New York To Los Angeles

Chapter 30 - 'These Words'

"I can't believe Summer is already here, it seemed like just yesterday was the first day of school" Jake sighs as he puts the key in the ignition.

"The year has gone by fast but at least we don't have to worry about finals anymore" I grin and he returns the gesture.

"Now that I can live without" Jake switches on the radio and we listen to the stream of popular tunes as we drive through the streets of Los Angeles. The atmosphere in the car was relaxed and calm, it was only when we reached the stoplight a block away from the diner when the mood got tense.

"Hey Amelia, I...." He freezes. His mouth snaps shut and his eyebrows furrow, a frown taking over his face, the bright smile disappearing from his face. I look at him in confusion and worry, noticing how tense he's gotten and how his fingers are tapping wildly on the rim of the steering wheel.

"Jake...what is it?" I ask, I reach over and place my hand on his arm hoping that he'd ease up. It worked-kind of. His posture eased up but the frown remained.

"Nothing, don't worry about it" he says giving me what I guess what was meant to be a reassuring smile, but ended up coming out as a grimace. I open my mouth to question him more but shut it, not wanting to pry. He'll tell me when he's ready.

The diner was pretty busy when we arrived, thankfully the group was going to be upstairs away from all the customers. They were already seated around the tables, the five band members, Danielle, Rebecca, Cameron, Daniel, Courtney, Lily and Sasha.

"And the lovebirds finally decide to arrive" Lily teases. I roll my eyes and smile but I notice that Jake's frown only deepens, which causes a pang of worry to shoot through me. Usually whenever somebody would tease the two of us, he'd come up with his own cocky response. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice because Lily shoots me a worried look. I shrug in response, Jake heads over to talk to the guys and I take a seat with all the girls.

"What's up with Jake?" Lily asks the minute I sit down.

"I don't know" I exclaim, then blush when I realize I had captured the boys' attention. "Go back to your conversation" I mutter.

"Okay then... new topic. There are going to be plenty of sales this summer, who's up for shopping?" Courtney says, clapping her hands excitedly. The rest of the girls share her enthusiasm while I sit there, imagining how tired I'll be by the time our shopping trip finishes. The word 'fun' is something I would probably, never associate with shopping, that's for sure.

"You guys should check out this shop at that mall near the beach" Sasha adds, going on to describe how they have amazing summer dresses. I tune out of the conversation, my focus drifting towards the boys who seem to be in an intense conversation, with Jake in the centre of it. If I wasn't worried before, I definitely was now. The uneasy feeling remained with me the whole time I sat in the diner, I couldn't shake off the fact that something was very wrong and that Jake was hiding something from me.

The feeling only intensified once I realized how...detached Jake had been since we arrived. He hadn't tried to hold my hand, or swing his arm over my shoulders to keep my close to him. Heck, he hadn't even looked my way the whole time we were here and to be honest I was pissed off. I don't think I'd be able to help myself from questioning him on his strange behaviour much longer.

The atmosphere in the car was buzzing, the unspoken words and withheld questions hanging in the air. I was biting down on my tongue and avoiding Jake's probing eyes. It's extremely hard to not be nosy right now. The streets of Los Angeles blurred past the windows and a frown takes over my face as I realize we were not heading home, in fact we seemed to be going in the exact opposite direction. I turn my head to stare at Jake who was smirking, his posture oozing confidence. What the hell? Is he PMSing or something because these mood swings are really starting to piss me off!