- chapter fifty eight -
Six Days Left
The next morning, I was surprised to see that Jake was still asleep when I woke up next to him. He was usually an early bird, something I've never really understood. How could someone willingly wake up early in the summer? But I wasn't going to complain about his sudden urge to sleep in. His face being the first thing my eyes landed on was truly a pleasure.
He was beautiful, really. With closed eyes and parted lips, tousled hair and long eyelashes kissing his skin, steady breaths and soft thrums of his heart, he looked peaceful. Younger and innocent. Absolutely breathtaking.
A few copper strands of stray hairs fell onto his forehead in an adorable way, and I had to resist the urge to move my hand and push them away.
I would be the happiest girl in the world if I could wake up to him every day.
"How did I end up being so lucky?" I was thinking out loud, muttering under my breath. I shook my head in disbelief. I don't think I would ever be able to understand. Even if we didn't last forever, I could at least be content with what we did have. I was beyond grateful.
I leaned up on my elbow next to him, taking advantage of the moment to just look at and appreciate Jake. As I did, my hair cascaded over my shoulder and skimmed his nose. His face crinkled, creating a giggle to bubble out from my lips. I moved my hair out of the way
I would wake him up, perhaps with a kiss, but I was enjoying this too much. I'd never had the privilege of waking up to him like this. Maybe I should do something special for him? I mean, he's done so much for me already. I wouldn't even be able to begin to pay him back.
I decided then that breakfast in bed would be a good idea. I smiled. Yeah, in fact it would be a great idea.
I was carefully removing my entangled body from Jake's when his hand latched onto my waist. In one, swift motion, I was yanked so that I was practically lying on top of him.
His eyes remained closed, but in a gruffy, tired voice he breathed out, "Where do you think you're going, missy?"
I was still attempting to recover at his sudden movement. I'd thought he was practically dead. It looked like it ten seconds ago. His arms were wrapped tightly around my body, and his head was nuzzled into my neck.
Of course he would do this! I was trying to be a nice, loving girlfriend and surprise him with a delicious breakfast, and now he basically had me caught in an iron grip? Not that I wasn't enjoying it or anything, but now was the right time? I think not!
"I was going to surprise you with something," I told him back. I didn't want to give anything away.
"That's not fair." He muttered. I could feel his breath on my neck, sending tingles shooting down my spine. I relaxed into him, not bothering to struggle against the situation. "Only I can surprise you."
"Now that's not fair. I'm trying to be a nice girlfriend. You actually slept in for once, so I'd like to take advantage of that."
"You're already the perfect girlfriend." Butterflies pooling into my stomach. "And the only reason I stayed in bed—pretending to be asleep, by the way—was so I could just hold you in my arms for a while, you know?" Molten lava pouring through every inch of my veins. Soft lips planting a small, delicate kiss on my neck. "What was the surprise?"
"I'm not telling you."
Another kiss, this time on my collarbone. "Tell me," he insisted in a low voice.
"No," I pushed. I wasn't going to tell him for two main reasons: a) that wasn't my original plan, and I was hoping to stick to surprising him, and b) this felt way too good.
He then kissed my chest, next to the strap of my tank top. A small bite in the same place followed. My eyes fluttered close.
This little sonofa—
"What about now?" His lips were gliding against my skin with every word; goosebumps were crawling on every part of me. I could feel him smiling against my chest.
"Hell no." Then I was under him, and he was on top of me, smiling like a child on the night before Christmas—emerald eyes shining like a lit up Christmas tree and all—in a millisecond. Hair flopped onto his face. I really would move it if I could. But his hands pinned mine down at the sides of my head, leaving me trapped like a caged animal.
"What's the surprise, Alex?" I shook my head. I'm not telling you. "At least give me a hint."
"Well for starters, it requires you getting off of me so I can actually do something. And by the way, you're no fun. You were supposed to stay asleep!"
He didn't even make a move to get off. "I was awake way before you, babe. Also, don't pretend like you're not enjoying yourself right now." The corner of his lips pulled up into a lazy smirk.
"Shut up," I replied with a smile. I couldn't hold back the rosy blush creeping across my face. "But seriously, if you want your surprise, I'm going to need you to get off of me first."
He pecked me on the lips. "But I like this position." My whole face turned red. It was as hot as the sun.
I pecked him back. "Me too, but that's not the point." His smirk widened.
He finally gave up. "Alright, fine." He rolled off of me, lying back in his original spot on my bed. "So the hint?"
"You have to stay in bed. So don't even think of following me upstairs."
"Okay, I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise," he said. The grin on his face could surely sweep even a five-hundred pound man off his feet.
I sat up and corrected my tank top. I was pulling sweatpants over my Soffee shorts when Jake said, "By the way, I prefer waffles over pancakes. Oh, and bacon over sausage. Just saying."
I didn't have to turn around to know that he was smirking at me. I could easily hear it in his voice.
I slowly inhaled a breath. Exhaled it. Then I turned around. "How did you even—"
"You can't surprise the master of surprises, Alex." His eyes were shimmering with a dash of mischief.
"But how did you know—" I sputtered before he cut me off again. How could he have known that that was going to be my "big surprise"? That's just not fair. I didn't even give anything away!
"Hmm... Let's see. Alright, let's start from the beginning." He sat up straight and leaned against my ivory headboard, exposing his sculpted abdomen. I've seen it a million times already, but it was still hard not to stare. He stretched his back, pulling his hands behind his head. Yawned. Ran a hand through his hair. Grinned at me. "So you woke up and saw that I, you're early birdie boyfriend, was still asleep. Thought that you should take advantage of the moment. Decided to come up with a master plan, and this supreme plan of yours was to make me breakfast in bed. You then tried to sneak out of the room, apparently forgetting that I am a light sleeper—not that I was even asleep to begin with. Though, even if I had been, I still would've caught you and we would be having this same conversation." I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest. Continue.
"Anyways, that's when I woke up. Grabbed you. We had a moment—which I'm still trying to get over, by the way." He said that part so casually, almost as if he thought it wouldn't affect me as much as it did. "I asked for a hint. In order for me to receive this surprise, I 'have to stay in bed?' Okay, now think about it. It's morning. You're trying to surprise me. And I have to stay in bed. What else could those three things add up to other than the obvious answer of breakfast in bed?"
I frowned at him. "I hate you. I really do."
"But you really don't," he replied, smiling at me. "You really, really don't."
I smacked him with a pillow. He deserved it. "You suck," but I was smiling as I said it. He may have sucked, but I still loved him. "And you're also an idiot."
"Okay, maybe that's true. But I have a proposition to make."
I looked down at him. "And that is?"
"How about we make breakfast together?" he asked. "I've always wanted to wake up and you know, just make breakfast with my girlfriend. Like those cute couples on Tumblr. I think it's adorable."
Every time I'd seen a cute Tumblr couple, I wished I had a relationship like that. "You're literally like perfect."
"I mean, I try." He smiled. "No, I'm just kidding. That's all you, Alex."
I rolled my eyes at him. He was too sweet. "Let's go make breakfast, then." It was the best deal I could make. What was the point of going with my original plan if it wasn't even going to a surprise anymore?
"Maybe you should run a brush through your hair before we do anything. I mean, it's adorable, it really is. But I'm not sure if you should scare Amery before the day has even fully started."
I took a peek of myself in the mirror that hung above my dresser. Wow. I didn't look so great. "Hush," I told him. I grabbed my brush and chased the tangles out of my hair with it.
I had absolutely no makeup on, and I was reaching for my makeup box when Jake said, "What are you doing?" He climbed out of the bed and was standing next to me in an instant. He took hold of my makeup box before I could.
"No, what are you doing?" I gave him an odd look and held out my hand, waiting for him to return my makeup.
He undid the latch on the box and opened it, peering inside. "Were you about to put on makeup?" He asked it as if I was committing some type of crime that should be looked down on.
"I mean, yeah. Just something light," I tried to reason.
He closed the box and put it down, then stepped closer to me. One of his hands reached out to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. "You're already incredibly beautiful without it, though."
My cheeks warmed up again. "But—"
"No buts. Go brush your teeth and get ready. I'm 'gonna get dressed and get ready, then we'll make breakfast in ten minutes."
"Yeah, I'm not sure if my dad will appreciated you walking around the house in nothing but a pair of old basketball shorts."
"Good that," he said.
"Huh?" I asked, confusion laced in my voice. Was that a new saying?
"Crap. It's from a book. You know what?—forget it." He scratched the back of his neck, pink tinting his cheeks and ears out of embarrassment.
"Aw, you're such a cute little nerd."
He rolled his eyes at me. "I'm not cute. Don't ever call me cute."
I smirked at him. "Whatever you say, Boo-Bear."
* * *
Jake was nearly as good a cook as Mrs. Aria, his mother. She was the head chef of some big, fancy restaurant. I guessed she had taught Jake all he knows in the culinary world. He moved about the kitchen with grace, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. And by the sweet aroma wafting around the entire house, he did. It looked like he was making an exquisite gourmet meal, but really, he was only preparing French toast, bacon, and a couple of omelets. No matter how simple the breakfast was, Jake made it look like it had been prepared by Gordon Ramsay himself.
"Your mom taught you how to do all of this?" I asked, scooting towards him where he stood by the stove throwing ingredients into the frying pan.
He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes for a second, then turned back to the task at hand.
"Yeah. She began teaching me when I turned ten. Since London never aspired to learn how to cook, my mom took me under her wing." His eyes were shining brightly; that's what they did when he got excited. A smile was present on his face. "She first taught me the basic dishes, like scrambled eggs and spaghetti and meatballs. She and I always spent time in the kitchen together, just creating these amazing dishes for fun. You know how your mom takes you out to do stuff for fun? Well, we cooked instead. We were always cooking. My mom and I made every meal together, then she started having me make them by myself. By the time I was fourteen, I was preparing meals for the whole family. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner—everything. Next to surfboarding, I actually really love cooking. It's amazing what you can do with just a few ingredients, you know?"
"Wow," I said. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my side into his. "I never knew about this Chef Carter side of you."
He laughed. "I've never cooked for you," he told me. And now that I thought about it, he hadn't. "Well, that one time, my mom and I did a collaboration dinner. Remember the dinner that we ate at the treehouse? She and I made that meal together."
"You helped with that? It tasted like heaven in pasta form." How could people make such amazing food? I could hardly make oatmeal.
"Well, thank you." He smiled and draped an arm across my shoulder, switching the spatula to his left hand in order to continue moving the green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and habanero peppers around in the frying pan.
"How come I'm just now hearing about you being some fantastic cook, huh? If I'd known before, I would've had you come over every day to make me food."
"I don't know, actually. It just never popped up in conversation? I wouldn't just be like, 'Yo, babe, what do you want for dinner tonight? Either McDonalds or I can whip up a meal of baked Dijon salmon with a side of grilled asparagus and yellow rice.'"
"Actually, I think I'd prefer McDonalds," I teased.
"Excuse you, my baked Dijon salmon is to-die-for," he said, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "It would surely knock your socks off."
"I can't believe you've never offered to show me this hidden talent of your and cooked me some extravagant dinner," I said.
"Well you'll have plenty of those when we're married. I'll make breakfast for you every morning before I go to work and dinner every night for our cute little family—when we decide to have one."
He caught me of guard with those two words: married and family. It took approximately two seconds for my face to match the color of a vibrant stop sign. It was close to impossible trying to tame the rage of emotions within me. I began picturing myself walking down the aisle, heading towards Jake at the end of it. I imagined having to keep myself from crying tears of joy—my makeup would be too nice to ruin, especially on a day like that.
And a family? Having a family with Jake would be utterly amazing. "M-married?" I breathed, my voice quivering.
"Yeah, eventually. You didn't think I would let you go, did you? I was one-hundred percent serious when I said I wouldn't." He flipped the sizzling omelette in the pan and turned his body so he was facing me. He shot me a pantie-splitting grin that was filled with mischief. "We're getting married whether you like it or not."
"And we're 'gonna have a family? Like... kids?" I asked as my eyes began to shine with tears of pure happiness and anticipation.
"Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you, Alex. Did I bring it up too soon or—"
I threw my arms around his neck and jumped up onto him, wrapping my legs around his waist and giggling like a little girl pre-Christmas. Instinctively, his arms held me tight, not letting me quiver. Even though, I had surely taken him by surprise, he barely budged.
"Nothing would make me happier, you idiot!" I was smiling into his neck.
"Really?" he asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"You'd have to be a dumbass to think otherwise, Jake."
"Fuck," he murmured under his breath and eased me back down to the floor. He still held me close to him, even closer than a moment ago.
My eyebrows furrowed together with concern. "What's the matter?"
"Why do you have to leave in six days?"
I sighed and shook my head. "My parents have to go back, and so does Danielle. It's not my decision to make," I reminded him.
"I... I know. It's just... The thought of not having you here with me is killing me."
"I'm the one leaving. It's killing me more than you."
"I'm the one who's losing you, though." He looked down, away from me.
"Fair enough." I tilted his chin back up so his gaze was level with mine. "And hey, no one's losing anyone, okay?"
"I know, but it feels a hell of a lot like it."
"If it were up to me, I would stay."
"You know what's weird?" he asked, but it was a rhetorical question so I didn't bother to offer an answer. "Thinking that you actually have a life back in Miami. No offense or anything."
"You're right, it is. This feels more like home, anyways."
"What was it like there?"
"Hmm... Well the guys were definitely hotter back in Miami, for starters."
"You're not helping, you're really not," he stated, although he was smiling down at me. "And we both know that's straight bull."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I don't think anything compares to being here. It's amazing."
"I don't think I'll be able to last until winter break to see you again. That's a whole four months. I might have to buy myself a plane ticket and surprise you."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
I heard her footfalls along the kitchen's tiles before her voice. "Aww!!" Aunt Vicky cooed. "You two are just the most adorable couple I've ever seen. It's great, it really is."
"What's great?" Jake mused.
"Just seeing you two all happy together. I've known the two of you for your whole lives, and now you two are together and all lovey-dovey. It's amazing how things work out, you know?"
"You're telling me," Jake said and looked down at me with a special glint in his eyes and a small smile.
"It's refreshing to see teens all serious about their relationship. Nowadays, people just toss the word 'love' around when they don't even mean it. It's nice to know that love still exists among the teenagers."
"I am not a teenager, thank you very much," Jake told her. "I am an adult."
"And I'll be an official adult tomorrow, too," I added.
Vicky scoffed at us. "You two are teens until the suffix teen is no longer attached to your ages—legal adult, or not."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Whatever, Vicky. Jake, sh—" I almost cursed, before realizing that Vicky was still in the room. Even though she was cool and all, she was harsh about the language we used in her house. Unless, of course, it was her that was saying it. "Jake, your omelette!"
His eyes widened and he made haste for the spatula. He quickly turned the burner off and the flame beneath the pan instantaneously disappeared.
To say that it was burnt was an understatement. It had been stuck to the pan.
"Well," Jake started, "that's no longer edible."
Vicky raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows and said sarcastically, "You think?"
"Couldn't help it, I guess. I got... Distracted a bit." I peered up at him from beneath my lashes, and a smirk took over his mouth. I blushed.
"Distracted? More like lost your complete train of thought," she commented, poking the smoking omelette. "It takes a lot for a cook like you to not pay attention to what they're cooking."
"Oh, really?" I mused, smiling.
He looked at me. "There was something more important to pay attention." A wink was sent my way.
"Oh my God," Vicky gushed. "You two are so adorable, I can't even! What's that thing called—a boat? Is it called a boat?"
Jake and I looked at her as if she grew an extra foot. "You mean a ship?" we asked simultaneously, amusement dripping from our voices.
"Yeah! I ship you guys," she said, causing us all to laugh.
* * *
"It's so beautiful out today!" London exclaimed, her green eyes bright and her blonde hair blowing in the beach's breeze.
The sun rays softly caressed my cheeks and tanned body. Soft, fine sand was hot on the soles of my feet, and the salty, gentle breeze blowing by flowed through the air like a delicate feather.
"It really is," I said, beaming. It had been a while since I last came to the beach with everyone. All of us—Danielle, Brent, London, Jake, Lily, Mason, Blake, and even Audrey (much to my disliking, may I add)—decided that today would be perfect for a beach day.
And it was.
To our favor, the weather was honestly perfect. It was hot and sunny, the type of day that made you want to just jump into the waves and disappear.
"I'm glad that we could do this today," London said. "All of us haven't really had a chance to reunite."
Everyone knew what she was talking about. It was the elephant in the room: Audrey. They were all friends before Danielle and I came to California, and I couldn't expect that to change. And they all hadn't hung out like they were now for four months.
"I know right?" Brent quipped. "It feels weird, almost."
Audrey scoffed and laughed. "You're telling me. This is the weirdest feeling ever."
I chuckled, but in reality, I had no idea how weird it was at all. The group had gone Audrey-less for four months, then suddenly she was back.
"This brings back so many memories," Blake stated, smiling. Everyone nodded enthusiastically. "Do you guys remember how we would always come to the beach every single Friday after school?"
"Yes!" Lily said. "And then we would all head out to that pizza place up the street for dinner?"
"Gina's Pizza?" Jake asked. He was beaming at the mention of it. "I swear, it was the best. Remember how Connie always gave us free drinks because we were her regulars?"
And suddenly, the seven of them delved into memories from the past. Memories that neither I nor Danielle were apart of.
To be honest, it was harsh. Hearing about the life that they all shared before I was a part of it was nearly like a smack in the face. It's not like they did it on purpose or anything, but it stung. I smiled when it seemed necessary but felt left out nonetheless.
In a split second, I became the girl on the sideline watching them all enthuse about how amazing things used to be. They tried to talk to me about their traditions and bring me into the conversation from time to time, but with that, they would also find time to get absorbed in their pasts together and forget about their present which had me trapped in it.
Everyone was talking so fast, excitement laced in their voices, and eventually, I lost the energy to try and keep up.
It didn't take long for Jake to notice after that. I hadn't been paying attention when his hand went out to grab mine.
He gave me a worried look, silently asking if I was alright.
I shrugged. The conversation among the rest of them still continued, words racing through the air at lightning speed, but Jake drew his attention away from them.
I had to tell him. There was no point in dodging the unasked question. It would take Jake half a second to know that I was lying or holding back. "I'm fine. It's just a little awkward hearing all of you all's memories and traditions, I guess."
He sighed. "We're just catching up, Alex. Don't feel like you're any less important or anything."
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's whatever."
"It's not whatever. I don't want you to feel left out." Jake turned to the group. "Who's up to catch some waves?"
Mason, London, Blake and Brent all stood and went to get their surfboards in a heartbeat.
"You want to try again?" Jake held out his hand to pull me up, and I took it gladly.
"Surfing?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "I'd rather not. Remember my whole wipeout last time?"
He laughed. "How could I forget?" I rolled my eyes at him and punched his shoulder lightly.
"Whatever. It wasn't that bad, was it?"
"I mean, I had to give you mouth-to-mouth," he stated.
My eyes went wide. "You did?" We hadn't even been dating at that time.
A small blush spread over his cheeks and tinted the tips of his ears. "I mean, y-yeah. I didn't want you to die or anything. That wouldn't have been good at all," he explained. "You gotta do what you gotta do, you know?"
"I'm not complaining, trust me." I said before standing on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his mouth. "I'm sure it was one-hundred percent necessary."
He smirked, "Or maybe I just wanted to kiss you."
I laughed at that. "Smooth one."
"As always." I rolled my eyes at that. "But really," he started again, "you weren't doing that bad until you fell. You're a natural. You could even borrow my board."
"It's been months since then, though. Maybe later?"
He nodded. "Alright. Sounds good. I'm going to go catch a few, so see you later."
He wrapped his arms around me and caught my lips in a quick kiss. "See you," I said, smiling. He grabbed his board before running to catch up to the others who were already in the water, paddling out to catch a wave.
I settled back down onto my towel, between Danielle and Lily. "I've never seen Mason surf before," Danielle said.
"He's amazing at it," Lily said. "Last year, he won first place in a tournament. Jake got second."
"They played competitively?" I asked. That's so cool.
"Yeah. All of them were on the same team. Brent, Blake, London, Jake, and Mason."
"A coed surfing team? That's legit," Danielle commented. "How come you weren't on it?"
"Didn't make the cut," Lily replied. "They pick the best of the best."
"I was on it," Audrey said, coming into our conversation. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes at her, even though it was just a simple statement that she made. "I barely made it on the team, though. Surfing out here is extremely competitive."
"I bet," Danielle said. "That has to be like the best sport to play."
"It is," Audrey smiled. "Or it was, I should say. I'm not allowed to surf until I get cleared to do so."
"Oh, wow."
"Yeah, it's harsh. But I'll do everything I can to get cleared as soon as possible," she told the three of us. "I honestly feel perfectly fine, but the doctors say otherwise."
"I hope you'll be able to make a full recovery," I told her. Although, I wasn't sure if I truly meant it or not. All the pent up anger that I held against her was still there, and the fact that she still loved Jake just added fuel to the flames. The two of them obviously had a strong past together, that wasn't hard to see at all. In fact, Audrey made it pretty clear to see. She looked at Jake as if she adored every single thing he did.
"Thanks," she said. Her voice hinted that her reply wasn't genuine at all.
Danielle could probably feel the tension in the air, knowing about Audrey's big secret and all. "Do you know what we're doing for your birthday tomorrow?" she asked, changing the topic instantly.
"Actually," I started, "No. Jake has something planned for us, but he hasn't told me anything, which he probably won't. Have anything in mind?"
"Well, I know what Jake's doing," Lily said. She smirked at me. "But I can't tell you anything. I made a promise." I frowned at her. She was no help. "However, I can tell you one thing. Later on that day we're all going back to Austin's house for another bonfire, since the other one didn't go so well."
I cringed at the thought of the previous bonfire. That was the night Brent and I tried to kiss, the night Jake beat him to a pulp, and the night we broke up. Too many painful memories came to mind at just the thought of that night.
"Really? That should be fun," I chimed. "Hopefully it goes a thousand times better than last time."
"What happened last time?" Audrey said. "I can't believe I missed it."
Everyone went silent. Dani and Lily averted their attention to the boys and London surfing on a distant wave.
"Jake and I decided to, uh, take a break from each other that night."
"Seriously? You two seem unbreakable!" There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and I didn't like it one bit. "What was the reason behind the whole split up?"
You. But I didn't want to tell her that and give her the joy of that knowledge. "Can we not talk about it? It wasn't really the best of times for me, so yeah. If you don't mind."
"Of course," she said, a fake smile on her lips, then turned to watch our friends surf.
I gave her one last skeptical glance before turning to look at the blue ocean ahead of us.
Author's Note: Ayoooo. It's been three months. I know. But here it is, guys! There'll be a few more chapters after this, and I'm actually trying to drag it out because I don't think I'll be able to handle bringing his book to an end, lol. It'll be so bittersweet. Anyways, what do you guys think of Audrey? What do you think she's up to? Leave a comment below c: And aren't Jake and Alex just the cutest? I absolutely adore them. By the way, this chapter isn't edited, so sorry for any grammatical errors. However, the edited one will be posted soon (I just wanted to get this up as soon as possible for y'all).