiled. It felt so right.
      "And I knew what for," I sang and we stopped walking, turning towards each other. Our eyes interlocked.
      "Just to remind you that we are together." His voice grew silent as he sang that part while his hand slowly moved up to me cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. I stroked his other arm softly. Our faces slowly leaned in towards each other. He was the first to close the gap between us when his lips connected with mine. It was a soft, passionate kiss. And, we were in no hurry to finish it. 
      He placed one hand on my waist as the other one still rested on my cheek. Both my hands were placed on his sides. Our bodies just nearly pressed together. It felt as if we were dancing on Cloud 9. I could feel so much passion radiating off his lips. A feeling I never had with Shawn. I ran my hands through his hair as we continued with our moment. A moment I didn't want to end.
       When we pulled away to catch our breaths, our faces were still close together. My hands still in his hair. We just chuckled. Our cheeks became rosy and we were both sweating a little from our foreheads. Both our hearts were beating rapidly. 
         He stroked a piece of hair out of my face. "What do you say?" He said still trying to catch his breath. "Am I boyfriend material?
          I just smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips and nodded for my answer. Both of us couldn't stop smiling. He wrapped his hands around my face and brought our lips back together. This kiss was even better than the last.