Falling For Jackson Again ✓

8| NO BIGGIE WITH THE CLOSENESS RIGHT?

"Ahem." We both jumped at the sound of a cough, snapping us back to reality. I quickly moved away from him, my heart pounding. I turned toward the house and saw Mom holding Max in her arms, while he happily played with his toy gun. Miles stood at the entrance, leaning against the door, wearing a smirk on his face. And Maddy... welll, she looked ready to explode.

Kill me now.

"Mrs. Smith, good evening," I heard Jackson greet my mom, his voice sounding perfectly normal, as if they hadn't just caught us in a very questionable situation.

"Good evening, Jackson. What are you doing here? Please come in," my mom invited, oblivious to the tension in the air. That was definitely a no for me.

"Um, Mom, Jackson was just leaving, right?" I turned to Jackson, shooting him a pleading "Save yourself" look. He seemed to understand but chose to ignore it. Instead, he grabbed my hand and confidently walked toward my mom.

"Most definitely," he replied, and I felt defeated.

.

.

.

.

"Why didn't you tell me that Mom would be coming home early?!" I hissed at Miles, barely containing my frustration as I playfully smacked his back.

"Hey, I tried! Check your phone. It's not my fault you go into power-off mode whenever Jackson's around," he glanced over at Jackson, who was helping Mom in the kitchen. "I didn't go into power-off mode! We were just busy, that's all," I crossed my arms, trying to defend myself.

"Oh yeah," Miles wiggled his eyebrows, and I had a strong urge to shave them off. "Argh, I'm not as corrupt as you. We just talked and made gimbap."

"Really? You did!" Maddy squealed in my ear, and I almost reflexively swatted her away. "Was it good? Tell me it was!"

"It was, now could you back away? I smell fish sticks on you," I said, holding my breath. Maddy scoffed and quickly made her way into the kitchen. It didn't take a minute before I heard her voice again. "Jackson, Mia said you made gimbap. Could you make it for me, please?"

"Maddy!" I screamed from the living room, walking toward the kitchen. "Don't mind her, Jackson. She can get a little impatient," I gritted my teeth, shooting Maddy a stern look.

"Really, dear? You made that?" Mom said, sounding impressed with Jackson's culinary skills.

"Oh, yeah. Mom said I should at least learn how to make one dish," he explained, placing the plates on the table. I quickly grabbed some cups and set them on the table.

"Wow, that's impressive. I've tried to teach Mia how to cook, but she always ends up burning things," Mom laughed.

"Mom!" I whined, feeling embarrassed. I glanced at Jackson and noticed him trying to stifle a laugh, but he settled for a warm smile instead.

He's so sweet.

"Mia, what are you staring at?" Maddy faced me, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Nothing, just thinking about how I'm going to tell Mom about what happened in the bathroom if you keep being nosy," I teased, and she froze.

"Exactly the face I want to see," I patted her head playfully before walking over to Miles.

"What did you tell her?"

"Remember the bathroom incident?"

"You little devil! I thought you promised you wouldn't use that against her," Miles laughed.