Falling in Love with my Best Friend

Chapter 13: New Things

I woke up feeling something tickle the tip of my nose.

I scrunched my nose up, unable to use my fingers to scratch it as they were burried safely in my sleeping bag. Again the thing brushed just faintly against my nose and I found myself reaching up to brush it away only to find nothing there.

It happened once more and this time I groaned in defeat, peering my eyes open to see Jake laying across from me with a boyish grin and mischief in his bright blue eyes. My eyes wandered down to see a down feather clasped in his fingers. I glared at him, rolling over so my back was facing him. "Go away," I grumbled.

He chuckled and I heard rustling. In a moment I felt two warm arms wrap around me and his firm body press up against my back. My cheeks flammed as I realized he was basically spooning me.

"Wake up sunshine," he taunted, his voice husky with sleep. "It's time to face the day."

"Go away," I repeated, trying to push him off me, but failing. I was both irritated with him for making me so flustered and for waking me up.

"Don't make me get the tickle monster," he teased.

"Jake, don't you dare-" before I could finish the sentence I felt his fingers pinching my ribs and I squealed in surprise, flailing uncontrollably. "Jake stop!" I cried, struggling to keep his fingers away from me but he was clearly much stronger than me and his hands darted around my feeble attempts to hold him off.

Somehow we ended up in a very compromising position: me laying on the ground with him straddling my hips and holding my wrists above my head while pinching my ribs incessantly.

"Jake!" I pleaded. Suddenly he stopped and I stared up at him in dismay, gasping for breath.

"What's the magic word?" Jake taunted.

"You're such an ass," I grumbled.

"Ah, ah, ah." I stiffened when I felt his fingers brush against my ribs.

"Please," I ground out, glaring at him.

He smirked, his eyes glimmering with triumph. "Okay." He rolled off me allowing me to sit up and brush my hair out of my face. "You're such a jerk sometimes," I mumbled.

"But you love me," he grinned cheerfully. My heart panged at his words and I looked away so he wouldn't see my eyes.

"Let's get breakfast," I suggested, reaching over and yanking a sweatshirt over my head. I realized that my arms were swimming in the sleeves and it smelled musky like Jake. "Oops," I muttered, beginning to take it off.

"It's fine, Stace," Jake said. "I've got another."

I smiled quietly, breathing in his scent happily and crawling over to the entrance of the tent, unzipping it.

I stepped out into the fresh air, feeling the coolness on my face and smiling.

Jake stepped out behind me, zipping back up the tent and slinging his arm around me. "Shall we?"

Jake's POV

We walked to the firepit and sat down next to eachother. She looked adorably tiny sitting crossed legged on the bench with my giant sweatshirt on.

I felt a yawn come on and caught her eye in the middle of it.

"You tired?" she asked, her soft green eyes watching me.

I shrugged, brushing it off. Sure I hadn't slept more than a few hours last night but in the time I spent laying awake I thought about how the sleeping beauty beside me would never think of me as anything more than a friend. I listened to her even breathing and watched the way her eye lids fluttered with dreams that I couldn't fathom. At some point, something inside me realized I had lost nothing because I still had one of the sweetest people in the world who wanted to be my friend. And if it that's all I got to be for her then that was more than I could ask for.