There was a tap on the window before I heard the squeaking of hinges as it opened. Two booted feet plopped down on the floor before the window was closed.
"Ready?" asked an all too familiar voice.
My heart gave a little skip as I smiled to myself anticipating what Jake would be wearing today. Turning, I eyed him carefully taking in the splendor of his presence from head to toe and back again for a second trip.
"Well?" he asked teasingly. "Does this meet with your approval?"
I squinted my eyes while wrinkling my nose causing my black rimmed glasses to rise above my eyebrows, pretending as if I really had to think about it. But this guy could make a garbage bag and old man slippers look GQ. Literally. Since that is what he wore for Halloween last year after losing a bet with his buddies and he still took first prize.
My eyes refused to close as he walked over towards me, standing so close that I could smell the musky scent of his cologne mixed with the warmth of his skin. Ah, Jake Obsession. If I could bottle it, I would make a fortune. It just made every bit of my Spidey senses tingle.
What I loved most was his height. During the first of the year in ninth grade, I used to tease him about being shorter as I was a forehead taller than him. By Christmas, he shot up and just kept on going. From then on, he never missed the opportunity to tease me about my height and I learned a very valuable lesson.
Tease harder before the window of opportunity closes!
Standing in front of me now, Jake easily towered over me by half a foot and I was certainly no half-pint. My heart raced a thousand miles a second as I stared at his slightly exposed chest, his skin warm and inviting.
It's enough to drive a girl crazy!
Holding my breath, I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks as I reached upward to button the one button that would offer me my sanity back. My knuckles lightly brushed his chest as I tried and failed to fasten it due to my knees rebelling against my weight.
"Hey!" His sudden displeasure caused a pop in my libido bubble. I gasped at the unexpected hold he had on my wrists preventing me from getting the little button securely through the hole. I bit my lip in order to muffle the odd sound coming from my throat.
Don't let go. Please, don't let go!
"I like it open." He smacked both of my hands playfully before taking a step backward.
Damn.
Then I felt a resounding pop against my forehead knowing full and well it was going to leave a raspberry mark all through breakfast.
Strike one.
"Ahhhh damn it, Jake!" Rubbing my forehead tenderly, I pushed him so hard he fell back on my bed. Laughing, he easily bounced back up, flicked the tip of my nose as if I were a child he was teasing before heading out my bedroom door.
Strike two.
"Jake," my mother chided as he bumped into her in the hall. "I really wish you would use the front door."
I could hear him kissing her on the cheek and there was no doubt my mother melted in the palm of his hands.
Strike three.
Mom felt that Jake could do no wrong and never once believed him to be a threat to her one and only virtuous daughter. Of course, that didn't say much about me and it actually was so annoying that she felt so comfortable with him being constantly around me that I just wanted to strangle her. Visions of her daughter making out with one of the hottest guys in school just never seemed to cross her mind. And to my disappointment, his either.
Nope. She only saw him as the honorable son she never had and my overly protective brother from another mother.
Okay. Okay... I got it!
No one needed to tell me twice let alone once that I was not Jake's type. Gods like him didn't so much as glance at mere mortals like me. With Los Angeles being the hub where all the Gods and Goddesses lived, he would definitely never go without. However, according to him, girls had to be a solid walking ten or else he wouldn't bother. Never understood that since that made for very slim pickings in my opinion.
What kicked my ego a little harder was when he asked me to rate a girl before he pursued. It used to be amusing, but now it just annoyed the crap out of me. It was always the same type. Long, straight brunette hair, no tan even though we lived in one of the sunniest cities in the world... or at least in my book. Not too fit and not too skinny, heart shaped face preferred, symmetrical features, flawless skin, straight teeth and of course, full lips.
She had to be smart and funny.
Okay, smart was my requirement but that was just bonus points to him. In the end, other than smart and funny, everything on his list left me out of the running. Although I had my father's curly hair and my mother's striking hazel eyes, Jake never saw me as anything but plain ole' safe Melody, best friend. Sister. And for the most part, I was fine with it.
And eventually I'll stop lying to myself.
Over the past three years, he and I agreed on a total of eight brunettes and two blondes. Of course, he went against my better judgment on at least a half dozen more.
Player!
Jake was definitely a player and he didn't seem to mind holding that title.
Actually, I understood better than anyone why Jake never saw me as more than a sister. We practically lived together. I'm the girl residing in Jake's parent's spare two bedroom apartment designed for guests or live-in help. It had plenty enough space for a mother and daughter duo. We lived quite well for ourselves and we were allowed to use the pool anytime we wanted.
Although to this day, I hadn't dipped a toe into it since hitting puberty.
While I was allowed to come and go as I pleased at the 'mansion' as I liked to call it, I respected his family's privacy and only visited when invited.
Couldn't say the same for Jake, however. His comings and goings through my bedroom window have been constant for the past ten years and it was enough to make the head spin. And for the most part, I liked the dizzy feeling it left me with.
Speaking of dizzy, I followed Jake down the hall until we spilled into the small kitchen where Mom had already put waffles and forty-five second microwavable bacon on the table.
Nothing like a nutritious meal to get our day started.
Mom poured herself a cup of coffee and added so much heavy whipping cream it made my arteries cringe just watching her take the first sip.
She kissed me on the cheek and reached to ruffle Jake's hair causing him to put up his arms in defense. Instead, she popped him on the arm, grabbed her keys and left. Watching how much he enjoyed my mother's playfulness pulled at my heartstrings.
"You really are my mother's son," I teased.
He grinned through a mouthful of bacon and I couldn't help but laugh.
This was a typical morning in my household. For the most part, I loved it. I just wished Jake felt for me more than a brotherly affection. But if that were the case, I would miss having mornings like these with him which I wasn't willing to trade for anything in the world, except of course, to be his girlfriend. And I already knew I didn't meet his standards.
So, I will just stay happy right where I'm at.
Unknowingly, I sighed out loud causing Jake to look at me curiously. Chuckling to myself over my crazy thoughts, I picked up a piece of bacon tossing it at him. Of course, he caught it without blinking an eye shoving it into his perfectly shaped Adonis mouth. Blinking a few times, I tried desperately to erase the image of his lips pressed against mine. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
"Are you okay?" he asked causing me to blush even more.
I shook my head yes nervously and took my plate to the sink. He followed my lead as we headed out the door.
"I'll drive," he sang grabbing the key fob from my hand. And of course, I let him since it was the only way I could actually stare at him without getting caught.
You see. I don't like other people's driving. Call it phobia, call it crazy, but I'm going to call it opportunity. Jake knew how much I hated other people's driving and he didn't particularly care for my granny style driving either. So in order for us to reach a compromise, he told me to keep my eyes on him while he kept his eyes on the road. I was all for that! So for ten minutes every morning, I got to study every feature he had until arriving at school.
Jake opened my side of the door first before moving to get into the driver's seat. It was clear to me that he just liked driving my sports car compared to his 'old man' beamer as he liked to call it. I got this limited edition 2015 Ford Mustang Coupe concept car with a V6 automatic transmission with one of a kind burnt amber metallic paint last year for my seventeenth birthday from my dad. He paid as much as a house for it and it was just one of the many overly expensive gifts he would send to try and 'make-up' for all the times he wasn't around.
He left my mother for another woman when I was just four years old. Or so he says. But in truth, my mom left him after finding out he was having an affair. Does he regret it? It seems so. 'I really messed up' he used to always tell me. 'She's the only true love for me' he would lament. But no matter how many times he's tried to get back together with my mom, she refuses him.
And as long as she continues to refuse him, the more extravagant my gifts get. I mean, I've done the whole weekend daddy visit thing since I was five. But for the last few years, I basically gave him every excuse in the book as to why I couldn't come over. So eventually, he gave up trying to see me. I didn't hate him. I just didn't want to be around him that much.
"You seem a little distant today. What's up?" Jake asked shaking me from my thoughts.
Removing my glasses, I rubbed my eyes pretending that I didn't get much sleep. "Just a little tired, I guess."
He chuckled to himself as we reached the longest stoplight between home and school. He turned to me grinning causing my stomach to do more flips.
"You really need to set a time limit to your studying. All work and no play makes Melody a dull girl," he chimed. Reaching his long fingers over, he grabbed my knee squeezing causing me to jump out of my skin erupting with giggles. Desperately trying to push his hand away, he latched on tighter moving the pads of his fingers in and out until I was coughing in fits of laughter.
"Alright, alright, alright!" I screamed. Only until I repeatedly slapped at his right arm did he finally let go. Rubbing the side of my head, his fingers dislodged curls from my braid causing them to go every which way.
I popped his hand repetitively. "Stop, you jerk off!" I barked more teasing than anything.
Flipping down the mirror hidden in the visor, I bit my lip as my fingers pushed and tucked at the disarrayed curls trying to get them back into place with little success.
Jake's laughter caused my ears to ring. "There's really no way to control that mop of yours so you might as well stop trying."
That stung.
If looks could kill, I would have been behind bars already after the look I sent him. He actually looked a bit surprised.
Realizing too suddenly I had no right to get hurt at his brotherly teasing, my fingertips popped him on the arm again.
"Piss off," I chided before giving him my best Cheshire grin.
He gently pulled the tail of my French braid backward causing me to continue slapping at his hand. Jake popped my hand back turning it into a back and forth game until eventually, as usual, it ended in me punching his arm to get him to stop teasing me.
"Ouch. Damn that hurt!" he complained scrunching his face up in make-believe pain. "You hit like a guy."
"Keep teasing me and you'll see just how hard this guy can throw a punch."
Palming the side of my face, he pushed just enough so that my body rocked to the other side of the car. Moving further away from me, his arm came up in defense readying himself for a punch that never came. However, I flinched as if I were about to causing him to flinch which caused me to fall into a bought of giggles.
Yep. He was way too much like a brother.