"Oh, my God."
Without second thoughts, she rose up from the bed and her book fell as she quickly ran to him. Smiling brightly, she took the little kitten from him and hugged it in her arms.
Pulling back, she kissed its head lovingly then placed it on her bed, watching as it laid down upon the sheets comfortably.
Turning around, she quickly hugged Jake, oblivious to the way he stiffened and instantly relaxed. His arms came around her as he hugged her back, slightly tightening his hold.
"Thank you so much," she murmured to his chest and she meant it from the bottom of her heart. Pulling back, she gazed up at him and smiled. "So why are you here?"
"Business," he answered simply. "Then I thought I could come and say hello, see if you're fine, and bring back your cat..Found her lost somewhere."
Anna smiled wider. "Jake, I think I'm getting better and better," she happily informed him. "Thank you so much for bringing my cat home. You don't know how much this means to me."
He shrugged then raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. "I really missed you," he said after awhile.
Anna smiled. "I missed you, too."
And it was true. It was the first time she saw him ever since her Grandmother's death. And now she realized how badly she missed him. When he was gone, it had felt like she had lost a friend. She missed those times they had talked about things and shared memories together.
A knock on the door sounded and the door was opened revealing Bea. "Hey..." She stopped and looked at Jake questioningly, not expecting him to be inside Anna's room. "Jake?"
"Hey," greeted Jake.
"Yes, Bea?" asked Anna.
Bea placed her hand at her hip. "Well, why aren't you dressed yet?" she asked her. "We're late."
"Late?" Anna repeated. "Late for what?"
Bea looked at her as if she had a second head and stated, "Your make over. Duh."
"Make over? I don't remember--"
"Oh, of course you do." Without second thoughts, Bea entered her room and dragged her outside, leaving Jake behind.
A few hours later, Anna was being dragged to the mall by Bea together with Victoria and Keira. They weren't allowed to leave unless Jake and Ben were following right behind them.
They practically looked like bodyguards as the girls proceeded to having a whole new physical look and a new hairstyle. After this, Anna had never felt so relaxed after what seemed like a very long time.
Her muscles were eased and relaxed. Her skin was glowing. Her hair was shining in dark loose curls. And her face was brighter. It was as if she was reborn.
They shopped for clothes and shoes which seemed to be infinite. When night came, they went home and she raced to her bedroom feeling exhausted. She laid down on her stomach on the surface of the bed right next to little Luna feeling sleepy.
When she fell asleep, the door opened and she felt the bed dip. Then fingers traced her back, making patterns as they ran down her spine.
She moaned slightly feeling ticklish from the soft touch. Then the hand lowered and touched the back of her thigh, gripping it slightly.
She purred as the hand sneaked underneath the hem of her dress and snaked around her waist, caressing her soft skin.
Then she felt him hovering above her. His warm breath tickled the side of her bare neck and he leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder.
"Zach," she murmured softly under her breath.
She felt him freeze. Shifting, she turned around slowly, blinked her eyes, and gasped. Almost quickly, she stretched down the hem of her dress covering her bare thighs.
She blushed at the intensity of his gaze and sighed, "Jake, I--"
"It's still him, isn't it?" he asked.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Who?"
For a mere moment, he just stared at her and then he sighed. Looking away, he raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. Standing up, he moved away from the bed and walked towards her open balcony without words.
The silence stretched onwards and she watched him. He looked so sad, she noticed. It was as if she saw the loss of hope in his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she followed after him and stood next to him. He was looking up at the stars that scattered the night sky and she looked at him with full of wonder. He was so beautiful and she wondered why his eyes were so lonely..so heartbroken.
"What's wrong, Jake?" she asked softly.
He didn't look at her. He just stared at the sky. Looking at the moon. Trying to understand it.
"You know," he said, "when I was a child..I wandered the forest alone..I liked to think I was brave enough at that age..But then, I found a snake. It was kinda small but it wasn't really dangerous. It never bit me so I brought it home to my mother and she freaked out."
He chuckled lowly as if remembering it and Anna smiled as she watched him.
"She got really angry so I kept it in my room and hid it from her. From everyone. Because I was afraid they were going to let it go or keep it away from me. I've always been a possessive little shït back then..Hell, I think I still am. But the thing is, it died a few days later. I don't know why. Maybe because it didn't eat enough or didn't have enough sleep.
"My mother found it dead in my bedroom and we buried it at the back of our house. Do you know what she told me?" he asked. "She told me that I can't force something to live somewhere it doesn't belong..Then I realized.." He looked at her. "People are like that, too."
Her heart fluttered and she reached out to touch his hand. He raised it to his lips and softly kissed her knuckles.
"I just realized I've always been chasing after you," he said, looking into her eyes. "Chasing after your love. Hoping I could catch it before he does. Didn't realize it was too late."
"Don't chase after love, Jake," she said. "You don't come and haunt for love..Love finds you."
He sighed and let go of her hand. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away from her.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He was silent for a moment until he clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. "She came back," he growled lowly.
"Who?"
"I..Fück, I can't even say her name," he hissed in clenched teeth. "I thought I would forget the pain after everything. I thought I would forget her but no!" He laughed bitterly. "She's still here." He beat his chest. "Still eating me out alive."
Watching him falling apart like this made her want to console him. She realized he was talking about his mate. The one he rejected a long time ago.
Is it even possible to feel so much pain? To feel an old scar opening again? Even after all these years?
"How can you move on if you won't let go?" she asked. "Let go of the past, Jake. People change and you might find she wasn't who she was before. Maybe you're angry at the memories and not at who she is."
He clenched his jaw and looked at her. "You're so innocent," he said, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Now I know why it isn't too hard to fall in love with you."
She gently removed his hand from her face and frowned. "Jake--"
"I know," he interrupted. "I know. I know I'm full of cräp and shït...Look, I don't even think I can love anyone else more than I love you."
She frowned and looked away from his burning eyes. "I don't understand," she murmured.
He held her chin and gently turned her head. He looked into her eyes and looked into her soul.
"You might've never known it..but you've stolen my heart the first time we met," he admitted. "And I'd never ask for it back."
His words.
They took her breath away.
Until then, she was frozen still as he leaned down slowly and lightly brushed his lips against hers.
He pulled back slowly and just like that, he left her there on the balcony. Standing under the moonlight.
She heard the door slam close and she raised her hand to lightly touch her lips. She knew it wasn't just any kiss. It was a kiss without words but said everything that Jake didn't say.
Goodbye.