Love After You

Chapter 12

"So, I can call you a big, smelly monster if I want to?" One of the little boys joked.

He nodded. "Sure. I've been called worse."

The kids found this hilarious and started running around shouting 'big smelly monster' at the top of their lungs.

A woman came out of the kitchen who looked similar to Jessica's mother. The genes in this family were strong.

"Pack it in!" She shouted, her voice booming through the house.

They listened, but instead started quietly giggling to themselves.

She smiled politely at Jake. "They're little devils. Sorry about them." She said and drew him into a hug.

Jess looked embarrassed. "Auntie Jean, don't squeeze him."

She squeezed him.

He held his breath, knowing he wouldn't be able to take in any new air for a while. Good job; he had good lungs from singing.

"Oooh, well, well, well, I can see why you've been keeping him a secret, Jessica; he is one handsome young man." She cooed and poked his face.

Jessica went bright red. "I haven't been keeping him a secret, Auntie." She defended herself as Jean continued to examine Jake.

"Thanks?" Jake mumbled; his cheeks were surly glowing.

She gave him a cheeky wink.

Jess grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him away from Jean. "Honestly! And you guys wonder why I never bring friends home." She shouted so everyone could hear. They all groaned in response. "Let's escape while we can!" She whispered to Jake, and she dragged him up the stairs.

Upstairs was just as cosy as downstairs, with plush grey carpets and family photos covering the walls. Jess was the main focus in most of them; in some of them, she was young, with pigtails and a missing front tooth. Or she was a teenager with a moody glare, refusing to smile for the camera out of defiance.

"You tell anyone about these photos, Jake, and I may have to kill you." She warned him as she pulled him into a small bedroom.

Jessica's room.

It was so her that he was taken aback for a moment. Band posters stuck to the walls, almost covering the walls entirely, which were painted a mixture of red and black. The bed was a four-poster double with twinkly lights hanging down. The room still smelled like her. Cherry's.

"This is my old room; sorry, you'll have to sleep on the blow-up bed downstairs. But you can leave your things here and use my bathroom." She gestured to the ensuite.

He touched some of the twinkly lights, imagining her falling asleep and looking up at the stars as she grew up.

"Childish, I know." She commented.

He shook his head and said, "I like it."

He walked around, snooping. And she let him. Her book shelf was full of typical teenage romance novels but also a huge collection of Darren Shan novels. So she did like horror after all.

He touched a folder with a large Pokémon logo on it, and when he opened it, the shiny Pokémon cards dazzled his eyes. "Wow." He breathed.

She nodded proudly, "Some of my finest work." She declared, he could only nod in agreement.

He flicked through the seemingly endless pages full of cards. Some are rare, some are common, but all are beautifully preserved in their protective sleeves.