(I started writing this 22 days ago, and now I'm on the last chapter. Although I didn't actually write the story-I re-wrote it, I guess-I loved writing it. Thank you so much for reading it.)
"Could you stop sucking face for one second and practice your speech?" Alex groaned, smacking Jordan in the back of the head with a paper, only causing her to move closer to me. It was time for the makeup graduation, even though it was already summer vacation. "I swear, it's like you guys plan on just making out on stage!"
It's not like that would be a bad thing.
Jordan pulled away scowling, grabbing the sheet of paper Alex hit her with it. Resting on my lap, she slapped the paper-which I now saw was our speech-down on the table.
"We don't need practice," she told him before wrapping her arms around my neck again. "We know who's saying what and if we forget what we have to say, we can just look down at the speech."
Alex just rolled his eyes, causing Jordan to stick out her tongue before turning to me once more. Her lips pressed against mine again, and I held her tighter. I just left the hospital yesterday, and it seemed that Jordan enjoyed me getting out just as much as I did.
"We're leaving in fifteen minutes!" Alex pointed out, but I didn't think of it as I continued kissing Jordan. "I'm surprised you two haven't died from lack of oxygen yet! Get up and put your gowns and caps on! You're going to make us late!"
Jordan grumbled, sliding off my lap to go get ready. I did the same, standing up to grab my gown and cap for graduation. It made me smile, knowing that I now had my own. Instead of watching from the audience, I'd actually be on stage. Finally, Jordan and I were moving on with our lives.
"Okay, okay, we're going," Jordan sighed, pulling on her gown. I did as well, placing my cap on my head. She then muttered, "I'm not really surprised that you interrupted us..."
"Well, someone's gotta be the cock block."
"Oh, my gosh!" Jordan cried, her face turning red. I was glad neither of them were paying much attention to me, because my face started heating up as well.
Alex burst out laughing, causing the both of us to turn to him with scowls on our faces. "Ah, sorry about that," he wheezed out after he finished laughing. "I just couldn't resist. Your reaction was priceless..."
"Do you want to leave or what?"
"Just make sure to not let your crazy stalker crash the graduation this time," he jokingly wagged his finger in front of her face, making my jaw tense. He shouldn't have been able to joke about that, not to mention his trial was only a few days ago.
Hunter was originally sentenced to death. He was caught with all the crimes he committed, and there wasn't supposed to be a single question about it. But of course, Jordan begged for them to spare his life. I was slightly ticked off, but I knew that she didn't want to be the cause of another death. So Hunter was thrown in jail with so possibility of parole, and that was the end of it.
Alex shrugged, ignoring the glare that Jordan was giving him, and we all left Cabin B. It was the last time we'd ever be in that cabin, and I'll admit that it sort of grew on me. The three of us made our way to Cabin C, where everyone else was. Jordan looked nervous, and I wanted to say something, but I let it go.
"Jordan, are you ready to get up in front of everyone and actually say a whole speech?" Chelsea teased her as she walked out of the cabin. I looked up to see everyone else trail out behind her as Jordan's friend continued. "Are you not going to cry and then have your psychopathic ex-boyfriend crash the whole thing?"
As Jordan gave Chelsea a flat look, I felt myself stiffen up. I knew that she was just kidding, but it didn't make me any less upset about what happened.
"I'm going to have Jesse with me this time," Jordan smiled at her friend, grabbing onto my hand and holding it tightly. Now that we were dating out in the open, we could do things like this in public and not worry about what anyone thought. "So everything's going to be fine."
Looking down at her, I smiled as well. My hand gripped hers even tighter, and we all began walking toward the giant grass field where graduation was being held. There were hundreds of people sitting in the crowd as they waited for all the seniors.
Once we reached our places, we were told to get in alphabetical order. I had a valedictorian stole around my neck, as did Jordan. She stood about fifteen people ahead of me, and every few minutes, she'd turn around and give me a smile. I felt my heart jump every time she did it.
Pomp and Circumstance started playing, and I tried getting Jordan's attention a few times, but she stayed where she was, looking nervous and shy. Soon enough, we'd be on stage repeating our valedictorian speech like we practiced time after time before.
The graduating class walked down the aisle and to the stage. Seats were all set out in the front rows for us, and we sat down in the same order we stood in.
"Welcome," Matthew began with a bright smile, "to the official graduation of the class of 2011..."
This was it. I was finally going to graduate, and soon I'd be off to college. After this, I'd be starting my new life without any worries and Jordan by my side. Hunter was locked away and he couldn't hurt Jordan nor I ever again. I'd finally know what freedom feels like.
After Matthew finished with his introduction, he called Daniel Watts up to the stage. He was the class president, and I hardly listened, the same way I did during the first graduation.
"And now," Matthew announced, stepping back up to the podium. I started listening now, waiting for my name to be called. "Our valedictorians, Jordan Emery and Jesse Jacobsen."
The crowd erupted, and I glanced at Jordan to see that she looked surprised by all this positive feedback. I was a little surprised myself, but it wasn't like I was expecting them to boo us off the stage.
"Hi, I'm Jordan," she introduced herself after we walked up to the podium. I had to tell myself not to grab her and kiss her while we were in the middle of our speech, because I'm sure she'd upset and embarrassed. "And this is Jesse. Thank you for joining the graduating class of 2011 during this very exciting time..."
Her hand slipped into mine, and I looked down to see that the podium was hiding it. Even if it wasn't it wouldn't have mattered. Our relationship was out in the open, and everyone knew about it. The thought itself made me realize that a lot can change in a few months.
"The last time we were together, we kind of got interrupted," I laughed nervously, not wanting to get a poor reaction from the crowd. When they started to laugh a little, I calmed down. "But I can assure you that nothing like that is going to happen during this ceremony. The man who had caused that all, Hunter Drax, is behind bars and he will be there for the rest of this life."
Loud cheers came from the audience, and I smiled at Jordan, holding her hand tightly. Everything was over. Hunter was locked away and here we stood, getting ready to graduate. It felt like it was only yesterday when I ran into Jordan in the ice cream parlor and fell in love with her immediately.
"We'd like to have a moment of silence for Alexandria Quirk," Jordan informed everyone, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly. I did the same, hoping that wherever she was, she was happy. After thirty seconds, Jordan raised her head and continued the speech.
"It feels like just yesterday it was our first day at the camp," she smiled. "But that was months ago. I can honestly say that I wish I was able to attend all four years here at the camp, but I'm still happy with the time I was given..."
"It's Jordan's and my fault that we and all our classmates are here," I spoke, remembering what I was supposed to read. I was already getting bored with our speech. Did anyone actually want to hear about the camp? Smiling a little, I thought of something better to say. "Ever since the first time we met, Jordan hadn't been able to stand me. She might have thought that I hated her just as much, but I truthfully have always loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her."
Jordan's face turned bright red as she looked down at the speech, trying to find these words.
The audience awed, only making her blush deeper. I looked around, seeing as her friends were gushing over the fact I had been secretly in love with Jordan all this time. Alex rolled his eyes but grinned afterwards. She was embarrassed, but I wasn't about to stop.
"When we first met, she was on a date-"
"I wasn't on a date," she interrupted, and I rolled my eyes. The audience laughed once again.
"Okay, she was technically on a date..." I corrected myself. "But I ran into her, and I wasn't really the nicest person on the planet..." How could I have been? I just met the prettiest girl in the world, and I thought she was with her boyfriend. Her and Dallas were standing pretty close. "But I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to say to her. I didn't believe in love at first sight back then, so I didn't know what I was feeling at first..."
"Aren't we supposed to be talking about the camp?" Jordan chuckled nervously, and I just grinned. "This is sweet and all, but I don't really know if people want to hear about this..."
"Yes we do!" Someone shouted from the audience, and I turned to see Lexi with her hands cupping around her mouth. The crowd laughed, making Jordan blush darker.
"I'll keep this short for you, Jordan," I assured her with a nod. With a smirk, I turned back toward the large crowd of people. "I don't want to bore you with the details, but let's just say it took her awhile, four years to be exact, to start feeling the same way about me."
She elbowed me in the ribs lightly, causing me to laugh. Even if she tried to injure me, she wouldn't have been able to. The rest of the audience laughed as well, making her look down for a few seconds.
"She gave me a reason to live, a reason to change who I was. I dragged her into something horrible and yet we still managed to get out a finally be together... So she's the person I want to thank. I know I'm supposed to do this later in the speech, and I'm surprised she didn't notice that I didn't write it down, but Jordan Emery is the person I want to thank for everything she's done for me. Because, even after she learned about my past and what had been going on with Hunter, she still accepted me and didn't look at me in a different way..."
Jordan turned to me, and tears began to form in her eyes. I felt myself start to tear up as well. Four years ago, I was just an idiot in love, who decided to join a gang out of boredom. Now, I'm an idiot in love, with the girl I love-who loves me back- by my side. We've taken on so much, and now we could finally be together without any complications.
"I love you, Jordan," I told her, and her eyes widened. "I love you more than anything on this entire planet."
As if she had forgotten we were in front of a crowd of a hundred people, Jordan jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her lips to mine. Both of our families were in the audience, but I didn't really care at that point.
We pulled away after a few seconds, and the crowd erupted in applause. I could feel my cheeks start heating up as I added, "And I guess I thank my mom, my dad, my sister Camilla, and my best friend Alex, too. They'll kill me if I don't mention them."
The audience laughed once more, and I turned toward Jordan, waiting for her to speak. Instead of looking at the speech like I was expecting her to, she wiped her eyes and let out a breath.
"Well, that was surprising," she said, letting out a small chuckle. "It makes everything I was going to say so irrelevant."
I rolled my eyes, nudging her in the side. She looked as though she was going to start crying, and I couldn't help but stare at her. Jordan was beautiful, and Lord only knows how she fell for me.
"I wanted to thank my best friends Lexi, Chelsea, and AJ for being there for me during everything I was going through without even knowing that they were," she breathed, clutching onto the podium tightly. "And my other best friend, Alex, for being there for me with his stupid sense of humor and knowing it."
Jordan looked into the crowd, taking a deep breath before smiling. I couldn't see who she was looking at exactly, but I could tell she was getting emotional over the entire situation. She took one last breath before continuing.
"And of course, I want to thank my family..." she nodded, looking out to the crowd. I noticed Austin in the audience, and wondered what he'd say to me after this was over.
"And... Jesse," Jordan sniffed, turning to me with a smile on her face. I smiled back. "I couldn't stand you for almost four years. Every time I saw you coming, I wanted to run for the hills. You dragged me into something that almost got me killed, but I don't care. Because if I hadn't met Hunter, I don't think we would have gotten as close as we are now. I would still be the brainy but stupid schoolgirl that didn't care about anything but grades. So thank you, Jesse Jacobsen, for showing me that there's so much more than that."
Without a second thought, I leaned in to kiss her. Our lips hardly brushed as she turned back toward the crowd. She lifted the paper that had our speech on it, ripping it in half. We didn't even have to use it.
"And I want to thank you all for coming," Jordan finished with a smile, licking her lips quickly. "Sorry if what we've said got too personal or boring for you."
She ran off the stage and back to her seat, where as I trailed after her lazily. I didn't care about graduation anymore. All I wanted to do was go home and make out with Jordan some more. But I still needed to stay to get my degree, so I couldn't leave just yet.
The audience applauded once more as I sat down in my chair. Matthew took back the podium, and I knew what was coming next. It was time to get our diplomas. Erica and Dallas stood behind him, next to a table which held our diplomas.
"Emily Annex," Matthew began, and I watched as Ryan's girlfriend hopped from her seat to go and receive her diploma. My name wouldn't be getting called for awhile, so I took this as my chance to lean back and rest.
"Alexander Carson," Matthew called, and I shot up, sitting up straight. He walked up to the stage, and was handed his diploma. I cheered for him and I knew he was rolling his eyes, even from up there. His brother was called right after him, and I laid back again.
The next person I actually cared about to receive a diploma was Jordan, and I knew that I'd be waiting for a few more people until she was called.
"Jordan Emery."
I started to clap as Matthew smiled. Jordan sat in her chair with a shocked expression. All her friends were cheering for her, so was her family and almost the entire audience. She still sat in her chair looking surprised.
In a quick motion, she jumped up and hurried along the aisle. I continued to cheer for her until she made her way up the steps and Dallas handed her the diploma. He reached out to shake her hand, looking a little upset. It seemed as though Dallas and I had switched positions. Jordan used to love him, in a brotherly way at least, and I was the one who heard her say she loved him. Now, she just announced that she loved me in front of hundreds of people, and I could see that he still felt something for her.
Instead of shaking Dallas' hand, she leaned forward and hugged him. Whenever this would usually happen, I'd get jealous. There's no point in denying how pissed off I became whenever they even talked. But Jordan looked as though she was apologizing, and Dallas looked as though he was accepting reality.
After they finished talking, Jordan moved on to Erica, who was smiling as well. Erica stuck out her hand, just like Dallas had before, but Jordan hugged her as well. I watched as they exchanged some words I couldn't hear, and Erica bowed. It was a lot nicer than seeing Erica constantly glare at her.
She exited the stage, and Matthew called up a few more people. It seemed like the graduation would last forever.
"Jesse Jacobsen," I heard my name, making my head shoot up. Cheers erupted from the audience, and I made my way up the stage to get my diploma.
Dallas handed me my diploma, and I shook his hand. I wanted to say something to him, but I worried that I probably would've just said the wrong thing, so I kept my mouth shut. Then I moved onto Erica, giving her a small smile and a handshake before leaving the stage.
More people were called, but I wasn't paying attention to anyone else anymore. I was done. Finally.
"Now," Matthew sighed, "I'd like to introduce you to the graduating class of 2011!"
I gripped the edge of my cap, lifting it off my head and throwing it into the air. Everyone else did the same, and I made my way over to Jordan. I placed my hand on her shoulder, turning her around and crashing my lips to hers. She smiled with our lips still against each other, making me smile as well.
Someone pulled her away from me, and I opened my eyes to see Alex spinning her around. Jordan laughed as he placed her on the ground, hugging him tightly.
Wrapping an arm around the blonde's neck, then grabbing my arm, Jordan pulled the both of us next to her. She ran up to her friends, hugging all of them individually.
"We did it!" Lexi cried out, hugging Alex, but speaking to the entire group. "We actually graduated! I can't believe it!"
Jordan wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her as she rested her cheek against my chest. I hugged her back, smiling as I looked down at her. As she looked up, our eyes locked and she grinned.
"Neither can I."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jordan and I were in my car, driving to my apartment, and I was getting really nervous. Her and all of her friends had money and lived in giant houses, when I didn't. I don't want her to look at me any differently when she finds out.
My mother wanted us to both come over for dinner before she heads off to Yale. Speaking of Yale, I had been given a scholarship. Tomorrow, I was going to surprise Jordan with the news that I was attending the same college as her.
"You don't seem as excited as I do," Jordan pointed out when she noticed how anxious I looked. "Is there something you're not telling me? We're not going to show up and find out that you're married or something, right?"
I let out a nervous laugh, hoping that it did not sound as shaky as I expected. I didn't even turn my head to look at her, and I wondered if she noticed that I was kind of worried. "Hah, of course I'm not married..."
She placed her hand on my lap, hoping that it'd calm me down, but it didn't.
I parked the car in front of a house, and Jordan looked out the window. "Is this where you live? It's a really nice house."
"No, it's not where I live," I told her, running a hand through my hair and leaning back in my seat a little. She turned toward me, looking confused and concerned. "I have something to tell you, Jordan..."
She blinked, not expecting me to say that. I swear, she was actually expecting me to introduce her to my non-existent wife. "Okay, tell me."
"My family lives in an apartment, not a house," I informed her, looking away. I didn't want to see what her reaction was to this. "And not even in a nice apartment. It's old and beat up, and it's also not in the best place in town..."
Jordan said nothing, and I was guessing that she was too shocked to speak. If she wanted to know about how I got into Cambridge, I already knew what I'd say. I already knew that before we got together, she thought I was a screw-up, but I wasn't.
"I'm not rich like you or your friends," I sighed once again, facing away from her. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was afraid you'd look at me differently because I don't have money like you."
"I didn't look at you any differently when I learned about Hunter, did I?" She inquired, grabbing my head and forcing me to face her. "I don't care how much money you have or where you live, Jesse. All I care about is you."
A small smile formed on my lips as I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers. I pulled away after a few seconds, and I noticed that she had a confused look on her face.
"Wait, how did you go to Cambridge then?" She asked, and I smirked to myself. I knew this question would come up sooner or later. "I mean, just like Adeline, you needed to pay to get into it, right?"
"I had a scholarship," I told her with a smirk, tapping my temple with my finger. "I'm not stupid. I did manage to beat you and get valedictorian."
"I would have gotten valedictorian if I stayed at Adeline..." Jordan stuck out her tongue, sitting straight in her chair once more. I chuckled once more before starting the car and taking off.
We weren't that far away from the apartment, so once I started driving, we were there in a few minutes. I parked the car and walked out right after, not wanting to see Jordan's reaction to it. We walked up the same flight of stairs I walked on every day when I was living here. I wouldn't be in my apartment for very long, because I was going to college soon.
I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a key. After pushing it in the lock and turning it, the door opened and I walked inside. Jordan followed me in and passed me as I shut the door behind her.
"Ma!" I called out, knowing how excited she'd be to see Jordan. "We're here, Ma!"
"Jesse!" The familiar voice of my sister rang through the room. She ran into view and I thought she was coming to hug me, but I should've known my sister better than that. Camilla wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me into a headlock. I could have shoved her away, but I knew that I'd be leaving soon and chances were, I wouldn't be seeing her for awhile. This made her happy, which made me happy as well.
"Okay, Camilla, you can let me go," I told her when I saw that she wasn't going to let go anytime soon. Her arm finally left my neck as she turned away from me and toward Jordan. Before I could say anything, she was already introducing herself.
"Hi!" Camilla smiled, and I knew she was going to say something to embarrass me. It's like she gets pleasure from seeing me humiliated. "I'm Jesse's sister Camilla!"
"Hi," Jordan smiled as Camilla grabbed her shoulders and gave her a hug. "I'm-"
"Oh, I know who you are!" My sister giggled, letting go of Jordan. "You're the love of Jesse's life! You're Jordan!"
"Camilla," I let out a groan, covering my eyes with my hand. My cheeks were burning and I could she was getting a kick out of seeing me like this.
"Aw, come on, Jesse," Camilla grinned while hitting me on the shoulder lightly. "I'm just trying to get to know my future sister-in-law!"
"Camilla," I groaned again, feeling my cheeks redden even more. Jordan looked embarrassed as well, but she also looked amused at my actions to this. I had nothing against marrying Jordan. It's what I've wanted since I was young. But Jordan and I didn't speak about it much. I almost proposed to her in the hospital, but it did feel like it would have been too soon.
Camilla laughed again, hooking her arm around Jordan's shoulders and turning to me.
"Jesse, Jordan!" I heard my mother call. We all turned to see her smiling brightly at us. "I'm so glad you guys got here now! Dinner's almost ready!"
I walked over to my mother and wrapped her in a hug. After she pushed me away, she walked over to Jordan and hugged her. I swear, she wanted to see her more than she wanted to see me.
"Camilla, Jesse, I totally forgot some of the groceries in my car," my mother informed us with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "Could you guys go get them for me?"
Jordan stay here alone with my mother? I wasn't sure that was such a good idea. I turned to face Jordan, thinking about if it was a good choice or not. She simply waved me off, and I gave her one last look before leaving with Camilla.
The entire time we were walking down the stairs, I was being teased about Jordan. It wasn't that surprising since this was how it usually was around my family. I just ignored her as I grabbed a bag full of groceries and headed back up the stairs.
Camilla was far behind me, and I was out of range to hear her constant teasing. Pushing open the front door, I put the bag on the table and watched as Jordan came running toward me. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she jumped up and crashed her lips against mine.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked with a smile, holding me tighter than she was before.
"Tell you what?" I cocked an eyebrow, wondering what she was going on about.
Jordan only grinned. "That you're going to Yale!"
"...Ma!" I called to my mother from the other room. I wanted this to be a surprise for her, and I wasn't even the one to tell her. "I told you not to tell her!"
"Oopsy daisy!"
A sigh escaped my lips as Jordan giggled. Camilla walked in, taking all the grocery bags, and walking into the kitchen.
"I was going to surprise you tomorrow, but I guess that isn't happening..." I rolled my eyes, loosening my grip on her waist. "If my mom didn't have such a big mouth..."
"I don't have a big mouth!"
"Ma!" I called out, watching Jordan grin as I did so. "Stop listening in on our conversation! You too, Camilla!"
Letting go of Jordan's waist, I grabbed her hand and started to lead her toward my room. At least we would get some sort of privacy in there. I pushed open the door as I walked in and brought Jordan with me. Using one hand, I shut the door securely, making sure that neither of the girls I lived with would try spying on us.
"Where were you planning on staying?" Jordan asked, placing her hands on her hips. I sat down on my bed, letting out a silent breath.
"I'm rooming with Alex," I shrugged, not caring much about where I'd be staying. When Jordan's eyes widened, I realized that I had just spilled his secret as well. "Oh, and I guess since my surprise is ruined I'll just ruin Alex's as well. He's going to Yale, too."
Her eyes remained wide for a few seconds as she thought about something. Instead of telling me what she was thinking, he walked over to me and leaned me back on my bed.
"You're not staying with Alex," she told me, getting on top of me. I gave her a confused look as she continued, "you're going to stay in my apartment with me."
All I did was blink. I was at a loss of words for her offer. I would've loved living with her more than anything, but would her family be okay with it?
"Would your family be okay with that?" I voiced my thoughts, feeling unsure about what she just said. Jordan looked as though she was expecting me to take up her offer, and I wanted to say yes, but I had to be sure. "I mean, they are paying for it, right...?"
"Yeah," Jordan told me with a shrug. "But I'm sure they know we're going to get married. Why wouldn't they be okay with you living with me? You saved my life, Jesse. I think my family's pretty grateful to you."
"Well, just ask your parents to make sure, alright?" I asked, sitting up a little. My cheeks turned a little red from her words, but I shouldn't have been embarrassed. We were going to get married, it just seemed unreal. "I don't want to intrude..."
She gave me a nod. "Alright. I'll call them tomorrow and ask. But I assure you, they're going to say yes."
I rolled my eyes, leaning forward and kissing her quickly. My arms wrapped around her waist and hers went over my shoulders, and we just sat there. I was holding my everything in my arms, and I couldn't believe how many times I had almost lost her.
"I'm sure dinner's ready by now," I told her in a whisper, squeezing her tightly. She got off of me and we both walked toward the door. "Let's go."
My hand wrapped around the door knob and I pulled it open. Two bodies fell forward and landed right by my feet. I rolled my eyes at my mother and sister who were leaning against the door and eavesdropping on us.
"Ma! Camilla!"
Jordan let out a laugh and I watched as the they grinned up at me sheepishly.
After we had finished dinner, my mother seemed to like embarrassing me greatly because she suggested on watching old home videos. My cheeks were bright red as Jordan watched videos of my younger self with wide eyes and a smile.
After the videos were done, and I thought the humiliation was over, my mother brought out photo albums. As Jordan awed after every page, I groaned after every page. The videos were bad enough, but baby pictures weren't necessary at all.
"You were a cute kid," Jordan teased next to me, flicking my ear. I sat there pouting, feeling nothing but complete and utter embarrassment. "I wonder what happened."
"Ha-ha," I answered flatly.
As soon as that was over, we all helped do the dishes and my mother and Camilla went to bed. Since both Jordan and I were spending the night, we just spent the rest of the night lazily, hugging and watching TV on my couch.
"Let's go out on the balcony," I suggested at about midnight. "There's a hammock out there that we can lay on."
"Your balcony's big enough for that?" Jordan asked, keeping her voice low so she didn't wake anyone up.
I shrugged. "It's the only thing on the balcony. My mom says it helps relieve stress, or something like that."
She let out a laugh and pushed herself up. I stood up as well, leading her toward the balcony.
"I never thought this would be possible," I breathed into Jordan's hair, hugging her tighter. We continued to rock back and forth, looking up at the dark sky full of bright stars. "I always thought that you were going to hate me forever..."
The thoughts made me go crazy. Jordan used to hate me so much that she frowned whenever I walked her way. And everything she told me with such bitter and hatred, I still loved her. Never would I have ever thought that we'd be where we were right now. Lying in a hammock, hugging each other like we'd never be able to do it again.
"I wish I realized that you loved me earlier," she told me, nuzzling her cheek into my chest. "Maybe if you weren't such a jerk when we first met, I would have fallen for you sooner."
"I was nervous," I admitted, playing with her hair. "I didn't know what I was supposed to say to you. And I thought you were on a date, so it wasn't like I could just hit on you..."
"Well, at least we're here right now..." She sighed, and I watched as she shut her eyes tightly. "We had to go through so much to get where we are now, but everything's fine now. We're safe now, and Hunter's behind bars where he belongs. Nothing can get in between us anymore..."
She was getting tired, and I continued to play with her hair. My lips kissed the top of her head as I shut my eyes as well. Here we were, four years later, not caring about anything but each other. We didn't have any worries or fears, because we knew that no matter what, we could get through anything.
"I wouldn't change anything," I whispered, shutting my eyes lightly as well. My hand was moving slower as I continued to run my fingers through the dark hair. "I would never change our thin line between love and hate..."
Suddenly, we were both asleep, wrapped in each others arms. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. All we needed was each other, and finally, there was nothing to complicate that. No one wanted to hurt us anymore. We were both happy and together, and I couldn't have asked for more. After everything we had been through , Jordan Emery was mine and I was hers.
And after four years of being hopelessly in love with the same girl, we were together. The only difference was that now, she loved me back.
(I'm kind of considering writing an AU where Jordan met Hunter through Austin)