~BOOK ONE OF THE ENDEARMENT SERIES~
Arabella hasn't had the best childhood, resulting in bad grades, rebel behaviour and mental health problems. She moves to a new school where she meets Jace.
Jace has a great family, friends and life. But he's also...
Physically, I'm binge watching movies with Jace and Delilah.
Mentally? I'm going though everything that happened at my dorm.
Who would have pictures of me?
The rational side on my brain thinks that some creep has an obsession with me and most likely wants to fuck me or something. Not ideal. The irrational side of my brain thinks that my Father has found me and wants to tie up a loose end. But how? I'd barely been in California for a couple of months and he's only been released for a couple weeks now. If he had found me then I would have to leave. Find someone else to go and lie low. But I didn't want to leave Jace, not now I'm in a relationship with him.
I'm ripped from my thoughts when someone shakes my shoulder. I blink a few times to regain clarity and turn to Jace.
"You ok, love?" He asks, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.
I lean into the contact and rest my head on his shoulder and breathe in his soothing smell, "I'm ok, just thinking."
"About what?" He questions with a soft voice. I debate telling him the truth but back out last second.
"I-" before I can answer, my phone rings, "sorry, let me take this."
I pick up my phone and walk out of the room before looking at the caller.
Jess?
I've not heard from her since the party.
Regardless, I press accept and hold the phone to my ear and hope she has a good excuse for ghosting me.
"ARABELLA? OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY," she practically screams so I have to hold the phone a couple inches away from my ear.
"Jess, nice to hear from you too," I say bluntly.
"Arabella I can explain, I promise," she begs, "at the party, I got drunk and I assumed you'd already left, but when I got home my mom was there and it's not the first time I'd come home drunk so she put me in this 'youth rehabilitation program' and it was really sudden and they didn't allow cellphones to be used by the kids on the program incase they watched anything linked to drinking or drugs. Just please forgive me."
She says this as fast as she can, and if I close my eyes and think hard enough, I can almost imagine her using puppy dog eyes. Pretty sure all of that was all in one breath as well which is impressive actually.
"Oh," is all I say because what the actual fuck do you say to that? "It's ok then."
"Really? Thank you Arabella! You're the literally best!," she squeals, "how about I make it up to you? We can meet up at the cafe a few blocks away from campus and you can catch me up on everything I've missed?"
"Sure, that would be great," I respond and tried to sound polite which is unusual for me, "so, how many of you were there?"
"Twenty five. Most of them were assholes so...anyway I'm glad to be out of that shithole," she laughs, "how about that coffee on Friday at one?"
"Yeah, that sounds perfect, I have a free period then." I smile, knowing I have my first friend back.
"Amazing! I'll see you there! Bye!"
"Bye," I say and then end the call.
I press my back the the hallway wall and sigh. Socialising makes me thirsty. I head to the kitchen to grab a glass of water when Jace comes through the door.
"I've told Delilah to go to bed. Who was that?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"A friend," I smirk, knowing what was coming.
Jace looks taken aback as he clutches at his heart with his hand, "Y- you have friends?"
"Yes I do you cheeky little sh-"
Suddenly he tickles under my armpits and I try to turn around and tickle him back but it's no use. Next thing I know, I'm being hoisted onto the counter and Jace is in front of me and ever. So. Slowly. Reaches to touch my knees and slowly pushes them apart before coming to stand between them.
With me on the counter, it makes us both at eye level.
Leaning in close he grazes his thumb on my lower lip and lightly caresses my cheeks before murmuring, "You're beautiful. You're incredibly talented. You're quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to me."
I'm at a loss for words, so I just lean in and press my lips to his.
After a minute or two, he pulls back for a second only to say, "you know, the walls are quite thick..."
I smile and pull him back to me again.
—————-
Ten minutes later, we're in Jace's bed...unclothed... and I'm resting my head on his chest, tracing the intricate tattoos he has. We were asking each other questions about things what we don't know about each other.
"I didn't know you had so many tattoos," I say, "which one is your favourite"
He smiles and points to a black and white forget-me-not that had been placed over his heart," I got this for Delilah when she couldn't leave the house and I brought her flowers, remember that story?" I nod and he continues, "I chose those so I could never forget her and I put it over my heart because that is where she will always be."
I smile, "That's adorable."
"Your turn," Jace says, tracing random lines on my back with his finger, "you're good with Delilah, do you ever want kids?"
That was a hard question so I went with, "I don't know. A part of me wants to. To raise a child how they should be raised, but another part of me says I'll end up like my parent." I say, ensuring so emphasise which parent I was talking about. Jace runs and hand through my hair and I close my eyes to enjoy the feeling.
"I'm sure you would be the best mother in the world. Your parents don't define you. Only you do," he says as he presses a soft kiss to the crown of my head, "come on, it's getting late and I believe we have a psychology class tomorrow."
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