When I called Jake, I was surprised he answered on the second ring. They had a strict "no phone" rule during practices that a few of them seemed to be breaking these days.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked cheerfully. I couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, um.. I just got off the phone with my mom and she said I could pick her up now, so-"
"Oh, okay, do you want me to come with you?" I could hear Sam and Danny's groaning in the background followed by him loudly shushing them.
"O-only if you're done, I don't want to interrupt, I can just-"
"You're never interrupting. I'll meet you outside." He said, hesitating for a second. "I.. I love you." My heart jumped, knowing that he had just said it in front of all of them.
"I love you." I said softly, then hanging up.
I quickly got up, getting changed into a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, brushing my hair out to look as presentable as possible. I wondered how life was going to be with her coming back home, knowing I'd be spending every night alone again. Once you got used to falling asleep next to someone every night, it was so hard to go back to an empty bed.
As I walked outside, I could see Jake quickly making his way over from the garage, flashing me a beaming grin.
"Ready?" He asked, reaching out his hand for me. I nodded, holding on tight, intertwining our fingers.
"You know, I.. I don't like the idea of you skipping out just to-"
"I didn't skip out." He said simply. "We were just wrapping up. It's okay. This is important. I want to be there for you." I couldn't help but smile, peeking over at him. He lead me over to his car, opening the passenger door for me. I hopped in, keeping my eyes glued on him as he made his way around the car, hopping into the driver's seat.
"You know how to get there, right?" I asked. "You just take-"
"I know, I know, don't worry." He said, smiling back at me. "It's okay, I got it." I loved feeling taken care of by him. Whether he knew it or not, just being here did make everything easier. All the other times I've had to pick her up were just.. stressful, especially all alone.
Every day he showed me how him and I were so much more than just the excitement and butterflies; we loved each other, respected each other, took care of each other. The more he was willing to do for me, the more I was willing to do for him.
When we pulled into the parking lot, he parked the car, waiting for a moment before turning to look at me, giving me a gentle smile.
"Whenever you're ready.." He said softly, reaching over for my hand, pulling it up to his lips, gently kissing it. I leaned back against the seat, turning to face him, staring back with dazed eyes and the permanent smile that stayed spread across my lips whenever I was with him.
"Thank you for coming with me." I said. "I know that.. there are way more exciting things you could be doing, especially now with the tour getting so close and-" He cut me off, leaning in and pulling me into a long kiss.
"I'm always going to be here for you, Jaime." He said, gently caressing my cheek. I sighed, knowing he meant well, but gave him a look of uncertainty, knowing he could really only be here for me until the van pulled away.
He understood.
"Even when I'm gone, I'll figure out a way.." He said, running his fingers through my hair, his eyes moving back down to my lips again. I sighed, leaning into another long kiss.
"I love you."
"And I love you, now.. we shouldn't keep her waiting." He giggled to himself. "I'm sure she's sick of being locked up in there." I nodded, my smile growing.
"You're probably right."
I took his hand, guiding him down hallways I had ventured through one too many times until we were finally back in her room, hopefully for the last time.
Her eyes lit up as I came around the curtain, flashing her a smile.
"There you are!" She said happily, her smile growing as she saw Jake peeking around the corner.
"Oh, Jake!" She reached out for him, pulling him into a hug. It was nice seeing her so excited about him. Her opinion meant more to me than anyone else's.
"You guys are heading out any day now, aren't you?" She asked, sitting back down on her bed. I'm sure to catch her breath from standing for too long, but she always tried her best to play it off. But I had seen it enough. Jake nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets, peeking over at me with a smirk.
"Yeah, we're.. we're getting excited. A little nervous but.. still excited. I mean, this is what we always worked for right? Don't want all those mornings of waking up the neighborhood to go to waste." He laughed. She nodded, smiling back up at him.
"Oh, I'm sure you boys will do great. How long are you guys gonna be away?" He bit down on his lip, peeking back over at me.
"Um.. w-well, two months.. at least." He said softly, shrugging his shoulders. "It's a while but.. you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess."
"Well, we'll have to make it out to a show to see you guys!" She said, looking over at me. I nodded, forcing a smile, knowing there was no way she could handle any sort of travel we'd have to do to go to one of their shows, but I appreciated her optimism.
"But you're probably sick of this place." Jake said, holding his hand out for her. "Let's get you out of here and take you back home. It's been lonely without you." I saw her eyes light up as she quickly peeked over at me.
"Oh, has it been?" She asked, forcing herself out of the bed. I felt my face get hot, knowing she had picked up on where he slipped. He bit down on his lip, holding his stare on her, no doubt trying to recover somehow.
"Y-yeah, I mean, we've been having our backyard barbecues and it hasn't been the same without you. Jaime is fun and all but everyone knows that you've always been the life of the party." He laughed, winking over at me. I couldn't help but smile, shaking my head.
"Oh, you've always been a sweet talker." She joked, playfully hitting his chest as she held on tight to his arm. He grabbed her bag, carefully guiding her down the hall as I closely followed them behind.
He brought her around to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for her. He really was a gentleman. As I hopped into the back seat, she turned back to me with an excited grin before he got back into the car.
"So what's going on?" She whispered. I felt my cheeks burn.
"Mom.."
"If you don't tell me I'm just gonna a-" She stopped at the sound of him opening the door, hopping into the driver's seat.
"What did I miss?" He laughed, looking around at both of us. My mom turned back around in her seat, facing forward again as she put her seatbelt on.
"Nothing, I was just asking Jaime when you two started dating." She said cheerfully. It felt like my entire body was on fire.
"Mom!" I groaned, hiding my face behind my hands. I heard Jake nervously giggle to himself.
"O-oh, um.. well.. just a little while." He admitted, keeping his eyes forward as he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Were you guys together the other day when you came to visit?" She asked.
"Mom.."
"I'm talking to Jake now, honey, since he's the only one who seems to give me any answers."
"You don't have to answer her." I called out. I heard him laugh again, peeking back at me from the rear view mirror. It was crazy how even just a look could make my heart race.
"Yes, we were." He finally said.
"Oh, I always hoped you two would get together." She said cheerfully. "How did you ask her?" I couldn't believe they were having this conversation with me right here, acting like I wasn't right here.
"Well.." He started, peeking back at me again, as if asking for permission. I sighed, eventually nodding giving him a subtle smile.
"So, Jaime was telling me about.. you and her dad, and how he stood outside your window with a boombox playing your favorite song, so.. one night.. I did that for her." She stayed quiet for a moment, looking back at me with a wide grin, and I could have sworn I saw a tear in her eye.
"Oh, Jake.. that's beautiful." He shrugged, keeping his eyes forward. As embarrassing as this was, deep down I loved that he could talk to her like this.
"Well, she deserves it." He said quietly, biting down on his lip. "I love her." The car was quiet for a moment, until she reached over, placing her hand on top of his, nodding and giving him a gentle smile.