"Happy birthday honey! My baby's 21!" mom says squealing, embracing me in a hug once she opens the door.
"Thank you momma" I chuckle at her, hugging her back.
"Jace, good to see you" she says, quickly pulling him in too. He has gotten used to the affection from by mom by now.
"Helen" he answers politely, before stepping through the door.
"Please, come in you two. Everything's ready" she says, ushering us inside. Of course it is. My mom spoils us every time me or my sister come back home. I feel bad that she had to prepare all the food for our family, since I'd be old enough to do so myself by now. But I know she doesn't mind.
"Finally. You can legally drink with me. Happy birthday" Ava smirks, as we make our way into the living room. She embraces me in a hug, and I chuckle at her remark. Even Jace has to smile.
"Thank you" I tell her genuinely.
"Sorry Ryan couldn't make it, he's back in Cali" she says, with a sad face. I know she wouldn't want to admit it, but the long distance relationship is really getting to her.
"That's okay. Tell him I say hi" I let her know, as we place ourselves on the sofa.
"I will. And this is for you. Open it" Ava says, handing me a little brown box. I feel bad that she got me something. I didn't expect her to, and I'm bad at receiving gifts in general. Doing as she told me, I open the box to find beautiful golden earrings. My eyes go big, they're gorgeous.
"I love them, thank you so much" I tell her, embracing her in another much needed hug.
"I'm glad. I sort of have something else to tell you" Ava says quietly, quickly glancing at Jace.
He gets the message right away, and leaves us some space to talk. "I'll be helping Helen" he says, leaving after giving me a quick kiss on the head. I take a big breath, already anxious about what she has to say.
"Okay, so I've been talking to Ryan, and I think we really want to take the next step. I'll be moving to Cali with him next month" she says, wanting to get it off of her chest.
My eyes grow wide for the second time today, and my heart sinks. "Really?" I say, almost in disbelief. "Move in with him, as in the same apartment?" I ask again, just to make sure. Even though Ryan and Ava have been together for a long time now, Ryan has always been scared to take the next step. I know he loves my sister, but I was always unsure about his intentions with her. Ryan clearly needs Ava and can't be without her. Sometimes he just gave us the impression that he wanted to be in a relationship, but have all the advantages the single life comes with. Not sexually, but in terms of doing whatever he wants whenever he wants to. He's living his life and Ava has to adjust.
My sister nods her head at me. "Yeah, it was a long conversation, but we're doing it. I have the opportunity to work in film over in San Francisco, and I really want to take it" she says again.
"Wow. I'm so happy for you, I really am. But I'd lie if I said I want you to go" I admit to her, missing her already.
"I know. But you have Jace, and mom still has you close" she says, as the two of them emerge from the kitchen to place another item of food on the table outside. The weather is amazing today, so naturally we're having a little barbecue.
"Yeah" I say drifting off, as Jace makes his way back over to us after seeing my facial expression.
"Alright, well I'll be right back. Mom wants me to start the grill" Ava says excited, getting up from the sofa.
"What's going on?" Jace asks, sitting down next to me.
I look down and avoid his stare. "Ava is moving to San Francisco, with Ryan" I tell him, quickly glancing at my mom to see her looking at me with the same sad facial expression. Ava must have told her the news already.
"Good for her" Jace says, genuinely happy for my sister.
"Yeah, I guess it just makes me little sad. Most of my family's already so far away" I explain to him.
Jace pulls me closer into him, as he notices that I'm upset. I try not to get too worked up on it. "I understand, but she's not off the face of the earth. Plus, I'm your family now. You're not going to be alone" he says, trying to cheer me up.
I look at him and take a second to just admire this boy for his words, and for putting up with me. Placing one hand on his cheek, I swing my leg over his lap, to be able to lean up and place a kiss on his lips. One turns into more, and I can't find the urge to pull away. Things get heated quickly. Only when I remember that my mom and sister are outside and might walk in any second, I pull away again. Jace's hand on my neck keeps me steady, so I can't move too far away from him. He fixes my dress, which has risen up my leg through the movement.
He groans quietly. "You wore this dress on purpose" Jace says in his raspy, deep voice, only making me want him more than I already do. I don't know what to answer, all that can be heard in the room is our heavy breaths. Jace can't stop playing with the hem of my dress, stroking my skin in the process, dangerously close to my behind. I can feel his excitement on my leg slightly, only making me want him more than I already do.
"You need a little more cheering up?" he says quietly into my ear, and I know what he means right away. I think of my mom and sister, and how they could wonder where we are if we just disappear for a few minutes. My cheeks turn red just thinking about the things Jace could do to me. "Look how busy they are, they won't even notice we're gone" he says again, and I follow his stare. Mom and Ava are hugging, probably talking about my sister's move to Cali again, while trying to figure out how to get the charcoal grill to work.
I take all the courage I have inside of me, and grab Jace by the hand. Knowing we won't have time to head upstairs, I pull him inside of the guest bathroom downstairs with flustered cheeks. I lock the door behind us right away. We both need each other, not wanting to waste any time. Jace pulls me in for another kiss, picking me up to place me on the bathroom counter. My heart picks up its pace right away, as he presses himself into me gently. Little sighs are already escaping my mouth, as I fiddle around with his belt to open it. Jace grabs my hand and places it on the counter beside me.
"Do you want me, Mila?" he asks me quietly, looking for confirmation in my eyes. I can't find any words, so I nod my head while wrapping my arms round his neck. I want to pull him closer again. "Say it" he whispers, and I can see in his eyes that he needs to hear it.
Once again I have to take my courage together. "I want you Jace" I say quietly. Wasting no more time, he picks me up and turns my body around, so I can support myself by placing my hands on the counter. Jace puts all of my hair over my left shoulder, so he can have access to my neck. He places rough but gentle kisses on my neck, as he opens his belt and the button to his pants. After, he lifts my dress and pushes my panties down my legs. He quickly enters me with one finger to make sure I'm ready for him. I am. It doesn't take long for him to fully enter me, and when he does, I gasp for air from the sensation. We don't have time to go slow, so Jace picks up his pace right away, and I feel like I could explode after just seconds.
I lean forward, placing my lower arms on the counter, so he can have better access to me. Jace has other plans. He pulls me into a standing position again, gently placing one hand around my neck. I arch my back in the process, and can't put into words how good it feels to be so close to him. With one hand on my neck and the other on my waist, he's thrusting into me at a steady pace. After just a few minutes, the both of us come to our high, panting heavily. Jace turns my body back around, so I can face him. He's smirking at me, my cheeks still red from what we just did. "I love you" he tells me sincerely.
"I love you too" I have so say, the hormones in my body making me have to smile too. I quickly remember where we are, and that my family including my dad should be here soon. "You should go back out. I'll be there in a second" I tell him, as he already pulls his pants back up.
"I will, but I want to give you your gift first" Jace says, looking at me slyly.
I drop my shoulders. "What? You shouldn't have, Jace. I told you, it's fine" I say, feeling bad that he got me something last minute.
"You really think I wouldn't get you a gift, are you kidding?" he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I didn't have time to wrap it... or print it or whatever" he adds, placing his phone in my hand.
I quickly try to figure out what he wants me to read and come across the words flight, hotel, and New York. My eyes grow wide and my mouth falls open. "You booked us a trip to New York?" I say in disbelief.
Jace chuckles at the sight of my face. "I did. I promised to show you more of the US" he says proudly.
Wow. What on earth did I do to deserve that? "I don't know what so say Jace. This is too much, really" I answer, feeling bad for the amount of money he spent on me.
"It's not too much, Mila. You have to let me spoil you, I'm not taking no for an answer" he says, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Now, I should go out there and help your sister start that grill" he smirks at me.
I grab his hand to stop him from leaving. "Thank you, Jace. I don't deserve you" I say sincerely.
"You deserve the fucking world, Mila" Jace smiles back at me, and disappears out of the bathroom. I turn around to face the mirror before taking a big breath. Shaking my head in disbelief at everything that's already happened today, I have to take a moment before I can head back outside. How on earth did I get to be so lucky, to have found someone who really loves me for me?
I can't help but smile, my body still full of adrenaline. I quickly take care of my business, freshen up, and decide to join the others outside. I don't want them to actually start wondering where I am.
Arriving in the kitchen, mom already beams at me. "There you are! Your dad's here, he's outside with Jace" she says. A smile grows on my face too, since I haven't seen him in a really long time. "Ava's helping me place the meat on plates, will you take this outside?" she asks me, placing yet another bowl of salad in my hand.
"Sure" I say, ready to see my father. I walk through the living room over to the terrace.
"So, does my daughter know she's dating a dealer?" I hear a dark voice say from outside. I stop in my tracks right away, when I hear those words come out of my dad's mouth. Jace and my dad can't see me yet, so I decide to stay and listen. My heart starts to race when I think about the trouble we might be in.
"Does your daughter know her father's a fucking drug lord?" Jace's voice answers in a bitter tone. My mouth falls open for the second time today. What did I just hear?
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Uh oh. What happens next?
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