Chapter 34 || It's Never Too Cold For Ice Cream
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* * Nicole's POV * *
"Welcome to Backdoor Boxing!" A woman in her late twenties said as we walked through the doors.
I looked around this place was boxing heaven! Punching bags and trainers everywhere.
"I'm Marna, is this your first visit with us? Would you like to here our membership options?" She said.
We walked toward the desk, "I actually talked to Landon over the phone. We are here today and tomorrow for his class."
"Of course! I have your papers right here." She said while she pulling up a few papers, "Just sign here and you will be all set."
"What is this for?" I ask.
She turns to look at me, "This form is to let us know that you two are here for free over the weekend. In case you ever come back we have it on file."
I take the paper, skimming it to make sure it's legit before signing.
Once we sign she takes the papers, "Do you need to borrow any gloves or wraps?"
"Yeah, I do," Jake says.
She turns to me, "And you?"
"Nope, I'm good," I say as I hold up my gloves, the ones that Jake bought me for Christmas. Jake smiles at me and I smile back.
"The bathrooms are over there by the water fountain and Landon's class will start in a few minutes in the room down the hall to the right," Marna says after handing Jake a pair of gloves and wraps.
"Thank you," We says simultaneously.
"Any time," She replies with a smile.
I follow Jake down the hall to where the boxing class will be. As we walk I look around, I see to be the only girl beside Marna here.
We enter the room where Marna told us the class would be and find several other people waiting. I look around and low and behold I am the only girl. Most of the guys look to be in high school, some look to be in there twenties and thirties, and a few guys are much much older.
Every guy, supposedly in high school, looks at me. Some guys laugh and some guys eyeball me up and down.
Jake glares at them all and shouts in low menacing tone, "Eyes to yourself!"
They all jump, completely shocked, and turn away. However, that doesn't stop them from talking about me but it didn't bother me anyway.
Jake holds out the wraps and with a sheepish look says, "A little help?"
I laugh as I take the wraps and wrap his hand, teaching him in the process.
"There you go," I say as I let go of his hands and start to wrap mine.
"Who's ready to box?" A man shouts excitedly as he enters the room.
Everyone replies in an equally energetic tone, "Yeah!"
He notices Jake and immediately walks over to us with a smile, "You must be Jake! I am Landon."
"Nice to meet you," Jake says as they shake hands and Landon responses with, "Such a strong grip. You'll have fun in today's class."
"I hope so," Jake replies.
The two get caught up in conversation and when Landon suddenly notices me besides Jake.
He gives me a puzzled look before saying, "And who are you?"
"I'm Nicole," I saw with a smile.
"Are you here for boxing?" He says slowly putting an emphasis on boxing, "Yoga is the next room over."
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. I couldn't believe he just said that "No I'm here to box" I respond in an indignant tone while trying to show how irritated I became.
"She is with me," He pauses, "I did call and said there was two of us coming."
Landon looks at Jake, "Yes I know, I just assumed it was going to be... someone else, but no matter we will include you in any way as promised."
He turns away and beings gathering the class together.
I clench my hands into fists and narrow my eyes.
"You're kinda scaring me now," Jake says with minimal laugher.
"Good" I wink.
"Come join us Jake and... I'm sorry what was your name again?" Landon says from across the room.
"Nicole. It's Nicole," I say as I grab my gloves and strut over, the amount of anger and sass inside me right now was frightening.
I stood next to and noticed a grin on Jake's face which made me grin too.
"Alright, let's just review the punches for the beginners," Landon says clearly referring to me.
I roll my eyes and follow along, copying the punches he threw. Landon wasn't standing correctly so I decided to copy him.
He shakes his head and walks over to me, "You're not standing in the correct position..."
I cut him off, "I was copying you."
Jake chuckles and adds, "You were doing that."
Landon says something under his breath, "Well this is the correct position," he goes to adjust my stance.
"Like this?" I say purposefully messing it up.
Landon winced, "No like this."
Jake had to control his laughter.
"I see. Thank you!" I smile falsely at him.
He aggravatingly nods which makes me silently chuckle.
The class continues with teaching the 'newbies' aka me how to box.
I look around the room and half the guys are laughing and half are checking me out.
"Alright let's do some partner drills," Landon says and I clearly stand next to Jake, "Jake why don't you go with Milo and Nicole you can go with Paxton."
I nearly choke.
"They are experienced and will help you guys that way you aren't lost," He clarifies.
That little...
"Hey, I'm Paxton," A tall tan guy says as he walks up to me.
"Nicole" I wave.
"And I'm Jake, her Boyfriend," Jake hisses at him.
Paxton laughs, "Don't worry. She is fine."
He laughs, "Pfft, It's you I'm worried about," and walks away.
"You got yourself a great guy," Paxton says.
"He is," I say in a dream-like state but immediately snap out of it.
Landon explains the drill and we spend three minutes doing sit-ups while passing a fifteen-pound ball.
"Aaand time," He says when the bell rings.
I look around the room and see most people huffing and puffing - whimps.
"You're in great shape!" Paxton says surprised.
"I know," I laugh.
"Next we are going to do a circuit," Landon shouts as he sets up ten stations.
When he finishes he walks up to me, "You can sit the first round out so you can watch and what we are doing."
I don't get to say anything because he guides me to the side and begins placing everyone in their spots.
"Ace and Paxton you will sparr first," He shouts.
They nod and grab their headgear.
"I'll have you sparr next with me, that was you're not completely winded for the round," Landon says.
I honestly could not tell if he was trying to be helpful to a 'beginner' or just being a smug little jerk.... either way I got to knock Landon around the ring.
The bell rings and Ace and Paxton being the match.
I watch them, known Landon taught them how to box, and notice how the dodge and throw punches.
Winning will be a piece of cake.
"Now when we sparr there are no winners or losers, its just to practice our punches," Landon says.
I sigh, I'm still gonna win.
Landon continues to talk to me as if I'm a fragile little child... I ignore him and eagerly wait till the bell goes off.
I look over at Jake and see him working so hard at punching the boxing bag. He notices me and gives me a smile followed by a wink. I smile back.
The finally rings and I jump with anticipation.
I put my headgear on and follow Landon into the ring.
"You don't need headgear, I won't be throwing any punches," He says sternly.
I put my hands on my hips, "Why not?"
He chuckles, "Because... you're a beginner."
"Or is it because I'm a girl?"
Everyone stops and stares at us.
"Alright if you want me to throw punches, I will," He says shaking his head.
"I do. Thank you," I nod as I shove my gloves on.
At this point, Jake had stopped the circuit to come watch. He gives me a nod and I nod back.
I stand in the corner pretending to have no idea what's going on and as soon as the bell rings we touch gloves and I get into my stance intensely.
I saw a look of fear in his eyes, realizing that he completely messed up.
I grin and throw a left hook easily landing into his side.
I bounce around the ring and I can see the shame in his eyes.
I sidestep to throw a right punch to the head and a left punch to the body.
I hear him grunt, I laugh because I wasn't even going hard... I'd say less than 50%.
"Don't be afraid to throw some at me, "I smile, "You won't hurt me."
I hear him scoff because he knows he has to throw punches now.
He shifts towards throwing a jab which I effortlessly dodge.
I round continue with me throwing punches and landing them while Landon swings and misses.
The thirty-second bell goes off and I begin to show off.
Maybe it was because I was super annoyed at Landon... Maybe it was because I wanted to impress Jake... Maybe it was because I finally felt free... but I smiled had the time of my life 'winning'.
The finish bell goes off and I step back with a huge smile on my face which immediately turns into a death glare, "Next time I advise you to not stereotype a girl."
I turn around to exit the ring and see everyone staring in watching in awe.
I smile as they cheer.
Jake helps me out of the ring and I jump up and down in excitement.
Jake stares at me and laughs, "You enjoyed that didn't you?"
I nod, "Yes. Yes, I did."
I hear a cough behind me which causes me to turn around to see a very confused Landon.
"I'm real sorry about today Nicole. How I treated you today was unacceptable," He apologizes.
I cut him off, "Its okay."
"You don't see many people her size beating people up. How would you have known?" Jake adds.
He shrugs, "I should have asked."
"Your right, you should have. I'm just glad you're apologizing now," I smile.
"Yeah and if she was going full out she would have knocked you out," Paxton says while standing next to Landon, "He has always been really stubborn."
"Are you two brothers?" Jake asks.
Landon his head, while Paxton says "He's my boyfriend."
"Oh $h*t, sorry! I didn't know," Jake apologizes.
They smile, "That's okay!"
I smile back.
"Alright, let's finish this class," Landon says excitedly.
We spend the rest of the class doing the circuit and other workouts that Landon gave us and this time increased the intensity.
Right before we leave Landon walks up to me, "Hey if you ever find yourself up here again, I'll have you teach the class. Sound good?"
I nod, "Okay! See you in the future!"
He laughs, "See you in the future!"
Jake wraps his arm around me and leads me out of the building. We drive home listening to the radio and talking about the class.
"So did you have fun?" He asks when we arrive at the house... correction mansion.
"Yeah! Thanks for taking me!" I say cheerfully.
"Anything for you Princess," He smiles.
We walk inside and everyone is eagerly sitting in the kitchen chatting amongst themselves when they notice us they fall silent.
"How was it?" Alice asks abruptly.
"Boxing was fun," I respond with a smile.
She giggles and under her breath says, "Yeah that too."
I furrow my eyes brows in confusions but brush off her words.
"Nicole kicked the boxing instructors @$$! It was hilarious." Jake laughs as he pats my back and messes my hair.
"Good for you! Now can you make breakfast? I'm starving!" Dylan shouts at Jake.
Jake laughs, "Alright," He turns to me, "Want to help?"
My eyes light up, "Yes, please!"
I jump and follow him behind the island. He whips out his phone and pulls up what he wants to make.
"Breakfast Egg Muffins?" I ask, "Sounds difficult but delicious."
He laughs, "It's not too hard. We've got all the ingredients we need."
I shrug, "Alrighty. Tell me what to do!"
Jake pulls out a mixer and has me starting cracking a bunch of eggs as he starts making the muffin mix.
We stood side by side in silence for a bit, casually glancing at each other with a smile.
I measured out a bunch of cheese while he started chopping some pepper.
"I don't want peppers in mine," I say.
He smiles, "That's okay. Dan hates peppers in his two. I'll make a few extra plane ones."
"Thanks!"
"Anything for you Princess!"
I was in such a blissful mood. Nothing could wipe this smile off of my face.
I preheat the oven when Jake starts making the bacon.
I make two separate bowls of eggs and leave one plane while I put the ingredients in the other one.
The muffins begin cooking in the oven and we just sit and wait.
"I never realized how much I like cooking!" I smile.
"Yeah it's a good stress relief," Jake says.
"We made food! With our own two hands!" I shout excitedly.
"Have you never really cooked before?" He asks.
I shrug, "My mom never really let me cook. Aside from pancakes, waffles, mac & cheese, and the occasional cake."
"Oh, I'm sorry," He says wrapping his arm around me, pulling me closer to him.
"Don't be sorry. My mom is a really good cook!" I smile.
He gives me a sad smile, "Cooking can be really fun."
I nod as I stare at him. Jake was staring at the oven lost in thought. I look over my shoulder and see extra flour sitting on the counter right next to me. I look back at Jake and see him pretty tense.
"You know what also is fun?" I ask with a cheesy grin.
He looks at me confused, "What?"
"This!"
Before he knew it I threw a bunch of flour at his face causing me to die into laughter.
He opens his eyes and gives me a death stare.
I only laugh more.
"You think this is funny," He teases, "What about now!"
He instantly throws flour back at my face and I catch a huge chunk of it in my mouth.
I start coughing and the flour flies everywhere causing Jake and I to fall to the floor in laughter.
"I'm not done with you yet!" Jake teases as he grabs and egg.
"Don't you dare!" I shrike.
He grins and I grab one too.
"Oh yeah!"
"Yeah!"
We start circling one another, eggs in hand ready to attack.
"Your no match for me. Quit while your ahead," I say in a stern deep voice.
"Never!" Jake shouts as he charges at me, wrapping his free arm around my waist. He turns me so that my back is against his chest and holds me tightly so that I can't escape.
"You'll never win!" I shout struggling to get out of his grip.
He grins, "I already have Princess," and with one swift move he cracks the egg right onto my head.
He lets go of me and takes a good three steps back.
I stand there laughing as the egg drips from my head.
I hear Jake laughing in the distance so I chuck my egg at him which misses him entirely.
Jake falls on the ground in laughter.
"That's what I get for not looking!" I laugh.
I watch as Jake rolls onto his stomach and continues to laugh. I quickly grab two eggs and crack them on his head.
"Who's laughing now!" I taunt.
He turns over, pulls me to the ground, and starts tickling me.
"JAKE STOP!" I say through tears.
Jake stays silent as I laugh.
"Jakkeeeeee!!!!"
Jake laughs at my 'pain'.
The timer to the oven goes off which makes Jake stop.
"Thank you," I say while wiping away my tears.
He helps me to stand, I just stare at him and he stares at me.
"We are a mess," is all he says.
I laugh as I grab an oven mitt and take the muffins out of the oven.
"Worth it," I say.
While Jake finishes up the muffins and adds a few extra side dishes, I set the table. Once everything was ready we call everyone.
"Food's ready!" We shout at the top of our lungs.
We here the sound of footsteps approach the kitchen and hungry teenagers come from around the corner.
"I'm starving," I hear Alice laugh.
When everyone saw the kitchen the laughter slowly died, "Woahhhhh..." Alice says in awe.
"What happened here?" Dan questions.
Jake and I both point blamingly at each other.
"He did it!" I shout and at the same time Jake shouts, "She did it."
Dan rolls his eyes, "Your lucky..." he points at us and sternly says, "I'm too hungry to yell at you two."
I awkwardly laugh.
"This is what you get for leaving me unattended with her," Jake laughs.
Dan rolls his eyes.
"Hey at least we did this and not something else," Jake gives a devilish smirk while winking at me causing me to blush.
"And you can shut up now," Dan says while walking to the table.
I look at Alice who is smiling ear to ear but trying to contain her excitement.
I give her a look telling her to stop and she laughs.
Everyone walks to the table and looks at all the food.
"This looks amazing!" Alice shrikes as she sits down next to Dan.
Jake pulls out a chair and gestures me to sit. I smile and sit in the chair. Once I'm seated he gently pushes the chair in and sits next to me.
"Thank you so much, Jake!" Alice says with a face full of muffin.
"Don't thank me. Thank Nicole," Jake says with a smile.
"Me? You did most of the work," I reply.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Jake swiftly says.
"You couldn't do a lot of things without me," I grin and take a bit out of my muffin.
Jake raises an eyebrow, "Your absolutely right."
"I know," I say cheekily.
We all devour our food and leave no leftovers.
"Well that was delicious as usual," Dylan says as he licks the crumbs off of his fingers followed by a burp.
"You pig," Asher shouts with a laugh.
"It's a compliment," Dylan says.
"I'd give that a six out of ten," Jake mutters.
Dan's mouth dropped, "Six?! That was at least an eight!"
"Hey, I'm the one rating not you," Jake says sternly.
"I'd give it a 7.5," Dan replies.
"I agree," Asher adds.
"What?!" Dylan protests.
Dylan then looks at Alice and I.
"I'm not gonna get involved," I shyly say.
Alice shrugs and blurts out, "Five," then laughs.
Everyone but Dylan laughs with her.
We all sit at the table talking about random stuff until Jake stretches and says, "I guess Nicole and I will start cleaning up now."
We grab our dishes and stand up when Dan shouts, "You will do no such thing."
I freeze in my tracks.
"The last thing I need is the two of you to have a water fight in the kitchen, and don't tell me you won't cause you will!" Dan states, "I will clean it up if you guys just shower and leave the kitchen."
Jake puts a hand over his heart, "You know me so well," and laughs.
"Get out of here," Dan laughs.
Once we walk away I say, "We really did make a huge mess."
Jake laughs, "Whenever I cook I make a mess," he paused, "But come on that was fun!"
"Besides the egg sitting in my hair... Yes, it was!" I laugh.
We enter the room and I shout, "I'm showering first!"
"Can I join you?" Jake smoothly asks with a grin as he places his hands on my waist and pulls me into him.
I become flustered and my face turns red. I open my mouth but nothing comes out.
Jake laughs as he rests his hand on my chin, "Hey, I'm only teasing."
I awkwardly laugh.
"But my offer still stands if you change your mind," he gives me a wink and his thousand-watt smile.
"Thank you but no," I say and push myself away from him.
He shurgs, "Worth a shot."
I roll my eyes and walk into the bathroom.
When I shut the door I hear Jake knock on the door and say, "I'm gonna shower Dan's room so take as long as you want."
"Okay, Thank you!" I reply.
"Anything for you Princess," He says back.
I take off my clothes and turn on the shower. I wait till it's super hot before entering.
I walk in and the hot water running down my skin makes me relax.
I can't believe this is happening. This must be a dream.
I scrub myself head to toe getting all the flour, egg, and what ever else is on me off.
I load my hair up with shampoo and conditioner.
"I never want egg in my hair again," I groan.
I think back to earlier - cooking with Jake was so much fun. The way he smiled at me when he was showing me how to cook, the way he spoke, the way he touched me... He is just amazing.
The way Jake looks at me, no one has ever looked at me like that before. No one.
I let the hot water run down my body and all I can think of is Jake.
I just want him to hold me in his arms and never let go.
I stand there thinking of him for who knows how long.
When the water is no longer hot I just out and dry off.
I wrap the towel around my body and leave the bathroom to find some clothes.
The second I open the door I find a Jake wearing nothing but a towel. I look away, pretending not to see him and go to my closet.
"Dress warm today, we are going out," he says.
"Okie!" I respond cheerfully.
Moments later I feel Jake's presence behind me.
"Jesus how hot was your shower?!" He says the moment he sees how red my skin was.
"Boiling hot," I say with a laugh.
I open a draw and pick out a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt to go with it.
"Wait," he says just as I was about to shut the draw he sticks his hand in and pulls out a different shirt, "I like this shirt."
"It is a nice shirt," I say with a smile. I look at the shirt more closely, "Wait, I've never seen that shirt before."
He smiles, "I know. I bought it for you. I saw it in a store window and was like Nicole would love this!"
I take the shirt from his hands and hold it out.
It was a pink sweater with small ice cream cones along the bottom of the shirt. On the left side of the shirt, it read, "It's never too cold for ice cream".
I smile ear to ear, "Jake I LOVE IT!!"
I throw my arms around his neck and give him a big hug.
He wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me back.
"Let me try it on!" I cheerfully say.
I run into the bathroom, quickly change into my clothes, blow dry my hair so it doesn't make the shirt wet, and run out with a big smile.
"It fits perfectly Jake! Thank you so much!"
He brushes his hands through his hair, "I'm glad you like it."
"Like it? I love it!"
I throw my arms around him one more time, he embraces me and picks me up and swirls me around.
"Hey, you guys ready yet..." Alice says while opening the door.
When she sees us she grins, "Am I interrupting something?"
I jump out of his arms, "No."
Jake crosses his arms, "Yes"
Alice laughs, "Well we are leaving in 15 minutes."
"Where are we going?" I ask.
Alice groans, "I have no clue. Dan won't tell me anything."
I look at Jake and he zips his mouth shut, "It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises," Alice states.
Right before she leaves she looks at Jake and says, "You better put some clothes on lover boy."
"When you look as good as me you don't need clothes," Jake says as he flexes.
"Save it for Nicole," Alice shakes her head and leaves.
Jake turns to me with a sly grin.
Just as he opens his mouth to say something I cut him off, "Just get changed."
He laughs, "You don't even know what I was going to say!"
I grab my coat from my closet, "Nothing good came come out of your mouth right now."
"Wanna bet?" He states while raising an eyebrow.
I shake my head as I put on my coat, "No. Now get ready so we can go."
He groans in a deep low tone... not gonna lie it was hot.
I grab my gloves and earmuffs and leave the room.
"Hey Nicole, you ready to go?" Dylan asks as he sees me.
"Yup!" I nod.
"Nicole's ready!" Dylan shouts to everyone and we exit through the front door.
"Where's Jake?" Asher questions.
"Oh $h*t, I knew I was forgetting something," Dylan says as he snaps his fingers.
"He didn't forget, he was trying to ditch me," Jake says as he stands behind Dylan.
"Oh hey Jake, when did you get there?" Dylan laughs.
Jake glares at him.
"Welp see ya later," Dylan shouts as he literally dives in the van which is followed by an, "Ouch."
"Ready?" Asher asks Jake.
Jake nods as he zips up his coat, "Let's ride."
We all pile into the van and once everyone is buckled in we are off.
"So where are we going?" Alice asks again.
"Nowhere special," Dylan blunts out and Dan glares at him.
"Dang it," Alice pouts.
Jake whispers in my ear, "We are going for a hike."
"Really?" I whisper excitedly back.
Jake nods.
"That sounds like fun!" I cheer quietly.
"Anything with me is fun," Jake cockily coos.
I nudge him and roll my eyes, "You're so..." I pause to think of a good word to use.
"Fun? Smart? Amazing? Hot? Sexy?" He grins.
"I was going to say full it."
"Ouch, I'm hurt," He replies.
I give him a fake sympathetic look.
"The only way to make up for it..." He grins and his voice becomes soft and low, "Is a kiss."
"A kiss?" I reply in the same tone.
"A kiss."
"Close your eyes," I say.
He does.
I gently lean my head in and kiss his cheek.
He opens his eyes unamused and just as I was about to pull away completely he gently places one hand around my neck and pulls me into a kiss.
My heart was racing a million miles a minute.
"Hey guys, we're here. Save it for later!" Dan shouts back at us.
I immediately pull apart, my face a deep red, and Jake laughs.
"Really Dan?" Jake says very aggravated.
Dan winks at him, "Really."
When we get out of the car, I look around to see a beautiful forest. What topped it off was the snow that was beginning to fall.
"Wow," Alice says, "You guys come here every year?"
Dan nods.
She kisses his cheek, "Wish I met you guys sooner."
"Who's up for a hike?" Asher cheerfully asks.
Jake takes my hand and we begin walking down a path behind everyone else.
"Look over there!" Alice quietly shouts.
I follow to wear her finger is pointing to see a whole bunch of deer standing around.
"Deer!" I cheer which startles them and makes them prance away, "Oops, sorry guys."
"We still love ya," Alice laughs, "Say if you were an animal what would you be?"
"A Rhino," Dylan shouts.
We all stop to look at him.
"Rhino's are so awesome!" Dylan continues.
"I'd want to be a cheetah," Alice says.
"I'm a Sloth," Asher says.
"Definitely a Bear," Dan adds.
"You are a bear," Alice says.
"I know!" Dan laughs.
"I think I'd be a Tiger," Jake
"What about you Nicole?" Alice asks.
I shrug, "I don't know. What do you think I would be?"
"A swan," Alice thinks.
"A koala bear?"
"Bunny?"
"Coyote?'
"Wolf?"
"Silent but deadly"
They all start sayings animals I could be.
"Dolphin. I'd be a dolphin," I state.
"You know... I can see that" Alice says while placing her hand on her chin to think, "You'd make a great dolphin."
"I know she'd be a really cute dolphin," Jake laughs as he puts his hand on my head and messes up my hair.
We all continue down the path and talk about what we can do tonight.
"I say we watch a movie on the big screen!" Dan tells us.
"That's a good idea," I cheer.
"I'm down," Jake agrees.
Everyone nods there head in agreement, "So it's settled," Dan says as he wraps his arm around Alice.
"I see, you two just want to make out," Dylan teases.
Alice turns her head and sticks out her tongue, "I do what I want when I want."
Dylan laughs, "How you and Nicole are best friends I'll never know. The difference between you two is uncanny."
"Dan used a big word!" Asher mocks.
"Shut up," Dan says as he slaps Asher.
"SOooo Nicole, how are you liking being Jake's girlfriend?" Dan teases.
"How many times have you guys kissed?" Dylan joins in, "Probably a bunch right. I don't blame you Jake is a nice specimen."
"Okay, I'm gonna take Nicole and go this way. See you guys later," Jake says as he swiftly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me away, "We'll meet back up with you guys later!"
"Do they always do that?" I ask in a joking manner.
"I'd be lying if I said no," Jake admitted, "They are just idiot guys being idiot guys."
I laugh and as we continue to walk Jake interlocks his finger with mine so that we are holding hands as we walk down the path.
My body warms at his touch making my heart speed up.
I look up and see a frozen lake under beautiful snowy trees, "Wow."
"Yeah, I tend to have that effect in people," Jake states.
I nudge him, "Not you, the view."
"Yeah, I'm a nice thing to look at," He laughs.
I glare at him and laugh, "How are you are so quick with those."
He winks, "You love them."
"I'd be lying if I said no," I say as I give a wink and blow a kiss.
Jake catches the kiss and pulls it to his chest.
Just as Jake is about to say something I look over his shoulder and see a baby deer right next to the shore of the lake who's foot has fallen in the shallow icy waters and is caught in something.
"Oh my god!" I shout as I run to the baby deer, "It's stuck."
I look back at Jake and gesture urgently for him to come here, "We have to help it!!"
I hear a ruffling noise coming from the trees behind me, I look and see two more baby deer and a momma deer.
"There's a family. We have to save it," I say as I sit right where the ice meets the grass, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to get you out of this."
The little deer seem to understand what I said and let me help her.
I gently reach out and attempt to pull the deer's foot out but was unsuccessful.
"Jake do you think you could pull apart the tree roots? Her foot is lodged in there," I ask.
He nods and switches spots with me. I gently hold the deer's body so it does not get hurt as Jake tried to break the roots.
"You'll be okay," I say trying to calm the baby deer.
Jake looks at me with bright eyes and a smile, "You ready?"
I nod.
"One... two... three..." he swiftly breaks the roots and I lift the baby deer and guide her to her family.
The little one rushes to her family and her brothers and sisters joyfully dance around her. I look at the momma deer who seems to be looking at me to say thank you.
"Stay warm and safe!" I say to them as if they can understand me.
The deer prance off into the distance and with a smile I turn back around to face Jake who is looking at me with wonder and an open smile.
"What?" I ask with a blush forming at my cheeks.
"You..." He says, "You're just so... so kind natured and sweet. How can you be so nice? So much sh- stuff has happened to you and you just go through life like your walking through a field of gumdrops and daisies." He pauses, "It amazes me. I wish more people were like you."
"Jake- I-" Before I could finish my sentence - I honestly don't know what I was trying to say anyway - Jake presses his lips against mine and pulls my body into his so that there is no space between us.
Jake was so strong, so passionate, he was holding me as if he was never going to let go. Like he was afraid of losing me.
He pulls back, his hands now resting on my neck, "I'm sorry."
"Jake?" I question.
"I almost got you killed that night. My stupid ego got you into that mess."
"What are you-?"
"That day when you fell through the ice. I thought-" He paused to take a breath and collect himself.
"Jake I'm right here. Standing right here, in front of you," I place my hand on his cheek and look at him, "It's not your fault the ice broke."
"Yeah, but if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have even been there."
"If I wasn't there it could have been Dylan, or Dan, or even you."
"I don't care about them, if they fell through the ice I would have laughed my head off before starting realizing they were in danger," He says as he sits, "You don't realize what I went through the second I saw the ice break and you fall right through it."
I sit down next to him, "What did happen?" I cautiously ask.
He rests his hands on his knees and looks up at the sky before looking at me.
"That was the worst day of my life," He admits.
* * Jake's POV * *
The puck slides right past Nicole to Dylan, "Told you she was useless!" I shout at Dan.
I laugh as I glide across the ice and getting for a pass from Dylan.
I get the puck and get ready to make a shot when out of the blue Nicole slides next to me and steals it away allowing Dan to get a goal.
"Not so useless now big guy," Dan says as he punches my arm.
I roll my eyes, how dare she.
I slide by her and bump her shoulder so that she falls.
I laugh as I slide to the other side of the ice, away from her, and away from everyone.
Did I hit her too hard?
Who does she think she is?
Why does she make me regret everything I do?
Why does she do this to me?
"Nicole here!" Dan shouts to Nicole.
Right, the game.
I shake my head making my thoughts go away.
I look to find the puck in Nicole's possession... she's trying so hard.
I let out a small laugh... she also looks super pathetic.
I feel a wave of guilt that quickly washes away.
Nicole shots the puck before the ice below her shatters causing her to fall directly through it - hitting her head on a chunk of ice in the process.
The world went silent, and I felt my stomach drop. I threw down my stick and slide over to the spot.
Dan and Dylan were freaking out.
Without thinking I take off my coat and shirt.
"What on earth are you doing?" Dylan questions.
I don't answer. I jump into the dark freezing water after Nicole.
She wasn't moving. Her eyes were partially open and she didn't seem to be conscious.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her to the surface.
"I got her!" I shout as Dan and Dylan help me pull her out the water.
When I get out I immediately take off Nicole's wet coat.
Nicole wasn't breathing and I couldn't find a pulse with my frozen shaky hands.
I place my hands on her chest and start doing CPR. I had no clue what I was doing.
My body took over.
"C'mon Nicole!"
Nothing.
I hold her head and pinch her nose like they do on TV and blow into her mouth watching her chest rise.
"Stay with me girl! C'mon Nicole!" as I continue to push against her chest.
I breathe into her again and to my relief, she coughs up a ton of water, I turn her to her side making sure she won't choke on the water again.
"Jake she needs to go to a hospital, she could have hypothermia or frostbite," Dylan says.
"I called 911. An ambulance is on the way," Dan adds.
I take my dry coat and put it on her while wrapping her head with my shirt.
I take off her wet socks and give her mine to try to keep her warm.
I put my arms under her and scoop her into my arms.
"Jake, what the hell are you doing?" Dan questions with a frantic voice.
"An ambulance would take too long," I say as I run down the street to the nearest hospital.
"Jake!" They call back for me.
She could be dead by the time they got there.
I look down at her.
This is all my fault. I let out an angry groan as I run.
"Stay with me Nicole," I say as my eyes water.
My only thought was getting Nicole to safety.
Everything was moving so quickly, I don't know how long I was running but an ambulance pulls up next to me.
They take Nicole from my arms and onto a stretcher. They get us in the van and hand me a warm coat.
Nicole was the only thing on my mind.
What is she doing to me?
Not too long afterward we arrived at the hospital where they took immediate care of Nicole.
"Sir, you need to stay here and we need to check you," A nurse said to me.
"Check me? Nothing is f**king wrong with me! Check Nicole! You're crazy if you think I'm staying here while she's in there. Crazy!"
"Sir, I promise you she is fine. She would want to make sure your okay right?" The nurse says as she calms me down.
I nod my head and let them check me.
Soon enough they let me into Nicole's room.
I walk to her bedside. An oxygen mask was on her and heated blanket.
She looked so helpless. I take her hand in mine. She was freezing.
This is all my fault.
I sit in a chair by the bed and shove my head in my hands.
I hate myself.
* * Nicole's POV * *
"I fell asleep in the chair and when I woke up seeing you sitting up trying to take your oxygen mask off... I freaked out. My heart was racing." Jake says, "I didn't know what I would do if you didn't wake up." He paused, "They said you were so lucky Nicole."
I place my hand on his knee in attempts to reassure him that everything is okay.
"Nicole, I did that to you! If I hadn't pushed you-you probably would have been fine! If I hadn't been a jerk you would have been fine!"
"Jake, I am fine," I cut him off.
"But then afterward I continued to be a jerk. I was good for like less than a day then went right back to being... being me. Which caused you to..." He takes a deep breath, "Point is I did so many awful things. I don't understand how you like me or would even want to be my girlfriend."
I put my hand on his cheek and pull his head so that he is looking at me, "Don't ever question yourself or why I like you. I chose to be your girlfriend. I wanted to. Yeah, sometimes you were a little rough to deal with but I saw something in you. I don't what on earth I saw..."
"My abs?" Jake cracks.
I give him a stern look, "Really?"
He chokes, "Sorry."
"Either way you made me feel special. You make me smile and laugh every day. Don't question why I do things... half the time I don't even know what I'm doing. But I do know one thing..."
"What's that?"
"I want to be with you."
Jake's eyes light up and I smile.
I rest my hands on his neck and pull him into a kiss. I feel Jake's lips smile as we kiss.
His arm wraps around my waist and pulls me onto his lap.
He stops kissing me for a moment and in a soft cheerful tone he says "I want to be with you too."
I smile ear to ear.
He smiles back, "Your so...."
I roll off his lap.
"...perfect," He says looking at me in the eyes.
His eyes that were once a dark black endless pit were now light and sparkling with joy.
"Jake I'm anything but perfect," I say.
"Don't say that, cause you are. You are my definition of perfect. I mean hey we all have flaws but I love your flaws," He says, "Now promise me you won't think of yourself anything less than what I think of you."
"On one condition, You don't question yourself ever again," I add, "Okay?"
"Okay."
• • •
Long time no see, I apologize again.
Just keep reminding me... I am a bit forgetful and getting reminders from you really help!
Some quick shoutouts! @WhoIsCassieSanders @Priyanka011 @MuteJazz and @veemalz9 Thank you for the sweet comments :)
YES, I will finish this book. PROMISE
Just keep reminding me. I write quicker with reminders
Don't be a silent reader 🌸
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Alyssa Rose