"I'm a sucker for the way that you move"
M I L E S
'Up for round two with me?' —Jake.
It was Saturday morning and Jake's name surfaced on the screen of my phone. I smiled.
'Might want to rephrase that, it sounds sexual' —Miles
Two minutes.
Ding.
'They say you see what you want to see ;)' —Jake
I laughed to myself. Of course he would say something like that. It was so Jake.
Before I knew it, Jake and I had launched into a texting match about which baseball team was doing the best this year. I argued it was the Atlanta Braves, but he argued it was the Los Angeles Dodgers.
We were in Portland, which meant that no Major League Baseball teams represented our area, however, there was still debate about surrounding teams. I remembered bantering about this very subject with Liam when we were thirteen—before everything went spiraling. I shook my head and pushed those thoughts aside, though.
It was noon now and Jake texted, 'Be ready by two. Another surprise, raptor.'
I would've declined, but I found myself itching to see him again. Wanting. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but it certainly included a certain chestnut-eyed boy.
I freshened up in the bathroom and popped two mints into my mouth after I brushed my teeth. Outside, it was 1:50 in the afternoon and Jake was grinning at me from the driver's seat of his car.
He rolled down the passengers seat window where I placed my elbows.
"Get in," he demanded, with sunglasses on. His smile was bright.
"Is this a kidnap attempt?," I voiced, suppressing my laughter.
He took off his sunglasses and placed them in one of the cup holders. His eyes were so—lovely.
Lovely?
"Get in, or this really is going to look like a kidnap," he said, smirking.
"You got me. I'm officially scared," I sighed, giving him a wry smile. When I opened the car door, I immediately was greeted with his consuming sunshine scent. Like lemons and honey-tea.
"Where are you taking me now?," I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
He winked and said, "You'll see."
Through our commute, he blasted music on the radio. Good music. It was the most I'd ever smiled in a long time. It was so...so easy to be around Jake. There was nothing difficult about him. It made me feel secure, hoping that some of his easiness would transfer itself to me.
With the constant paranoia I was experiencing because of Carl, gambling late nights at the club, and my situation with Liam, everything was so unsteady. Like a glass vase teetering along a thin strand of rope. But as I looked at Jake, and the way his smile glimmered, I felt like I could breathe.
"Why are you looking at me like that?," he asked, eyeing me briefly and returning his gaze on the road.
Keep it cool. Keep it cool. Keep it cool. Keep it—
"Thank you," I said simply, shrugging.
He smiled. "And what's that for?"
"For being the coolest," I said simply.
He rolled his eyes. "Really?"
In all seriousness, I replied, "I mean it."
The coolest? Liam would've snickered if he heard me. I had to resist the urge to strangle myself. Jake was the coolest, though. He never failed to smile, to make me smile. I wondered how he did it.
"We're here," Jake announced, pulling into a dirt driveway. Ahead, there were corn fields. Corn mazes. Tall, green ones. Perfect rows.
I unbuckled my seatbelt cautiously. "Please don't tell me there are clowns that are going to jump out and scare the shit out of us," I stated, warily looking at Jake.
He laughed. "Come on. Not just clowns, there's scarecrows too."
It was the middle of September, which meant that Halloween was next month, and a perfect time for the start of scaring festivities.
"Don't tell me you're scared," he snickered.
"Of course not," I stated, my voice a little too high.
He gave me a knowing look. "You can even hold onto me."
It was my turn to laugh. "We'll see about that."
As we trekked our way through the grass to get to the ticket booth, I pulled my hood up and shivered at the breeze that swept through the late afternoon air.
"Ready?," Jake asked, grinning down at me as we stood at the entrance of the horror maze.
"One rule first," I stated.
"Sure."
"If you scare me, I'm walking home," I said, pointing a finger at him.
Jake smirked. "Deal, Miles."
Apparently, Jake wasn't the only one with the brilliant idea to take a visit to the 'haunted' corn maze. A jumble of teenagers were ahead of us, laughing and shoving each other. A part of me was relieved that we weren't alone in this ridiculous jump-scare place.
As Jake and I turned the first corner of the corn maze, I noticed that a black tarp was draped over the maze, making it much, much darker. Now there were white flashing lights with the sound of loud—
"Are the chainsaw sounds really necessary?," I hushed to Jake, unconsciously sticking closer to him. Our arms were pressed together.
Jake grabbed my hand firmly and whispered, "On your right."
Before I could fully register his comment, I lashed my head to the right and let out the most lungful scream. I stumbled back from the masked pig-butcher man who's white apron was covered in blood. He rose his butcher knife up at me but didn't try to follow as Jake dragged me up ahead.
It's fake, fake, fake. The blood isn't real.
Before I knew it, the sound of chainsaws dimmed and the flashing lights halted in this segment of the corn maze. An intentional resting period. My heart was racing what felt like five-hundred miles an hour. Jake pulled me aside and examined me with a grin, releasing my hand. "I even gave you a heads up, Miles."
"Yes," I breathed, "I noticed."
My breathing was labored from the scare I had just endured. When a few seconds passed, a feeling of exhilaration washed over me. Perhaps screaming my lungs out was exactly what I needed to relax. My head felt light as I grinned back at Jake in the dim lighting of the maze. Then, I burst out laughing. Truly, laughing. Wheezing and wiping tears from my eyes.
"Are you okay?," Jake asked, humor in his voice.
I couldn't stop the laughing attack I was enduring. It felt like chains had been lifted from my wrists, it was the greatest thing I had experienced.
I shook my head eventually. "I screamed like a little girl, didn't I?," I asked.
Jake chuckled slightly. "It was sort of a threat to your masculinity."
"That bad?," I asked, shoving him.
He shrugged. "But so is this," Jake said lowly, before leaning down to connect our lips. A kiss. I didn't have to think twice about wrapping my arms around his neck and moving my lips against his. Jake tasted like honey on the brightest day. So...warm.
His hands pulled me closer by my waist and I let out a little noise. Soon, his lips were at my neck, slowly placing warm kisses wherever he found skin.
My breathing became ragged as I took in what I was doing, what I was allowing him to do to me.
I brought his mouth back up to mine as I drowned out all the thoughts that threatened to plague my mind. I didn't want to think, no, I just wanted him to kiss me. Jake's kisses started to become faster, but somehow, I could still savor every single one. This was much different than kissing with girls.
With a boy, the kiss was rougher, hands were stronger, and the intensity felt like it was at a tipping point. In my gut, I knew this was how a real kiss was supposed to feel.
"Miles," Jake said, pulling away slightly. "We need to make it through the rest of the maze before it gets too dark."
I couldn't think, much less talk. So, I let Jake take my hand through the rest of the haunted maze. All I could focus on, however, was the pressure of his lips that were previously on mine.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
"Miles," Grace said, looking at me peculiarly, "you're smiling. Actually smiling."
It was Monday and we were in the halls of Ridgeview High School. No matter how hard I tried to fight the stupid grin that clouded my face, it persisted. It was clear that Jake left an impression in me.
"No, I'm not, Grace," I stated, digging a book out of my locker. My smile only grew.
Grace pulled my arm. "Tell me," she said, eyeing me suspiciously. "Did you hang out with a girl or something?" Her tone hinted what sounded like jealousy.
Out with it, Miles.
I leaned down to make sure only she heard. "I kissed a boy."
Her left eye twitched slightly, then she scrunched her eyebrows together. After a moment, she seemed to come to a decision with herself because a wild grin formed on her cherry lips.
"Well," she sang, poking my arm, "care to share the explicit details?"
I laughed, shutting my locker. "What do you want to know?"
"Was he a good kisser?," she inquired, wiggling her brows. "From the way you're grinning like a school girl, I'd say yes."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not grinning like a school girl."
Just as I was about to say more, I spotted Diego coming towards us in the hall. My muscles tensed and I braced myself. No more bruises. He didn't even attempt to give me a bruise, though. All he did was give me the deadliest glare imaginable and sped walked to the other side of the hallway.
Grace's mouth gaped open. "Did my brother just...ignore you? He—he didn't even taunt you."
Liam must have come to a compromise with him.
Honored his word. To me. For me.
Even as much as I despised his attitude and almost everything about him, I felt an enormous weight lift from my shoulders. All because of Liam Coleman.
I shrugged. "Maybe he's just having a good day."
Grace chuckled. "No, he's not. This morning, he cursed out our little brother for touching his baseball gear. It did not end well."
"Jerk," I scoffed.
She sighed, "Among other things."
The bell rang.
"Okay," she said, bringing out her chapstick, "promise you'll tell me everything later?"
I gave her a sheepish smile and said, "Maybe not everything, but most."
Grace gave me a surprised look but made her way to first period laughing. Since Saturday with Jake, I didn't feel the unrelenting paranoia that was caused by Carl and his gang. Now, however, when I was left alone in the empty halls, I had the urge to look over my shoulder.