Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Surprise

Well, here I am 15K! Thank you guys so much for reading, especially those who voted for every.single.chapter. I am forever grateful.  But here's another chapter as promised. More Jakota:)

I stopped outside his door, my heart was racing in my chest. I had no idea what would be the outcome of my actions, but I knew in my heart that I was trying to help Jace. I loved him, and I just wanted him to be happy. After four years together, I knew that there was nothing I wouldn't do for him.

I also knew that I would have to take risks in our relationship; if he loved me as much as he claimed, he couldn't leave me for what I was about to do.

I knocked on the door and waited patiently as I heard footsteps approaching the door. Seconds later, it swung open and Jace's tired face came into view. Even after all my years of dealing with him, I could not get over how handsome he was. He looked more mature now, and I no longer had the urge to pinch his cheeks because of his "cuteness." He was no longer cute, he was extremely handsome. 

Jace's long hair was tousled around his head, and his eyes were still clouded with sleep. When he saw me, his face lit up a bit, but I could still tell he was on cloud 9. I pushed him inside his room in frustration. "I called you an hour ago and told you to start getting ready!" I exclaimed in frustration. 

He scratched the back of his neck, yawning. "I took a nap." He knew that I hated when he stated the obvious, but he did anyways to spite me. When I asked him why he enjoyed irritating me, he simply responded by saying it kept our relationship alive and entertained him.

I glared at him and threw a pillow that I found on the floor. It hit him square in the chest as he made no attempt to catch it. Jace could stay up all night, but once he did fall asleep, he was like a zombie upon waking up; I was surprised he even heard me knock. 

"It's fine Kody, I'll get ready now." He said carelessly, waving me off. 

"Well, hurry up." I replied; I didn't want to waste any more time by yelling at him. "Our reservations are in less than half an hour." 

He nodded and picked up a random shirt from the floor, but I snatched it from his hands and pushed him to his walk in closet. He'd moved into an apartment for his last year of college, only because he'd been kicked out of his dorm room.  

"Hey Gorgeous," a voice said from behind me. I was leaning on the boys dorm room, waiting for Jace to get out so that we could get lunch.

I turned to see a tall shadow standing over me. I squinted, and as my eyes adjusted, I could make out Jerry's face. He'd always had a thing for me, and pursued me even though he knew that Jace and I were together.

"Gross," I said teasingly. "Where's Christine?" I asked. Jerry had dated Christine for a while and they were usually together doing one thing or another. Jerry's infatuation with me was yet another reason for her to hate my guts.

He waved away my question. "We're not here to talk about her. I wanna talk about you," he grinned. "And me."

I rolled my eyes and pushed against his chest as he leaned over me. "You realize I'm here because I'm waiting for Jace right?" I informed him. "My boyfriend." I enunciated the last word in an attempt to get my point across. 

He smirked. "I'm not scared of him."

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, giving him an irritated look. "It seems like you don't understand English." I muttered loud enough for him to hear me. 

He threw his head back and laughed. "Maybe you're just not using your English right." Was his reply.

It was my turn to laugh. "That...was the most absurd thing I've ever heard."