Always There || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 85: Miss You

Jake's P.O.V

As the car pulled up to the bar, I took Jaime's hand guiding her into the backseat, wrapping my arm around her, pulling her up against me. I got a whiff of her intoxicatingly sweet perfume as she cuddled closer to me, making my heart beat faster.

"Since everyone is still out.." I whispered into her ear. She shook her head, the sound of her quiet giggling making my heart jump. If only she knew the things she did to me.

"If you want me to stay with you, you have to come to my house." She said, looking back up at me. I couldn't help but smile when she looked at me. I felt so lucky to be looked at by her, especially like that.
"Fine." I sighed, leaning in, gently kissing her cheek. "I'll take whatever I can get."

And then she reached over for me, pulling me into a passionate kiss. I don't know what I was going to do when I wouldn't be able to be kissed like this every day. I tried my best not to think about the fact that one day I was going to wake up, and she was going to be a hundreds of miles away and suddenly I would be.. empty again.

I was finally getting everything I've ever wanted. All I've ever wanted was to be able to play music, and now I was getting to, and yet.. all that seemed to matter now.. was her.

"You know, going on tour would be perfect if I could end every night like this." I sighed, getting lost in her eyes again. She stayed quiet as she held her stare on me. She always made me nervous when she did this. All I wanted was to know what she was thinking.

"Here we are!" The driver called out, pulling up to my house. I could feel her smiling up at me as I avoided her eyes, handing him the cash.
"Thank you!" I called out, grabbing her hand and helping her out of the car.
"You told him your address, huh?" She laughed. I smirked back at her.
"I was hopeful."

I lead her up to her front door as she dug around in her bag when I reached in, grabbing it for her, knowing she always kept them in the side pocket.
"I got it." I laughed, unlocking the door, lifting her up into my arms. I had never felt this way about anyone before, but when it came to her, all I wanted to do was take care of her, in every sense of the word. If it were up to me, she would never lift a finger.

"Jake!" She laughed, holding on tight as I brought her in, kicking the door shut behind us, carrying her upstairs to her bedroom. When we got inside, she climbed out of my arms, plopping down on her bed, staring back up at me with that stare that could get me to do anything.

All she had to do was ask.

I kicked off my shoes, crawling into bed next to her, now picturing the day that I would be able to come home to her, she'd welcome me at the door and we'd spend the rest of the night tangled in each other's arms, resenting the day for keeping us apart for so long.

It was funny how dreams changed.

"Why do you always want me to stay in your room?" She asked, cuddling closer into my arms. I smirked back down at her, gently kissing her forehead.
"Because.." I admitted. "Then it smells like you when you're gone. But.. then it just.. makes me miss you even more when you're gone." Her smile grew as she sat back up to face me.
"You're gonna miss me when you leave, right?" She asked, her eyes suddenly sad. I had been avoiding this conversation for as long as I could, but I knew she'd eventually want to have it. And with the day getting closer and closer, I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"I really don't want to think about-"
"We've never talked about it." She said, reaching out for me. I couldn't help but smile as she gently caressed my face. The way something as innocent as her touch could make me melt into the palm of her hands.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. She nodded.
"Okay." I sighed, propping myself back up to face her, gently pulling her onto my lap. "We can talk about it."

"Why.. wouldn't you come with me?" I finally asked.
"Because.. I can't just leave my mom. If something happens-"
"Well, she seemed to think that-"
"Because she doesn't want me missing out, which is nice but.. realistically.. if something happened, I'd have to be here for her."

It wasn't fair that Jaime was dealt such an unfair hand. She deserved to be able to live her life, whatever that meant for her, without having to worry about anyone else.

"Is.. is that.. the only reason?" I asked nervously, hoping I wasn't just springing this on her too soon. After all, I was basically asking her to pack up and follow me around the country, so I could follow my dreams, and I knew that. I knew it was a lot to ask of someone. But even still.. it was worth a shot.

"And, well.. I.. I still want to figure out.. what I want to do, and I just-"
"Can't you figure that out.. with me?" I asked, flashing her a gentle smile. Her and I were a team now, and.. I wanted to help her discover what she loved just as much as she supported me doing what I loved.

"You know, you never answered me." She smirked. I knew what she was doing.
"About what?" I asked, playing along.
"Are you gonna miss me?"

Miss her? Missing her would be an understatement. I wouldn't tell anyone, not after how long it took just to get to this point, I didn't want to put any doubts into anyone's head, but.. the thought of having to be away from her.. made me not want to leave at all. It wasn't fair how it seemed like now that everything was falling into place.. I had to pick one or the other. And I just couldn't do that.

Well, I could.
If I really had to.

"Of course I will." I said simply, trying my best to hold back my tears. We had had a good night, and I didn't want to ruin it by making it sad.
"That's it?" She asked, wrapping her arms around my neck. My stomach dropped. What did she mean that's it? I could feel myself starting to get choked up, and the last thing I wanted was for her to see me cry. I didn't want to guilt her into this decision, I wanted her to come with me because she wanted to be with me. This was her decision, and I never wanted her to resent me for whatever she decided. I leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"What do you mean that's it?" I laughed, brushing it off, leaning in closer again.
"I mean.." She started, her face dropping. "Forget it."
"Jaime.." I sighed. Did I say something wrong? This is exactly why I had wanted to avoid this conversation to begin with. She shook her head, finally pulling me into a gentle kiss.
"I'll think about it."