vanfleeter

[vanfleeter]

are y'all fw the lego mirador i just made?🤨 (no one comment on angry jake w the jack sparrow face it was the best option 😖)

[vanfleeter]

AHHHHHH WTF! This just had me on a rollercoaster.

The Ripe and The Ruin (Chapter 4)

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x Reader, OC x Reader

Word Count: 18.0k

Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Smoking, Angst, Anxiety, Embarrassment, Lying, Sexual Themes, Kissing, Oral M! Receiving, Oral F! Receiving, Protected Sex.

Find the Playlist Here: Apple Music | Spotify

A new series in collaboration with my talented co-writer @gretavanmoon.

"Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin."

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

HER POV

Thirteen hours. 

It had been thirteen long hours since you last saw Jake, leaving your room in a hurry of flustered nerves. You were dreading it, but he was nowhere to be found this morning, not a sight or sound from him since late last night. It had been ten hours since his text, coming to you far too early in the morning for your liking. He was sorry. Of course he was sorry. The text came so early in fact, that part of you wondered if he was just arriving back to the hotel from the amp situation, or if he was tossing and turning in his bed in much the same way you were. You loaded into the van bright and early with Wes and Paul, secretly wondering where he was or if he was going to show up at all, but if you had to guess he was likely passed out in his bed five floors up.

Your market list today was short, only a few things for Josh and Sam and the noticeable absence of normal requests from Jake. You didn’t think much of it, getting what you needed before making the trek back to the venue. You took the spare second to give Ruth a quick run down and she was just as confused as you were. For once in her life she had nothing to say. She was speechless and you didn’t blame her. 

She insisted you reply to Jake’s early morning text, but you couldn’t. You had no idea where to even start. You wanted to move forward and forget it ever happened, and in order to do that you needed to leave last night behind you. Right? You know that when you do see him today though, things will be tense. Maybe even a little awkward. You take solace in the fact that you will be busy the entire day, making it fairly easy to avoid him and forget about everything, you hoped.

You made your way back into the crew area, flashing your shiny laminated badge to security as you juggle the paper bags in your arms. You navigate the winding corridors of the venue hearing the sounds of rumbling bass and guitar echo through the halls, finding yourself smiling at the fact that this was a sound not many people got to experience. Jake must have made it here after all. Familiar voices laughing a few feet ahead of you snap you back to reality. You see Mia and Lyla hanging out in front of the greenroom, looking at something on one of their phones just as they spot you. 

“Y/N! Hey!” Mia shouts, waving you over, “C’mere!”

You turn to head over towards them, stopping short as Lyla grabs one of the bags from your arms. “I’ll take one of those!”

“Oh, thanks!” you smile, feeling Mia place her hand on your arm. 

“We just were talking a little while ago about how much fun we had with you yesterday. I know you don’t really know us that well yet, but you are welcome to hang with us whenever you want. Seriously. We want to get to know you, we need another girl on our side!”

“That’s so nice! Thank you so much, I appreciate that, really,” you answer, adjusting your grip on the bag in your hand. “I will take you up on that, yesterday was really cool.”

“Yeah, so what did you get into after we went back to the hotel?” Lyla asks, tilting her head a bit. 

“Oh, I just…I went to my room and hung out for a while, went and did a little sightseeing of my own and ordered room service and fell asleep. I was pretty exhausted after walking all day,” you say, bending the truth just a touch. 

“Huh, well, call us next time, hate for you to go out all alone,” Mia says, raising an eyebrow as she turns to Lyla. It almost seems as if she's waiting for you to correct her. 

It strikes you as a little suspicious but you know better than to play into it. “Yeah, absolutely. But hey I have to go get this set up, they will be looking for it any second.” 

“Yeah yeah, no problem, go, I know how Sam gets,” Lyla laughs, handing the bag back to you. 

“Thanks again, I’ll find you two later!” you shout over your shoulder. 

You rush into the greenroom, furiously arranging the food and drinks before soundcheck finishes. You want to get things set up, done, and be gone before they ever step foot in the room. Sure you told yourself you were going to be mature about things, but you weren’t going to put yourself in the line of fire. In fact, you had yet to see any of the guys today, and part of you was thankful. Trying to make awkward small talk with them was the absolute last thing you wanted to do right now. 

You wipe your hands on your pants as you finish placing the drinks into the cooler, feeling your phone buzz in your back pocket. 

Paul

3:43PM: Need another case of Topos and a bottle of soda water please

Fuck, where was this text an hour ago?

You

3:44PM: No problem, be back soon.

—

Two stores and thirty minutes later you are walking back to the venue, braving the cold with the case of drinks and bottle of soda water in hand. Your jacket is zipped all the way up to your neck, and still the wind is whipping right through you. You can see the venue gates a block away but the wind is making it feel like ten. Again you flash your badge to security, the burly man opening the gates to let you into the back parking lot. As you turn the corner to approach the entrance, you’re stopped in your tracks. Standing outside the doors, leaning against the brick wall is Jake. Of course. 

He doesn’t see you, not yet at least. His back is turned a bit to cut the wind. Clad in only a t-shirt and his corduroy jacket, you know he is freezing. The smoke billows from his lips, whooshing away quickly as the wind whips it into the air. His lips. His perfectly pink, heart shaped lips that were all over your body last night. Kissing and biting and… No. Stop it. You try to compose yourself, gripping the items in your hands as you head toward the door, prepared to say as little as possible to him, and walk straight inside. 

That of course, did not happen. 

“Have any trouble finding it?” he asks, turning to meet your eyes as he rolls his smoke out between his fingers, dropping the burnt tobacco into the grass. 

“Oh, um, no no, all good,” you answer nervously. Which was also a lie, you were kinda sweating finding the Topos for a second. 

Your eyes catch on his jacket, your mind swirling with the memory of his cologne that lingers in its fibers. You feel a tinge of happiness in your chest at the fact he is talking to you, though, why wouldn’t he be? You didn’t do anything wrong. You watch his lips twitch a little, and you can tell that he seems almost nervous to talk to you. 

“When are you ever gonna ask me for the things you want?” you ask playfully, trying to ease his anxiety. It never happened, remember?

He turns his body completely, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirks at you, “Well, the last time I texted you, you left me on read. So I figure I will just get my own things, now.”

Fuck, okay that plan backfired. 

You bite your lips together and look down to the ground, unsure of what to even say to that. He drops his hands to his sides as he looks at you, and you feel your body temperature start to rise under his gaze. The wind blows his hair across his face, in turn sending the smell of his cologne barrelling past you. You feel bad for him, of course…if the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t even be speaking to him right now, let alone be acting even the littlest bit flirty. You shiver a little, from the cold or the smell of his cologne, you aren’t sure. 

“I need to get this inside,” you stammer, at a complete loss on how to respond to that.

He nods his head and grabs the door handle, pulling it open and gesturing for you to go, but thankfully, he doesn’t follow you. 

Fuck. Okay. Okay. It’s fine. It’s totally fine. 

You rush back into the green room, finding Sam and Danny playing around with a mini golf toy. 

“Here you go Sam! Sorry! Had to go to two places to find the kind you like,” you smile, ripping the box open. 

“My hero!” he shouts, rushing over to you and wrapping his arms around you in a hug. 

You smile as he sets you down, tossing a can to Daniel, and then cracking the lid on his own. The two of them saunter back through the greenroom doors, leaving you alone to throw the rest of them into the cooler. 

You pull your phone from your bag, bringing up your text thread with Jake and staring at his last message. Maybe Ruth was right, you should respond. Now especially after that, after knowing he was still beating himself up over it. You type, delete and retype your message several times before finally landing on what felt right, and even more, you really mean it.

You

4:33PM: You have nothing to apologize for, Jake.

JAKE POV

As you continue to stand outside the venue and let the wind cut you in two, you wonder if your plan to play it smooth actually worked. She didn’t fully ignore you, she didn’t cuss you out, she didn’t laugh in your face… but she did speak. Only a few words, but you’ll take what you can get. It was hard to even say those few words to her, the instant courage you had to muster to speak to her after seeing her so unexpectedly almost threw you for a loop, but somehow, your words came out smoothly, concisely, and without sounding like you were a complete buffoon.

You relax a little as you know she is inside doing her duties, and you busy yourself pacing around the back exit to keep warm. The pre-show nerves start coming about this time of day, and sometimes it feels good to step out into the blistering cold for that extra shot of adrenaline to get your blood pumping. You jump up and down, shoving your hands in your pockets as you wait just a few more minutes… wanting to avoid having to make any more awkward conversation with her than you already had. 

As your hand hits your pocket, though, you feel your phone buzz. You pull it out, seeing a notification that she has finally texted you back. 

Y/N

4:33PM: You have nothing to apologize for, Jake. 

You read the text no less than fifteen times, smiling from ear to ear before anxiety sets in, making you think that maybe she is just being nice. But you do have something to apologize for. You were the reason for a completely failed night, a shitty end to the perfect “date”, left her pissed and unsatisfied, the absolute worst. All you’ve been able to think about all day long is how you are going to explain everything, and make it up to her. You know you can’t until after the show, but just the little bit of contact from her makes you feel like you could move mountains. Progress is progress. 

You’re pacing the hallways going back and forth between backstage and the green room, keeping yourself busy before you head to jam a little with the guys. 

“Hey, man. You good?” Sam asks as you’re brushing past him in a doorway. His tone is more inquisitive than normal, and the volume of his voice is the one he uses when he’s unsure, or in this case, concerned. 

“Yeah, I’m good. I mean… I wasn’t, really, but I am now,” you answer, pushing your sunglasses back up on your head. You watch his eyebrows furrow at your answer, wondering if you caught onto his loaded question. 

“I heard about your amp, what happened?” he asks. 

“I’m not sure, something with the wiring. Had a gash in the cabinet but the harness was all damaged to shit. They’re getting a rental, though… should be here soon,” you glance at your watch to double check the time, praying that you will have enough time to check it before tonight. 

“Mmm, maybe not…” Sam stops in his tracks, and turns the opposite way to go back out to the stage. “Let me take a look at it.” 

You’re surprised by him, but follow his quick steps anyway. You’re close behind him as you navigate the narrow halls, passing crew and staff left and right. And of course, one of them just happens to be Y/N. Her eyes widen as she sees the two of you. 

“HEY!” Sam yells at her, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Daniel told me to tell you thank you for the soda water and that he appreciates it,” Sam cheeses a giant smile at her as she cups her hand over his, still squeezing her shoulder. 

“No problem at all, Sam,” she giggles. “Man, you guys are really nice, no one has ever thanked me for getting them things this much,” she narrows her eyes at you, pursing her lips into the smallest smile. Mental note, thank her extra for whatever she decides to bring you to drink tonight…

“Well I mean we’re all assholes but we at least have manners,” he replies, starting to head toward the stage again. You part ways, but just her eyes meeting yours again was enough to make your heart flutter. 

Sam skips every other step as he climbs the metal stairs to the stage, making his way over to your damaged amp that has been set to the side. “Alright, let’s see…” he squats down and pulls the back off, and starts to fidget with the wiring inside. “Oh, shit, yeah. I see now…” He pulls up the flashlight on his phone as you watch him think. Suddenly he stands and runs over to your cabinet, grabbing two handfuls of tools before making his way back and dropping them by your side. He then hops over to his own setup and pulls the back off of one of his own amps, pulling a few things from it, too. What the fuck is he doing?

He returns a minute later with some of the guts of his own amp, and pieces of it that you are sure you’ve never even seen before. He kneels back down and grabs a screwdriver, going back to work. 

“So, you say you’re good now, but you weren’t, right?” he asks. “You’ve been acting kinda backward lately.”

“No I haven’t,” you kick back. 

His eyes quickly scan to yours as his hands work at a quick pace. “Yeah, you have. I’m not stupid.”

You sigh, knowing that he isn’t gonna give it up. “I’ve just… got some other shit going on right now, I’ll–I’ll explain it all later once I get it dealt with,” you lie. The half-assed explanation will have to do for now, there is no way you are going into detail about all the good and bad happening in your life, especially since Lyla may be giving Sam a completely different story than the one you would give him. 

You watch as he effortlessly completely replaces the wire housing, splicing the old wire at the perfect spot before tightening it back into place again. “There, that should do it…”

“Does your amp not need that stuff?” you ask, leaning your hands on your knees as you watch him.

“Eh, yeah, but I think this will be okay,” he says. “Alright, fire it up!” he yells at the techs, and you take that as your cue to grab your guitar to test it out. You plug the wire in and wait for Sam to get the thumbs-up from the booth. You play a single chord, hearing it ring across the arena with near-perfection. 

“Holy shit Sam, how did you do that?!” your jaw is hanging slack as you make your way back over to him. “The techs couldn’t even figure it out…”

He wipes his hands against each other and stands with his hands on his hips like a proud father. “Eh, been watching Mark for a long time, now. Youtube deep-dives, ya know. Picked up on a few things.”

“Shit, I’m impressed,” you laugh. And you really, really were.

“Yeah, ya know, sometimes finding the root of the problem is the first step in making things work out how you want them to, know what I mean?” He bumps your side with his elbow. Yep. His first question was definitely loaded.

You nod slowly. “Yeah… thanks…”

“No problem.” He walks a little closer to you, barely twisting a peg on the headstock of your guitar. “There, now you’re tuned, too.” 

You glance at the stock, seeing that he was right, the little fucker. You watch as he skips down the stairs again, throwing one finger in the air above him, screaming, “Cancel the rental!”

—

You and Sam decide to wander around the empty venue for a while, checking out the view from the top row of seats, enjoying a shared blunt as time ticks by. You don’t get to spend much time with just Sam, but every now and then you find a moment like this. You’re close with Sam, in a different way than you are with Josh. He understands things differently than Josh, and for a moment as the smoke swirls through your veins you consider asking him for advice about Isla. 

You know it's a dangerous game, but without the influence of Lyla you think he would answer truthfully. Passing the blunt back to him you start to speak, but are quickly interrupted by your phone buzzing in your pocket. You pull it out, seeing a name on the screen that you’d been waiting for for a few days. 

“Hey, let me take this, I’ll meet you back in the green room?” you ask, hoping he will catch the drift. 

His face twists up in confusion, “Huh? You never answer your phone.”

“It’s Chris. I’ve been waiting on this call. Let me grab it,” you say, flashing the screen towards him. 

“Oh, oh. About your new band with your new friends that aren’t me and Josh and Daniel. That's fine, yeah yeah take the call,” he says playfully. 

“Old friends Sam, and don’t be like that…” you chide. 

“No, it’s totally fine, cheater, answer before he hangs up,”  he smiles, elbowing you as he stands up. You tap the green icon as he starts to walk away, clearing your throat and stifling back a smile.

“Chris…” you answer. 

“Jake…” he answers, a happy lilt in his tone. 

“I’m guessing this means we’re doing it?”

You hear him laugh on the other end of the phone, “Oh yeah, we’re doing it.”

—

“Jake, you good?” Danny asks, standing up from his practice kit. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m feelin’ really good actually,” you answer truthfully. You stand, placing your guitar into the stand and shaking out your hands as Josh steps up towards you. 

“Drink?” he asks, raising his eyebrows. 

“Followin’ you…”

You do follow him back to the greenroom, needing a drink to get your blood moving and to shake those pre show jitters. As you step over the threshold you spot Y/N sitting on a couch talking to Lyla, Ty, and Mia. You wonder for a second if she has mentioned anything about what happened last night, but from the happy look on their faces you know it’s likely they know nothing about the two of you or what transpired last night.

You walk over to the drink table, Josh already getting started on making a drink for the two of you. You laugh at his heavy handed pour, but accept it graciously. You can hear the rumble of the crowd, the opener finishing up their set this very minute. Your eyes flick over to Y/N, catching her looking at you for just a second before looking away. The feeling of her eyes on you has your chest warming up, no alcohol needed. 

In all reality you were ready for this show to be over. You knew that as soon as you got the chance you were going to whisk her away to talk about last night, explain things, and hope she understood. You just had to get through this show. 

You grab the drink from Josh and make your way over to the empty couch across the room, sitting at the very end and crossing your leg over your knee. You know you’ve got about thirty minutes until you need to walk, and you still need to change, but a quick drink would do you some good so you enjoy the few moments listening to Josh ramble. 

Just as you start to relax you notice Y/N standing from her place on the couch and walking over towards the corner of the room. You try not to stare, knowing Mia and Lyla’s eyes are on you but you have an idea of what she may be doing, so you sit back and watch to find out. 

You hear her walkie talkie chattering from across the room, the time until stage is growing smaller and smaller. As she stands back up she turns around and looks at you, letting her eyes linger on you for just a few seconds before she walks out of the room with your bottle of wine in hand. You stifle back the smile on your lips as you think about her going through your bag again. It’s strange, you’d never allowed any of the other runners to do that, but she was different. You found yourself excited at the idea of her touching your things, finding your wine and readying your drink for the stage. 

You turn back to Josh who has his eyes locked on you with a knowing grin. He clears his throat and makes sure that no one is listening before he speaks, “Are you two good, then?”

You nod your head inconspicuously, sipping at the drink in your hand. “Seems that way.”

He pats his hand on your thigh harshly, “Good, go get changed. We’ve got a show to play.”

Just then, Paul ducks his head through the door looking frazzled as usual, “Boys, twenty minutes.”

Josh tilts his head to you, and you stand up heading for the dressing rooms. You quickly change into your suit and slip into your boots, ready to swipe on some eyeliner before you hit the stage. You hear your phone buzz on the countertop, and it zaps all of your attention. You are practically stumbling over your own feet to get to it, hoping to see something from Y/N, and much to your delight, it is. 

‘Y/N Added A Song to Your Shared Playlist: 🐥’

Oh fuck, a song. 

Your heart is pounding in your chest, you want to open it immediately but you know you have to get this eyeliner on first. You grab the pencil and pull your lid down, swiping on the dark black liner, smudging it out with your finger the best you can before repeating it on the other side. All you can think about is what song she added. Will it be happy? Will it be sad? Is she telling you she doesn’t want to do this anymore? That you fucked up?

You cap the liner and toss it into your bag, running your fingers through your hair and adjusting your suit jacket in the mirror. You look good, you look really good, and you know that a spray of cologne probably wouldn’t hurt. You snatch your phone off the counter and make your way back into the greenroom, finding everyone else dressed and ready to walk. 

You make your way to your backpack, crouching down in front of it searching for the small glass bottle of cologne you know is floating around at the bottom. You pull it from the bag and give yourself a generous spray. It calms you, in a way, breathing in the familiar scent. It centers you and reminds you of home. 

Unable to wait a single second longer, you tap the notification on your screen bringing up the shared playlist, scrolling to the very bottom. Your heart leaps in your chest when you see her addition, and you know that you are about to play a good show because of it. 

You tap the song, letting the sweet and sentimental notes of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ by Frankie Valli ring through the air. You turn the volume up probably a little louder than it should be, but you don’t care. It’s not long before Josh notices, peering over at you from the rim of his paper cup. 

“Jake, is that Frankie Valli? Holy shit, wait, do you like good music now?” he teases, throwing you a wink. 

The chorus echoes through the room, Sam and Lyla obviously enjoying the song as he dances her around the room. He pops a few grapes into his mouth as they spin and you can’t help but to notice that this song alone has brightened everyone's spirits in a matter of seconds. She definitely had that effect on you, but now her magic was being cast on others. You almost wanted to thank her, and you would, tonight. With extra thanks…

You quickly pull up your texts with her, deciding to let her know you saw it without saying too much. 

You

8:31PM: 😎

You know it’s risky but you don’t care. You also know the chances of her replying to that are slim, because in all honesty what do you even say to that? But she continues to surprise you, your phone buzzing in your hand before you can even put it back in your bag. 

Y/N

8:32PM: 🎸

You can’t seem to shake the smile from your face and you’re glad you are still crouched down in front of your bag, because you know everyone would have a million questions the second they saw your shit-eating grin. 

“Let’s go guys, time to walk!” Paul shouts, pulling your attention away from the little guitar emoji. You toss your phone in your bag and straighten out your suit, trying to get your mind back into the zone to play this show. Get through this, then you can talk to her.

Your heart is beating fast though, knowing that at the end of this hallway she is waiting for you. You know you have to play it cool, you don’t want to seem too eager. You clear your throat and fall to the back of the group, saving yourself for last.

You’re fine Jake. Just act natural, be cool.

—

HER POV

The tequila cocktail… the Topo… the spiked hot tea… and…

The shadowed figure is bringing up the rear like the tail end of a parade of sequins and sparkling material, dressed in black satin and glittering in the dim lights, hair flowing back from his shoulders as his right hand falls to his stomach as he walks. His face is contoured by the flashing lights of the stage, showcasing the smudged black eyeliner carefully but heavily painted over the eyes that were boring into you, now. 

You feel your hand begin to shake on its own accord, trying not to spill the chalice of white wine that it was, in all honesty, about to drop to the floor below you. You swallow harshly as he makes his way toward you at almost slow-motion speed, his eyes dark and hollow as his presence approaches. Your hand shakily extends the cup, glancing up to him again as he bites his cheeks in, suppressing a smile that reads more like a judgment on behalf of your probably flustered state. Why are you reacting this way? This man literally gave you one of the most awkward exchanges of your night last night…

His fingertips are nearly on fire as they barely graze yours, taking the cup with a quickness.

“Good luck,” you mutter, probably barely audible over the opening orchestral. 

He flips his hair out from underneath the strap of his guitar with his free hand, side-eyeing you as he walks toward the stairs to the stage. “Mmm, don’t need it, babe.” As if the pure adrenaline wasn’t already enough to knock you over, his bold act of cocky audacity steals all the breath directly from your lungs, leaving you standing with your mouth agape and your hands dropped at your sides. God damn, why is he like this? 

“I don’t know… I’ve seen you with stage fright before…” you retort, suddenly feeling bold enough to joke about what happened the night prior. 

“Ohhhh, is that how it’s gonna be?!” he laughs, bumping into your shoulder. “Hope you know that’s not normally how those kinds of nights go for me…” he yells back over the deafening music, avoiding eye contact with you as he takes the first sip from his wine.

You cross your arms over your chest. “Oh, it’s not, is it?”

He shakes his head a little as he begins to ascend the metal stairs. “No. Most definitely not.” Your heart is pounding out of your ribcage as his words ring through your brain, replaying the utter humiliation of last night, followed by his overwhelming acts of confidence in the past minute. “Thank you, though, seriously. For taking care of us.” He leans over the handrail of the steps, leaning down to speak closely in your ear. “But for taking care of me, especially. I plan on returning the favor, don’t worry…” 

He stands back up and glides onto the stage, holding his wine up into the air as if to salute your efforts. Your mouth goes dry as you find yourself in a puddle of excited emotions. You can feel your mouth hanging open still from his words, your lips unable to close simply from hearing him say he wants to try again. It's all a conundrum, and now you’re full-on staring at him as he crosses the stage to stand with his brothers, fluffing his hair a little as he pulls a pick from the inside of his jacket, biting it between his front teeth. He turns back to you and winks, placing his own hand under his jaw, signaling for you to pick yours up off of the floor. 

—--

Minutes later you’re still standing at the base of the stairs, watching as they begin their night of revelry. Jake’s amp sounds perfect again, and you can tell that his worry of finding a replacement and anxiety of it not making it on time was all for nothing. He treats the stage like it’s his second life, a place where he can release his true inner self, or, maybe, an alternate version of the man that he is. You’re not sure yet, but you have a deep feeling that you will be experiencing it, soon. The thought of that makes your insides feel like they’re blazing with hormones, watching his performance pick up and slow down with each passing second. Yeah, you know for a fact last night was a fluke. Had to be. There’s no way he can’t really actually…nevermind. 

You pull your phone from your pocket, hoping that you have enough service to facetime Ruth. You don’t even bother doing the math to see if you’ll be waking her up or not, but you also know that she absolutely won’t care, if this is what she gets to wake up to. You press the green button, watching as it connects with only a little bit of blurriness from the reception. 

You plaster a smile on your face as you watch her answer, realizing exactly where you are, and what you’re in the middle of doing. You can’t hear each other, but you turn the screen around, giving her a full view of the show happening from side stage. You watch her face light up, and an ‘OH MY GOD’ form on her lips. You take the time to zoom in on each member, of course, saving Jake for last. He’s the closest to you, so you don’t have to use much zoom at all for her to really see him. ‘That’s him! That’s him, isn’t it?!’ you watch her mouth. Her hand snaps up to cover the lower half of her face as you watch her squirm with excitement. ‘Last night wasn’t real, you gotta let him try again!!!’ you read her lips, and you turn the screen back to yourself. 

You roll your eyes, mouthing back an enunciated, ‘I know!’ 

You let her watch for a few more minutes before the crappy reception disconnects you altogether, and she shoots you a quick text filled with nothing but a long string of random letters, letting you know she was fully freaking out. 

Right before the end of the show, you rush back to the green room to clean up the mess of whatever is left behind, replenishing and rearranging everything that needs it. You know the crew will be coming in to collect snacks and waters before their job begins tonight, and you’ve learned to put out almost every single food item that you can, knowing that none of it will go to waste. 

As you hear the encore coming to a close, you grab the four black towels waiting for you in your bag, rushing back out to side stage to hand them off to the guys. You find Paul waiting too, ready to give them encouraging back-pats of congratulations. Just like they entered, they exit the same, Jake bringing up the back as if he planned it. You’d been kind enough to hand Sam, Josh, and Danny theirs with sweet words of compliments and praise, but switched it up at the very end, tossing Jake’s towel into the air above him, forcing him to reach high and catch it in mid-air. 

The sweat is pouring from his every pore, pooling on his upper lip and center of his stomach. Your mind goes to a dark place for a second, wishing you knew exactly what it would taste like if you were the one to lick it from his lips. He quickly pulls the towel across his face and stomach, finishing off by wiping the back of his neck with it. He then tosses it back in your face, and you catch the smallest breath of his scent filling your nostrils. “You can keep that, all yours,” he jokes as you pull it off your face, responding to him with a look of annoyance. 

“You asshole,” you laugh, tucking the towel under your arm as you follow them all backstage. He turns around, yanking the towel back out from your grasp. You watch as he takes two ends and twists them up, wrapping the damp towel in a tight coil. Oh god, he’s not gonna…

You stop, lifting your leg and outstretching your arms in defense of your body. You just know he is about to snap it at you. “Jake, no, please don’t!” you squeal, backing away. 

“Don’t worry, ‘m not gonna get you, unless you’re into that kinda thing…” 

Son of a bitch, he said that fairly loudly, as you’re surrounded by his brothers, their girlfriends, the crew, your co-workers… fuck.

Your eyes widen as big as they will go as he laughs, continuing to make his way down the hall. You pick up steps again, following him in a flustered mess of confusion. “I’m gonna get Daniel, watch…”

You burst into the greenroom right behind him, the towel still tightly wound and held in his right hand. He makes his way straight for Danny, twirling the towel in the air as he approaches him. 

“No, Jake! No!” Danny yells, running away and launching himself onto the couch, but not before you hear a perfectly loud snap of the towel connecting with Danny’s thigh. Danny yelps out in stinging pain as everyone else laughs, Jake taking his time to roll the towel up into his makeshift whip again. “What the fuck?!” Danny yells, trying his best to hide behind Mia. Everyone is running away from him at this point, worried they will be the next victim. 

Jake makes contact with Danny’s leg again as he squeals. “That’s for not cueing me into Farewell like we practiced, you asshole!” Jake yells at Danny with a giant smile across his face. 

“Leave me alone!” Danny laughs, laying all his weight onto Mia. “I forgot, okay? Fuck!” You can’t help but join in the laughter of everyone filling up the green room, watching their playful display. You feel a sudden strong warmth fill your chest, realizing you get to be a part of this, seeing it all firsthand. 

Jake stops, folding the towel back into a nice neat square as he makes his way back to where you stand, handing the towel to you with both hands. “Anyway, told you you could keep this,” he reiterates as you take it from his hands, giving him another glare of petty aggravation. 

“Wonderful show guys, as always!” Paul claps his hands together. “This venue has an early curfew, so get your showers and shit together, no lollygagging around, alright?” he barks, popping a pretzel into his mouth before dashing back out the door. 

Sam’s the first one out the door to the showers, pulling Lyla behind him. “You guys make the afterparty plans, we’ll do whatever, we don’t care…” he yells over his shoulder as the door slams behind Lyla. 

“It’s balls cold out, I know Ty’s not gonna want to go walking around in this shit. And to be honest, I don’t really want to either,” Josh says, taking a seat on the couch beside Ty. “Am I right?” he asks him.

“Yeah, fuck this cold,” Ty responds. 

You try not to listen in on their conversations as you know they don’t apply to you, but you most definitely are curious to see if Jake decides to partake in their plans. You busy yourself with a giant box of various crackers to fill the time. 

“Let’s just go to the hotel bar. I noticed it’s kinda secluded, not very big,” Josh suggests, earning a nod of agreement from Danny and Jake.

“Sounds good to me, make sure Dean knows,” Jake says as he pulls his drenched jacket off, hanging it on a wire hanger. Shit shit shit don’t look don’t look.

“Sounds like a plan. Hey, Y/N, you gonna join us?” Josh’s voice saying your name pulls you from your daydream of thinking about watching Jake take his jacket off again and again, causing you to perk up.

“What? Sorry…”

He laughs. “When you’re done here tonight, meet us at the hotel bar, yeah?” You watch Jake’s head snap your way out of your peripheral. 

“Yeah, Y/N, join us…” Mia adds, the smallest bit of songlike quality to her voice again, just like earlier.

You push the flyaway hairs away from your face, blowing a puff of air on them as you tuck the cardboard box of crackers back into the plastic tote. “Uh, yeah, sure. If I can get everything cleaned up in time, I’ll be there…” you answer on the fly, feeling as though you can’t turn the offer down. 

Jake stays silent as he picks up his backpack and heads out the door toward the showers, flashing his devious eyes at you before the door shuts behind him. 

—

JAKE POV

You only had to dodge the curious eyes of a few fans as you slipped around the corners of the hotel to the bar, being the last one to arrive, like always. Josh is seated at the bar with his back to you while Danny and Sam are standing at a table off to the side with Mia and Lyla. Thankfully, the bar is empty for the most part, only a couple unsuspecting older folks closing out their tabs. You pull out the heavy mahogany chair to the right of Josh, taking a seat as the bartender approaches you. 

“Hi, uh. Soda water with lime, please?” you ask, and he nods and flits away. “Where’s Ty?” you ask. 

“On his way down in a few minutes. He um, he’s actually walking Y/N down…” he responds, flicking his eyes behind the two of you. 

“Oh,” you respond, surprised. “Is that right?” You fold your arms across the bar top as the bartender sets your drink in front of you. 

“Yeah, he actually stuck behind a little to help her clean up the green room and get everything put away,” Josh explains further. 

You smile as you place your hand on his back. “You’ve got yourself a gentleman, brother. Must say.” Josh grins at your sentiment, pulling his straw between his lips. 

“Most kind hearted person I know,” he says. “Speaking of, seems like you and her are on a little better terms now, since we spoke last,” Josh looks behind you again, making sure you are out of earshot from the other guys. 

You huff through a breath, not sure whether or not you want to go into much detail of reliving one of the most humiliating nights of your life, thus far. But, maybe talking about it will put it in the past where it belongs. “Yeah, you could say that, I suppose. Had to fuckin’ work for it though…” you laugh through your nose. 

“What does that mean?” he asks.

You swallow down a rather large drink of your soda water, running your tongue over your teeth as you contemplate an answer. “Let’s just say we… had a less than eventful night last night, and I… wasn’t able to…” you take a fast breath. “Too many beers, too many phone calls from my tech, too much bullshit from Isla, I just…” you clench your jaw, trying to say it all without really saying it. 

But Josh nearly chokes on his drink. “Ex-fucking-scuse me? Wait, no no no…” he waves his hand in your face as he turns in his seat, running his fingers over his beard. “You seriously couldn’t…”

“That’s right Josh.” You stare straight ahead of you at the mirror behind the top shelf of liquors, finding your defeated reflection staring back at you. You glance at him in the mirror, watching him cover his face with both hands as he silent-laughed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he cries after a few seconds of laughing at your expense. “It’s not funny.”

“No, it’s not funny. It’s humiliating, and a little sad, actually,” you say flatly. “Go ahead, laugh away, get it out of your system.” 

He slaps his palms across the bar top a few times as he catches his breath, trying not to laugh so loud that he causes a scene. “Fuck. Has that ever happened to you? What was…?”

“No, god dammit. It’s never happened. I was sloshed, my phone was ringing incessantly, between Isla’s name popping up on my phone and knowing the crew needed me, I just… she was perfect, man. Beautiful, confident, everything was there, except…” 

“...Except… you,” he finishes your sentence. 

“Yeah,” you respond with a breath. “It worked out for a few minutes, surprisingly, and fuck if it wasn’t…” you held up the A-OK sign with your fingers, popping a ‘p’ sound. “But then everything went to shit.”

“And that’s why you’re having soda water tonight?”

“Eh, yeah. Just feel like if we’re gonna have a chance to have a conversation about it all, I want to be completely present,” you admit. Suddenly you feel the presence of Danny standing behind the two of you, ordering another round for Sam and the girls. You turn your attention to him. “Speaking of… hey asshole, why the fuck are you still buying Durex condoms? You’re a grown man with money, for god’s sake, use the good shit,” you ask Danny quietly. “You’re not 15 anymore.”

For your sake, so far Danny has done a good job of keeping your secret for you after you went running to his room last night in search of protection, just in case. 

“Jake, what the fuck are you talking about?” Danny asks with wide eyes, looking between you and Josh. 

“Don’t worry Daniel, I’m already informed. The youngest of us is not, though, so keep your fuckin’ mouth shut to him, you hear?” Josh defends you. 

“Jesus Christ, Jake. Listen, I don’t want to know what the fuck is going on with you and whoever, I’m not asking any questions,” Danny says as the bartender hands him their beers. He leans in closer, whispering between you and Josh. “But I haven’t used a fucking condom in almost a year. You had me digging in my reserve stash… it’s all I had, ok? Sorry if an XL wasn’t the size you needed…” Danny backs away, laughing with his tongue out.

“OH fuck you!” you howl back. “It was a piece of shit, just do yourself a favor and get the good kind, ok?” you whip your head back around as Danny rejoins the others. 

“Anyway…” you say as you finish off your soda water. “It was a night I want to forget, honestly. But I’m gonna redeem myself. I have to. I can’t leave it like that…”

“Maybe you should turn your phone off the next time you get an opportunity, just in case…” Josh suggests, and you nod in return. 

Just then you see a pair of arms wrapping around Josh’s neck, and you turn to see Ty and Y/N walking up behind you. 

“Hey, guys!” Josh says. “Please join us…” he pulls out the seat next to him for Ty and stands to give Y/N his own seat, before she puts a hand on his arm to stop him. 

“Thanks, Josh, but Paul, Wes and Corri are coming down, too. Dean’s coming, I’m gonna sit with them for a little while. Thank you for walking me down, Ty,” she flashes the three of you a warm smile, and you want to speak to her, but it's almost as if all the air has escaped from your lungs. She looks absolutely stunning, a little fixed up, but not too much. You can tell she looks as tired as you all do from the show, but you’d hardly know it. She has on a tight low-cut t-shirt dress with an oversized denim jacket over top, her hair a mess after being up all day. Her makeup had been re-done, and you’d be lying if you said the way her legs looked in that dress didn’t have you imagining things that were still a blurry memory from last night. 

“I’ll be back later…” she says, making eye contact with you. Again, you’re at a loss for words, so you give her a sweet nod. 

“I really like her,” Ty speaks up, filling the silence that has fallen over the three of you as soon as she’s gone. “You should dump Isla and go out with her, Jake.” The straw you had been chewing falls from your mouth and straight onto the floor. 

“What? What did you say?” you ask him. 

He shrugs one shoulder as he takes the seat next to Josh. “She’s cute. No bullshit, smart, and can obviously handle all the shit you guys have been throwing at her since she got here…”

You look to Josh, who seems just as surprised as you are. 

“I dunno. I mean I like Isla, don’t get me wrong, but. There’s just something off about her, and I don’t know what it is,” he continues, and you feel Josh’s widening eyes find you, telling you he has no idea where this is coming from, either. Ty reaches his hand across Josh to sit on top of yours. He looks you directly in the eye before speaking again, “Jake, I have an excellent read on people. And I’ve never steered you wrong, have I?” he asks. 

You slowly shake your head back and forth.

“That’s right. No. And I’m here to tell you, that girl likes you. A lot. She didn’t even have to say anything to me, and I can tell. She froze up when I mentioned your name earlier. And from all the time you spent on our couch the past couple of months, I know there’s something going on. Just know I’m here to talk about it if you feel like my partner here isn’t hearing you out, okay?”

You swallow hard as you take in Ty's words. He’s right, he's always been an excellent confidant for you, even letting you come to him a couple of times in the past for advice on different subjects. You love Ty just like you love your twin, and you never once have doubted his judge of character. 

Josh nods slowly, agreeing with every harsh word Ty has just delivered to you. Ty pats your hand as he releases it. 

“Take my advice, Jacob. I know Isla isn’t making you happy, and that girl…she just left your talkative ass completely unable to speak.” He smiles hard, turning his attention to the bartender, ordering a round of shots for everyone. You finally have a free second with Josh again.

“Guy knows what he’s talking about…” Josh suggests. “Maybe you should listen to him.”

You bite at your cheek as you nod your head. You know he’s right, of course he’s right. But you also know it’s just a little bit more complicated than that. The bartender slides you a fresh soda water, and as you pinch the lime between your fingers you feel your phone buzz in your pocket. You drop the lime into the bubble water and take a quick drink as you pull your phone from your coat pocket. 

Y/N

11:46PM: Not drinking tonight?

You look over your shoulder knowing she is watching you, and you catch sight of her sitting at a cocktail table a couple of feet away with Wes and Corrine. Her eyes are locked on yours, a skinny straw between her teeth. You send her a playful smirk as you turn back to your phone, replying to her message. 

You

11:47PM: Not tonight, I have other plans…

You look at her as you pocket your phone, watching her face twist into a mischievous smile as she turns to look at you. You shrug your shoulders and grin before turning back to continue listening to Josh and Ty. You can feel her eyes on you and you have to admit it feels good. You feel like things might actually be okay between the two of you if you can continue to play your cards right.

“So do you wanna hit up that one place with the crazy wine list when we get to France? It was in Paris Metro, right?” Josh asks, tapping your arm with his hand. 

You know the exact place he is talking about, but right now your mind is somewhere else completely. “Oh, yeah yeah, it is. It was close to that tiny ass venue, remind me and I’ll look it up tomorrow on the flight.”

“Anywhere else you want to go? I think we have a day or two off while we’re there,” he asks, still trying to grab your full attention. 

“Um, maybe I’ll stop in to that rarity shop, see if they have anything interesting this time around,” you answer, doing your best to focus. 

“Oh shit, yeah, that’s where you got that crazy old guitar, right? From like the early 1900’s or whatever?”

“Yeah, exactly. Had to completely unstring the fucker to get it home without it snapping in two,” you laugh, remembering the hassle. 

“Any…other plans while in the city of love?” he croons, bumping shoulders with Ty. 

You look over your shoulder to check your surroundings before answering. You place your hand roughly on his shoulder and shake him a bit, “I guess that will depend on tonight, now won’t it?”

The two of you laugh as you notice commotion at the end of the bar. You turn yourself to look, only to find Lyla walking towards you with her phone to her ear.

“Jake?” she says, stepping up to you in a huff. She pulls the phone away from her ear and holds it out to you. “It’s Isla, she said you aren’t answering your phone, and I know I just saw you on it?”

Fucking hell Isla. 

You know you have to take the call, because if you do it now, there’s no chance of it happening later. You snatch the phone from her hand, holding it to your ear and exhaling an aggravated breath. “Hey, what’s up?”

“What’s up? I don’t know, Jake. You tell me what’s up! You aren’t answering any of my texts, you turned off your location days ago, you said you’d call me and you haven’t! Tell me what is going on!” she shouts into the phone. 

“Nothing is going on, Isla! I am at work, working, on tour. You know the thing that pays the bills? Also, I’m in a different country, a different time zone. But you know what, I know you aren’t stupid. You know all of this, so what’s up? What is so important that you had to call someone else to get ahold of me?”

You see Josh push past Lyla, grabbing you by the shoulders, “Hey I need you to do me a favor,” he says, pushing you backwards. You pull the phone away from your ear to hear him. He stares into your eyes, silently telling you to go with it.

“Oh, I have to go Isla, sorry. Here’s Lyla,” you say, pushing the phone back into Lyla’s hands. 

Lyla is staring you down as Josh finally stops, letting go of your shoulders. “I uh, I need you to go run an errand for me. Well, I need Y/N to go run an errand for me, but I need Dean to stay here to field those girls in the lobby, so I was wondering if you could accompany her?” he asks, raising his eyebrows. 

“What?” you ask, admittedly very confused. 

“Yeah, just walk with me,” he says, walking you over towards the tables. “I need you to go run this errand—” he pauses, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was close enough to hear him. “Okay, yeah there is no errand.”

You send him yet another completely bewildered look. 

“There’s no errand, just…I don’t know, get out of here before someone asks questions. Go. Take her with you. She already knows and she thinks there is an errand,” he smiles smugly, “You can thank me later.”

For a moment you hesitate, unsure if you should go with his harebrained idea, but you decide to do it, knowing that he really only has your best interest at heart. He pretends to show you something on his phone, and you nod like you understand. You exhale a breath and nod towards him, “Yep, I’ll take care of that for you.”

“Yeah, perfect. Make sure you do a good job,” he quips, the meaning definitely not lost on you. 

You toss your hand towards him as you walk away, locking eyes with Y/N who is waiting near the door. You swallow down your nerves and make your way towards her, ready to make amends. 

“You uh, ready to go?” you ask, playing along with the charade. You pull the door open and allow her to step out first into the dimly lit hallway of the hotel lobby.

“Yeah, I just… Did he tell you what he needed or anything?” she asks, a confused look on her face. You laugh to yourself and purse your lips before answering. 

“Well, he doesn’t need anything. He kinda… bent the truth a bit to give us a chance to leave alone,” you answer honestly. 

A hum leaves her lips, as she stops in place turning to face you, “And how do you know that I want to leave with you?”

There's a playful grin on her face, but there's also a tinge of truth to her tone. You can’t read her, but you give it your best shot.

“Well, I have a pretty good feeling about it, but please enlighten me if I am mistaken,” you answer. 

She rocks back onto the heels of her shoes, turning to continue walking, “I see, are these those ‘other plans’ you were talking about?”

You bite your lips together and turn to look at her, “That remains to be seen, I suppose.”

The two of you start to approach the elevator bank, and you know you need to make your move. She hasn’t said much, or really given you any indication of whether she is into this playful little game or not, so you decide to cut your losses and leave the ball in her court. 

“I’m gonna go up to my room for the night. You can come up and join me for a night cap, or you can head back to your own room. Completely your choice, but if you decide to join me, I’m in room 507,” you finish, stopping just shy of the elevators. You give her a smile and nod your head before continuing to walk to the waiting elevator. 

Your heart is racing as you step inside, wondering if she is going to follow you, or better yet take you up on your offer. You press the button for floor five and watch as the doors close, a rush of nerves spreading through your body. You shake out your hands and pull your phone from your pocket seeing a myriad of missed calls and texts from Isla. You muted her notifications after everything last night, and you know that’s what prompted her call to Lyla. 

You tap your keycard to the door and step inside, the cool air of the AC hitting you like a brick wall. You step over and turn on the heat, needing the room to be at least a few degrees warmer. You take all of your things out of your pockets and deposit them on the nightstand, deciding to take Josh’s advice and power off your phone completely. You toss your jacket onto the small couch, removing the hair tie from your finger and tying your hair up into a knot. You reach for a bottle of water from the mini bar, downing what had to be half of it as you start to pace the room. 

You wonder if maybe she’s texted, or added a song, anything to give you some kind of indication of her answer, but you know that your phone is off and that you’re just going to have to wait this out the old fashioned way. You kick off your boots and push them to the side of your suitcase, digging around inside of it to change clothes, but deciding to wait just a little bit longer, just in case. You unbutton your shirt though, letting it hang open on your body as you step away from your suitcase.

You sit on the edge of the bed, looking at the flashing clock on the nightstand and watching as the numbers flash as they change. Fuck, maybe she really isn’t coming.  

You lay back, completely spread across the fluffy white sheets letting out a sigh of exhaustion. The past two days have drained you. Mentally, physically… You felt like you could sleep for three days straight given the opportunity. You let your eyes flutter closed for just a second, and that's when you heard it. The tiniest knock on the door. Any softer and you wouldn’t have heard it, chalking it up to your brain playing tricks on you. 

You sat up instantly, listening for it again, and sure enough another set of small knocks echoed through the room. 

Holy shit, she came. 

You shoot up from the bed, smoothing out your hair and shaking out your arms. You were nervous, you’d admit that, but you were also bound and determined to make tonight better than the last. You’d thought of nothing else, since. 

—

HER POV

The sound of a little bit of rustling inside the door causes your heart to pick up speed, the sudden clarity of what you’re doing hitting you across the face. Sure, last night you’d been in a similar circumstance, but tonight…things feel different. Your second set of knocks on his door has finally jostled him. 

You hear the door knob turn and Jake opens it, hiding a little bit behind it as he invites you inside. 

“Hey,” he says, his voice raspy. “Didn’t think you were gonna come up.”

You walk inside the room, smelling the remnants of the cologne he spritzed on before he came down to the bar still lingering in the air. “I almost didn’t, but, I think…we need to talk about a few things…” you reply, awkwardly holding your hands together at your stomach as he closes the door behind you. You feel your breath hitch in your throat as you finally catch sight of him, his black button-down undone all the way, and his hair tied back in a low knot at his neck. Jesus Christ, he’s a sight, even when he isn’t even trying. 

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” he agrees, patting the half-made bed for you to sit on. “You want a drink?” he asks, motioning to the mini fridge. 

“Ah, no, I’m okay, thank you,” you reply, finally setting your purse down on the bed beside you. Things feel a bit different now as you’re both sober and serious, about to discuss something so inherently embarrassing it was almost too painful to even think about. But it has to be done, suck it up, and get it over with so that you can get on with the night…right?

“Yeah, me neither,” he agrees. You watch as he pulls a pair of sweatpants from his bag. “Care if I go change real quick?” he asks, erring on the side of etiquette for some reason, when last night you both saw more of each other than you’d really planned on. 

“No, go ahead,” you say, and he slips into the bathroom. You take this second to take off your thick denim jacket and hang it on the back of a chair, and also remove your shoes and socks and place them neatly beside the door. You’re left in the comfy tight t-shirt dress, and you try to remind yourself that last night never even happened. It wasn’t real. Be cool. 

You relax back on the pillows a little as you strive to get comfortable on the bed, not wanting to seem too relaxed but also be nonchalant, like this conversation was about to be the simplest thing you’d ever done. You tuck your barren legs up underneath you, leaning on your elbow against the thick white pile of pillows. 

He finally emerges, now clad in a pair of dark gray sweatpants that are hugging his hips, and he’s completely devoid of a shirt at all. Before you can drink him in all the way, he’s sitting on the bed in front of you, crossing his legs and reaching for the remote, muting the TV. 

You sit up to meet him, suddenly surprised at the amount of attention he’s paying you. He takes both of your hands into his, clammy but warm on your skin, and brings them to gather in his lap. 

“Y/N,” he begins, “I don’t want to talk about this just as much as you probably don’t, but… I think I have some explaining to do,” he starts, his voice just a tad bit shaky as you know he is about to bare it all. 

“I feel absolutely terrible about how things ended up last night. That was…not me, at all. I’d had too much to drink, and my phone was being the annoying piece of shit that it is… anyway, I’m not trying to make excuses.” He squeezes your hands and scoots himself a little closer to you, still staring directly into your eyes. “I know we’ve only known each other a few days, but. You’ve got me caught up, and…it’s not something I’m used to, Y/N,” he giggles, making you smirk back. 

“Last night should have had a different outcome completely, and I blame myself for it. You can blame me for it, too. I just want you to know I’m sorry, and you were… fuck, you were beyond perfect—”

You cut him off, “You’re sure it wasn’t anything I’d done?”

“No! No no, you were fucking…flawless, Y/N. My vision may have been a bit blurry but you had it all. You have it all. Absolutely everything. And I feel like such a fucking dick that I didn’t get to…repay you. Give it back to you… you deserved more, and I’m…mortified. Humiliated over it. I wanted to dig a hole and cover myself up and never ever come out of it, honestly. I still do. It’s like the worst thing that can— anyway, you deserve to be treated right, you deserve to be shown the same kind of effort you were showing me last night…” you feel his hand come up to caress your cheek, his thumb brushing across your bottom lip. 

You lean a little into his hand, the feeling of his touch making you flutter with butterflies. “…And I haven’t thought of another goddamn thing since.”

You giggle a little. “Come on now,” you say shyly. “You’re a famous rock star, there’s no way your mind’s been taken up with me all day. I’m probably the lowest on your list of past flings.” You’re honest in your admission of feelings, but you secretly hope it will just fuel him to keep talking. 

“No, think again, Y/N.” His voice suddenly deepens. “That’s absolutely untrue.” His fingertips trickle to the back of your neck. “The way your hips felt in my hands, the way you took over control and put matters into your own hands…fuck. And your mouth…” his thumb is pressing a little harder, now. “Yeah, I haven’t had a clean thought all day, if we’re being honest,” he laughs. You pull one hand away from his grip and place it on his knee, squeezing it just a little as your bodies slowly inch closer and closer in toward one another. 

“I’ve never met another woman that’s captivated me so quickly before,” he continues, his breaths now shorter and chopped as he speaks. “You came in and fucked my whole world up, Y/N… You make me feel things I haven’t felt in years. You make me nervous…” 

Your faces are within inches now as you return his gaze, listening to him talk. Your hand drifts higher on his thigh, gently squeezing at the muscle as it climbs. His hand is still firmly gripping your face, the ends of his fingertips now tickling at your hairline. You can feel the tingles going up and down your spine like flashing lights, each word that escapes from his mouth setting the next one on fire. 

Finally you speak. “Look, Jake, you don’t have to explain anything else to me. I realize that something was off last night, and that isn’t how things probably go for you normally. I’ve felt our chemistry, and there’s something…there, ya know? And honestly there for a few minutes, we actually had things going, and I think we had it figured out. You felt…” you bite your lips together, feeling a little shy. “You felt really fucking good. But I don’t want you to be embarrassed or upset with yourself. We’re adults, and I’m aware that shit happens. Not every time can be perfect. You were still on my mind all day long, today. Been hoping you would text me, something,” you go on, feeling his fingertips grip and release your hair every few seconds.

A sly smile creeps to his lips as you watch his eyes squint. He looks relieved, but there’s also something else. “I hope you know that I’m more than capable of…making you feel good, and I’d really like it if you’d give me a second chance to redeem myself. I wanna prove it to you.”

You can do nothing but nod your head, feeling the magnetism of his pull bringing you forward, both of your chests heaving with want for each other now. You’re absolutely dying to touch him, reach out and feel the electricity radiating from his body, but you stop yourself. You’re going to let him make the first move. 

You exhale onto him, letting the thick, hot air from your lungs dance across his lips as he releases your other hand, letting it come up to cup your other cheek. Your foreheads balance on one another’s, and you can feel the palpable tension building up second by second. 

“Thank you, for hearing me out,” he whispers onto your lips, before gently pressing them onto yours, an almost featherlight peck. You both pull back for a second, taking a final look at one another before you crash into each other’s mouths again, heated, fiery, and wanting. 

Your other hand grips his thigh, and you’re almost unable to stop yourself from pouncing on him, laying him back into the sheets and devouring him, but you hold back. You want to take your time, and you know he wants to do this the right way. 

The kiss deepens, your tongues reaching far to taste every bit that they can. His hands slowly drift from your jawline to your shoulders and finally to your chest, lightly letting his fingertips descend before resting again on your hips. You’re both still sitting cross-legged on the bed, your knees touching each other’s as you each lean in. You want to make the next move, but again, you want to let him steer this ship as much as he wants to. 

So for the moment, you let yourself enjoy his kiss, concentrating and honing in on committing every detail of it to your memory. He’s not forceful, but he doesn’t hold back, either. It’s the perfect mix of control and submission, and you haven’t even moved past the most basic part yet. His hands move again, sneaking under your legs to pull you up onto him, wrapping your legs around his waist as you sit on his lap. 

Your chests are pressed together now, heaving and already breathless. You can feel that he’s excited below you; thankfully things are already going way better than they were last night. You continue to devour one another, touching and feeling and pulling every piece of him that you could, and him doing the same in return. A quick visual pops into your mind- you’d worn a skimpy little red lace thong just in case, and now you’re silently thanking yourself for the choice, knowing that when the time comes, he’s going to go absolutely insane at the sight of you in it. 

You take a second to pull away, grinding yourself down onto him as you trail lovebites down his neck and shoulder, and the sounds that growl from his chest make your nails dig into his skin. He hisses a little bit, but you’re more than positive that he likes the sensation. His hands grip your hips, pulling you down onto him again, making you take complete notice that he wants you just as badly. He leans his neck sideways as your tongue drifts from his collarbone up his jugular, the artery pulsing hard beneath your lips. You bite it lightly before continuing up to his ear, gently taking his ear lobe between your teeth. 

You feel him pull back and laugh a little through his nose, and you’re sure you’ve found a sensitive spot. You grind yourself onto him again, this time pulling a full on groan from him. You leave your mouth hovering over his ear, blowing tiny bits of cold air onto the trail of saliva you’d left behind. 

“I feel you, baby…” you whisper, allowing yourself the satisfaction of using a pet name for the very first time. His body language shifts, all his muscles tightening as you speak. “Wanna feel you more…” you mutter quietly, making his dick twitch between your legs. You could feel your warmth on the bulge of his sweatpants, and you secretly wish he would get on with it.

“You wanna do this…” he whispers back, his voice tight and gravely.

You nod hard, completely positive that you were going to go ahead with this second chance. “Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t…”

Finally, he reaches down to grip your thighs, squeezing his palms over them before gripping the hem of your dress, rolling it up over your hips, your chest, and finally over your head. Your arms fly up to help him remove the dress completely before he lets it fall to the floor beside you. His eyes black out with lust, his jaw falling open at the sight of you only in your bra and panties. He saw you like this last night, of course, but things are different now. Each of you has something to prove.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous…” he says, immediately burying his face between your breasts, rolling his tongue just beneath the thin fabric of your black bra. “Who knew you had all this hiding…” His hands reach up and grip the material, pulling it down to reveal your tits, bouncing and standing at attention for him. His hands waste no time rolling across them, kneading the muscle as your head falls back. His fingers massage your nipples and pull at the skin, sending a jolt of electricity straight to your core. God, you swear you could get off just from this…

He puts his right hand at the center of your sternum, pressing you back gently until you’re laid out on the bed. He scrambles to his knees, finally hovering over you a little. He lets his fingers glide from your chest down your stomach, finally hooking in the hem of your thong. He doesn’t pull it off, though… Instead he runs his fingers along the hem, around your hip, and to your asscheek, using his leverage and grip on the muscle to yank you back down toward him.

Your knee bends on its own from the motion, causing your legs to part a little as your core hits his knee. He bends down, laying sweet kisses to your stomach and hips, causing you to buck up and whine with every tiny little touch. 

“Please Jake…” you think you might go insane if he doesn’t touch you soon, your core absolutely throbbing with want for him. Last night, you felt these same feelings. You felt this pull to him, this need. But after how it all went down, sitting there on your bed staring at the wall was the only reaction that seemed plausible… no post-sex afterglow, no blissful body aches… just an unsatisfied and discouraged feeling of letdown. 

But now, twenty-four hours later, as you feel your body being pulled into him and touched by him again, you want nothing more than to replicate those few minutes of really good sex that you’d been able to achieve last night. Your body was practically begging you to let him have it. 

You hear the air kick on in the room, and though you know it’s the heat, you still feel the blow of the fan forcing air across your nearly nude body. You feel chill bumps cover your entire body as you shudder a little.

“Fuck, got cold in here, didn’t it,” Jake breathes, shivering a little bit himself. “Come on, let’s get under the covers.” You don’t argue with him, feeling a chill diving down deep into your bones. 

You sit up as he stands, pulling the heavy white linens back for you to get under. “Wait,” you say, walking on your knees back toward him. You hook your thumbs into the waistband of his pants, returning to kissing him hard as you pull them and his boxers all the way off. He smiles onto your lips, falling sideways a little as he trips over them around his ankles. His arms wrap around you, pulling you in for a tight embrace as your hands tangle in his hair, gripping into it as you pull him back down onto the bed with you. 

You both slide underneath and cozy up, letting the warmth come over you and calm you back down again. It’s the sight of him, though, crawling into the bed with his eyes trained on you, fully nude with his bottom lip tucked into his teeth that sends you over the edge. Suddenly your chest is heavy and your eyes are glazed with lust, that blinding feeling of carnal need setting into your lower abdomen. You don’t feel this feeling much, but when you do, you know that what you’re about to experience will be nothing short of mind blowing…it’s like the universe knows you need to let go of all human emotion if you’re going to let your body experience the interaction just as it is. 

Suddenly you find yourself flipped up and straddling his legs, pulling the comforter over your head as you descend down his body. “Whoa whoa, where you going?” he smirks, his smile crooked as his hands balance by his head. 

“You can prove the rest to me in a minute. I never got to finish this part last night…” you say, disappearing into the darkness of the covers. You hear his laugh fall out as an exasperated huff, but he knows better than to stop you. You put your fingertips on the insides of his thighs, pushing them away from one another as you lightly tickle your nails up them, stopping short as you take his fully-hard dick in your palm, slowly working it from bottom to top. 

“Thereeeee you are…” you sing in a teasing tone. Fuck yeah, there he is. This is what you felt that night in the bathroom. This is the him that wasn’t out to play last night. 

“Shut the fuck up,” you hear him laugh lowly, gently patting a hand against your cheek. You can’t see him, but you know the exact expression that’s probably on his face right now. 

You squeeze him as you work your hand, gently letting your lips graze his head as you stick your tongue out a little, barely wetting the tip. You taste his saltiness on your tongue, a tell-tale sign that he is absolutely ready for whatever else the night has to bring. You let the flavor sit on your tongue for a second before you take him down completely, knowing that if he has any memory of you doing this last night, it was probably spotty, at best. 

“Fuck, baby…shit…” he says from the head of the bed, his thighs clenching together a little as his hands dip under the blankets to tangle in your hair. You begin to go to work, feeling halfway happy you are hiding away, able to perform without his watchful eye, but also a little sad he isn’t getting to see the show you’re putting on for him. 

Like he can hear your thoughts, he speaks again, “What, you not gonna let me watch you?” He asks with a little demand in his tone, pushing the sheets up over your head to finally make eye contact. You decide to capitalize on it, fluttering your eyelashes as you take him as far as he can go, letting his tip graze the back of your throat. If he wants to watch, you’re going to give him something worth watching. 

His reaction is warranted as you see him lose composure for a second, letting his head tilt back into the pillows as his jaw falls open and he lets out a cry that will be playing in the back of your mind until you fall asleep tonight. His hand tightens in your hair while the other one scoops up what has fallen in front of your face, moving it away from your mouth. His teeth grit hard as his hand pulls your hair, lifting you off and back down onto him just a little bit. 

Your imagination starts to soar; it’s been a while since you’ve had a good romp, and after the letdown of last night and Jake promising to give you a good run tonight, you decide to keep the show rolling. You pop your lips off of him letting him drop your hair, spinning yourself around backwards to straddle him that way. Again, you thank yourself for the everything shower and shave this morning, knowing that now, the thin strip of red lace fabric is the only thing covering you as your ass is fully on display in front of his face. 

Is it an invitation? Kind of…he said he wants to show off for you…right?

“God damn, girl…” he says through another rasp, his hand gripping your asscheek as you take him in your mouth again. You sway your hips side to side, arching your back to give him a full view of you. You feel the slightest tinge of embarrassment at your somewhat bold switch up, but after feeling his reaction and the actual pounding of the blood pumping through his dick, you know it’s all worth it. 

Finally, after a string of curses from his mouth behind you, you feel his fingers slip under the thong, pulling it to the side as his fingers begin to explore you. First soft and gentle, but then switching to more of a rhythm as he feels how soaked you are. You moan onto his dick, letting your stomach fall into his as you lean back into his touch. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet baby, just like last night. Gonna take care of you, I swear it…” he grumbles. His thumb finds your clit after pulling your wetness down to coat it, his digits slipping and sliding as he uses more pressure. 

You whimper loudly without warning, the fire burning in your belly finding you more quickly than you’d anticipated. 

You pop your mouth off of him for a breath, and he takes the second of separation to grab both of your hips, pulling you backward toward him. His tongue swipes once from your clit to your opening before he slides himself underneath you in one quick motion, pulling you down to be completely seated on his face. 

Oh, there we go…

Should you do it? Should you go all in?

You only have a few seconds to toss it over in your mind before his hands are wrapped around your thighs, pulling you down onto him even more. Yeah, he wants you to. His mouth is immediately connected to you, his tongue outstretched and licking over you as your hands balance on his stomach. “Fuuuuccckk…” you whine at a high-pitched tone, letting your head tilt back on your shoulders. 

He’s wasting nothing at all. No time, no contact, no area of you goes untouched by his mouth. You begin swirling your hips, picking up a little every few seconds as you grind onto his tongue. It’s hot, but you still feel the chill of the air in the room, causing you to break out in another rush of goosebumps from the air and the pleasure. You catch a small glimpse of the two of you in the hotel room mirror, the visual more than you can bear as his tongue flicks across your sensitive bud again. 

“Jake…shit…if you keep doing that…” your nails dig into his pecs again as you begin to feel your knees burning, your hips swirling and bouncing as he holds you steadily connected with his mouth. Even when you try to pull off to give him a breather, he pats your thighs with his fingertips, telling you to come back down. 

“Mmmhm…” he agrees, shaking his face against you, the slight prickle of his mustache a blissful roughness on your sensitive spots. “Lemme have it, baby…” he works out, bending one knee up to sturdy himself. You can hear the pants of breath he’s taking as he talks before yanking your body weight right back down onto him again. 

Your vision is beginning to blur as you feel the tightness forming in your stomach, every inch of you on fire as you feel the release building and building. Your movements become chopped and faulty, and just as you’re about to lose all composure, Jake grips the back elastic of your thong, letting the stretchy material snap back against your skin. The tinge of pain sends you toppling over the edge, your entire body shaking and trembling as everything goes white. He continues his work, his tongue still snaking and swirling in the most animalistic way, letting you ride through it until you’re back on earth. 

When you’re finally able to breathe again, you lean forward onto all fours so he can sit up all the way, and instead of crashing back down beside him, all you want to do is give him more. Let him give you more. That was just a preview. Now…you want him. You need to feel him inside of you again. 

You turn in the bed, catching sight of his face covered in your slick…his lips pink and blotchy as he runs his hands across his face. You inch your way back over to him, using your own palm to wipe from his forehead down to his chin, twisting your fingers over his chin to bring his face crashing onto yours again. You let your tongue sink into his mouth, tasting yourself as you kiss him with everything you have. 

Your hands are all over each other as he takes you in one arm, pulling you back underneath the covers with him again. “I can’t fuckin’ wait any longer, Y/N…I need you right the fuck now.” 

You’re lying beneath him now, still riding the high of your overwhelmingly good orgasm, but quickly making your way back up to arousal again with the sight of him so wanting for you. His state is almost pathetic, the look on his face pitiful but commanding as his jaw clenches over and over again. 

Your hands are attached to his sides as he reaches into the floor for his pants from earlier, pulling out a little square package. You notice it’s a different kind than the one he had last night, and you’re thankful he’s switched brands. 

“Hurry, Jake…” you say, your heart pounding in your ears. You watch as he rips the wrapper in half with his teeth, removing the colored condom and spitting the trash onto the floor. He’s sat back on his haunches and you perk up onto your elbows, using one hand to help him slide it over himself, completely hard and ready for you. 

You feel like you could spontaneously combust at any second, the need for him stronger than anything you’ve felt in a long, long time. The way he looks sitting between your parted knees, adoring every inch of you as he swallows down any inhibition or doubt that he’s still holding onto from the embarrassment of last night. 

He takes a second more to place his hands on your knees, letting them drift down between your legs as he connects his two middle fingers to swirl your clit again. Your legs part even further as he kisses you again, finally towering over you completely before removing his hand, grabbing himself and lining up with you. 

“Show me again…” you whisper into his ear, his hair completely falling all over your face. It’s mere seconds before you feel him gently press into you, only an inch or two before retracting his hips, letting out a calming exhale before he presses forward again, this time a little further. The stretch is blowing your mind already, your nails traveling down his back to grip his ass, willing him to fill you to the hilt. 

“Easy, baby…just take it as I give it to you,” he growls in your ear, and his commanding words make you cease your movements altogether, releasing your strong grip on his back. 

“No no…keep doing that, though…fuck, keep doing that…” he begs, touching his forehead to yours. His brows are pinched together, his tongue darting out to lick his lips every few seconds as his eyelids flutter open and closed. You do as he says, digging your nails into him as he thrusts slowly, each time a little further in. 

The sensation is overwhelming, taking away every single one of your senses and directing them toward what he is making you feel right now. The noises you already can’t stop yourself from making are bouncing off the walls as you look behind him, watching his hips move the covers as he fills you, over and over until he finally bottoms out. 

“God…fuck, Jake….” You both make pathetic sounds as he pauses there, letting himself feel you wholly. He pulls up, taking a rutted breath as he makes desperate eye contact with you. You grab the back of his neck and pull him into another kiss, eliciting a high pitched wail from him as he starts picking up a pace. 

He breaks away after a second or two, “‘m not gonna go easy on you, baby…let me know if I need to slow down…” his words rip through your chest as if you’d just gotten a shot to the heart. You shake your head side to side. 

“Lemme see it, come on…” you pant, already feeling your muscles doing their best to pull him in as far as your body will let him. 

He picks up the pace now, jutting his hips deeply into you. The feeling is making your head feel cloudy and dense, but the pleasure filling your bloodstream is the only thing keeping you tethered to the here and now. He pauses, sitting up a little to toss your leg over his shoulder, slowing down just a little bit as he hits from a different angle. This one is deeper and titled a little, and you can feel the tip of him grazing your cervix with every push. 

He can tell your facial expression has changed as he slows down again, almost to a complete stop. “What baby, you okay?” he asks. 

“No no, yeah, don’t stop…please…” you motion with your hand for him to continue, the sickening pleasure mixed with the tightening pain, a blissful concoction that is hard to admit you love. But you do. You love it all. 

His pace becomes furious again as he picks up where he left off, your leg draped over his shoulder as he has one hand over your knee, and the other gripping into the muscle of your thigh. He’s squeezing so hard, and his hips are pounding at such a forceful pace that you’re sure he is leaving bruises, but they’ll be bruises that you accept without argument, admiring them as you look in the mirror tomorrow. 

He’s everything, right now…his eyes delving deep into yours as you drink him in, letting your sounds let him know how good he’s making you feel. How perfect you fit, how much better this is going than it did last night…

Suddenly he pulls all the way out of you, lifting your body to flip onto your stomach. His hands are under your hips, pulling them back again just the same as he had done earlier, but this time he hops to the floor, pulling you back again to meet him on the edge. “Hold on, baby,” he instructs, and you do, gripping the sheets tightly in your fists as you feel him enter you from behind, this time. 

The height couldn’t be more perfect as this new position makes you drop your face to the mattress, fully surrendering yourself to him. You haven’t felt anything like him before, each and every move he makes is making your nerve endings burn with fire. 

He lays a harsh smack to your ass, and you grunt in rebuttal, letting the delicious pain surge through your muscle. His pace quickens again, and his hand is on the back of your neck, pinning his fingers to either side of your throat from behind. “Fuck yes…” you breathe out, your eyes beginning to fill with clouds. 

You hear the smack of his lips, knowing that he’d just wet his finger, and suddenly his other hand quickly finds your clit again, swirling tiny circles on it and sending you into a whole new wave of satisfaction. Your cries push out with every thrust, and you feel like you’re on the verge of tears. It’s all overwhelming and encompasses your every thought, the sounds of your bodies hitting together making it all even more devious when you close your eyes, imagining the scene. 

He continues this way for a minute or so, the sounds of your bodies smacking together building up your second orgasm on their own. 

Then, he’s pulling your torso up, your back meeting his chest as he slows the pace of his thrusts, but never letting up on the swirl of his fingers. “You’re so beautiful, Y/N…so perfect…” his words are calm now as he begins kissing your neck, still pumping in and out of you. His arm wraps around your front, pulling you back into him so you don’t collapse forward. He can tell you’re close. 

“Jake…I’m almost…” you breathe, and you feel his dick twitch inside you. 

“Me too, baby. Keep squeezing me just like that…” he asks as a whisper in your ear, his mouth still connected to your neck, his other hand gripping your tit. 

With a particularly pointed flick to your clit, and a deep thrust, your entire world is crumbling beneath you, your body falling to pieces as you let it all go. His fingers squeeze your nipple hard, sending that sensation into overdrive. He isn’t far behind as his grip tightens all over you, his pace now rutted and messy as you hear him groaning in your ear. The entire world goes quiet for a minute as you hit the peak of your highs together, rendering both of you speechless as you hold your breath. 

“Motherfucker…” he says as he finally comes back down, releasing you to fall forward onto the bed. All of your muscles are limp and lifeless as he collapses beside you, both of you too sweaty now to care about cuddling back up together. 

“Yeah, mother fucker,” you laugh, pulling away a few strands of hair from his sweaty forehead and cheek. “That’s was…you were…” you open your mouth to find the words, but they simply don’t come. 

He props up on his elbows, kissing a sweet peck onto your shoulder. “I don’t know what you were going to say, but I agree…” he chuckles. “You’re near goddamn perfect, Y/N.”

“Near?! What do you mean, near?!” you joke, shoving his mouth off of your shoulder. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Fuckin’ amazing, is what I meant. Flawless in every single way,” he says, his cheeks turning the sweetest shade of crimson. 

You take turns in the bathroom cleaning up, and you can’t wipe the smile that’s permanently plastered to your face. He’d done it all, he’d proven himself to you, in the most mind-blowing way you could have dreamt up. You don’t want to admit it, but you can see yourself getting caught up by Jake just as he admitted he is caught up by you. And after sex like that, well…

You begin to pick up your things from the floor and redress just as he is coming out of the bathroom. “No no, where are you going?” he asks, his tone a little let down. 

“I’m…going back to my room…” you say, caught off guard. 

“No. Stay here, please? After that I– I don’t know, I don’t want you to go,” he says. “Please stay.”

You laugh, tossing your shoes back into the corner. “You sure? You won’t like, get in trouble or anything?”

He scoffs. “The fuck would I get in trouble for?”

“I’m your employee, Jake…” you remind him. 

His face contorts up. “I don’t like how that sounds, remember.” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a large white t-shirt, tossing it your way. You pull it over your head as he flips the light off, pulling the disheveled sheets back again for you both to climb into. You have to admit, you’re glad he asked you to stay, as you’re not sure if your tired muscles would have liked walking down the long hall to the elevator. 

He pulls you in to spoon him, turning on the TV to the guide channel. His body feels perfectly aligned with yours as his hand rests on the outside of your thigh, the other propping his head up above yours. 

“You’re a woman that I’ve taken a keen interest in, and am enjoying pursuing, and well, occasionally sleeping with every now and then. Who sometimes goes on errands for us,” he says in retaliation, making you giggle. 

“…and your company also signs my paychecks,” you retort. 

He hisses in a quick breath. “Ehhhh yeah, I guess you’re right. But just, I don’t like how it sounds. So quit saying it like that.” He leans down and presses a wet kiss to your cheek, sealing in his words. 

“Okay, okay,” you agree. 

After a few minutes, he speaks again through a yawn. “So, did I prove myself? Was my attempt at redemption enough to make you forget last night ever even happened?” he asks. 

You close your eyes as you press your ass into his groin again, making him hop back a little in surprise. “Jake, I told myself last night never even happened as soon as you left my room,” you admit, and you are telling the truth. “I knew there was no way…”

You hear him huff a tiny laugh, “You had some faith in me, baby?”

Your blood runs a little hotter every time he calls you baby, and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t completely enamor you. 

You twist your body beneath his hand to lay on your back. You fluff the pillow beneath your head, feeling his free hand move to assist you in finding the perfect position. His right hand doesn’t leave your body though, sliding just under the hem of your shirt to rest on your bare stomach. “Maybe just a little.”

JAKE POV

Her skin is warm beneath your hand, her body still cooling down after the activities of the last hour. It was perfect. Every single thing you ever wanted it to be and even a little more. She is perfect. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when you saw her grabbing her things, there was no way you could let her leave this room thinking that this was just sex. I mean, yeah maybe that was your intention tonight, but there was something else. You know that the sex wouldn’t have been what it was if there wasn’t something more lying beneath the surface. You wanted her to stay here with you. You wanted to hold her and be with her and enjoy the afterglow.

Even in the dark room you can’t take your eyes off of her. The way the TV is flashing blue light across her face she almost looks angelic. You let your fingers trace tiny circles into her skin as you look at her, completely enamored with every single detail of her. You reach for the remote flipping through the channels looking for anything you could mindlessly fall asleep to. 

“Should I pick something and show you what a good movie looks like?” you tease, tickling your fingers into her stomach. 

“I know what good movies are, thank you very much,” she quips, turning her head to look at you. Her eyes are shiny as they look into yours, lingering for just a second before flicking back to the TV. 

Her hand reaches up to cradle your jaw, your face falling into her touch on its own accord. 

“Hey…” she whispers, waiting for you to look at her. “Tell me why you were so in your head yesterday.”

Fuck. Do you tell her? Do you tell her the real reason? Do you risk ruining this moment with the truth?

“Ahh…It was a lot of things. Tour, traveling, the drinking, obviously. Also just a lot of pressure to do this and do that…or, don’t do this, and don’t do that. It’s hard sometimes, living this lifestyle. It’s incredibly isolating, and after a while you almost start to lose touch with what’s real,” you answer, skirting around the real reason. 

She rolls to face you, not letting her hand leave your jaw as she presses a soft, delicate kiss to your lips. You feel your whole body relax into her, feeling a peace come over you that you haven’t felt in a long time. A kiss that told you she understands. 

“I’m here, and this is real and you don’t have to feel isolated anymore, if you don’t want to,” she breathes. 

You kiss her again, pulling her into you just a little closer. “I don’t want to.”

“Good,” she whispers, her lips brushing yours. 

She drops her hand and nuzzles her face into your neck, a soft sigh falling from her lips. You know she’s tired, because you’re tired. You let your own head fall back onto the pillows, your arm wrapped around her shoulders as she snuggles into your side. You can’t help but let Josh’s words from yesterday float through your mind. You wonder if what you are doing is wrong, if you should make sure Isla knows you two are done before pursuing Y/N any further. Though, it’s a little too late for that.

You push it away as you feel Y/N drifting off to sleep on your chest, but now your mind is racing and you need to quiet it. You reach over, grabbing your phone from the nightstand and powering it back on. You’re immediately met with about ten missed calls and too many texts to count. You quickly open them, clearing out the notifications but paying no mind to what they say. Instead you open your shared playlist, the perfect song coming to mind. 

You sneakily add ‘Are You Satisfied?’ by Reignwolf to the playlist, knowing she will get a laugh out of that when she sees it. You turn your face to her head, letting your lips brush the crown of her head as you breathe her in. The feeling of her next to you and her deep rhythmic breathing is starting to slow your busy mind. You lock your phone and place it back on the nightstand, turning off the TV and letting your eyes close. You replay the night in your head, every perfect second of it, praying that it will make an appearance in your dreams tonight. 

—

You aren’t sure what woke you, maybe the heat of the room, or the slamming of the door in the hallway. Your eyes pop open, scratchy and dry as they adjust to the darkness of the room. You immediately feel Y/N next to you, no longer on your chest but her legs still tangled with yours. Your heart swells at the vision of her curled up in the bed next to you. 

You reach out for your phone, tapping the screen to see what time it is. 4:46AM.

You see that a new song has been added to your shared playlist, and you smile knowing that Y/N must have woken up sometime during the night and saw your addition. You tap the notification and bring up the playlist to see what she added, letting a small laugh leave your lips as it loads. ‘Whatta Man’ by Salt-n-Pepa was added two hours ago. She’s so fucking cute you could hardly stand it. You had half a mind to wake her up and show her all over again just how much you wanted her. 

However, when you close out of the playlist a new round of missed calls graces your screen, along with a seemingly endless string of texts from Isla. You let out a sigh as you tap the message icon to see what she could possibly need this badly. 

Opening the messages you see a link to Danny’s close friends story sent at nearly one in the morning. You furrow your brow and tap on the video, seeing Sam and Lyla taking tequila shots together, but of course in the background of the video just barely noticeable, is you leaving the bar with Y/N. 

Goddamnit Daniel. 

Isla

1:12AM: Who the fuck that girl Jake?

Isla

1:25AM: She’s cute, nice!

Isla

1:30AM: Is this why you’ve been so “busy” all the sudden?

Isla

1:41AM: Does she even know about us or is she just some whore you found while you’re there

Isla

1:52AM: Nevermind! It was almost too easy to find her profile, this her? Y/N?  

Isla

1:55AM: Oh my god, she works for you… 

Isla

1:56AM: Management is gonna love this. ❤️

Isla

1:58AM: How about you just call me tomorrow

Mother fucker. Motherfucker. 

You debate getting out of bed to call her right now. You know how she is and you know what she is capable of, and you’d be goddamned if that woman was going to ruin this for you. You start to type, the fury boiling in your veins as your thumbs swipe across the keyboard, but suddenly you feel Y/N stirring next to you and it’s as if all the rage you were holding in disappeared. She rolls towards you, her hand coming to rest on your arm as she snuggles her head down into the pillow. You felt yourself relax under her touch, and instantly the message on your screen didn’t seem to matter. You deleted everything you typed and closed out of it, placing your phone back on the nightstand. 

You looked at her, sleeping so peacefully next to you and decided that all of that could wait. You knew that it would only be a matter of time before Isla made her move, and when she did she would strike to kill. You grabbed Y/N’s hand and pulled her into you, feeling her fit so perfectly, so naturally into your arms that it made you weak. 

You knew there was a chance that this night, this one night, may be all you get with her, and you were going to enjoy every single last second of it, knowing that morning would come, and with it a likely very nasty conversation between you and Isla. But more than that, it brought the promise that Y/N’s face would be the first thing you would see, and that alone had you closing your eyes ready to face another day.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Taglist: @britney-gvf @gretavanmoon @sacredstarcatcher @wetkleenex-gvf @farfromthehomelands @takenbythemadness @writingcold @builtbybrokenbells @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @fleet-of-fiction @milkgemini @gvfpal @ageofcj@dancingcarbon @highway-tuna @stardustjake @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface @gvfmarge @gracev0609 @myleftsock @literal-dead-leaf @peaceloveunitygvf @ageofbajabule @slut4lando @jordie-gvf @sadiechar @tinydancer40 @rosabellagvf @capnjaket @lyndz2names @thetroublegetssoloud71 @gretavanomens @spark-my-nature @josh-iamyour-mama @anythingforjtk@myownparadise96 @alwaysonthemend @danieljlmwagner @klarxtr @fortunatelytinybasement @demonrat444 @gretavansara @watchingover-hypegirl @hippievanfleet @digitalnomadz @raviolilegs @gvf-luna @lipstickitty @hippievanfleet @klarxtr @strange-whorizons @do-it-jakey-baby

[vanfleeter]

TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS COMING TOGETHER!

I LOVE IT!

Retaliation // SFK x CM

a/n~ Roughly a year ago I had a crackship idea to write Sam as a profiler for the Quantico BAU and throw him into the world of Criminal Minds - which never happened until now. The serial killer mentioned in this case is not of my own creation but is one of @vanfleeter’s creation, who lovingly let me borrow her idea to get the gears turning. Thank you, my love. You’re the best 😘

WARNINGS: Mentions of crime scene photos, Death, gun shot wounds. The use of guns in a criminal investigation setting. Foul language. Any that I may have missed please please please let me know!

This wasn’t his life plan. Working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation- the Behavioral Analysis Unit to be exact, wasn’t exactly where he saw himself when he crossed that stage to accept his bachelors degree in criminal justice. Never once had he dreamed of working with the FBI - the weakness of his stomach around anything even slightly grotesque had made that decision for him many years ago.

Though his interests had changed immensely somewhere between walking the stage in his high school graduation and picking a major in college. A simple read through of a true crime book changing the trajectory of his thoughts and dreams. Long gone were the ideas that he’d don a space suit and blast off into the stratosphere with his colleagues. His mind full of the facts that would make him a brilliant astronaut, while his passions lie elsewhere in the midst of cold cases and unsolved mysteries.

He had been encouraged to join the BAU, the brilliance his mind held to create a profile, picking up on even the most minuscule of details causing him to be able to solve a case even those higher in the food chain couldn’t.

“That is absolutely his signature! Look, each woman have the same markings as,” he trailed off, sifting through the file folder spread out across the conference table.

Finding the one he wanted he quickly carded through the documents, placing crime scene photos of the victim next to the ones he was studying.

“Her! They all have the same markings, look at their ears - it looks like he may have taken a hole punch to them.. but why? An inch of skin isn’t any substantial trophy.”

Hotch had raised an eyebrow, his eyes dancing over the photos Sam looked through, placing his hands again the table as eh leaned his weight forward.

“So then what could it mean?”

“Wait look! She’s got one, she has one on each ear, but she has three and she, LOOK! She has two on each ear. He wasn’t a one time killer, this was the work of a serial killer. This is how he was signing off each kill.”

Hotch’s eyes grew wide as the realization hit him. Pushing back off of the table he steadied his weight, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You ever think of doing this professionally, kid?”

____________

“I still can’t believe the newbie cracked that last case as a stand in rookie cop, it’s never happened like that before.” Morgan chuckled, perching himself again the edge of Sam’s desk and clapped a firm hand down onto his shoulder. A sheepish smile spread across Sam’s face and he turned his attention back to the file folder sat in front of him.

“That’s because he wasn’t meant to be a cop, he was meant to be a profiler.” JJ chirped up from where she sat, her eyes never leaving the screen of her laptop.

“Actually, my calling was space. I studied to work in a space station, but a few of the degrees over lapped into this line of work. But then I read this book called Murder New England which was a collection of cases and it really sparked something in my brain. I found that I was able to profile right along with the story and well… the rest is history.” Sam shrugged his shoulders and realized he was rambling.

“No wonder you all said he’s just like Reid.” Emily shook her head and slowly made her way out of the bullpen and in the direction of Garcias office.

A comfortable silence fell over the three profilers remaining in the bullpen as they went back to the tasks they had originally been working on. It wasn’t long before a commotion rang out somewhere down the hall and the doors to the bullpen sprang open as Hotch barged his way into the bullpen followed closely by Garcia and Prentiss.

“A new case just came out of the DC area, they need our help ASAP - wheels up in thirty.” Sam’s head shot up at the authoritative tone in Hotchs voice. His eyes danced over to Garcia who - in a tizzy - was handing out case files for them to go over on the flight. JJ stood from her desk and threw a look over her shoulder at Sam who was frozen in his seat.

“You comin’, Sam? We gotta jet.” Her voice was light and airy, a tone that shook him out of his thoughts and he pushed himself to stand. Holding his hand out he allowed Garcia to place the file in it and wrapped his fingers gently around it before taking off at a jog behind his colleges.

Garcia began pacing in front of the conference table as she waited for the crew to take their respective seats. Pulling a deep breath in through her nose she turned on her heel and, using the remote in her hand, brought the screen to life behind her. On it were gruesome crime scene photos of three separate victims.

“Asher Max, Mariah Lambert and Colby Rodriguez. All three were found dead on the steps of various museums within the Smithsonian.” Sam cocked his head to the side, trying to examine the photos on the screen as best as possible.

“There’s duct tape around their wrists and a GSW to their foreheads… what do you think the unsub does to get them in space where they can restrain their hands and bring them down execution style?” Sam offered, turning his attention to the file folder that sat on the table in front of him. Garcia clicked through to the next slide, presenting photos of the crime scenes, the offices in which the victims worked.

“They hang around long after the museums are shut down for the night, find a way in and ambush them in their offices - they’re found on the front steps the next day. No one has stepped forward outside of those reporting the findings of the body and crime scenes in the offices.” Sam shook his head, not wanting to believe what he was hearing.

“Someone had to have seen something, anything. What about security guards or cameras? Have they pulled the footage?” Garcia nodded and clicked over to another slide.

“They ceased the investigation until we could get there. So far there are no ties to anyone or any real motive as to why the murders are happening.” Garcia scanned the faces of her colleagues and her gaze came to rest on Spencer.

“What are you thinking, Reid?” She mumbled, leaning forward to rest her hands against the conference table.

“There’s something telling in the male, female, male, pattern in which they’ve killed. Meaning the next kill may be…” Spencer was cut off as Hotch brought his hand down against the conference table.

“Another female was found outside of the American Woman’s History Museum. Let’s wrap this up. Wheels up in five!” Hotch spoke with a sense of urgency as he pushed his chair out and rose to his feet, making his way quickly out of the conference room.

“Someone’s had to have seen something. Is there any connection they’re aware of?” Spencer asked, rising to his feet and collecting the file folder from the table in front of him. Garcia shook her head and turned off the screen behind her.

“So far no… go get em tigers, I have faith in you.”

Sam sighed as he rose to stand and followed JJ out of the conference room.

~*~*~

“Agent Rossi, what brings you here?” Hotch was quick to address the senior agent as they made their way over to the American Woman’s History Museum. Rossi raised his eyebrow and turned on a heel to face the BAU members standing behind him.

“They called me directly. Who do you think tipped Garcia off to compile the files?” Rossi kept his tone even, not wanting to tip off the crew that he was peeved. Hotch nodded solemnly and they slowly made their way into the police station.

“I’m Agent Aaron Hotcher of the Quantico BAU. This is Agent Reid, Rossi, Jareau, Morgan, Prentiss and Kiszka.” Hotch rattled off a quick introduction as they were escorted into the conference room.

Sam’s eyes danced over the expanse of the map of the Smithsonian they had set up, taking in as many details as his mind would hold. Reid stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sam, eyeing the newest member of the BAU quietly before turning his attention to the map on the wall.

“Look… even the order of museums is odd, he bounces from one side to the next… male, female, male, female… so if he hit the Woman’s History Museum last…” Reid’s voice trailed off and he reached up to cup his chin in his hand.

“If he follows the same trajectory…the National Gallery of Art is next. Hey Hotch? Is the director of the Gallery of Art male or female?” Sam called, glancing over his shoulder at his senior Agent.

“That would be David Saunders. He’s one of the best historians around these parts.” The police officer standing next to Hotch spoke up and turned to face the agents.

“Shit… and it’s almost closing time. That’s his next target - we gotta go!” Sam’s voice took on a tone of urgency as he turned on his heel and took off out of the conference room with both Morgan and Reid hot on his heels. Rossi turned his attention to the commotion for a brief moment before returning it to the CCTV footage that was pulled up on the computer screen in front of him.

“See him? With the bucket hat?” The security guard working the cameras zoomed in on the man and waited patiently for him to tip his head in the direction of the camera.

“That’s Chase Rivera, he parted ways with us a few months ago due to ‘Unforseen circumstances’… do you think?” His question trailed off as he looked up at Rossi. The senior Agent nodded his head vigorously before pulling his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

***

“Talk to me, Rossi.” Morgan spoke down the phone, his free hand resting on his holster as he scanned the crowd for any suspicious activity.

“The guys name is Chase Rivera. He’s wearing blue jeans, a Hawaiian shirt and a black bucket hat stood just inside the door to the National Art Gallery. Keep a close eye on him, I think he’s our guy.”

“He just walked past me and Reid mumbling under his breath but I couldn’t catch what was said. Newbies been trailing him since we spotted him. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Morgan ended the call and slid the phone safely back into his pocket.

“Hey kid, they’ve got a birds eye view on the guy Sam’s trailing, I’ve got a good feeling about this.” Morgan chuckled and slowly began to make his way over to where Sam stood in the crowd. Reaching out he placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder as to not startle the boy with his presence.

“He keeps watching the director every time he goes back and forth to and from his office… wait, look at his belt. Is that a… gun holster?” Reid took a step closer, the unsub none the wiser that he was being watched from all angles. Slipping his hands in his pockets, Reid leaned forward slightly and squinted his eyes, just barely making out the glint reflecting off of the revolver.

Chase rocked on his heels as he watched the few people that still remained in the museum disperse. All three agents shuffled backwards, pressing up against the wall as to not be seen. Reid crouched down next to Sam and leaned sideways just enough to see Chase’s shoes, watching to see if he dared to move.

“There goes David into his office… shit!” Sam mumbled, his hand going instinctually to the gun that hung on his hip. Reid pushed himself up off of the ground and followed suit, drawing his gun and turned his attention to Sam for the next round of instruction.

“He’s not luring them into their offices, he’s waiting where no one will look and following them in. We’ve got him now.” Sam’s voice held steady between a whisper and his normal tone as he slowly began to walk towards the directors office. A commotion could be heard coming from inside the office. Muffled voices and furniture being tipped onto its side.

Reid pushed past Sam and turned his attention to the agents at his back. Raising his hand he counted down from three before kicking in the door to David Saunders’ office.

“FBI! I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Chase!” Sam’s voice carried in from the hallway and a stunned Spencer stood still in his tracks.

Chase raised his head slowly and finished securing the duct tape shackles he was weaving around David’s wrists, rendering the man helpless. He straightened his back and stood to his full height, taking in the scene in front of him.

“And why not? There’s nothing a boy like you could do anyway.” Chase spoke in a drawl, dragging out his words longer than was necessary. Sam swallowed hard, the words he wanted to speak becoming fully entrapped in his mind.

“Drop the weapon, Chase. There’s an easy out standing right in front of you. He’s done nothing to you, there’s no rhyme or reason for the way you’re acting. You left on your own, you brought this upon yourself now… drop the weapon.” Reid’s voice was soft and level, knowing just how to speak to someone on the edge.

Chase turned his attention to the gun he held in his left hand and slowly lifted it, pressing the barrel to David’s temple. Sam swallowed hard as he watched the scene in front of him unfold, scooting his feet shoulder width apart he steadied his hand and took aim for Chases shoulder.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t empty this barrel into his head. He forced me to resign, took my job from me. My lively hood! Doesn’t matter what I did to provoke it. He ruined my life.”

With a slight nod of Reids head both Sam and Morgan discharged a bullet from the barrels of their guns, lodging them both into Chases shoulder and caused the man to drop his gun. Sam was quick to place his gun back in the holster and stepped forward, slipping his handcuffs off of his back belt loop.

“Chase Saunders you are under arrest for the murder of Asher Max, Mariah Lambert and Colby Rodriguez. You’re going to have a lot of time to think about what you’ve done where you’re going.” Sam rambled off, placing the cuffs securely around Chases wrists and pulled the man to his feet. Stepping forward Morgan slipped his hand around Chases arm and yanked, pulling him in step with him.

A shaky breath slipped past Sam’s lips and he looked up, meeting Spencer’s gaze. Nodding his head in the direction of the door, Spencer turned on his heel and slowly made his way out of the office.

“He needs medics, but we got him. Sam got him.” Morgan beamed, handing Chase off to the EMT who was waiting for them outside of the museum. Hotch turned his attention to the main door of the museum and watched as Sam slowly dragged himself over to where everyone stood.

“Looks like our work here is done, good job son. You alright?” Hotch spoke, placing a reassuring hand on Sam’s shoulder. Sam nodded gently and turned his attention to the older man at his side. With a reassuring squeeze and a tilt of his head, Hotch motioned for everyone to head back to the cars knowing that their presence would soon be needed at the police station before they could head back to Quantico headquarters.

TAGLIST: @vanfleeter @stardustvanfleet @readyforthegarden @ascendingtostardust @belovedsamuel @sammysprincess @sammykiszkamyass @lyndz2names @the-wicked-gnome @runwayblues @gracev0609 @lipstickitty

#sam kiszka #sam kiszka fic #sam kiszka fanfiction #gvf x criminal minds cross over #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic

[vanfleeter]

I Was Born to Love You - Jake's Version Pt. 3

A gracev0609 / @losfacedevil Collaboration.

A short 3rd chapter to wrap up Jake's Version.

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, although there isn't anything explicit in this chapter this story is not for anyone under 18, bare torsos.

The house was quiet besides the low hum coming from the tv, Sevda has her legs draped over Jake's lap with Emma in her arms. Jake quietly rubbed Sevda's feet while she fed her her morning bottle.

His gaze fell from Sevda's face to his baby's,”She really is perfect Sevvie. You did so well, baby. I love her so much.”

His fingers danced up her legs, massaging her calf muscles,she sighs and smiles,” I couldn't have done it without you.”

Comfortable silence fell between the two of them and Jake peers at the clock on the wall,” What time is your mom bringing Jade back?”

“Probably around noon, they're only getting breakfast and going to the park. Your brothers are getting here at One?”

“Yeah, they are. I'm excited for her uncles to meet her. I'm doing it the right way this time.”

Sevda chuckles gently as she moves Emma in her arms to burp her against the cloth on her shoulder. Jake watches in awe as she maneuvers gracefully like it's second nature. She catches his stare,”What?”

“Nothing, you just look good like that. You're a great Momma Sev.”

She blushes, the apples of her cheeks reddening,” Do you wanna be a good Dad and change her for me?”

Nerves erupt in his stomach, he hasn't quite gotten this step down yet and he doesn't want to mess up.

“Can you help me? I don't want to do it wrong.”

“Of course I can help you.” She hands him his little pink baby, to which he cradles her to his chest. He offers her a hand to help her up from the couch, her body still sore. She leads him to the changing table and gets out wipes and a new diaper. He still can't get over how tiny everything is, her diapers look more like they could fit a doll versus his daughter. Gently, as if she's made of glass he places her down on the table, and unfastens the sides of her soiled diaper.

Sev hands him a wipe and instructs him what to do. As he's cleaning her, Sevda starts to giggle.

“What could possibly be so funny right now? I'm literally cleaning baby shit.”

“Check your stank face Dad, it's not that bad!”

He realizes he's subconsciously clenching his jaw and scrunching his nose.

“It's pretty bad Sev. I wasn't exactly looking forward to wiping butts.”

She shakes her head, continuing to laugh at him. She helps him get her clean and dry, wrapping her up in a new diaper.

“See! You can do it! A couple more times and it'll be routine.”

He fixes her onesie before picking her back up, placing a few kisses to her little head.

“Daddy's got ya, right Emma? We'll figure it all out with Momma's help.”

🩷🩷

A knock at the door retrieves them from their little bubble they've been in since Jade got home. He gets up and starts towards the door, looking back at the couch where Sevda is holding Emma with Jade gently petting her head. Once he opens the door he's met with Josh and his family, Sam and Danny, everyone arriving at the same time.

“Come in! Come in, she's still awake.”

One by one Jake's family makes their way into his home, not before giving him a bone crushing hug as they cross the threshold.

The group is led into the living room, where Jade scrambles from the couch excited to see everyone,”Come on! Come meet Emma Mae! She's my sister!”

Jake picks at his fingernail,”Sammy should go first, don't ya think?”

A somewhat smug grin forms on Sam's lips,” Oh? So I'm good enough to meet this baby before she turns five?”

An exasperated sigh blows from Jake's mouth and Sam laughs,”You know I had to put that out there!’

Jake locks eyes with Sam as he subtly scratches his nose with his middle finger, secretly giving him a ‘fuck you’ without giving Jade any ideas.

Sevda calls,”Come here Sammy, come sit with us.”

As he rounds the corner she watches him melt taking in the tiny form of his big brothers baby.

His voice is so soft as he sits down,” Hi Em… She's so beautiful Sevda,” His smile stretches from ear to ear,” I'm your Uncle Sammy.”

The rest of them take up space in the surrounding couches watching as Sevda deposits Emma into Sam's arms. He looks up at her with wide eyes, almost surprised she's letting him hold her tiny baby. She pets his hair back,” You've got her Sam, I trust you, nothing is going to happen.”

He looks down at the bundle in his arms,” She's so small, Halina wasn't this small.”

“Halina was a few weeks older when you met her. They grow pretty fast.”

He looks down at the little pink baby swaddled in his arms, his eyes tracing her features. The soft brown baby hairs on her head, her little eyebrows, and her button nose. He commits the image of Jake's baby girl to his memory.

After a little while Josh gets impatient, eager for his turn. Josh picks up the baby from Sam's arms, switching places on the couch.

“Hi sweetheart. You're looking a bit different than the last time I saw you! Not so goopy.”

Sev places her head in her palm,” Ew, Josh. Please.”

She laughs as she sees Sam and Danny's faces curl up in disgust,” You're scaring the poor boys!”

One by one, Emma's aunt and all of her uncles got a chance to hold and meet her. Jake couldn't recall another time where his heart felt quite this full, this is how it was supposed to be, his family and his girls.

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

“Alright! I'm all ready in here!,” Sam called from the doorway of the den. He had claimed this was the room with the best lighting for the photos, so they cleared Jade's toys away and helped him set up.

Jade came zooming in first, her cream colored dress fluttering behind her,” I'm ready for my photoshoot Uncle Sammy!”

He laughs at her excitement. Jake and Sevda enter the room, also dressed in cream. Her dress is low cut and flowy, and Jake's in his signature button down and linen pants.

Sam exclaims,” Jake! You didn't even dress up!”

He runs his hand down the front of his shirt,” Hey, it's not my fault I already had this when Sev said what colors she wanted us to wear.”

Sam shakes his head and goes back to his camera, adjusting the settings,” Okay so. Sev texted me that we're doing group shots first, and then she wants skin to skin shots for the both of you.”

“Yup that's perfect Sam!” Sevda says, fixing the little bow on the front of Jade's dress.

After numerous poses and some candid shots they were ready to move on to the skin to skin shots. He already had enough pictures to fill a small album, but he knew the next shoot was going to be something special for Jake and Sevda. He needed to do the moment justice. Sevda leaned back against the chaise lounge they had brought in for the pictures. Gingerly she unwraps her baby's cream colored cloth diaper she had put her in and slides down the straps of her dress, one by one taking her arms out.

Jake furrows his brow,” What are you doing Sev?”

She makes a face,sliding her top down to her waist exposing her chest,”Doing the skin to skin pictures?”

“But Sam-”

“Oh come on Jake, it's nothing scandalous! Sam has surely seen tits before. And besides, you've seen more of Y/N!”

Sam whips his head around, looking to Jake,” What do you mean, has seen more of Y/N?!”

“Well-”

“Wait! Do I want to know?”

“Oh my god Sam it's nothing weird! She said I've seen more of her because I was the one who helped her have Halina. Josh was about to pass out and I was back up.”

Sam shakes his head laughing and brings the camera back up to his face capturing a few shots. After a dozen or so he pulls the camera away from his face, flipping out the screen so Jake can see his work.

He looks at the LCD screen, the beauty that was his newborn laying on her mother's chest was artfully captured. The curves and valleys of Sevda's soft chest complimenting the softness of his baby's skin was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. Sam has captured them in a way that was truly breathtaking.

“I- I love it… Thank you.”

Satisfied with his answer Sam goes over to Sevda, showing her the outcome of the pictures.

“Sam! That's so beautiful! You made us look so pretty.”

He instructs them to switch, so Jake takes off his shirt, sitting down in the same spot Sev had just inhabited. Sevvie placed Emma down on Jake's smooth, softly sculpted chest and he looks down at her, his hair falling forward.

“Here, let me put your hair back.” She ties his long locks back into a bun at the base of his neck.

After a few clicks of his camera Sam asks if Jake can slide her down a little further so she can rest on his stomach. Emma's warm chubby cheek pressed against Jake's tummy was the focal point of Sam's pictures. He took a few, some close, and some far enough away that he could capture Jake's side profile as he looked at his baby with love in his eyes.

Once finished Sam straightens back up and shows Sevda what he has captured for her.

“Oh! That's perfect!” She points her finger at the screen,” That's the one I'm going to get put on a canvas for the living room. It's gorgeous!”

She cradles the baby into her side, and grasps Jake's hand with the other leading him into the living room.

She drops his hand pointing to the space above the fireplace,”Here would be a perfect spot!”

The smile on his face grows and Sevda continues talking about their pictures and where she wants to put them and all he can think is this is what I've always wanted.

Fin.

Tag List 🩷 @lipstickitty @joshsindigostreak @myownparadise96 @stayinginthesun @vanfleeter @lyndz2names @takenbythemadness @sinarainbows

[vanfleeter]

I have some news for y'all that desperately want something to be upset about: there are devastating, dehumanizing, genocidal tragedies happening in Palestine, Congo & Sudan (just to name a few) right now.

put your energy towards that.

[vanfleeter]

Per @losfacedevil .. This is my Jake..

I fully agree 🖤

[vanfleeter]

New pfp.

Am I sorry? Noooope.

[vanfleeter]

Oh I've been waiting for this! (Not that I couldn't have just shared it myself anyways) But y'all so much music came out in Friday. I haven't listened to Taylor Swift's album but I'm gonna link songs that I liked from albums I have listened to as well as a couple singles.

But I also just woke up from a nap too so.. 🤣

Written in honor of Jimmy Buffet, got me emotional lemme tell ya.. But still so beautiful.

The album as a whole is fantastic. But this song really took me back to my childhood, growing up with all the 80s/90s country music. Such an angsty song but I love it so much.

I'm not from Kentucky, I'm from Ohio but I grew up visiting Kentucky for half my life so I guess I can count that 😅 But this song is so relatable to me, plus I've been anticipating the release of this album and I'll be honest, I'm in love with it.

Last, but not least..

This song I have been impatiently waiting for. Hearing snippets of it on tik tok, I have been waiting for this to be released and it is so worth the wait!

Okay that's all 😂 I needed to share it all because I've been listening to it all.

I've not done a music share for a bit. Just going with my day list as I'm working through trying to wake up. I think it's going to be a struggle - 2 cups of coffee in and I STILL want to crawl back into bed. But - here's what I've got on:

the guitar is so pretty in this. What are you all doing/listening to this morning?

@edgingthedarkness @jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka @mountain-in-springtime @losfacedevil @vanfleeter

And anyone else out there who wants to share!

#music share #spotify #zac brown band #ernest #lainey wilson #anne wilson #shaya zamora

[vanfleeter]

A-fucking-men to this. Do I love it when he smiles? Of course, who doesn't? But is he required to smile? No.. I hate when people tell me to smile more, makes me want to smile less and scowl at you 🤷🏻‍♀️

the next person to say something along the lines of "Jake should smile more" or "why doesn't jake smile" is getting put in the hole.

#i will defend jake as if it were my full time job

[vanfleeter]

The Ripe and The Ruin (Chapter 3)

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x Reader, OC x Reader

Word Count: 19.8k

Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Smoking, Angst, Anxiety, Embarrassment, Lying, Sexual Themes, Kissing, Oral M! Receiving, Protected Sex.

Find the Playlist Here: Apple Music | Spotify

A new series in collaboration with my talented co-writer @gretavanmoon.

"Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin."

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

HER POV

The heat of your breath is fogging up the windows of the van as you drift in and out of a dazy snooze. The morning has already been long, with a wake-up time of 3:30AM to be on the van to the airport by 4:00AM. The flight to Amsterdam from Hamburg was short, only a little over an hour long, thank goodness. However, now all you can think about is getting checked into your hotel room and crashing back out for a couple of hours before you have to wake up again. 

Paul, Wes, and Corri are occupying the seats toward the front of the van, and you’re thankful you can let your head rest on the window in peace. Your AirPods are stuck in your ears with the volume just loud enough that you could hear if one of them spoke to you, but still enough to fully enjoy the music floating through your ears. You don’t even dare listen to the playlist Jake made for you, it almost puts a sour taste in your mouth just looking at it, especially after what happened last night. 

Of course Josh caught you. Of course it had to be him. But what is really still throwing you for a loop is why Josh felt he had to keep the encounter such a secret, locking his lips and doing away with the key. 

Jake hadn’t said anything about your last addition of ‘High and Dry’, but you chalked it up to him just wanting to diffuse the situation after you left the bar, alone. You thought he might walk you back, given the situation you’d found yourself in just two nights prior, but he didn’t. He stayed, and let you go. And thankfully you’d made it back safely by yourself. 

The more you think about it, the more you realize Jake had plenty of time to text a quick ‘Sorry about that’ or ‘We’ll talk tomorrow, goodnight…’ but he didn’t. Again. Just left you….high and dry. And what made it even worse was that as you were trying to fall asleep in your hotel room last night, you heard the faint sound of the song playing out in the hallway. Jake was coming back to his room, listening to the song you added for him as he meandered closer and closer. But instead of a knock on your door, all you heard was the latch of his closing. 

You find yourself feeling a little pissed off, because the moment you shared in the dark bathroom really felt like something. It was…very fucking hot, if you’re being honest. He felt good. He felt strong, and sturdy, but also gentle and delicate when he needed to be. You can almost still feel how he felt between your legs, pressed up against you as you sat on the edge of the sink. His hands on your back, mouth on your neck, fingertips digging into your thighs….

“Y/N! Let’s get out of here!” You hear Corri’s brash voice wake you from your rated-R daydream, and you have to blink a few times to get the image of Jake all over you out of your head. You stretch a little and pull the music from your ears as the cab light comes on, and the four of you exit the van. You check into your far too luxurious hotel room, and crash onto the bed without even bothering to change your clothes. 

—

Your alarm startles you two hours later, and surprisingly the cat nap has you feeling extremely refreshed. You jump from the bed and pull the curtains on the window, showing you the scene of a cloudy Amsterdam from your fourth-story room. You can feel the cold air moving through the window, and you know it’s going to be another bitterly chilly day. 

After a quick rinse-shower, you sit back on the bed to check your phone and emails and see you have a text from an unknown number from just ten minutes ago.

Unknown

9:02AM: Hey! We’re going to go see the city and walk around a little, you want to go?

You deduce that it is probably Mia or Lyla, and you contemplate on whether or not you want to even move from your bed today. But after a little thought, and another glance to the sun barely peeking through the clouds, you decide, why the hell not. You don’t want to see Jake, really, but the regret you’d feel for not seeing Amsterdam while you’re here would probably be worse. You send up a quick prayer that Josh will keep your secret today, and not make things any more awkward than they already are. 

You

9:04AM: Hey, sure! I’d love to 😊

Unknown

9:05AM: Cool! We’re leaving in an hour, we’ll meet up in the lobby. Dress warm!

9:05AM: This is Lyla, btw

You

9:06AM: Sounds great, see you in a bit

You lock your phone and stand up to finish getting dressed, adding on a few more layers to your already warm attire. Your stomach churns with nerves, but you’re excited to see the city and maybe get to know the girls a little better. Plus, Ruth is begging you for photos. 

Speaking of Ruth…

You grab your phone and pull it from the charging cord, bringing up her contact for a FaceTime call. It rings out, and you press your eyeball directly to the front camera lens.

“Shit, what the hell, cyclops!” She yells as you pull away snickering. 

“Why is it so dark in your room?” you ask, realizing you hadn’t even thought about the time difference. 

“Because it’s two o’clock in the fuckin’ morning here, dimwit! I answered because you scared me. Are you okay?” she spouts off with her voice cracking from sleep. 

“Shit, I’m sorry. Yes, I’m fine,” you laugh a little as she rubs her eyes in the light of her phone screen. “I’m in Amsterdam, thought I’d give you a rundown but, you need to go back to sleep,” you say. 

“Ugh, if I didn’t have to wake up in three hours for work I would disagree with you. Yeah, just text me. Actually no, that will take too long. Send voice memos. Or a video or something.”

You take a quick breath. “I have a lot to tell you, Ruthie.”

“Fuck, seriously? Damn it, just…send something I don’t care. I gotta know. Is it bad news? It’s good news, right?” she goes on.

You roll your eyes a bit as you place your fingers over your mouth. “It’s…a lot. Good and, well not the best. Go back to sleep. I love you.”

“Kay nighty night.” Her last words were said with her eyes closed, and you know for a fact she’s already drifted back off into her slumber. 

You plop onto your bed and scroll social media for a few minutes as you try to kill time, feeling your stomach start to growl and grumble against the mattress below you. 

Maybe you should you add a song? 

No… You’d be seeing Jake in the next little bit, and you were the last one to make contact. This is up to him, if he even wants to. You stand and grab up your long, heavy coat, making sure you have everything you need for the day before taking off to the lobby to grab a quick breakfast and wait on everyone else. 

—

JAKE POV

The music swirling through the steamy air comes to a close as you spin the handle on the shower faucet, the water slowly trickling to a stop. The song she sent last night has been stuck in your head since you hung up with Isla, and you have let it be the soundtrack to your life in the hours since. You spent nearly the entire shower thinking about Y/N, listening along to the track and letting it seep into your bones. You thought about her, and only her for the past few days now. How you left her last night, and how you have yet to speak to her since. Even the plane ride this morning was spent in silence. You knew you needed to answer her song, say something to explain yourself. You were going to, you just had to figure it out, and now that you had time to sit down and think about it, uninterrupted, you would. 

Get out, dry off, get dressed and answer her. You had a plan, and you were sticking to it. 

You step out of the large walk in shower, wrapping the fluffy white towel around your waist. You take a second to look at your surroundings, remembering how only a few years ago you were all bringing towels from home, feeling lucky enough to shower in a rundown Motel 6 bathroom in the middle of nowhere. Your life had changed drastically in a matter of years, and it wasn’t long into that success when you first met Isla. 

She was a vision of auburn hair as she swept through the bar that night, so light and so carefree. You could see why Lyla and Sam had befriended her, her personality very much the same as theirs. It wasn’t long after that night that the two of you started seeing each other, things quickly becoming serious. A year later she moved into your house. It was like she was always there, making the space her own and sharing her days with you. She was with you as the band really started to make moves, never once complaining about the late nights or the long stretches of tour, that is, until she did. 

Things started to change last summer. The once light and vibrant girl you fell in love with had become catty and accusatory, her light burning out and her desire to be something other than your girlfriend dwindling away to nothing. It became her, consumed her, and suddenly you became an accessory instead of a partner. Nothing seemed to satisfy her anymore, and the time you could give her was never enough. She reminded you of that, often, as if there was anything you could do to change it. You fought like cats and dogs on any given day, each argument always ending in a band-aid resolution that never got you anywhere. 

There were the big ones, the ones that would have you on the couch at Josh’s or in the guest room at Sam’s. The ones they didn’t ask about because they knew better, instead opening their homes and lending their liquor cabinet. The ones that you didn’t dare mention, even months after the fact, for fear of starting it all over again. Those fights started to get closer and closer together, until you found yourself almost needing to chip in for your brothers’ mortgage payments.

You knew it was done. You knew it was over, but the problem wasn’t that you couldn’t do it. No, the problem was that every time you would try, it wouldn’t stick. Listening to her tell you that your reasons were never good enough, or that it would be too hard to end things before you left. It was always before you left, and this time was no different. 

Your phone buzzing on the bathroom counter snaps you back to reality, watching as it slowly inches its way closer and closer to the edge. You snatch it up as your hair drips down your back, sliding your finger across the glass as you scoff at the name on the Caller ID.

“Hello, Josh.”

“Oh, so they didn’t invite you either? Assholes…” he grumbles under his breath. 

“Invite me where? Who?” you ask, making your way back into the room.

“Sam and Daniel, and the girls I guess…” he pauses, “Just checked their location to see if they wanted to get brunch and they fucked off into town without us. Not even an invite.” 

“Really?” you ask, pulling your phone away from your ear to check your texts. “Shit, yeah, I didn’t get a text from them either. Though, I did tell them I was gonna catch a few more hours of sleep when we got here. Can’t you just go with Ty?” You groan, knowing you really planned to stay in your room all day and binge watch Criminal Minds.

“No. He went for a massage a little while ago, so now you have to go with me,” he says matter of factly. 

“Do I? I don’t think I do, actually.”

“No, you do, it’s in the rule book,” he answers, an air of playfulness in his voice. 

“The rule book…Don’t think I got one of those,” you joke, pulling on a pair of boxers. 

“Yeah, they give it to the head twin, you know, the first one out,” he laughs. “I’m in charge, the book says so, and I say brunch with a Mimosa. If you’re good I’ll even get you a Bloody Mary, my treat. Meet me downstairs in like fifteen,” he says, ending the call before you even have a chance to decline. Fucker, he knew you too well. 

You quickly dress yourself, checking your phone no less than five times just to see if maybe she had said something, but still there is silence. Your plan has officially gone to shit, no surprise there. You promised yourself you’d do it when you got back. No excuses. You huff out a sigh as you spray your cologne, grabbing your wallet and your phone and shoving them into your coat pocket. You make your way downstairs to meet Josh, finding him lounging in a wingback chair nearly double his size. 

“Let’s go before I change my mind,” you offer, watching him spring out of the chair, his white Nike’s scuffing loudly against the marble tiles. 

“Did you text Dean?” you ask, pushing open the glass doors. 

“Yeah, the place I want to go is just a block away, said to call him if we need him but keep our wits about us. Told him I would, but can’t speak for you since you don’t have any.”

You stop walking and start to turn around, definitely not in the headspace for his antics today. He stops too, and you feel him grab your arm and sling you back in the right direction. 

“Alright, alright, sheesh, no games today, got it,” he says, feigning guilt. 

You walk in silence the rest of the way, ducking into a little cafe with a heated patio. You felt like you hadn’t seen the sun in days and both of you quickly agree that the patio might be your only chance. 

Your eyes scan the menu, looking for any words that seem familiar to you. You’re about half way through it when Josh pulls your menu down and looks you in the eye. You know what he wants, and you know you have to tell him, but you need a drink first, at the very minimum. 

Saved by the bell your waiter comes to your table, taking your drink orders and rushing off before you could blink. 

As expected the grilling starts, and much to your dismay you are alone on the patio with no chance of anyone hearing the two of you bicker.

“Alright Jake, I let you sleep on it. Time to talk,” he starts, crossing his arms over his chest. 

You rub your hand over your face, truly not knowing where to begin. You let out a sigh, and he seems to pick up on your inner turmoil. 

“Start wherever, but I would probably choose the beginning.”

You move your fingers to your lips, looking at him with challenging eyes “What is it exactly that you want to know, Josh? I mean–”

“Cut the shit, Jake. What is going on? I want everything, top to bottom, now,” he snaps, aggression present in his tone. 

“You’re mad for no fuckin’ reason, Josh!”

“No, I’m mad for great reason, Jake! You’re out here fucking around with our runner, two days into the tour mind you, while your girlfriend is back in Nashville living in your home!” he seethes, his fists clenched tightly on top of the white tablecloth. 

Your blood is boiling as he finishes his tirade. “Knock it the fuck off, you know damn good and well she is not my girlfriend anymore!”

“Do I? Do I, Jake? Last I heard, you were ‘easing off for a little bit’...” he replies, gesturing air quotes.

“Do you honestly think that I would have been living in your house for the last month if we were ‘just ‘easing off’? You retort, gesturing the same air quotes. 

Josh sits back in his chair a little, his aggression backing off just a little bit, enough for you to keep talking. “Explain.”

You blow out a breath of frustration, “She doesn’t get it, Josh. I can’t seem to get it through her head.”

“What?”

You bite your lips together before you answer, “I have tried to end things no less than five times in the last few months. There’s always some reason… Always something that…Fuck, I don’t know. It just never sticks. She won’t hear it,” you pause, “I was serious this time though, Josh. I told her point blank, I do not want to be together anymore. It was like I was speaking fucking Latin, she refused to hear me. We were up the entire night arguing, man. It’s… It’s just so done, and I’m the only one who can see it apparently.”

“So if she won’t accept it, you’re still technically together, though? She’s still in the house?” he asks, rubbing his fingers over his beard. 

“Yeah, I mean, I guess? But also, No? The only way I could get the fuck out of that house in time to make it on the plane, was by agreeing to a ‘break’. But it’s not a break. I’m done, she knows I’m done. Told her she could still live in the house for a bit until she found her own place, but I told her, point blank, we needed to separate. No contact. You can see how that is going for her.”

“Does she know that you are…you know, seeing other people?” he asks, a bit of hesitancy in his voice. 

“Am I supposed to care? We aren’t together!” you argue. 

“But you kind of are Jacob!” he spits, “Look, I’m not trying to like, take her side here or whatever, but if she is under the impression you two are only on a break, I highly doubt she would be okay with you seeing other people. You’ll be labeled a cheater and god knows what else if she catches wind.”

“This is the messiest shit I have ever been a part of. I swear to god…” you groan, rubbing your hand over your face. “I seriously never thought I would find myself going through something like this.”

His brows pinch together in confusion, “So why didn’t you just say straight up, I want to separate, please move out of my home?”

“I mean, I kind of did, I think. It’s so much more complicated when you’ve been together as long as we have. We’ve had the exact same argument hundreds of times, that’s no exaggeration. She lives with me, man… I can’t just expect her to move out overnight, ya know? Which is why I agreed to the break. To give her time to…Get her shit together, I guess. But she knows I’m out. She has to know.”

“But she is still calling and texting you daily?” he asks. 

“All fucking day everyday. I never reply, and she still continues. As if– as if nothing ever happened. Like I said, she is just not getting it,” you explain. “Every time I would come stay at your place, she would just… come up with some reason, or some excuse to get me to come home for a few nights. We would just bandaid the problem, until it just exploded again and I’d end up back at your house or at Sam’s. But I had to be careful at Sam’s because Lyla is her best fuckin’ friend. You’d think she would have caught the drift after so many nights of me crashing there that things weren’t good. I don’t know, I hate this shit, I have suffered long enough. I want out. And I fear that when we get home, I might have to take more drastic measures. And I don’t want that shit, either.”

“So things are a lot worse than you initially led on…” he states, shaking his head as he sips from his glass. 

“Yeah, I guess so. Shit’s embarrassing, man. It’s rocky as hell and I don’t know what to do. I obviously still care for her as a person, but I just can’t do this with her anymore. I thought this time and space away from each other would help me get my head right and find a way to sort this shit out, but it seems like it’s only gotten worse and even more complicated since even a month ago, before we ever even left,” you continue. 

“And now there’s Y/N…” he grimaces, truly starting to understand your predicament. “I mean, it’s really only been, what, two days?”

You let out a sigh and shake your head, “Yeah, yeah. But I can honestly say that I have felt more in the last two days for Y/N than I have felt for Isla in the last year.”

“Do you think maybe… She’s…just a distraction from your real feelings? Like a space filler type of thing while you figure out shit with Isla?” he asks, broaching the subject very gently. “To be fair, I don’t blame you at all, she’s really gorgeous and a lovely girl from the little I’ve talked to her.”

“I know it looks that way, trust me. I do. But, no… It’s something else. I know it's only been two days, but there is something there, and I have to explore it,” you admit. “Like I said, I feel things I haven’t felt in so long. Not just physical things, either. And yeah, I know she works for us, and shit, but I– It was about two minutes into that plane ride that I knew it didn’t matter. I had to get to know her.”

“Answer me this, do you still love Isla?” he asks, leaning his elbows onto the table as he gives you that horribly painful twin stare that you both can only give to one another. The kind that pulls the truth from you no matter how badly you might not want to admit it. 

“I mean, I love her as a person, but no, I haven’t been in love with her in some time,” you confess. 

“In your mind is there any chance of reconciliation?” 

Your mind flashes through a hundred scenes of screaming fights, thrown objects, tears and accusations, “No. Not anymore,” you pause, rubbing your lips. “A week ago if you asked me that, I might have said maybe. It would be so easy to fall back into the good routine we had, everything would be good again for a little while at least, but it would change and we would be back to where we are now. Endless fuckin’ cycle. I can’t do that my whole life, Josh. I don’t deserve that. I was so excited about this leg of tour, just because she wasn’t coming. I could be alone and not go to bed mad and arguing every night. Do you know how fucked that is? That is not how I should feel about the person I am supposedly in love with. I should want her here, and I just don’t.”

He nods his head in agreement, sucking his teeth with a hiss. 

“Two days with Y/N has proven to me just how unhappy I am in that relationship with Isla. How much I’m just…not in love with her anymore. It only confirms my decision,” you admit. 

“So she’s calling and stuff to try and keep you strung along… So that you’ll come home and pick right back up on this nasty cycle the two of you are in…” he questions. 

“Basically. Which is why I refuse to engage with it. She can text all she wants, I’m not answering her,” you snap. “Things aren’t black and white for her, they are very gray and for me they are stark white. I don’t know how to make it more clear.”

He drops his head and looks up at you as he leans on his elbows again, “Look, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I won’t say anything to anyone about last night, or whatever is going on with you and Y/N. I want you to be happy, and I can tell you haven’t been in a long time. I’m just really sorry I was such an ass. I wish you would have talked to me, you know, like we used to.”

“I know, I know. It’s my own pride that stopped me. I just, I feel like I'm on the precipice of being happy again, I just have to keep following it, even if it looks really bad from the outside,” you pause, “Also, you guys have to stop picking on her, she is innocent in all of this. She already thinks you guys don’t like her.”

“Oh, that's just not true, we all like her a lot, you have to tell her we don’t mean it,” he laughs, tilting his head to the side as he tosses back the rest of his mimosa. “Wait, does she know about Isla?”

“No, absolutely not,” you answer a little too quickly. 

“Are you… planning on telling her?” 

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought that far ahead, I mean, I know I need to. I wasn’t really planning on Isla blowing my phone up day and night. Guess I should have known better, huh?” you laugh, offering him a small smile. 

“You need to tell her, Jake. Don’t fuck it up before you even get things started,” he offers. 

“Don’t you know that’s my specialty?” you ask, sipping your spicy bloody mary. “I mean, last night is a whole other problem. When you saw us out there I had every intention of leaving that bar with her and taking her back to the hotel. It was all I could think about. But then you were out there with my phone and the shit with Isla. Fuck…I panicked. I just sent her back to the hotel. Left her out to dry like a fucking prick. Haven’t spoken to her since. She probably wants nothing to do with me at this point.”

“No, no I doubt that. She’s probably a little hurt, maybe a little confused, but I think she will come around. I saw the way she was looking at you last night,” he smiles. “But Jake, seriously. You have to tell her about Isla.”

“God, I know it just, why would I even be thinking about Isla when I’m with her? I swear it’s like none of it exists when we are with each other. Everything is easy.”

“Sounds like you found yourself someone special,” he smiles. 

“I think you’re right.”

—

HER POV

The morning had been spent walking up and down the streets of Amsterdam, getting lost and finding your way again over and over as you navigated the map app on Danny’s phone. To your surprise, Jake and Josh hadn’t joined you. Just you, Sam, Danny, Lyla and Mia. It felt a little strange at first, and you felt the fifth-wheel anxiety hit you hard as you trailed behind them, the two couples happy and holding hands as you all explored. But luckily, at the last second, Dean joined you on the excursion, insisting that five of you needed an escort. 

You’d taken the time to speak to Dean and get to know him a little; he’s a big burly man with cheeks that stay red and a beard and mustache that hide his mouth. He’s middle aged, and a man of few words, but you were determined to break through his exterior just a little bit, seeing as how he is one of your coworkers. 

Now, as you all are heading back to the hotel with your arms full of various shopping bags and leftover food cart goodies, the conversation you’d worked so hard to start up with Dean is flowing freely. The two of you converse about the job, about travel, about where each of you are from and how you got hooked up with these crazy four. He’s fairly easy to talk to, and you find yourself very calm in his presence. 

“I heard about what went down at the restaurant the other night, Ms. Y/N. I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he admits as you watch Lyla and Mia pull the guys into a tiny boutique.

“Oh, no need to apologize,” you respond, a little surprised, “It was no big deal, really. I made a stupid mistake by going out alone that late, I learned my lesson. Just glad Jake was able to come help me out.”

“Still, it’s one of my responsibilities to make sure everyone is safe. Mr. Jacob made it very clear that you’re on that list, too.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and pushes a few buttons before speaking again. “I’m gonna get your number right now, so you never find yourself in a situation like that again.” You nod as you agree, knowing that you should have had his number saved a long time ago. You switch phones with him as you each enter your respective numbers, and he smiles as he locks his, pushing it back into the pocket of his coat. It hits you that Jake must have had a conversation with him.

“We’ve got more security coming, I’m sure you’ve heard. They should be here within the next few days. This is usually a one man job, but… I guess as the band gets more and more popular, these kinds of things just need to naturally grow along with them,” he explains, keeping his head on a swivel as he eyes each of them inside the store. “Turns into a team effort.”

You nod, pushing your windblown hair behind your ear before shoving your freezing hand back in your pocket. “I did hear about that. Bet it brings everyone peace of mind having more hands on deck, especially you,” you offer.

“Mmhm,” he replies, “Most definitely. I’ve met these guys before, think everybody will like them. Real straightforward outfit. I’m their head of security, but with the way this group operates, they’re probably gonna be calling most of the shots, if not all of them.” He sucks his teeth, and you can’t tell if he’s irked or maybe, a little bit relieved to have the help. 

“You gonna be alright with that?” you press, hoping you’re not stepping on his toes. 

He shrugs one shoulder, and you can see his eyes darting around behind his sunglasses. “I’m only one guy, Ms. Y/N.” His response is blunt, so you decide to leave it at that. 

You take a second to browse the boutique, meeting up again with Lyla and Mia and gushing over sweaters and dresses that none of you could ever afford, and for the first time in two days, you’d gone more than half an hour without thinking about Jake. As soon as the memory of him and what happened last night flows back into your brain, you almost double over with a strange anxiety. You pull out your phone again, checking to see if he has texted at all, or added anything to the playlist, but you’re met with nothing. Nothing.

“Let’s go get a drink or something!” Mia finally suggests to the group as you congregate in front of the store on the sidewalk, and everyone agrees. “Danny baby, pull up somewhere to go.”

“Let’s just take off walking again, we passed like fifty pubs on the way here,” he argues, bursting through the group and walking down the sidewalk again. The tension feels like it has dissipated for the most part; you have to admit that at first you were still a little worried that things might be a little strange between all of you. But as soon as you all got a couple of drinks in you, the anxiety melts away, and you find yourself laughing along and fitting right in with them. The girls are really cool, and Danny and Sam together keep the conversation going with ease.

An hour or so later, you’re unlocking your hotel door and stripping the layers of clothing off as you now have gotten a little sweaty from the heat mixed with the alcohol. The sun had popped out a little, only adding to your need for a giant bottle of water, and to relax across your bed. As you scroll social media and flick through TV channels in languages you can’t understand, you find your mind drifting back to Jake again. At this point, you know he isn’t going to text. He isn’t going to call, he isn’t going to add another song. If he was going to, he would have by now. You swallow down the realization, flipping to your back to push a pillow over your face. You think about calling Ruth, but at the same time, you hardly even feel like talking about it. 

Just as you're about to scream into the void, you hear a knock at your door. Who in the world? You stand up and adjust your clothing and hair, expecting Corri or Paul to be delivering you some information in person. You unlatch the deadbolt and swing the door open, finding none other than Jake leaning with one hand on your door frame, and the other gripping a single deep burgundy flower. 

“Hey…” he mumbles, biting his lip. 

“Hey, sorry, I wasn’t expecting you…” you fumble over your words, not only because you hadn’t spoken all day, but because he looked so overwhelmingly delicious standing there effortlessly dripping sex in your doorway that you almost catch yourself drooling. Loose, dark slacks, a black button up revealing his chest, his hair freshly washed and still damp around the roots… His skin is still glowing from the heat of his shower, and you can smell his body wash mixed in with that damn cologne he apparently carries with him everywhere. Your eyes flick to the flower hanging loosely from his fingertips before meeting his eyes again.

“I know, I should have called first, ‘m sorry…” he stumbles, pulling his hand from his pocket and swiping it across his nose. 

“No no, it’s fine, um… did you need… you wanna come inside?” you weren’t quite sure what to offer at this point; he wouldn’t have shown up if he didn’t want to talk.

He stands up straight now, smoothing his hands over his shirt and then placing them both in his pockets. “No, actually, I came by to see if you would want to go on a walk with me,” he asks, a shyness in his tone that feels new to you. “And to bring you this.”

He extends his hand, offering you the dark red flower, multi petaled and fragrant. “Saw it earlier at a flower stand and I…I don’t know, I thought of you. Thought you should have it.”

You accept it from his fingers, bringing it to your nose to take in its earthy smell, “It’s beautiful, what is it?”

“It’s a Dahlia, I believe. The vendor said it was a Black Dahlia, but it looks dark red to me. I don’t know, I just thought it was pretty. Thought of you.” he smiles nervously. You stare at him as you twist the flower under your nose and think about his question. 

“So, a walk?” you reiterate, finding the idea both exhausting and appealing, seeing as how you had just gotten back from an extremely lengthy one with everyone else. “I really should stay in tonight, I… dunno…”

“Please?” he asks, squinting his eyes. “Just a short one, we don’t have to go far. I just– I saw something cool today, and I thought you might like to see it, too. Wanna show you…”

You huff a little as you lean your head on the edge of the open door. His eyes are pleading, and you can tell there’s more to his little plan than simply showing you something.

Maybe he wants to talk. Maybe he wants to explain things… sort it all out…

“Okay. We can go. But, I have to get dressed first,” you say, already dreading putting all those layers back on, but not feeling so bad about it because now you’ll be with him. You feel a little reluctant, the pissed-off feeling you’d had all day still lying heavily present in your mind. But, he’s making an effort, at least…

“Take your time. I’m just a floor up, 507,” he starts to back away, the tiniest satisfied grin forming on his face. His eyes travel up and down your body so fast you almost miss it. “Just come knock when you’re ready.” 

You close the door as he rounds the corner to the elevator, and you can’t help but feel that rush of nerves fly up your body again. He didn’t call, he didn’t text, he came to your door. With a flower. God, what a gentleman. You place the flower on the dresser, your heart pounding at the sweet gesture. You rush into the bathroom to freshen everything up and spruce your tangled hair, brushing some powder across your face and adding a little more mascara. You re-apply your favorite perfume to your wrists and neck, taking a little extra time to make sure you looked presentable in the full-length mirror on the wall. 

When you feel as if your appearance is as good as it's gonna get, you sit on your bed, wanting to make Jake wait for you just a little bit longer. You go ahead and pull up a facetime call with Ruth, waiting for the tone to ring out. 

The screen opens with Ruth holding up one finger, mouthing for you to hang on as she finishes out what looks to be a very annoying phone call with a client. She spins in her chair as she rolls her eyes, letting her head look at the ceiling as she uses her formal, professional voice to end the call.

“...You have an excellent day, ma’am. Mhm. Thank you, Buh-bye,” she presses a button on her phone and rips her headset off, fumbling for her airpods as she picks up her phone. “Oh my GOD today has been insane and I hate everything,” she complains as you watch the screen fill up with her face, and you hear the sound of her acrylic nails tapping all over her screen. You patiently wait, watching her loudly chew her gum, knowing that she has to clear away her notifications before she can even begin to have an uninterrupted conversation with you. “Okay I’m ready what the fuck has happened?!” 

You laugh, giving her the rundown of everything that happened since you last spoke, her facial expressions letting you know she is hanging on your every word. “...And now, he just showed up at my fucking door, and asked me on a date, I guess? After basically dry humping me in the bathroom then sending me home without another word,” you finish, whispering your words as if he could hear you. “I dunno, Ruth. Should I even go?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! Yes you should go. Give him a chance to explain, at least. He wouldn’t have shown up to your door if he didn’t really want you to come, ya know?” she says, immediately noticing her word choice, and slyly smiling as she bounced her eyebrows.  

“Shut the fuck up. Ugh, yeah, you’re right. Does this outfit look okay?” you stand back and flip the camera around showing her yourself in the mirror. 

“Slayyyyyyyy that jacket is hot, where on earth did you even get it?!” she rolls her eyes. 

“From you. For my birthday. When you found out I was going to a colder climate,” you laugh. “Okay, I'm gonna go, I guess. I’ll text you later.”

“Live updates, please. I want to know the way this man ticks,” she teases.

“Shut up. Bye.” You end the call and grab your purse, making sure your room key is in your bag. You also make sure to grab the jacket Jake sent you home in last night, not able to bear another second staring at it draped across the back of the chair. 

—

“Thought you might want this back,” you say when Jake opens the door, taking the coat from your outstretched hand.

He smirks as he takes it, tossing it behind him to land on some unknown surface. “Looks better on you, but it’s one of only three jackets I brought with me.” You both laugh a little as you make your way down the hall and to the elevator. The whole ride down is silent, with both of you standing at opposite sides, more or less feeling no shame in drinking the other in. His arms and ankles are crossed as the elevator descends, and you can feel his eyes boring into you. 

“You look really nice today,” he offers as you exit the lobby and head back out into the freezing cold air. 

“Thank you,” you reply shyly, feeling the blush creep to your cheeks. “So do you…” you wanted to gush about how perfectly his hair is sitting around his face, how his shirt and jacket are hanging across his shoulders, how poised he just always seems to be without even trying… but you don’t. You hope to god you don’t run into any of his brothers, or anyone that you work with; coming up with an explanation why the two of you are out alone together again is something you truly don’t feel like dealing with right now. “So where are we going?”

“It’s called The Jordaan. It’s a really old neighborhood, with a canal going through the center. Bunch of little shops and stuff. Did you guys walk this way this morning?” you notice the lilt in his voice. 

You shake your head. “No, we went the opposite way,” you answer. It’s quiet for just a minute more as you pass by the crowds and other people on the streets. “Why didn’t you and Josh come along?”

He takes a quick breath. “Eh, we didn’t really receive an invite, honestly,” he laughs, stroking his fingers over his mustache. “Had to be Lyla or Mia’s idea to go, if I had to guess.” He was right, but you still felt bad. “But it was okay, me and Josh went to eat and got to… talk a little without the interruption of the other two. Kinda rare these days,” he smiles, and his knuckles brush across yours just barely. The light touch sends your bloodstream to a raging fire, and you have to stifle down the pull to grab his hand altogether. 

The sun is peeking through the heavy cloud cover of the evening, and you find yourself staring at the way Jake’s pulled his sunglasses to sit on top of his head, letting the gleam of the sunlight bounce into his mocha colored irises. He looks you in the eye each and every time he speaks, and commands your complete attention away from everything else around you. You’re pulled into him, letting your bodies barely touch and move together as you walk along. This attraction feels different than the heated, blurry, intense pull you had to one another last night. This feels innocent, even though you both know that it’s anything but. 

You turn a corner as you come along to the long line of homes and buildings, multicolored and old in their exteriors but, still holding just the right amount of charm to be an attraction. You catch yourself looking above to see the craftsmanship of them. “Wow…” you exclaim quietly as you peer up at the finely detailed architecture, staring in awe at the shape they are still in. You pull your phone from your pocket and start to take photos, zooming in on the details and making a mental note to send them straight to Ruth later. 

You walk up onto a little footbridge lined with parked bikes and people stopped to take photos. Suddenly Jake is behind you, barely resting his chin on your shoulder. “Gimme your phone, let me take your picture,” he murmurs in your ear. 

“Oh no, that’s okay…” Before the words can even escape your lips, he’s snatched your phone and started backing up, glancing behind him and back to your phone every few seconds. 

“You’re really good at taking my phone away and doing whatever you want with it, you know!” you yell at him in aggravation. 

He motions his free hand for you to scoot sideways, and then again for you to stop where you are. He snaps a few, turning the phone on its side to get every angle he can. You stand a bit awkwardly, hating that people are having to stop when they notice they are walking in line of the photo. Finally he finishes and rushes back over to you. “They look good! See?” he says, handing your phone back and swiping through them with you. “Now you’ll have record.”

You walk past a few secondhand shops and stores, and suddenly, something in one of the windows catches your eye. “Oh my god, look at that!” you squeal, pointing to a glimmering red dress sitting perfectly on a mannequin. It isn’t like any dress you’d seen before; it looks vintage, bright cherry red velvet with sewn-in sequins weaved throughout. It’s tight, but not too tight, and short and lacking fabric in all the right places. 

“Damn, you should go try it on!” Jake exclaims, obviously agreeing with your surprise at how pretty it is. 

“Nah, I shouldn’t…” you say, walking away from the window. 

“No, you should, actually. That dress is hot, Y/N,” he says, elbowing you in the ribs. “And I think you’d make it a hundred times hotter.”

You scoff. “Be quiet, no I would not.”

“Prove me wrong, then,” he challenges with a smirk, opening the door to the shop, and holding his hand out to invite you inside. 

You step inside, and are immediately greeted by a man dressed in a formal tuxedo. He notices that you are not local during his greeting, and switches to rough English.

“Eyeballing the red number, are you madam? Give me one second, I’ll grab it off the mannequin for you,” you and Jake lock eyes as the man flits away, straight for the window. He raises his eyebrows in anticipation and gives you a grin so adorable you almost melt into putty right there in the store. 

“Here you are ma’am, please, be careful, very old dress,” he explains, handing you the dress on a hanger and opening a curtain for you to go behind. 

“Go ahead,” Jake mouths, pushing you into the small dressing room. 

You stand almost naked in front of the mirror as you slip the soft, tight fabric over your thighs, your stomach, and finally over your shoulders. Jake was right, it fits you perfectly. The velvet material snatches your waist and bust, and cuts right above your knee. Its sequins shimmer in the overhead light, but aren’t so overwhelming that it looks showy. It’s something you could dress up, or dress down. You reach behind you and pull the zipper up only halfway. Of course.

You take a deep breath and pull the curtain back, finding Jake to have taken a seat on a plush maroon ottoman. His jaw drops as you walk toward him, and yet again, you feel the heat rise in your face. You continue walking toward him, turning at the last second with your back to him, pulling your hair to the side. “Finish doing me up?” you say, immediately realizing that could be taken in a way you didn’t really mean. But also kind of mean, if you’re being honest. 

You hear him swallow and he stands, and feel his warm hand slowly grip the zipper and pull it up, his other hand resting gently on the back of your hip, this thumb barely squeezing at the muscle. He takes his time, moving the zipper at the slowest pace imaginable. “Everything alright back there?” you whisper over your shoulder, hearing your own voice tremble. 

You hear the air push from his nose as he leans in a little closer. “Just taking my time… might be the only time I get to touch you this way…”

Your eyelids flutter closed at his words. You lick your lips, trying to calm your second heartbeat. “What makes you think this will be the only time?”

He finishes the zip, spinning you to turn and face him. He shrugs one shoulder. “Just don’t wanna get my hopes up,” he growls. “Take that as a compliment…if you wear that out in public, I wouldn’t stand a chance against the hordes of guys that would be following you around.”

You scoff at him, and the absolute absurdity of his statement. He has no idea how pretty he is, does he?

“Shh. That’s a lie,” you say as you turn back and motion for him to unzip you. He does, this time with a little more haste. You make your way back into the dressing room and switch back into your clothing, hanging the beautiful specimen back on the hanger the man had provided you with. 

“What? You’re not getting it?!” Jake stands as you make your way back toward the employee.

“No, Jake! I can’t buy that! It’s too–”

“Perfect? Because you looked… I–I can’t even explain… You have to get it, Y/N,” he argues.

You hand the dress back to the man in the suit. “No. I wouldn’t even have anywhere to wear something like that…” you go on, internally screaming at how badly you really would like to have it. 

“Let me get it for you, then,” Jake says. “It’s not even that expensive…”

“NO!” you squeal. “I mean, no thank you. Please, Jake. It’s completely fine,” you say as you begin to walk toward the exit. You simply could not let him buy this for you. No. Huh-uh. Absolutely the hell not. 

He reluctantly follows you out of the store, still playfully going on and on about how you just made a huge mistake. You turn and face him, your face only inches from his. You grab both of his hands in yours, snickering a little at the surprised look on his face. “Jake, I appreciate the compliments, but I’d really like to get on with our date, now.”

JAKE POV

Her words send a shockwave through your system. “Date? So it’s a date now?” you ask, your hands cupped in hers as he looks you in the eyes. 

She turns and begins walking again, and you have to physically tell yourself to move your legs and follow along. “You came to my door, asked me to go on a walk because you wanted to show me a certain specific special thing… now we’re exploring and talking and trying on dresses, I’d qualify this as a date,” she turns and gives you a teasing look of intrigue. “Just missing the food part, but I think it would still count.” 

A smile comes to your lips as you realize she’s right. “You hungry?” you ask, finally catching up with her. 

“No, I’m just kidding. Let’s go down to the riverside,” she points a little ways away, seeing that there is a sidewalk that runs alongside the water. 

You stuff your hands in your pockets as you trudge along, the two of you taking in the scenery and the water beside you. The air is still blowing cold, but neither of you seem to mind. “So if we’re gonna qualify this as a date, maybe we should get to know each other a little better,” you suggest, earning a scoff from her. 

“Seems a little backwards seeing as how we kinda already–”

“I know, I know,” you laugh. “Um, let’s see. Did you play any sports in school?” you ask. 

“I played volleyball all four years, golfed with my dad on the weekends sometimes when he was around… Other than that, not really,” she explains.

“Shit, don’t tell Danny you like golf,” you go on. “He’ll capture you in a week-long conversation and then ask you to go play a round in every country we visit,” you laugh. 

“Ummm, what’s your favorite holiday? And you can’t pick Christmas…” she says, pushing her pointer finger into your shoulder. 

“Hmm, so, I think it’s a tie between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, because in July we’re always out of the country somewhere really beautiful, or we’re all at home blowing shit up together. I’m always really happy that time of year. And then Thanksgiving, because I will eat the fuck out of mashed potatoes any chance I get,” you say. 

She laughs again, the sounds of her voice making your insides warm. “Your answer was better than mine!” 

“Let’s see… What's your best friend’s name?” Noticing that she hasn’t really mentioned anyone.

“My best friend’s name is Ruth, we’ve been friends since elementary school. She’s… a complete idiot,” she laughs. “We still talk pretty much daily about anything and everything,” she explains. “Don’t have any secrets.”

“Oh so, she’s… getting the rundown of your whole European adventure in real time, isn't she?” you ask, wondering if she had been giving her a play by play of the whirlwind last few days you'd shared together. 

She purses her lips and squints her eyes as her hand brushes past yours. “Guess you could say that…”

“Damn!” you laugh, feeling embarrassed. “Don’t tell me you included our bar bathroom escapade…”

Suddenly she’s tripping over her words. “I mean... No! I told her a little but like, not details or anything ya know, but she…I–” 

“So she knows we almost hooked up but thankfully stopped just in time that my brother didn’t catch things getting too out of hand…” you say confidently, wanting to see the blush rush her cheeks again. 

She stops, standing stiff in her place. “Okay, Jake. Caught me. Sue me, shit.”

You continue walking, pulling her along by the hand. “I’m kidding, I don’t care. I hope to meet her one day.”

She looks at you from the side of her eye, “I hope you do, too. Okay, who’s your best friend?”

“You really want me to answer that?” You’re surprised she can’t already tell. “I’ve got three built right in. All three pains in my ass but I love ‘em.”

“How sweet, Jake. Man, you do have a heart under there, somewhere!” she teases. 

“Of course I do baby, I’m actually a sweetheart, didn’t you know?” you respond in a very piratical voice. “Alright, favorite music genre. This is the big one, answer carefully…”

“Ahhh, well…” she looks to the ground, truly contemplating her answer. “You already know the Alt-J stuff you added was way out of my normal choice, I actually listen to um, a lot of harder stuff, I guess you could say. Some metal, hard rock, also older country, some psych stuff. It runs the whole gambit,” she laughs, seeming like she was shy to admit it all. 

“Wow,” you say. “So like, almost the exact opposite of what we’re into.”

“Kind of, I mean it probably overlaps… I love the stuff you’ve added to the list. And I’m sure there’s a few classic dad rock songs you like, don’t lie…” she smiles. 

“Ehhh,” you argue, “Maybe a few…” you feel a sudden slight disappointment in the fact that the two of you probably will not be able to talk music much. But, that’s okay…

“Me and my dad used to go to rock shows a lot when I was a kid. I’ve seen all the country greats a few times a piece. Just something about that sound, you know? Reminds me of home, it’s very nostalgic… I’m sorry, I’m rambling…” she says, brushing the hair from her face as you find yourself enraptured in her words. 

“No, no… it’s okay, ramble on…”

Light bulb. 

You sneakily pull your phone from your pocket, adding that very song to the playlist, hoping she won't notice right off the bat, but hoping she will understand soon that you would listen to her ramble all day long. As she continues to talk, you can’t help but notice all the ways that she is so different from Isla. Like night and day. She listens to you when you speak, she doesn’t ever come at you with condescending words unless she’s being playful, she is sure of herself, and confident…and gives you that feeling down deep in your gut that tells you she’s something special. Though you’ve only known her a few days, it’s already obvious that she offers every single thing that Isla doesn’t, never has, and most likely never will. Instead of the uneasy, walking on eggshells feeling that you have everytime you’re with Isla, you get the confident, self-assured and joyful feeling in Y/N’s presence. And something is telling you to hold onto it. 

Speaking of Isla… you really need to tell Y/N about her. It’s only right. It isn’t fair to her that she doesn’t have a clue, you wouldn’t have wanted to be left in the dark if the roles were reversed. You swallow, opening your mouth to start the conversation without having a clue where to even begin. But your thoughts are interrupted by Y/N’s sweet voice bringing you back down to earth again. 

“I know you bargained for a short walk, but what if we went up there to that little pub and see what they have to offer?” she asks, smiling a toothy grin.

Maybe the time isn’t now…

“Lead the way, love.”

—

HER POV

Warm. Everything is just so warm. Your body, your face, his smile. Warm. The room is a dull hum of noise around you, your world growing still as he sits in front of you. You watch him in wonder as he talks about music and his passions, your face propped up on your fist. You know you must look positively smitten, and to be honest you kind of are. The two of you are giggling back and forth, even though nothing is really that funny. But that was the beauty of it. You can tell you are blinking slowly and try to reign it in as the nearly half a liter of beer swirls through your bloodstream. You can’t help but smile at him while he talks, his eyes locked on yours as a smile stretches across his own face. 

You wonder how he is even able to hold a conversation right now, your brain reduced to mush as you continue to sip on your beer. He’s happy, you can tell, a dimple has appeared in his cheek and hasn’t left in nearly an hour. You can’t stop looking at it, at him. Everything about him. The twinkle lights over head have cast a perfect yellow glow on his tan skin, just as the sun starts to dip down below the river the two of you walked here from.

“You still with me, beautiful?” he asks, his knuckles brushing against yours. 

“I’m here, but barely.” you laugh, “Why aren’t you feeling the alcohol yet?” you tease, taking a rather large gulp of your beer.  You know he definitely has a higher tolerance than you do, but you can tell he is a little more smiley than usual. You place the large glass tankard back on the table as he stares at you, his eyes wide and sparkling. 

“What?” you ask, feeling a bit bashful in your drunken state. 

“You’re just…so– you’re just really pretty and it makes me feel, I don’t know, shy I guess,” he answers truthfully, biting his lips together nervously. 

You feel your chest burst into flames, the heat radiating up your face to your already flushed cheeks. 

“I like it when you blush,” he breathes, which of course makes you blush harder. “Like it best when it’s because of me.”

You feel all of your nervousness and anxiety melting away as he looks at you, and suddenly with the help of the beer, you feel brave enough to ask the question that has been on your mind all day. 

“Jake?”

He nods his head ever so slightly, letting his fingertips drift across your knuckles. 

“Why didn’t you answer? My song, how come you didn’t say anything?” you ask, swallowing down your last bit of nervousness. 

He drops his head a little, grabbing your hand in his, letting his thumb skate across your skin. “I searched and searched for a song that I could respond with last night. One that would articulate what I wanted to say, but I just…I couldn’t find one. I felt like absolute shit after you left, Y/N. Really, I did. I fell asleep with that damn song on replay until my alarm went off this morning. It got in my head, and that’s when I decided I wanted to go on this walk today. Make it up to you.”

You stare at him for just a second, letting a smile slowly creep to your lips. He notices and you watch him as he visibly relaxes. He was nervous, too. 

His eyes are locked on yours, both of you saying a thousand things with zero words. You let his words sink in, storing away each one until your heart feels a little bit lighter. 

“Well, you better think of a good one tonight,” you tease, rubbing your thumb against his. 

His phone buzzes on the table top, his eyes flashing down to it, then to you in panic. 

“It’s fine,” you nod, gesturing for him to grab it. “I don’t mind, really.”

He picks it up and clears his throat, the loss of his hand from yours stings a little but you know he will do it again. 

“From Josh,” he starts reading the message out loud, “Where are you? I knocked on your door and you didn’t answer.”

He smiles and laughs as his thumbs type back a response. 

“Oh, another one,” he pauses, “We’re meeting up for dinner, just the guys, in an hour.”

His face drops a little, his eyes looking across the table to you. He locks his phone and sets it back on the table, his hand seeking yours out again. 

“We should probably get going if you’re gonna make it back in time,” you offer, taking another sip of your beer. 

He lets out a painful sigh, “I don’t really want to. I want to stay out…with you. I see them all the time.”

“No, no, no, you’re in Amsterdam with your brothers. They want to see you. Don’t change your plans around for me,” you insist. 

He looks conflicted, you can tell he really does want to stay here with you, but he also knows he needs to meet up with them. 

“Well, what about you? What will you do?” he asks, tracing his index finger around your hand. 

You smile and shake your head, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll probably just go back to my room and do whatever it was I was going to do before you knocked on the door.”

He smiles and nods, licking his lips before speaking again, “If you’re sure, this is supposed to be me making it up to you for leaving you last night, now I seem to be doing it again.”

“Wanna know a secret?” 

He raises his eyebrows in question, ready to hear your answer.

“I forgave you for that about two minutes into our walk,” you smile, squeezing his hand in yours. 

—

He walks with you back to the hotel, his hand never leaving yours for a second. His grip is firm and warm, everything you ever dreamed of. You talk about the shops and the sights, and he tries again to convince you to buy that dress, bartering that he was going to have to go back and buy it himself if you refused. 

As you step up to the hotel door you pause, turning and looking at him in the glow of the streetlights. “You don’t have to walk me all the way up, I think I can find it.” you tease. 

“Alright, well, um, can I text you?” he asks, his tone reverting back to that of a nervous fifteen year old boy. 

You feel the butterflies taking flight in your stomach, flapping their wings so hard you feel like you might take off with them. “Yeah, you can text me whenever you want to.”

A huge smile spreads across his face, “Yeah, alright, cool. I’ll um, I’ll text you then.”

“I’ll be waiting,” you answer, watching him stifle back his smile as he steps back a bit, bringing your hand to his lips. He places a soft and gentle kiss to the top of your hand, his cold lips barely grazing your skin, and sending a jolt of electricity through you. 

“Won’t be long,” he smiles, stepping away and turning to head back down the street. 

—

JAKE POV

You follow the walk route to the pin that Josh had dropped, finding yourself at a tiny pub down a back alleyway of a street. The place is crowded and warm, ambient lights with the damp smell of cigars lingering in the air. You mosy through the crowd, hoping that no one recognizes you and stops you for a drunken conversation or autograph. 

Luckily it doesn’t happen, and you find Danny, Sam, and Josh tucked away at a high-top table in the corner. “There he is! Took you long enough!” Danny yells over the loud crowd, the first one of them to spot you. 

The other two turn to face you, pulling your stool out for you to take. “Your beer is probably warm, now…sorry,” Sam says, pointing to yet another giant mug of beer, just the same as the one you’d just finished off. 

“Fuck, thanks…” you say, tiptoeing to hop up onto the high stool. You simply can’t help the shit-eating grin that’s plastered across your face, even with all the maximum effort you have left in you. You take a large sip, finding the beer to still be fairly cold. 

“Where have you been already today? You look flushed and far too jovial…” Josh presses, rubbing his hands together with his elbows resting on the table. 

“Cold outside,” you say, shooting him a look. 

The bullshitting and argumentative discussions commence as everyone obviously begins to feel their alcohol, and you take the distracted time out to text Y/N, letting her know you made it safely. 

You

9:18PM: I’m here, but already wishing I never left

You attach a quick photo of your giant beer, and include the eye-rolling emoji.

Y/N

9:20PM: omg 😂 good luck choking another one down

You

9:21PM: Ye have little faith 🍺 

A minute later you receive a photo of her room service sprawled out across the bed in front of her, chicken fingers and fries and some type of dipping sauce. You smirk at how cute she probably looks in whatever outfit she chose to get comfy in, and wonder what she looks like. You notice the TV in the background, and recognize the movie that she has playing. 

You

9:24PM: Looks tasty

9:24PM: Damn, is that Wedding Crashers?

Y/N

9:25PM: Yes, I fucking love this movie

You run your hand over your face. 

You

9:26PM: That sucks, I quite literally can’t stand that movie 

Y/N:

9:26PM: 😱😱😱😱😱😱

9:26PM: You’re insane, this is one of my favorite movies of all time! Why do you hate it!

You

9:27PM: Dunno, not a sucker for cheap comedy I suppose

You’re interrupted by Sam’s snapping fingers in your face. “Hellooooo, Jake, you with us? Tell Isla to leave you the fuck alone, it’s guys’ night!” 

You feel your eyes widen at his comment and glance at Josh, who is mirroring your exact expression behind his folded hands. 

“Uh, sorry, sorry yeah.” You put your phone down on the table and try your best to be present with them, getting caught up in your normal absurd conversation. Your phone continues to light up and buzz on the table. 

“You gonna get that?” Josh asks slowly and quietly, just loud enough for you to hear. You ignore him, finishing off the last bit of your beer that went down exceptionally quicker than you thought it would. Everyone is sufficiently intoxicated, and you have to admit, you’re having a really great time letting loose. The drinks are flowing, and the air is high-spirited all the way around. Danny is taking funny videos of Sam and Josh as they try their hand at some type of trick with a coin and a bottle cap, so you take the second to check your phone again. But what you see brings your serotonin level down just a notch. 

Isla

10:12PM: Hey, what’s up?

10:27PM: Why aren’t you answering me babe :(

10:29PM: I miss youuuuu, you never called back last night

10:33PM: Saw Danny’s close friends story, glad to see you having fun ignoring my texts! 👋🏼

10:37PM: Can you accept my location request

10:42PM: I can see your phone in front of you Jake

You roll your eyes and mutter a quiet oh…my…god, rubbing your eyes with the palms of your hands. 

“What’s up?” Josh asks, and you turn your phone for him to see. His eyes instantly widen as he reads. 

“This…is the shit I’ve dealt with for the last three years. I can’t—” you cut yourself off, feeling your jaw clenching with aggravation. 

Josh settles back in his chair. “Fuck, I had no idea…”

“What, what is it?” Sam and Danny basically simultaneously ask, seeing the disdain falling over the both of you at the same time. 

“Nothin’, just a sad video,” Josh lies. 

You decide to let Isla’s antics roll off your shoulders; you’re having too good of a night to let her whining bring you down. Things with Y/N are starting to heat up, and you find your tipsy self teetering on the edge of risk. You pull her texts up again, finding that she had responded a while ago.

Y/N

9:30PM: You’re crazy, this movie is fuckin hilarious

You decide to change up the game a bit, adding a song that reflects exactly how you’re feeling right now. You scroll through your library and land on it, bringing up the option to add it to your shared playlist. It’s perfect, ‘In the Mood For You’ by The Record Company. 

She responds with a text a minute later, a string of five or six laughing emojis. You’re then met with a song addition on her end, ‘Are You Sure?’ by Willie Nelson. 

Holy shit holy shit. You feel your stomach get warm and your head starts to swim at the thought of where this could go, where you want it to go. You take a deep breath as the excitement builds in your system, and you can physically feel your body getting warm. You want to scream. Your eyes begin to cross a little as your thumbs hover over the screen, flicking around as you decide what to do. 

The next thing you know, Sam is setting another beer in front of your face, this one thankfully much, much smaller than the other one you had just finished off. Mother fucker...Gonna be very drunk.

You decide to skip out on a text, keeping this little game the two of you have going. You pull up the song search, adding ‘No One Else’ by Weezer. Perfect. 

Seconds later, you receive a text. 

Y/N

10:56PM: I’ll think about it…….

You feel your cheeks grow pink. 

Just then another comes through from Isla. 

Isla

10:57PM: Ignoring me isn’t going to fix anything, Jacob.

You scoff, shaking your head. You turn the phone to Josh again. 

“God, block her fucking number. I’m so serious,” his voice raises a little, laced with a protective tone. 

You ignore it, flipping back over to your texts with Y/N, suddenly feeling emboldened. 

You

10:59PM: Think about what, exactly? 

You lick your lips as you set the phone down, glancing around to see no one paying attention to you all up in your phone again. A minute later, you receive a photo. You click the message and watch as the attachment comes to life. 

It’s a selfie of Y/N sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in a barely-there black silk pajama set, with the object of the photo obviously the empty side of the bed behind her. 

Y/N

11:01PM: You, here.

Son of a fucking bitch, she is gonna be the death of you. You pull your phone up so no one can see the picture, and you take a second to stare at her soft skin in the silk material, her hair a little messy but lying perfectly. She’s smiling just a little, and the dim light is bouncing off her features in all the right areas. 

You

11:03PM: Absolutely stunning

11:03PM: Are YOU sure?

Your heart is positively racing, watching as her text bubble pops up. 

Y/N

11:04PM: Only if you want to…

As the breath hitches in your throat as you’ve quite literally forgotten how to breathe, you take a second more, starting in on the beer Sam had provided. You lock your phone, trying to make up your mind of how to answer. What to do, what to do…

You finally decide to reply with a bold text. 

You

11:06PM: I think I can make that happen…😉

11:06PM: We shouldn’t be much longer

You get dragged back into conversation with the guys, and fifteen or so minutes later, everyone is gearing up to leave. You glance down at your phone a few minutes later, seeing that she hasn’t responded. Weird. 

Everyone stands to leave, and the alcohol hits you in the face. Yeah, pretty fairly intoxicated. You exit the building, feeling someone standing behind, close by. You turn to see Dean bringing up the rear of the group. “Whoa, where did you come from you scary motherfucker?” you tease, earning a big, warm smile from him.

“Been sitting at the bar all evening, Mr. Jake,” he responds, pointing for you to catch up with the rest of them. 

You rest a heavy hand on his shoulder. “You’re really good at your job, Dean. I never even knew you were there, should have come and had a drink with us.” You feel your words slurring a bit. Just then, you feel your phone buzzing in your pocket incessantly. 

“I wet my whistle with a shot of Jameson as soon as we got there, water the rest of the night,” he replies without looking at you. You laugh and step to the side a bit, pulling your phone out to see Isla calling. Fucking son of a bitch. You slide to answer it. 

“What, Isla? Fuck!” your tone is a bit more harsh than you had expected, but warranted nonetheless. 

Then, all you can hear on the other line is a rush of screams and yells, her voice loud and her words cramming as she lets you know how she feels. You pull the phone away from your ear, holding it there until you find a chance to speak again. 

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, can you–”

Her screams continue, and you realize exactly how this is going to go. How it’s gone hundreds of times before. She’s not gonna let you speak. And honestly, you’re too intoxicated to talk, anyway. You set it to speakerphone as Josh falls back to walk with you. You shake your head as you allow your twin to listen to her incessant rambling. “You hear this shit?” you mumble. The two of you listen for a second more before you realize you can’t do it anymore. 

“Isla, I’m hanging the phone up. Call me when you can have a mature conversation. Bye.” You don’t even wait for her to retaliate before pressing the big red button. In a huff, you bring up your text thread to see if Y/N has responded. Like the gods of divine intervention decided to reign down their bad luck upon you, you find that you had in fact sent those last two risky texts, to Isla.

“FUCK!” you yell, stopping in your tracks, hitting your palm to your forehead. “Fuck fuck fuck!” How could you have been so stupid?! Of course she had a reason to call and yell at you…

Your fingers move to Y/N’s thread, and you see that you were the one who had left her on read. You’re in the lobby of the hotel now, and everyone is dispersing to head to the elevator or down the halls to their respective rooms. You snap away for a second to tell them goodnight, before deciding to take the stairs up to your room. You needed a second, and to work off some of your drunkenness. 

You finally pop into your room, feeling completely idiotic for accidentally sending the right text to the wrong number. You splash some cold water on your face, hoping it will bring you back to earth a little bit, but finding it to have only made your splotchy face and tinted cheeks worse. You brush your teeth and take a piss, finally settling on the edge of your bed to think. 

Fuck it, you finally decide, bringing up your texts with Y/N once more. 

You

11:47PM: I think I can make that happen…

Surprisingly, she responds within the minute.

Y/N

11:47PM: Hey. Thought you had found someone else to sneak away to the bathroom…

Your nerves flush up all over again. We’re still in the clear.

You

11:48PM: Don’t be crazy fledgling. I’m finding you in 5 minutes. 

HER POV

Five minutes? Five minutes!  You stare at the screen for a few seconds before your brain starts to work again, giving you a mile long to-do list before he knocks on the door. 

“What!? What! What does it say?! Hello! Why do you look panicked!?” Ruth asks from the other end of the phone. 

“Oh my god, he’s coming to my room. Right now, he’s on his way right this second, holy shit I have to– I have to clean up! I need to brush my teeth, brush my hair? Shit, I can’t be wearing this! Oh my god, shit I do not have enough time!” you screech, tearing across the hotel room to clean up the best that you can. 

“Focus on yourself first! He doesn’t care about your messy room! Put on some deodorant for the love of god! Did you shave your legs today?! Wait, did you end up bringing that little black sleep set thing we found?” she asks, trying to help you prioritize. 

“Yes! I’m wearing it stupid! Can you not see me?!” you shout, the clocking continuing to tick by. 

“Fuck off, it’s blurry! Okay just go brush your teeth, brush your hair, deodorant, then let's work on the room. Hurry up!” 

You run into the bathroom, applying deodorant as quickly as possible and checking your legs for stubble. “I shaved this morning, but I think it’s fine.”

“Did you shave…everything?!” she asks, just as panicked as you are. 

“Yeah, thank god!” you answer, wetting your toothbrush. 

“Okay, game plan, keep brushing, just listen. He’s into you, you’re into him. He’s been flirting with you all night. He wants you babe, and if it were me? Well, I’d do it. I know what you’re gonna say, ‘Ruthie, I can’t give it up on the first date’, blah blah blah, I don’t care, fuck the police. He’s hot, you’re hot, you’re in Europe, and if you don’t sex that man tonight, you might not get the chance to again.” she lectures, giving you a stern look.

You spit your toothpaste into the sink, wiping your mouth and grabbing for your hair brush. You run it quickly through your hair as she continues. “God, I have got to know what this man is like in the bedroom. I am so living through you right now. I expect every detail first thing in the morning. Not noon, not three, morning.”

You grab your perfume from the bathroom counter and hold it up to the camera, “Should I, or too much?”

“Yes, you should, obviously! But don’t overdo it!” she yelps back. You spray the perfume onto your wrists, careful not to spray too much. 

“Alright, I feel better, but do you think I should change? Honestly, I feel so…”

“What? Hot, sexy? Drop dead gorgeous? Didn’t have a problem with it when you sent that picture earlier, what's different now?” she asks. 

“Well, nothing I guess, I just… He will see me in person. You can see my nipples!” you admit.

“I think he’s gonna see a lot more than your nipples tonight babe, that’s just the appetizer.” she laughs, crunching the ice from her drink. 

“Oh my god you are so gross, okay, fine. I just need to clean up the room and little and–”

A knock at the door renders you both silent. You mouth the words ‘oh my god’, as she laughs silently. 

“I’ll call you later,” you whisper, quickly ending the call and tossing your phone onto the dresser. You take a deep breath and smooth your hands over the black satin tank top, pushing your boobs up, but letting out a defeated sigh when they drop back into place. She better be right about this. 

You blow out a calming breath as you make your way towards the door, twisting the handle and pulling the door open. Leaning against your door frame you find Jake, cheeks flushed and somehow looking even better than he did this afternoon. He’s in the same clothes, and his hair is windblown, but there is something different about him. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you file it away for later. 

You purse your lips in a smirk, “You said five minutes.”

He smiles and nods, “I did, but I had to make a pit stop.”

“What for?” you ask, a playful tone to your voice. 

You watch his eyes flick down to take in your appearance, his chest growing as he sucks in a deep breath, “Oh, you know…had to get something,” he pauses, shrugging his shoulders a bit. “Did you make up your mind?”

You bite your lips together as you open the door a little wider, “Mmm, I thought about it…”

He steps forward, his foot on the threshold, “And?”

You instantly reach for his shirt, pulling him into the room and crashing your lips into his. He immediately takes control, leading you backwards and kicking the door shut with his foot. His hands have found your waist, sliding beneath the silky fabric of your top and gripping into your skin. He backs you into a wall, letting his warm lips drag across your jaw as his hands continue to explore the soft skin of your stomach. It’s not long before his lips are back on yours, the taste of alcohol still lingering on his tongue. 

His knee slides between your legs, parting them just enough to be able to press himself closer to you. Your arms lace around his neck, your hands tangling into his soft hair, as his hips press into yours. The sound of your lips on his is wet and desperate, the two of you devouring each other where you stand. His tongue slides into your mouth in search of yours, the two of you quickly picking up where you last left off. 

You can feel his phone vibrating in his pocket as it presses against your leg, an incessant buzz that drags your attention away from his lips. 

“You wanna get that?” you ask, whispering against his lips. 

“No,” he growls, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip. “Probably the groupchat, I’m tired of them interrupting.”

He pulls the two of you from against the wall, walking you backwards towards the bed as his lips pepper kisses up and down your jaw. He tosses you down towards the bed, the fluffy white sheets pooling around your body. His eyes are hazy as he looks down at you, his cheeks still red from what you thought was the cold, but now know is the alcohol flowing through his system. His chest is heaving as he stares down at you, taking in every single inch of your body. You can feel the primal need radiating from him, and you remind yourself to thank Ruth for not letting your change into something else. 

You can hear that his phone is still buzzing, and with a huff of aggravation he pulls it from his pocket and taps on the screen a few times before throwing it onto the nightstand. He drops to his hands, hovering over you as his shirt hangs from his body. You keep your eyes locked on his as you unbutton the buttons, letting your hands run up his stomach and over his chest. 

His lips drop back down to yours, this kiss a little slower and a little more intentional, you can feel that he wants you, and you hope he can tell that you want him just the same. He hums against your lips, the evidence of his need starting to show through in his voice. You let your hands push the fabric of his shirt over his shoulders and he assists by tossing it to the floor. His necklaces hang between the two of you, the pendants cold as they rest against your chest. 

His hand comes up to swipe at the thin strap of your tank top, pulling it delicately over your shoulder while letting his eyes meet yours. You nod your head just enough to give him permission, letting him repeat the action with the other side. 

He brings his palm to rest on the side of your neck, his fingertips brushing lightly against your skin before he drags his palm down your body, pushing the soft black fabric down your chest. 

“This what you wanted?” he hums, dragging his fingertips over your sternum. “When you sent me that little picture? Wanted to get me all worked up thinking about you in this? Thinking about you, out of this?”

Your nipples harden just at the sound of his voice, deep and rich, a gentle slur from the alcohol. He is pure sex as you look up from beneath him.

“Might’ve been…” you answer, biting your bottom lip nervously. 

“Don’t do that,” he says, pulling your lip with his thumb. “Own it. Take what you want.”

A smirk is planted on his lips, his hair hanging around his face as he looks down at you. You decide to do exactly what he says, reaching down to the hem of your top and pulling it up and over your shoulders. His eyes drop down to your chest, now completely exposed to him, the lust almost visible in his dark eyes.

“Shit…” he breathes, his tongue wetting his lips.

He slots his knee between your legs, crawling forward a little bit more and dropping down to his elbows over top of you. His lips connect with your chest, sucking a long wet kiss into the roundness of the skin. You squirm beneath him, the feeling of his lips on your body more than you can handle in the moment. He drags his lips down your body, stopping as he meets the hem of your shorts. 

“Smell so fucking good…You’re so soft, everywhere… Have half a mind to have you like this,” he pants, pressing his lips to your skin again.

“Come back,” you plead, needing to feel his lips on yours.

He moves quickly, grabbing your face with his hand and pressing his lips to yours. You reach between the two of you, your hand unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning the button on his pants. He groans as your hand slips into the waistband of his boxers, gently grazing the stubbly trimmed hair at his base. His eyes flick open to meet yours, almost as if he is surprised you’re doing what he told you to do. You stare at him, waiting for him to tell you to stop, but he doesn’t. You have the answer you need. 

You press further, reaching for him, but surprisingly finding him still mostly soft. His eyes widen a little, and his head drops just a touch. You can tell he knows, and it’s caught him a little off guard. 

You decide to take matters into your own hands, smiling back at him, “Roll over.”

He looks up, a small grin on his lips as he rolls to his back, landing in the empty spot you photographed earlier. You move to place yourself between his legs, reaching for the top of his pants and pulling them and his boxers down over his legs. He kicks them off and you toss them to the floor, taking in the sight of him completely naked in front of you. His chest is heaving as he looks at you, a grin on his shiny pink lips as he watches you slide your hands up his thighs. 

“I know I already told you this, but you’re so fucking pretty I can’t seem to think straight.”

You can feel your cheeks grow hot, the way he’s looking at you and the words falling from his mouth have your heart pumping harder than it has in years. 

“And god when you blush like that, fuck…”

You crawl forward a bit more, positioning yourself over him to straddle his waist. You lower yourself to a sitting position, letting him guide your hips to rest your body weight where he wants it. His hands grip into your hips, sliding under the silky fabric still covering your lower half. His thumbs rub circles into your hip bones, your hips rolling on their own accord against his. A hum leaves his chest as his eyes flutter closed, clearly enjoying his view and the feeling of you beneath his hands. 

You reach for his hand, grabbing his wrist and guiding his palm to rest over your chest, letting his fingers grip into the soft fullness beneath it. He palms at your breast as you continue to rock your hips over his. His mouth opens just a bit as he focuses on you, slowly bringing his other hand to rest over your other breast. His grip is firm and warm, not too rough. A hum of pleasure leaves his lips every few seconds as he drinks in the moment, but still yet he is considerably soft beneath you. 

You lean forward into his hands, letting your lips brush against his neck, your tongue darting out and licking a wet stripe up the column of his neck. His grip tightens and his hips buck upward into yours. You’ve got him where you want him now. 

You pull away from him, moving backwards on the bed until you are hovering right above his dick. Your eyes flick to his, dark and boiling over with want as you lower your face closer to him. You grab him in your hand, feeling that he is still not truly hard enough to do anything with, but you still had a few more ideas yet. 

“Can I?” you breathe, whispering the words against his soft pink tip. You bat your eyes at him, “Please?”

You watch his chest rising and falling quickly, his heart rate sky high as he watches you. “Been dreaming about it.”

You let your tongue glide over his tip, warm against your mouth as your eyes stay locked on his. You wrap your fist around his base and let your mouth sink down over him, running your tongue up the underside of his shaft. You can’t help but wonder why he isn’t rock hard at this point, his body giving you every single cue that he wants you, apart from this one. 

His hand swipes the hair away from your face as you take him, feeling him growing just the slightest bit harder as his tip grazes the back of your mouth. You pull off of him just enough to speak, letting your wet lips brush his tip. “That okay?”

“Yes, fuck yes, I just–”

You grip your hand into his thigh as you shush him, “Shhh, I know, I’m not done.”

You take him down again, bobbing your head back and forth at a steady pace as his breathing starts to pick up. His skin is clammy under your hands and his chest is heaving as he watches you take him as far as you can. 

Your brain starts to wander as you taste him, his natural musky smell translating to the taste of his skin. Maybe he drank too much? Or maybe you’re just bad at this. He should be hard by now. Maybe he doesn’t really want you like you thought. 

A groan leaves his lips and his hips buck up, forcing him further down your throat. “Fuck…”

Okay, that's definitely not it. He has been falling all over you for days, it has to be something else. 

His hand grips into your hair as his hips buck upwards again. “Feel so fuckin’ good baby, shit. Perfect little mouth, knew it would be.” 

You let your eyes flick up to his, staring at him as his tongue rests between his lips. He’s trying, you can tell, but for some reason, it’s just not working. His brow furrows in anger, and you watch as his demeanor shifts, frustration taking him over. 

You pull off him, his dick harder than when you started, but still fairly soft. You don’t know how hard he normally is, but it has to be more than this. Right?

“Jake, we don’t have t–”

He shakes his head, “Mmm, you know what? Come up here beautiful, come lay down for me.”

You do as he says, part of you sad to think that maybe you weren’t doing it for him, but you push the thoughts aside, swapping places with him as he adjusts the pillow beneath your head. He bends to kiss you, pulling away for just a second before pressing his lips to yours again much quicker. 

“So fucking pretty, all of you. But especially that mouth,” he smirks. 

He hooks his fingers into your shorts, pulling them and your panties off in one swift movement. You are bare before him, his eyes widening as he takes you in, finally getting a reaction from his dick. He fists it up and down a few times as he looks at you, “Can I touch you, baby?”

You nod quickly, letting him spread your legs apart with his free hand. A growl leaves his chest as he sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, “So gorgeous, shit…”

His thumb swipes up through your wetness, circling your clit a few times causing you to squirm beneath him. 

“Jake…” you gasp. 

His eyes meet yours, “Yeah? You like that? You’re so beyond wet, sweetheart.”

Your hips twist and turn beneath his touch, every angle proving to be more stimulating than the last. You whine, a string of curses and muffled versions of his name falling from your lips. 

“You…” he pauses, taking a deep breath, “Are everything I thought you would be. More, even.”

“Jake, please, I– I need–”

He pulls away from you quickly, his hand still fisting his cock as he reaches for his wallet on the floor. He pulls a condom from the pocket inside, tearing the foil packet open as he kneels back onto the bed. 

“Let me!” you urge, stopping his wrist, “I mean, please, can I do it?”

His eyes flick up to yours in surprise, “Yeah baby, you can do it. You can do whatever you want, swear to god.”

You grab the latex between your fingers, pinching the tip and rolling it over his cock. It's hard enough now that putting the condom on is fairly easy, but you’re positive he was even harder than this in the bathroom last night. You roll it to his base, letting your hand drift back up and over his chest before circling it around his neck. His hands grip your waist as his lips meet yours again, his tongue circling with yours as he moves you back towards the pillows, gently lowering your body to the bed. “Want you so bad, Y/N.”

“So have me,” you breathe, barely letting your lips leave his. 

You welcome him between your legs, feeling his hand reach down to fist his base, gliding himself through your wetness. In only a matter of a minute his dick is softer than it was, and both of you know it, but neither of you are willing to acknowledge it. 

His phone starts to buzz on the nightstand, both of you looking towards it. He doesn’t pay it any mind, letting it buzz on the wooden table until it stops. 

“Look at me, baby, don’t mind that,” he demands. 

You feel him press his tip to your entrance, his eyes fixed on yours. He furrows his brow as he presses his hips forward, but you feel nothing. Your eyes flick down between the two of you, finding that he can’t seem to get hard and stay hard enough to get it in. You feel a pang of hurt run through your chest, almost like rejection, but somehow a little worse. 

“Jake, are you not hard en–”

“Just give me a second, I don’t know what the fuck is going on,” he growls, his attention turning to the still buzzing phone on the nightstand. 

“I mean, I can give you head again if you think–”

“No, Y/N, I just– I just need a second, I’ll be fine,” he says. You can hear the anger in his voice, not at you, but at himself. 

“Is it me?” you ask, running your fingers up his arm that is next to your head. 

“Fuck no. You are everything I want, wet as fuck and gorgeous, no, it’s not you. I want you, I really fucking want you,” he says, stroking himself a few more times. “Alright…”

He repositions himself at your entrance, and this time you can feel him, he’s harder now, enough to slide into you, but still it’s only just enough to slip inside. 

Even half hard he is bigger than the last guy you were with, the stretch as he presses into you making that abundantly clear.

“Oh Jesus Christ, you are so tight,” he pants, his dick hardening a little at the tight fit. 

You slide your hands around his waist, pulling him down a little further as he starts to move his hips, “Oh goddamn…”

His phone buzzes twice on the nightstand as he starts to pump into you at a steady pace, but you ignore it, letting the overwhelming feeling of him moving inside of you take precedence in your brain. 

He groans through closed lips, his brow furrowed in concentration as he slides in and out of you. He rolls his hips as he thrusts into you, a whine leaving your lips as your back arches. 

“Motherfuck, you are–” he stops, regaining his composure, “Tightest fuckin’ pussy.”

Your hands grip into his sides as he picks up speed, his hips slamming into yours as both of you start to lose yourselves in the moment. Finally things felt normal, things felt good, way too good. You wanted this, you needed this, and fuck if he wasn’t checking every box you’d ever had. 

He cups your cheek in his hand, dusting his thumb over your swollen lips just as you part them to suck it in. You watch his eyes roll back in his head as he starts to pant, and you can tell he is dangerously close to his finish. 

You start to speak, ready to change positions but as you open your lips to release his finger, his phone rings, buzzing quickly across the table as the sound plays through the speakers. 

“God fucking damnit!” he growls, “What the fuck!”

“Take it Jake, it’s fine, just– answer and they’ll leave you alone.” you urge, looking to the black phone skittering across the table. 

“No, fuck no.” he snaps, his hips emphasizing his point. “I’m busy,”

The buzzing stops, and he looks back to you, letting his hand drift down to your chest. He rolls your nipple between his fingers, letting his lips meet yours. His kiss is wet, and desperate, his hips starting to falter as they move in messy strokes above you. 

You can tell he needs to cum, his body racing closer and closer with every half hard stroke of his dick. You can also tell he is fighting it, his face is red, and his hairline sweaty. You know it will be seconds, if that, until he is tumbling into his release.

His eyes flick to yours in panic, an almost apologetic look on his face as he breathes, “Baby, I’m, fuck—”

As if right on cue, his phone starts to buzz, the ringtone blaring through the speakers as his hips stutter, slamming into you again as he looks at his phone on the table. His head snaps back to you, sucking in a deep breath of panic as his hips stop, his cock twitching inside you as he fills the condom with a guttural moan. 

The fucked out look that takes over his face is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Reminiscent of a Renaissance painting, the features of his face twist into such a blissful expression that he almost looks like he’s in pain. He’s beautiful, there is absolutely no doubt about that, but it doesn’t change the fact that he just came, way, way too soon. 

You are in shock as you lay beneath his panting body, feeling him grow soft inside you once again. He pushes up to his hands nearly instantly, his face riddled with remorse as he realizes what exactly just happened. “Y/N–”

His phone buzzes again, for what has to be the sixtieth time in the last five minutes, a snap of anger washing through you. “Are you going to fucking get that?”

He mumbles a curse under his breath as he pulls out of you, the condom full as he looks at it in shame. He covers himself with his hand as he snatches the phone off of the nightstand and makes his way to the bathroom. You can feel the embarrassment swirling through the air as you hear the sink in the bathroom turn on. 

You grab the sheet at your feet and pull it up over your naked, unsatisfied body, trying to wrap your head around what exactly just happened. You try to catch your breath, the sound of your breathing filling the room but quickly drowned out by Jake’s phone ringing. This time though, he answers. 

“Hello?!” he shouts, his anger apparent. “Yeah I’ve seen him fucking calling, I have been busy goddamnit!” 

You hear the sink turn off and the toilet flush, followed by the sound of his footsteps walking back into the room. “Yes, I will call him, Jesus Christ, don’t ever blow my shit up like that again,” he snaps, ending the call. He pauses as he walks, a hand towel in his grip as he taps his phone screen.

You hear another call ringing out, but this time he's the one doing the calling. He walks over to you with the phone on speaker phone, a look of sadness on his face as he slowly approaches the edge of the bed. He sits next to you and reaches for your hand just as the person answers. 

“Hey, man, been trying to call you.” the man's voice says, a tone of urgency present.

“Yeah, sorry about that, I was caught up for a second. What’s up, what’s going on?” Jake answers, rubbing his hand along your arm. 

He turns to look at you mouthing ‘guitar tech’ as he hands you the damp towel. You make quick work of it, wiping yourself off but knowing you’ll be taking a shower as soon as possible. You throw it across the room as he snickers, waiting for Johnny to answer.

“Listen man, I’m at the venue, trucks just arrived and we are doing load out. One of the stage left Marshall cabinets split in transit. Wiring harness is fucked. Amp is…the amp is not looking good man.”

You see Jake stiffen, “What?” 

“Huge gash in the backside, must have fallen or something, I tried to fuck with the wiring as best as I could, it’s not getting any signal right now, man.”

“Holy fuck,” he groans, standing quickly from the bed and gripping into his hair. “No signal? Did you try a direct line in?”

You cut your eyes wondering how he managed to sober up so quickly in the last three minutes.

“Yeah, even DI there’s no signal, just static. Powers’ on, but she’s DOA. Gonna have Mark take a look at it too, but I don’t have high hopes,” he continues. 

“Is there anything we can do? How the fuck are we supposed to get a replacement amp and cabinet by tomorrow?” Jake asks, his voice laced with panic. 

“We can make some calls, I know a guy with some leads. What are the chances of you coming down here to take a look at it? Maybe I’m completely missing something, man. Hoping it's a quick fix. Need your signature for the insurance waiver, too.”

“Can it wait until morning?” he asks, a pained look on his face. 

“Probably shouldn’t, especially if we are looking for a replacement locally.”

He turns to look at you, and you can tell he is conflicted. You bite your lips together and nod your head. This is his job after all. 

He runs a hand over his face, letting out a sigh, “Yeah, yeah, I um– I can be there in a bit. I just need to wrap something up here, and I’ll be there. See if you can get in touch with Hamstead, I’m sure they have a loaner we could use for tomorrow at the very least.”

“Will do man, hey sorry about this, I don’t know what happened, maybe it wasn't strapped down or–”

Jake is quick to cut him off, “It’s fine, not your fault. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Yep, see you then,” he says, ending the call. 

He tosses his phone on the nightstand before dropping his head into his hands. “This night has been…”

He turns to look at you, letting out a sigh, “I don’t know what the fuck it’s been, fuck, I just…”

You can tell he is flustered, he can hardly form a sentence. “Listen, I get it. It’s fine, just go do what you need to do. It’s okay, really.”

He nods as he stands up from the bed, walking around the front to start grabbing for his clothes. He doesn’t say much as he dresses, and he will hardly look at you. You don’t really know why, but you can imagine he is feeling a little bad about himself and his performance at the moment. You still haven't let yourself process what exactly happened with the two of you just now, but you will, soon. 

He re-buttons his shirt, pulling his hair up into a hair tie as he lets out a sigh, “Look, I’m sorry about this. I really am, this is the absolute very last thing I want to do right now, especially after… that. But I have to, and I don’t want you to think that I want to because–”

“Jake. I get it. Just go, it’s fine,” you say calmly, hoping he will believe you. 

He grabs his phone and his wallet and shoves them into his pants pocket, kneeling on the bed towards you. He leans in to kiss you, but his lips don’t land on yours, instead missing your mouth completely. A new rush of secondhand embarrassment washes through you, and right now you think him leaving is probably the best thing he could do. 

He curses himself as he stands up shaking his head in defeat as he swallows back his embarrassment. He walks towards the door with a hand in his pocket, turning to you just before stepping out,  “I’ll uh…I’ll text you, I guess, I don’t know, fuck. Have a good night, Y/N.”

The door slams behind him and suddenly the room is silent. No heavy breathing, no pitchy moans, and no ringing phones. Just pure silence. 

You stare at the wall for a full five minutes, the muted TV flashing colors against your skin. You can’t conjure a thought. Not a single one. Nothing other than what the fuck was that?

You want to call Ruth. You want to call her and tell her everything, but you also don’t even know what you would say. Something like ‘Hey Ruth, just had the worst two minutes of sex of my life? Oh did I mention he was barely hard? And I couldn’t get him hard? And that his phone rang the entire time? And that he came in two minutes? And I didn’t finish at all? And then he had to leave as soon as he finished? And now I’m sitting alone and naked in my hotel room?’  Yeah, you needed to sit on this one for a minute. Your eyes catch sight of the flower laying on the dresser, now looking a little bit limp and lifeless but still beautiful no less. You feel a pang run through your chest, tearing your eyes away from it so as not to taint that moment earlier with this one. 

You rip the sheets from your body and make your way to the bathroom, turning the shower on as hot as it will go before stepping inside. You let the steaming hot water clear your mind and ease your tense muscles, washing away the scent of his cologne that is lingering on your skin. 

You wrack your brain for answers, though you can hardly come up with anything that makes sense. There’s just no fucking way he is actually terrible in bed. We had so much chemistry, the electricity between us was nearly electrocuting you. He felt so good last night. We were so in sync last night. This had to be a fluke, right? You’ve seen him with his guitar on stage, where was that?!

You lather your skin in your body wash, rinsing away the remaining evidence that this night ever happened. After the best afternoon with him, why was he so off tonight? He barely seemed like himself. Maybe he really did have too much to drink. 

You tried to put yourself in his shoes. If the roles were reversed and it was your phone blowing up like that, you probably would have been a little distant too. But that didn’t explain why he couldn’t stay hard. That was a mystery to you, and you really hoped to god it was the beers and not you. You know he was so much harder last night, you know he was. You felt it. So what happened between last night and tonight? 

Something. You knew that much. 

You turn off the water and wrap yourself in a towel, letting your mind wander with possibilities, trying to convince yourself that what he showed you tonight was not who he really was. You sat back down on the bed you just shared with him, thinking back to that few seconds where things were good. And it was good, it felt good, he felt good. There was no denying those few seconds. But the rest of it, well, that was still up for debate. 

You grab your phone and tap the screen, the display reading 1:02AM. There are no texts from Jake, though you didn’t really know what you expected him to say.

From the little you know about him, when he left here tonight the confidence he naturally exudes was gone, not even in the same building. You knew he would reach out, but only when he was ready and knew what to say. But until then… 

You toss your phone on the bed next to you, quickly changing into a clean pair of pajamas and curling back up into the bed. You lay there staring at the ceiling trying to figure out how you are going to handle things tomorrow. You would be with him the entire day, and you didn’t want to make him feel worse than he likely already did. 

You go back and forth with yourself until you land on something sturdy: You won’t say anything, you won’t do anything. You’ll act completely normal. The same as you have for the last few days. You decide to tear this page from the book and move forward. This never happened. 

Deep down you know there was something holding him back from being fully present with you tonight, but what that is you’ve yet to discover.

—

JAKE POV

The early morning finds you facedown on your bed, still fully clothed, one boot kicked off into the floor, the other still completely on your foot. The sun is far from being up, and you’re thankful that you still have a few hours before its rays beat in through your window. The bustle of the awakening city is loud on the streets below you, and you find yourself wanting nothing more than to stay in this exact position for the rest of the day. For the rest of your life, actually. Maybe, if you bury yourself under these blankets and pillows, everyone will forget about you. Isla will forget about you. Y/N will forget about you, about everything, about last night. It will be like it never even happened. It will be like the most amazing buildup to what could have been a night of pure electricity didn’t take an absolute nose dive into one of the most embarrassing things to have ever happened to you. You’d take tripping on stage a million times over this. Pure. Humiliation.

Yeah, right here, in this bed. Under the pillows. They can’t find you here. 

What the fuck even happened?! Whiskey dick was an understatement. It didn’t even begin to explain what you…experienced. Unable to perform for the most beautiful new thing that has happened to you. Everything was perfect, she was perfect… her confidence was enamoring, her head was off the charts good, and fuck, for the few seconds you had things actually going, it was pure ecstasy. She was soaked for you. Her sounds, her face… fuck. It all came flooding back to your brain, even the way she smelled still stuck in your mind. She wanted you, just as badly as you wanted her. Just the thought of it had you standing at attention all over again, at full force this time, though. And you’d let her down. 

You sit up and roll yourself over. “Where the fuck were you last night, huh? Let me the fuck down!” you audibly yell at what was happening in your still-belted jeans. You force your face back into the comforter, realizing now that a horrific hangover is on the horizon. Your head is busting in two already, not like you already didn’t feel like shit on a boot.

Staying here, under the pillows until sound check. Right here. Not moving. Hiding. 

You know that’s not realistic, though. You contemplate texting her, but what the fuck do you even say? You couldn’t even satisfy her, and ended up satisfying yourself, way too fucking soon. What had you lasted, two minutes? Three max? Like a fucking 16 year old kid. God, what a fucking tool. She probably thinks you’re a horrible lay. You know you’re better than that. 

You groan hard into the sheets below you, feeling the metallic taste of a hangover in your mouth. You need a gallon each of water, orange juice, and black coffee, stat. And probably like, nine pieces of the butteriest toast you can find. And probably a shower, yes, a shower. And a straightjacket, for how absolutely insane you feel. 

Damnit, the amp. Luckily, the rental was in the works of being en route last night, so you feel just a little bit better about that, at least. It won’t be your baby, but it will sound okay. 

You roll and find your almost-dead phone underneath your chest, blinking your eyes as the screen brightens. Nothing. Not even Isla. Good. No one wants you. You can stay here, hidden in your burrow, until you absolutely can’t anymore. 

You’ve gotta say something, anything to her, to start this process that you want to stay millions of miles away from. But the first step to healing is admission, so you go ahead and take it. 

You

5:31AM: I’m sorry. 

You watch as the message is delivered to her, seeing the string of foreplay texts and her photo still sitting in the chat. She’s so gorgeous, how could you have fucked up this badly? Your first chance to show her how you feel and you fumble this hard?

Though there were many factors playing into it, at the very deepest darkest part of your mind, you know why. You know exactly why. Guilt isn’t an emotion you let yourself feel very often, and this morning, you find yourself grasped in the wrath of it. The double-edged sword of your current situation with two separate women is proving to be more intertwined than you’d anticipated, or even foresaw. What you want is clear, though. And you’re determined to get a second chance, no matter how rocky and uncomfortable the road to that chance may be. 

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[vanfleeter]

I HATE LIVING IN THE MIDWEST

[vanfleeter]

THE PERFECT ENDING OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! I mean, I love everything you write but this story really had me in a chokehold 😍😍😍😍😍

Hello!  Welcome to Chapter 7.2 and the Epilogue of CD&FE.  

Pairing: Jake X Female Reader 

Summary: This is an AU that starts with the release of GVF’s first EP, Black Smoke Rising, and follows along life paths over the course of twenty plus years.

Content warnings: A return to smut.  They are reunited and it’s like fireworks.  So, please be aware - mentions of alcohol, adult emotions and relationships, sex, oral, fingering, p in v, maybe some spanking, hair pulling maybe, anal play, language, strong language, you get the picture. Oliver Fucking Reed also makes a 30 second appearance.

Word Count: approx. 6.3K 

It’s here!  The end.  These two - @edgingthedarkness and @takenbythemadness have been so supportive through this whole bit.  Thank you one last time, ladies.  Love you.  And THE scene is finally here.  We were cackling over pet names during sex until it just fucking worked and we all just did a collective “holy shit”.  

CD&FE, Part 7.3:  Jake POV      

      I almost missed the final bow.  Josh belted out for me to stop as I was pretty much racing towards the stairs.  I knew I was rushing, but fuck that.  I had a flight in ninety minutes.  Randal promised he would have a car with my bag and my acoustic waiting and at the ready.  Somehow, he was able to get me on an earlier flight.  My whole mind was set on getting to Y/n.  The daily texts were not enough.  I needed her.  Now.  I needed to know that we were going to finally try.  

      The others were doing their post-show bickering and critique while I handed off my guitar and walked as fast as my rubbery legs could carry me towards the dressing rooms.  I could hear them calling for me, but I didn’t bother.  I was stripped out of my jacket and was kicking out of my boots by the time I shoved my way into my dressing room.  I had laid out clothes ahead of time.  I sped through cleaning up.  God that was a hot show.  I was a complete mess of nerves and stink as I washed.  All I could think of was how I was going to have to really sprint to get to the gate and make the flight.  It was worth it.  I would be at her door well before breakfast.  That was the goal.

      Towel wrapped around me and trying like hell to squeeze the water from my hair, I was startled by a knock on the door.  I grumbled out a ‘do not disturb’, but I knew the moment the door opened, it was my mom.  

      “Mom - what -”

      “Sorry honey,”  she started as I grabbed my clothes and moved back into the shower stall to dress.  “I know you’re rushing but I have a huge favor to ask of you.”

      “Come on, Mom,”  I grumbled, yanking my pants on.  “I was able to get an earlier flight.  I’m leaving.”    

       “I think this one is important,”  she said as I smashed my elbow into the wall in my effort to pull my shirt across my wet head.  “I met her during the set.  She’s a huge fan.  Such a sweet girl.”

       I glared at her as I walked back out to try to put myself together.  “Mom, we’ve talked about this.  We can’t do these meet and greets just because someone approaches you.  The managers…”

      “I know, I know.  But this one is different.”

      “You say that all the time,”  I quipped as I started dragging a brush through my hair.  “But seriously I have… 84 minutes until I’m in the air.  You know-”

       “But this one-”

       “Mom!”

       A look crossed her face that I had not seen since I was maybe sixteen.  Well, twenties, but really?  She opened the door and leaned out.  I knew she called for my dad.  Damn it.  Sure as shit, two seconds later there he was - with his stern ‘How could you do this?’ look plastered all over his face.

      “Jake.”  One word.  One syllable.  And I found myself back to being their child.  

      “I’m forty two years old. When does this shit end?”  I griped as I threw my stage clothes on hangers to be washed.

      “Never,”  my mother replied with a raised eyebrow.

      I relented if it meant they would get out of my dressing room.  I threw the rest of my personals into the waiting backpack and looked around for anything that I may have missed.  In the history of me trying to get shit done so I can leave, this moment was probably the fastest I’ve ever moved.  There was still a chance that I could dodge the fan thing.  Mom did, after all, forget to tell me where to go.  Or had I just not heard.  Didn’t matter.  Out the door and I immediately turned towards the loading bay.

      “Jacob!  Over here!”

      Fuck.  I had been caught.  When I turned towards them, I may have been scowling.  Mom did that thing with the fingers drawing the corners of her mouth into a smile and everything.  Was it too much to ask to get on a damn plane and get to this woman that I…  Loved.  I loved her.  Every thread of my being loved her.  Craved her.  Desired her.  But not just the sex.  It was like we were two pieces of the same map that needed no stitching to be together.  I drew out my phone and held up two fingers, mouthing to her as I passed by - two minutes.

      Everyone was in the banquet style family room.  Odd.  Josh was still bouncing around in his jumpsuit like he was plugged directly into an amp.  There was family all over the place, but it felt off.  I couldn’t identify the sensation beyond it being like a dream.  Everyone was glancing and looking at me but not really acknowledging me.  The frustration of time slipping away ate at my edges and started to piss me off.  I didn’t have the time for this shit and trying to track down a ‘fan’ was not my priority.  We were nearly through to the back side of the room when I threw in the towel.

      “Mom!  I don’t have the time for this shit!”  I blurted out, turning around as she began to argue.

       I was expecting her to really lay into me, but her words were nonexistent.  My gaze first fell on my dad as he was in front of the door, an overly cocky look on his features.  Just before him was Y/n, a shy smile and soft rock from side to side betrayed her unsureness of the moment.  My jaw dropped open and my guts spilled to the floor.  It was like the first time to Disney World, the first time playing Madison Square Garden, and seeing her for the first time ever all rolled into one.  The breath in my chest turned to fire as I felt my mom’s hand land on my back.

       “So totally your girl, Jacob,”  she whispered.

       I struggled through an exhale in a frail attempt to not break down.  “How do you know?”

      “Because Dad still looks at me the way you look at her, forty five years later,”  she said with a gentle push at my shoulder.  “Stop trying to be cool.  We all know it’s about to get mushy in here.”

      At her warm laughter, I found myself untethered from the ground and moving towards her.  All I could see was her and the glint in her eye that was my beacon.  I blinked and she was in my arms.  I blinked again and her lips were on mine.  I didn’t bother to listen to the whoops and hollers that were happening around us.  Fuck that.  The moment was all us.  I felt like I was being stretched and pulled and smashed and pummeled all at the same time.  The sound of her filled me like nothing else.  All I wanted to do was drag her back to the hotel…

      “Oh, shit,”  I whispered.  “I don’t have a room.”

      My hands came down on her hips as she started to step away.  I didn’t need her to move - at all.  It was like she instantly was the air that I needed to breathe.  The grin on her lips as she took me in made my heart quiver.

      “I gave up my room.  I’m supposed to be on a damn plane in-”

      She laughed as she cupped my cheek.  “I have a room.”

      I leaned into her touch.  Life went on around us. I was locked into her and unable to get past it.  I watched as she slipped her hand into mine and pulled it close to her chest.

      “Should we get out of here?”  she asked, a faint blush grew across her cheeks as she looked around at my family as if becoming aware of so many eyes on us.

       “Yeah.  Feeling a little weird with everyone around,”  I sighed with a backwards look at Mom.

       Dad was at her side, both grinning like idiots at us.  I felt like we were at a wedding - that part where everyone suddenly is ready for the couple to race away to get laid, or whatever.  

      “Where the fuck is Randall?”  I suddenly asked, formulating a plan from the ashes of my previous one.

       I located the assistant and was able to get the car to take us to the hotel.  He was also gracious enough to change the plane ticket for me - adding one for her for the next evening.  Perfect.  It was perfect.  I could barely keep my hands from her as we fumbled our way up to her room on the third floor, oddly enough just down the way from my  previous suite.  Nice.

      I fell against her as the post show exhaustion caught up with me.  We slowly made love, accepting it was all I was up to as every ounce of my frame started to ache.  I fell asleep with my cheek on her chest and her hands in my hair.  When I woke up alone, I panicked until I heard her moving around at the bathroom vanity.  An idea came to my brain as I slid out from under the tangled up sheets.  I was half hard by the time I saw her in the reflection of the huge mirror.  I caught her hips as she started to turn my direction.

      “Think you can keep your leg hiked up on that counter, mouse?”  I asked, as I gently pulled her right thigh up to rest her foot on the edge of the long, low slung vanity.

       I wasn’t really paying attention to her answer, just her wide spread pussy that had already started to weep just for me.  I trailed my fingers across the miles of skin of her leg going right to her center.  My eyes traced up to hers in the mirror as I passed a barely there touch to her clit.  The way her eyes widened for a moment made me grin.  I watched my fingers go to work against her folds and nub.  It didn’t take long before she was dripping against my skin and down her thigh.  Her head flopped back, and I made sure my shoulder was there for support.  I kissed along her neck just like I knew it would make her fall apart all the faster.  I hummed as I found the pulse point and she buried her teeth in her lip with a dull whine.  

       “Spray for me, mouse,”  I whispered against her cheek.  “Give it to me.”

       Her hands wrapped back across my hips for support.  She looked amazing with me wrapped around her, lips hung open and the sound...  Goddamn her sounds were making my cock ache something fierce.  I shifted, pressing into the small of her back as I tugged her open all the more.  I slid two fingers into her and was rewarded with a raspy moan that filled every inch of my skin with heat.  My palm filled with her as she hosed down her leg.  Her frame shook hard with her pleasure that I pumped her through hard.

       “Put your hands on the counter,”  I whispered as I kissed down her spine.

       I placed a sloppy kiss on the swell of her ass before sinking my teeth in.  

       “Motherfucker,”  she gasped as I pressed my fingers into her firmly as I tugged my bite to ensure I marked her.

       I lapped at her soaked thigh until I reached her core.  Fuck I missed her taste.  I sucked every inch that I could, savoring all of her.

       “Jake,”  she groaned, pushing her ass back a bit as if moving me to where she needed.

       “Like that?”  I asked before I ground the tip of my nose against her core and nibbled at her clit.

       “Jake,”  she said, this time her voice was off, like in pain.

       I pulled back, trying to catch a glimpse of her in the mirror.

      “Fucking cramp!”  she belted out, her leg coming down off the vanity suddenly and nearly falling back into me.  “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, fucking hell, ooooooowwwww.”

      I rubbed at her hip and thigh with a grimace.  I apologized profusely as she started to laugh.  Her cheeks were completely blushed out as I helped her to walk back towards the bed.

      “Sorry, sorry!”  she said, hiding her face.  “Oh my god, I can’t believe that just fucking happened!”

      I laughed as I got her to sit down.  “Are you okay?”

     She grimaced something fierce as I pressed my fingers into her thigh where she had been trying to grab and kneed.  I slowly knelt before her, helping her through the steel tightening in her leg.  I bent and planted a kiss on her knee as she blew out a few deep breaths.

      “Better?”  I ask quietly as I look up into her embarrassed face.

      “Yeah,”  she groaned, still trying to hide her eyes.  “I’ll be okay.”

      I smiled at her.  She’s gorgeous even when she is so totally flustered.  I took her hands into mine and leaned back on my heels.  She peeked to find that I was totally soft.  She whispered out a curse as her embarrassment washed across her once more.

     “Just means you gotta work for it,”  I sassed with a raised eyebrow.

     I hummed at the sight of her tongue at the corner of her lips.  She whispered for me to stand up and I was quick to follow her order.  She dragged her hands down my flanks and the fronts of my hips.  She lapped at her lips in a very obvious manner as she hooked my soft length with her thumb.

     “Hmmm,”  she said, her voice full of depth.  “I kind of like ‘em soft for this.”

     She rolled her eyes up to meet mine as she dropped her mouth totally open and fed all of me into her mouth.  Her tongue tickled my balls before she sucked one in, followed by the other.  The sight blew my mind as she vibrated with a giggle.  She dragged her teeth across the ball sack as she slowly let them go with a little bite at the end.

      “Fuck,”  I breathed, practically hunched over her and her dark magic.

      “That didn’t take long,”  she teased before taking my hardening shaft between her lips with a hard pull.

       She pulled me all the way back in and rolled my sack between her fingers.  She bobbed her head a few times before meeting my gaze once more.  She let me go and wiped a line of drool from the corner of her soaked mouth.  It was absolutely obscene the way she sucked at my thigh and pumped my cock.

       “How you gonna fuck me, Jake?”  she hummed before swallowing me down again.  “You gonna treat me like an angel?  Be all gentle and sweet like you did last night?”

       My jaw slacked as she spread my cheeks and passed her fingers across my entrance and twisted her tongue over the tip of my dick.  She was better than porn.  She was better than any other woman. She was mine.

      “Or are you gonna make it hard and rough.  Treat me like a sinner,”  she cooed, working my rim with delicious pressure.  “You gonna fuck me hard into this matress?  Break me.  Ride me.  Fucking mark me?”

       She spat on her finger and pressed beyond the rim to swirl and make me moan like her own whore.  She yanked my cock up to press against my belly while she loved on and bit on my balls and the inside of my thighs.  I nearly shot my load all over her face right there.  She seemed to pick up on it and backed off with a sultry lick from base to tip.  She rained gentle kisses to my belly as she put herself into my hands.

      I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up to her feet with a searing kiss.  She was everything in that moment.  Every moment.  All time.  Everything.  I turned her and pushed her down onto her belly.  I wrapped her hair around my fist as I straddled her thighs.  She lifted her hips just enough to expose her core to me to slip into.

      “You don’t want me to be gentle?”  I asked as I bottomed out nice and slow.

      I exposed her throat with a languid tug on her hair to pull her face away from the mattress.  The way her back strained was sexy.  She was powerful as I stayed buried in her depths.  I saw the red mark already forming beneath my shifting palm on her hip.  I slapped her ass cheek with a wicked speed that made her gasp.

      “Please, more,”  she squeaked.

      I couldn’t help the smirk that pierced my lips.  We explored during our times together.  We were by no means shy about sharing ideas or desires.  But damn if this was a boundary that we had not tested before.  I was hooked.  I slapped her other cheek before pounding myself into her at a fast pace, but shallow, teasing depth.  She growled and tried to look back at me, but I tightened my hold on her hair, keeping her right where she was.

      “Don’t fucking tease me,”  she threatened.

      It sent shivers all the way through my system.  I ate it up like fucking candy and needed more.  Immediately.  I pulled myself from her and parted her legs so I could nestle down between and thrust hard into her before I laid down on top of her.  I held onto her wrists as I pummeled in and out and ground down against her ass.

      “Better, baby?”  I asked with my teeth on her ear.

       “More,”  she moaned.

       “More, what?”  I tested, just to see what she would say.

       Another low, deep moan erupted from her chest as I  pushed through her tight folds and felt her constrict all the way down my length.  “BITCH,”  she growled.  “You’re my fucking Bitch!!”

       I lapped and sucked on her ear with a taunting laugh.  “I’ve been your bitch for two damn decades,”  I sighed.  “Try again, baby.”

       Silence.  But I didn’t let up.  I sucked a mark hard into her throat as I dragged myself nearly completely out and slammed back into her.  The sound of our skin slapping against each other was profane.  I felt her spray as I set into another punishing round.

      “Schnookums!”  she bleated out with a hard laugh.

      “What the fuck is that?”

      I couldn’t help but pause for a second to regroup.  I laughed into her shoulder and she actually snorted.  So sexy.  I threaded an arm across her chest and rolled us over so that she was on top with me still buried deep within.  She sat up and rolled her hips a few times before turning to face me.  God, I loved her form.  The deep cut of her hips, the bounce of her breasts.  

       “You going to try again?”  I asked, shoving my hips up to force another hard connection.

       She practically flailed over as I ground up into her.  I watched as she recovered and leaned over me so we were nose to nose.  She made like she was going to kiss my mouth but instead, hovered just above.

       “Captain.”

       I gasped.  Everything blurred as the singular word set my body on fire and my mind to racing.  I grabbed hold of her hips and rolled us once more so that I could properly fuck into her without mercy.  My gaze locked onto her face as I pounded my hips into hers.  She yanked up her legs to give me full access.  I felt myself turning into a feral being as I ground and slapped my body into her.  

       Her eyes twinkled as she pushed herself up to kiss me hard and pull me down into her.  She repeated ‘captain’ over and over, coaxing whimpers from me that filled the air around her like she commanded my every movement.  It was like that poem, but better - it was her own.  She was panting and chirping and her eyes were glazing over like she was about to… oh goddamn.  I swear her pussy clamped down on me as a cry ripped from her mouth.  Everything on her body froze solid. Her whole body buckled and bowed and shivered with her orgasm.  I couldn’t help but to be dazzled as I shot my load with a sound that poured from my mouth that I had never made before.  My heart was racing in my chest and my breath was blowing against her hair as we tried to hold onto each other.  She cooed and caressed me.  I pressed ghostly kisses across her collarbones as if I could drink those last remnants of the love we just shared to stay drunk on her.

     Stillness.  I listened to her breathe as we dozed pressed against each other.  I trailed my fingers back and forth across her shoulder as I tried to gather my thoughts, my words.  There was too much to say to her at this point.  My throat vibrated with the prettiest of sentiments.  But they remained mute as I just took in the weight of the seconds as they ticked by.

      Her phone chirped an alarm that demanded her attention.  My skin screamed out for her quick return, only to be left disappointed.

      “If we’re going to make that flight, we gotta move,”  she whispered, suddenly keeping her distance.

      I frowned.  I knew she was right.  I knew I had just blown my opportunity to quell the bubble of question that was roasting in my chest.  Somehow, just feeling her presence had been more important.  We found ourselves through showers, dressed and taking the elevator down to the lobby before either one of us spoke again.  It was like all we needed to say was in the linger touches we shared; the long held gazes that accompanied a knowing smile.  Randall had a car waiting for us and we were on our way to the airport in no time at all.  I held her hand against my thigh, but it didn’t seem like enough contact.

      We sat in the gate waiting.  It was then I noticed that in our quietness, there was a resolve.  I watched as she talked to Pat on her phone, but all the while, she was touching me - my arm, my knee, holding onto my hand.  She was in the same space as me.  Just to know that she was real - that this moment was really happening.  The flight was not remarkable.  She dozed on my shoulder the entire way.  I breathed in the trust that she gave over to me.  

      Her new home was the embodiment of her.  It was not unlike the house she had all those years before, but this one felt like her whole life was woven into every fabric, embedded into the paint and bones of the structure.  There was nothing hidden - everything of her was on display.  I carried our bags into her bedroom and she cornered me as I was about to walk back out to her kitchen.  Her lips parted as she leaned close.

      “I love you,”  I whispered as our lips hovered over each other.  “I’ve loved you forever.”

      She planted a soft kiss but then leaned back with her fingers tracing the line of my jaw.  “I claim you my safe harbor, Jake.”

      There it was.  The bubble of questions in my chest calmed.  I knew it wasn’t going to be absolutely perfect, but it would be ours.  We would navigate this - the long stretches of being alone and the times where we could be together.  She had made changes, just the same as I had made changes.  The built in breaks for family would tie in perfectly when she would have to be in the office.  The tour dates where we were on the road, she would be able to follow much more freely, working from whatever faraway hotel we found ourselves tucked in.  It was a balance.  It had been a hard fight for balance, but we did it.  We made it work.  And we flourished because of it.    

Epilogue, Her POV     

     My heart was racing, matching the paces of my steps as I dashed through the terminal of Detroit airport.  I had been waylaid by Spring storms and a client that needed a bit of extra hand holding to see the vision of their event.  I stopped just long enough to pee and to get a text out to Ronnie to meet me at the door.  There was no way in hell I was going to miss the big party.

     I pushed my way out the double slider doors and instantly heard the rumble of the ‘Cuda.  Leave it to my escorts to do this running in style.  The air owned a brittle warmth, like Spring wanted to arrive, but had at least one good snowstorm left in her to give.  I pulled my light jacket closer to my frame as I made it to the curb.  Kelly was quick to step out of the shiny cherry red, deep rumbling 1970 Barracuda.  He pulled me in for a quick hug before making way for me to slide into the backseat like it was a get-away car.  He tossed my bag into the trunk and off we went with Ronnie behind the wheel.

      “How you doin, Papa?”  I cooed as I got myself situated.

      Kelly grinned that infamous Kiszka grin over his shoulder.  His dark sunglasses did little to hide the joy in the man’s face.  “I’m doing amazing, sweets,”  he answered, before he started on the usual round of polite questions to catch up.

      It was already after four in the afternoon.  Ronnie had assured me that they could make it home in under 90 minutes.  Once out on the interstate, she flew that beast of a car much to her father’s delight.  We were serenaded by Kelly’s lovely baritone gravel and Ronnie’s smooth interjections of trills.  The intimidation factor of such blatant and latent talent that coursed through the family was still strong, even eight years down the road.  The best I could do is hum, sorta on key, but they loved me anyway.

      The years with Jake had not been easy, but I could not imagine life any differently.  Sure, we had a lot of bumps and bruises as we tried to figure out our balance - together.  Did we regret the resistance that spanned for so long - at times.  Honestly, I don’t think we had the maturity to survive what we are able to now.  I am able to travel with him many times throughout the year.  He comes home to me during tour breaks.  When possible, we divide time between St. Paul and Nashville, and of course Frankenmuth is still home for his folks and Ronnie.  

      “Drop me off at the hall.  The boys are expecting me,”  Kelly said as we crossed the town line.

      It was going to be a huge covert mission sneaking me in under the Kiszka radar.  Ronnie got us into her driveway and we ran inside, dodging kids and toys and all manner of obstacles.  The show was only a few hours away - One Night Only - A Night of Celebration with Greta Van Fleet was a sold out affair at Fischer Hall.  Josh broached the idea of having an all acoustic set, no openers, just a totally stripped down show with their hometown to celebrate the twins’ fiftieth birthdays.  All funds raised from the tickets were going straight to the music boosters and the Autofest to give back to the town that had so nurtured them while they grew up.  It would be just like it had been way back with them setting up, but there were a few volunteers from their formal road tech crew that made themselves available for the festivities.  

     We had just enough time to snuggle down with the nieces and nephews and have a small supper before getting ready and heading in for the party.  Ronnie and her husband, Ethan, expertly corralled their four kids into the side entrance, taking their residence in the roped off area marked family only.  I made sure to stay hidden as Jake was still texting me to see if I was on the way to at least catch the family events for the next few days.  I just kept assuring him that I would be in by breakfast.  

      “WHAT!”  Sam’s sass filled my ears before I felt his hands on my back.

      “Oh hell,”  I muttered as he turned me around and enveloped me in his embrace.

      “I thought Jake said you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow,”  he babbled, rocking me side to side.

      I tried to shush him, but was buried in his chest.

      “Oh my gawd, wait until he knows-”

      “Sam!  No!”  I barked out, trying to keep my voice down but loud enough to be heard.  “It’s a surprise.”

      The glint that overtook his eyes was endearing.  I could count on him to be quick to figure out the puzzle before him, regardless of his own mindset.  He nodded and seemed to step back, as if blocking the doorway.

      “Are you staying here?”  he asked, waving at hand around the side stage area.  When I nodded, he frowned.  “That won’t do.  He’d totally see you with the family…”

      My heart froze when I heard Josh and Jake coming towards the main staging area.  My eyes must’ve been as big as saucers that Sam somehow mirrored.  He pushed me into the curtains and proceeded to the stage with his brothers.  Danny passed by with a perked eyebrow but instantly was in on the scheme when I held up a finger to my lips, no words necessary.  There were times that I so appreciated that man.  The hall was packed and loud as they settled down onto stools and chairs.  

     “A Very Happy Birthday To US!”  Josh shouted out, beaming out across the audience with a million watts of sunshine.

     I chanced a glimpse out, seeing Jake under the stage lights.  His full silver hair shone around him as he slowly ran his fingers across the frets.  His handsome face was full of concentration as he prepared during Josh’s rambling speech about nice to be home amongst faces of so many friends and family.  He talked about their first show in the hall and their last appearance before things took on a much bigger avenue.  I watched as the corner of Jake’s mouth tugged a bit as if his memories swirled right along with his twin.  Sam and Danny were on either side of them, so as to keep the twins together on their day.

      “There you are,”  Karen whisper-shouted from behind me.

      I grimaced as I turned, hoping not to draw attention as they started to play the opening song.  “Hey, Mom,”  I greeted softly as she pulled me in for a hug.

      “Cake’s here - they’re prepping it up now,”  she said, eyes on her boys.  

      It was not hard to see the pride in her eyes.  Even after all the years, she still loved to see her boys play - didn’t matter if it was to something small like the hall, or huge stadiums.  Her boys.  Her treasures.  We watched, hand in hand, for a stretch.  My spirit calmed as I watched my man play his guitar and wear a smile that made me swoon.  I could hardly believe that I had had eight years with him.  There were times that were still rough, but we were happy.  I was happy.  Jake made every moment count.  I loved the man and was rewarded with the good and bad that made him Jake.  

     Karen tugged at my hand as they were nearing the final few songs.  The plan was that I would help her and Kelly push the cart that held the cake out on the stage to surprise Jake.  I cast one glance back towards him as she led me away.  He radiated absolute joy.  It brought tears to my eyes to see him so filled with happiness.  Kelly wrapped his arm around my shoulders as if he just knew that I was struggling.  He held me close without a word as if knowing that just some quiet was what I needed to get back on my feet.  

      “You ready, honey?”  Karen asked without actually committing her words to anyone - she just put her hands on the rolling cart and took off towards the stage.  

      I looked up at her husband and he just shrugged with a smile as if it was answer enough.  I walked with him, his hand wrapped tight to mine.  They were lingering across a song from the latest album by the time we stepped to the edge of the stage.  Karen, in all her boldness, walked right out there, egging the crowd on for cheers that seemed to wash over the stage with cries of ‘Happy Birthday!’  Jake turned and his gaze froze on me.  For a moment, I struggled for breath as his eyes grew glossy and the corner of his mouth pulled tight with emotion.

      Kelly and Karen were busy lighting candles while Josh, Danny and Sam were bent over causing all sorts of theatrics to distract from how Jake set his guitar to the side and slowly stood up from his stool.  I stumbled forward, totally missing how there were cords everywhere and nearly slammed myself into the back of Kelly.  Yeah.  That would’ve been amazing.  Much to my relief, Jake had his hand out for me to take.  He pulled me into him and kissed me hard as his fingers drifted across my cheek.

      “Happy birthday,”  I whispered as the crowd started to sing the happy birthday song.

      He pressed his lips to mine once more, his fingers soft against my face.  “God, you’re beautiful,”  he said softly, his eyes were slow to open as he leaned into me.

      The catcalls and wolf whistles commenced as he kissed me again and his parents finished lighting the massive amount of candles.  The hall hushed as it seemed the twins became overwhelmed with emotions.  Josh held out his hand for Jake to take before they bent over to blow out the inferno before them.  Kelly wrapped his arm around Karen as they seemed to fall together in their golden pride for their boys.  The hall erupted in cheers as they laughed over their struggle to get every candle out.  Of course they yukked it up with clutching each other chests in a mock gasp of breath.  

     Jake reached for me once more.  His eyes sparkled as he brought me close.  His gaze made me feel like everyone else evaporated.  He cupped my cheek and kissed me sweetly.  God, I loved this man.  

     I am unsure if I was caught up in the moment, or if it was the right time, but I leaned into him as he folded me into a tight hug.  The others were already getting back to their stools and Karen and Kelly were pushing the cart away.  I took in a deep breath and whispered a word I never thought I would say willingly.

     “Husband.”  The word clawed its way from my mouth, but it was honest in the moment.  My eyes met his and my chest swelled with emotions as he seemed to realize what was happening.  “I’d like to call you husband, Jake.”

     He paused.  He literally paused all of his movements and just stood there holding me.  I just about started to panic, wondering instantly if I had overstepped.  He kissed the spot just below my ear.  I caught sight of those warm, dark eyes as he pulled away from me.  They twinkled with a love that was mine alone.  Every cell inside my body was jolting with the energy he fed me.  He made sure that I made it over the cabling before getting back to his job.  Karen looped her arm with mine as she just beamed radiance towards her family.  

      “Jake!  I know she’s a looker but did you forget we have this thing we gotta do?”  Josh was joking as he was settling back onto his stool with his guitar.

      There were more than a few laughs and I caught how he swayed a bit, shifting into…  “pRicK, you don’t talk about my girl that waaaay,”  he drawled, his smile was a mile wide.

      “Oliver, you said you wouldn’t do this again,”  Josh pretended.  “Remember the last time you tried to pull this - it ended in fire and thankfully no one died, but still.”

       “Yeah well, Jake’s never gotten proposed to, so this is how he answers ‘yes’,”  Jake joked, looking back at me.

       Karen screeched, echoing the crowd.  My everything became flooded with joy as the brothers congratulated him and threw me air kisses.  Our lives had been one meandering string of run-ins that were always filled with passion and a question of love.  These past years only solidified our need for the other.  Soulmates?  Perhaps.  There’s a power in finding the one who truly understands you inside and out.  As he held me on that stage, I knew one thing - this was no longer the fleeting embrace that it once had been.  It was truly a daily celebration of our life together.  And it was a beautiful, beautiful thing to be beholden to.

The End.

I hope you enjoyed CD&FE as much as I enjoyed writing it.  The original story was actually a version of Best Laid Plans that got scrapped and forgotten until it waved like a maniac at me one day and this was formed.  It really was my first reader insert that was multi-chapter, so that was interesting!  Trying it again with my next story The Dead.  I’m a long way from being done with it, but just know I’m working on something.  See y’all soon.

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @gretavanbitches @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatcherc @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter

[vanfleeter]

Tuesday reblog!! ⛵️

Matched: Chapter 4 - The Fight

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Thea Foster Warnings: 18+. Fluff. Kissing. Angst. Language. Jealousy. Yelling. Arguments. Broken glass. Physical violence. Mentions of a car accident. Hospital. Drinking. Smut. Oral sex (m receiving, implied f receiving). Unprotected sex (p in v). Breeding kink. Author's note: Second to last chapter before we take a mid series break after chapter 5! And when we come back, there may be some huge steps being taken ;) Also if there are any grammar mistakes, I'm sorry, I edited all the ones that I could find.

I can feel her soft hand running along the skin of my chest. Her nails are gently scratching as she goes. Her hand moves further down my body, inching closer and closer to the waistband of my briefs. I knew I was already hard, but she’s making it impossible. I keep my breathing even, in hopes that she doesn’t realize that I’m awake but it’s growing incredibly difficult to pretend that I’m sleeping.

Though I gave myself away when her hand finally touched me and my hips jolted on their own. She giggles and leans over to kiss my cheek. I pull open my eyes and look down at her as she innocently smiles up at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I could feel you against my ass.”

I snort and pull her against me. “Did you know that it’s a common thing for men to have erections in the morning? Happens more often than not.”

She giggles before pressing her lips to my chest. “Well I’m glad you do,” She says. “Morning sex is always the best.”

“Oh is it now?” I say with a smirk. “Considering we’ve done that, what–two or three times?”

She giggles again, nodding her head as she keeps moving down my body. My eyes flutter closed as she starts to kiss my length. My breath hitches and my hand moves down to her head and tangles with her hair. Her tongue slides up and down, curling and licking me everywhere. I can’t help the moan that escapes me as she sinks her mouth around me, devouring the whole of my cock.

She’s bringing me closer to my release. Sweat beads on my skin. I can feel my legs shaking, the warm feeling in my body beginning to fill every part of me. Curses fly from my mouth before I could stop them as she has me hurling into my orgasm. I finally released my grip on her hair, my knuckles aching as I uncurl them.

Her lips come back up my body until they meet my own.

I slide my own hands down her back and squeeze her ass in my hands. She moans against my lips and I smile. Rolling us over, I spread her legs before inserting myself. She moans again, her hands finding their place on my back. Her nails dig into my skin and I groan.

My thrusts become intense, the need for her growing. Pulling her hands off my back, I pin them to the pillows beside her head, locking my fingers inside of her as I continue pounding into her. She moans my name. Her body arches against mine, the muscles of her torso rolling against mine.

Visions of the children flash through my mind. I dreamt of them again, seeing their little faces, hearing their laughter.

The feeling of her tightening around me, pulled me from my thoughts. My second orgasm slowly creeped up.

“Come on Jake..” She breathes. “Fill me…”

“Yeah?” I say, burying my face into her neck and kissing her skin. “Want me to fill you so full? Give you a baby?”

She laughs, her chest vibrating against me. “As long as they have your nose,” She says. She cries out as her orgasm takes over, mine own following seconds later.

We spent most of the day apart again. I had some appointments to attend while she was off at work. Though I could hardly pay much attention because all I could think about was her. Even during the interview that Josh and I were paired up for to discuss the upcoming festival shows, Josh did most of the talking and sometimes nudged me to talk myself since I’ve hardly uttered more than five words.

“Look, I get it, you’re in love–you finally have what you’ve always desired–but damn, Jake. I can’t always be the one to be talking during these things.” I raise an eyebrow, knowing full well that he loves to talk. “Okay fine, I don’t mind it, but you were silent ninety percent of the time.”

“I’m sorry, I promise in the next one I’ll talk more.”

“Yeah you better,” Josh takes a gulp of water before sitting up in his chair and clearing his throat.

After finishing up all the interviews for the day, I quickly raced home after a trip to the store, and got started on making dinner. Thea texted saying she'd come back over only if I promised to make her burgers. So here I am, pressing hamburger meat into small patties to grill.

I can feel her arms wrap around my waist as she comes to stand behind me at the grill. “You look very sexy when you cook.” She says as she kisses my shoulder.

“Oh do I now?”

She hums before kissing my shoulder again. “Can I help with anything?” She asks as she slides over to stand beside me.

I shake my head. “Burgers are nearly done, I have everything ready on the kitchen counter. Go on in and pour us something to drink while I take these off and bring them inside.”

“Okay..” She softly speaks before stepping back inside the house. Plating the burgers, I carry them in and set them on the counter. She comes over and hands me a glass of wine and takes a drink of her own.

“So I met with Sam for lunch today,” She says.

“I remember,” I say, recalling the memory of her texting me during one of the interviews. “How did it go?”

“It went…okay,” She says with a shrug of her shoulders. “It was so sudden..”

“What was it?” I ask, noticing how her voice trails off.

“He told me that he still loved me…”

My hand tightens around the wine glass. “He told you..what?”

“That he still loved me..” She takes a sip of her wine and sets the glass on the counter. “I tried to tell him that I didn’t love him like that anymore but then he–”

“Then he what?” I say setting my glass down so I wasn’t tempted to throw it.

“He kissed me…”

“What?!” I could feel the anger boiling in my veins. I refused to let the dream invade my thoughts again. I had moved past it, forgotten it entirely. “Did you kiss him back?”

“What?”

“Did you…kiss him…back?” I repeat.

It takes her a couple seconds to respond. “N-No.. I didn’t, I swear..”

“Did you want to?”

“Jake–”

“Did you..” I heard my voice raise, exactly how it did the last time I yelled at her so I forced myself to calm down before I continued. “Want to kiss him?”

“N-No..”

“Thea.. Do not lie to me.”

“I.. I..” She stammers. When I look at her, I can see the tears filling her eyes. “No, I..”

“Dammit…” I curse as I swing my hand knocking the wine glass off the counter. “So close.. So fucking close..”

“Jake, it happened so quickly and–”

I hold my hand up to silence her. “I need to cool off..” I say calmly before going over to grab my keys by the garage door.

“Where are you going?” She calls after me as I throw open the door. “Jake!” Was I all heard before I slammed the door closed behind me.

I didn’t know where I was going. Had no destination in mind. The thought crossed my mind to go to Josh but I knew he would just send me back home. ‘Talk it out with Thea’, he’d tell me. And I should. I know I should and I know that I can’t let this jealousy cloud my every thought because I know at the end of the day, she still chooses me. But I can’t help but to still feel jealous of their history. Short history, but history nonetheless. He loved her first, and she loved him first. A part of me can’t help but to also think that she’ll also love him too.

I ignored my phone vibrating in the middle console from yet another call from Thea. Even as I pulled into Sam’s driveway, the anger still boiling in my veins.

How could he confess that he still loved her?

How could he kiss her?

When he knows that she’s with me now, how could he do it?

The door opens after I pounded my fist upon. Before I could realize what I was doing, my hands were on his chest and shoving him backwards as I yelled at him. “YOU KISSED HER?!”

“Jake, listen-”

“No, you listen!” I yelled as I pushed him into the wall. “You gave her up! You don’t get to waltz back in and confess to her that you still love her! I finally feel like she loves me completely and then you fuck it all up!”

“It just happened, Jake.”

“That doesn’t “just happen”, Samuel,” I say as I shove him again. “Don’t mess this up for me Sam! I went through hell because of her and goddamn it, I won’t fucking do it again.” My vision blurs over as the tears rise. “Just let me have this.. Please..” My voice cracks.

“I can’t lie, Jake.. I meant what I said.”

“Sam! I am begging you, let me have this!”

“Jake, I let you have everything! I gave up my own dreams for this band! We all did! And I know I screwed up with Thea and I gave her up, but I will always love her! And maybe–who knows–she might come back to me. You do have a bad rep with women, we all know that.”

My fist suddenly collided with the side of his face, sending him to the floor. The pain shoots through my arm and I clench my teeth and my hand.

“Stay. Away. From. Her.” I say as I stand over him. “I fucking mean it, Sam.”

“And if I don’t?” He asks from his position on the floor. He cups his face in the palm of his hand.

“I may be smaller than you, but I can still beat the shit out of you.”

“Oh..” He dryly chuckles as he pulls himself to his feet. He wipes the blood that dribbles down his chin. I probably knocked a few teeth, but I don’t care. “You can beat me all you want, but that won’t change the fact that I still love her.” He towers me over, just slightly before he raises his hand and points to the door. “Get out before I call the police.”

“You’d really call the police on your brother?” I laugh and shake my head. “You’re despicable..” I say before turning away and heading for the door.

“Says the one who charged in here and punched me!” He yells as I slam behind me on my way out.

My fist aches as I drive home. I clench and unclench multiple times, willing the pain to go away. She’ll see it when I come back home and she’ll question me about it.

Pulling into the driveway, I see the front door swing open and she’s running down the walkway to my car. “I can’t believe you went over there!” She shouts. “And you punched him?!”

“I don’t want to discuss it.” I say as I make my way up to the door.

“You’re lucky he didn’t call the police on you!” She continued once the door was closed.

“And what good would that have done?”

“Jacob, you can’t just do that!”

“No?!” I spin around to face her. “I pined after you for years! I went through hell because of you! I thought you choosing Sam was the end of it all! I believed that I wouldn’t ever get the chance to love you the way that you deserved or to feel you love me! And then he comes back and confesses that he still loves you?! And kisses you?! And then you stand there,” I raise my hand towards the kitchen for a more dramatic moment. “And try to tell me that you didn’t want to kiss him when we both know that you did want to!”

“But I didn’t kiss him!”

“But you wanted to! Admit it, Thea! Admit to me, right now, that you wanted to kiss him! That you still love him!” Our eyes are locked on each other’s, our breathing heavy as the air continues to fill with anger and pain. “Or you can just say nothing and leave, but that will just prove to me that you do.”

“You’re being impossible..”

“I’m being impossible?!”

“Yes! You!” Thea says. Her hands come to my chest and she’s shoving me backwards. “I came to you, completely truthful about what happened! What more do you want from me?!”

“To be truthful now!” I shout. “Tell me right now if you wanted to kiss him!”

“Yes!”

My fists instinctively clench into balls at my sides. The pain is still imminent in the one that I used to punch Sam. But that pain doesn’t compare to the pain I feel in my heart from her finally admitting that she wanted to kiss him. The next question I want to ask her again, I know I’ll regret it if she gives the answer that we both know is the truth. The answer that my heart won’t be able to handle again.

My voice shakes as I begin to ask it, “Do you… Do you still love him?” I feel a tear slip down my cheek. Her face is already covered in her own. “As much as I can’t bear to hear the truth, Thea, I am begging you to be honest with me.. Do you still love him?”

“Yes but–”

“Then go..” I say. “Please..”

“Jake.. Please, don’t-”

“I said go.” I say more sternly.

“Please, Jake, we need to talk-”

“And we will.. After we have our space.. I need you to figure out for yourself what–and who–you want..”

“I want you, Jake..” She says as she grabs my hands.

I shake my head, pulling my hands away and taking a step back. “You need to leave..” I say before taking another step back and turning away to go to the kitchen.

I noticed the broken glass was cleaned up and the food put away. I can hear the front door open before shutting a couple seconds later. Pulling open the fridge, I grab an ice pack and press it to my hand.

Just when I thought it was all finally working out, all it comes crumbling down again.

It’s been a week since the fight. I hadn’t spoken much to Sam, except for what needed to be communicated. Otherwise, we kept our distance. I hadn’t even spoken to Thea. As much as I wanted to, I knew what I did was right, despite how painful it is. In the end though, I need her to decide who she’d rather be with. Me or Sam? And I can’t compete with him. I won’t.

Today’s the first festival show of the year, and the first show all together. I wanted her there, watching us–me play from the side of the stage. I had forgotten I had asked for her to be placed in my room at the hotel and I had forgotten that I planned for the night to be for us when our set was over. When I stepped into the room that night, I found a bottle of champagne and two glasses. The bed was covered in rose petals. Cheesy but I wanted the first night to be romantic. Make it a great first show back. Start off the tour with a bang.

The room is quiet, save for the AC blowing from the ventilation system. Stripping out of my clothes, I start the shower and get in. The hot water nearly scalded my skin, but that didn’t matter much compared to how crushed my heart felt. Sounds so pathetic.

I thought we had this epic love. Now it's all just a bunch of questions that I don’t have the answers to. Answers that I don’t think I’ll ever have.

Finishing up the shower, I come back out of the room and clear off the bed, throwing each petal into the trash. I've been haunted every night since I made her leave, her face always there. Those tears that fill her eyes ricochet off the walls of my brain, constantly making itself known. I know I hurt her, I know I treated her poorly, but didn’t I also have a right to feel hurt too? To know my brother still loves her too, and will fight to get her back. Don’t I get to be upset too?

I hear my phone ringing on the nightstand and I go to pick it up, only to see her name. She hasn’t reached out at all since that night, nor have I.

My heart thrums in my chest. Anxious over seeing her name, her smiling face looking at me from the photo I used for her contact. I missed that smile. I wasted my time admiring her picture when it disappeared from view and was replaced with the notification bubble that I had one missed call. I waited to see if she’d try calling again, but nothing. Not even a notification that she left a voicemail or sent a text. Maybe it wasn't important enough, I try to tell myself as I get into bed.

The next morning comes quicker than I wanted it to as my alarm blares. Turning over, I grab my phone and shut it off. A few notifications pop up. All from Thea.

1:30am: ‘I’m sorry for bothering you so late..’

1:31am: ‘But I just really want to hear your voice..’

1:33am: ‘Sounds pathetic, I know.. Especially after what happened.. But.. I miss you…”

Doesn’t sound pathetic, Thea. I miss you too. I can’t tell you that because I’m still hurt, I’m still angry.

Reluctantly, I get out of bed and go to get dressed, when my phone buzzes. I pick it up, heart pounding in anticipation of it being Thea. But instead it’s a message from Josh asking if I’m ready to go yet. I type back a response before shoving my phone into the pocket of my pants.

Stepping out into the hallway with my bags slung over my shoulders, I find Sam waiting in front of the elevator with his things as well. He glances over, giving the petty action of looking me up and down before turning back to face the elevator. Huffing a sigh, I go over to stand beside him. Maybe I should talk to him. I can’t always be mad at him. He’s my brother.

“Sam, I–” I go to speak before he stops me.

“If you’re not going to apologize for punching me in the face, then I don’t want to hear it.” He says as the doors of the elevator slide open.

“I am sorry,” I say as I follow him into the elevator. “I resorted to violence because I was angry and I knew it wasn’t right but I still did it anyway.. I don’t like to fight with you, and I can’t stand not talking to you either.” I sigh, my shoulders dropping. “I don’t want a fucked up relationship with you.”

Sam stares straight ahead at the closed doors of the elevator. The only sign that he’s even aware of where he is is the blinking of his eyelids.

“Sam?”

“I’m sorry too..” He grumbles with an eye roll. “But I meant what I said.. I still love Thea..”

“Sam-”

“But I know you love her too. You always have.” He sighs and lowers his head. “I made a mistake, Jake, by letting her go. Though I guess I’m just jealous seeing you two together, so happy and in love. And I know I should just be happy for you, and I am, but there’s still that part of me that wishes that she still loves me back.”

“She does..” I say. “She told me she still loves you, right before I made her leave.”

His head snaps to the side as he looks at me. “You did what?”

“We got into this huge fight and I told her to leave..”

“Wh.. Why?”

“We needed space, to figure out what it is we both want. I mean, I think I made it pretty clear what I wanted.. But I know she needs to figure out for herself what it is that she wants.”

“It’s you,” He says. “She told me that after I kissed her.. I could see it, as much as I wanted to deny it. She chose you, Jake, and I guess I’m just gonna have to live with that. Sure she still loves me, but she only loves me as a friend.”

The elevator stops on the main floor and opens up to reveal Josh and Danny waiting in the lobby. “So.. Are we okay now?” I ask.

Sam nods his head. “Just promise to never punch me again?”

I chuckle. “I’m your older brother, it’s my job.”

“Of course,” He says with a roll of his eyes.

“I see smiles!” Josh beams. “I take it we made up?”

Sam nods his head. “Yeah, we did.”

“Thank goodness,” Josh sighs in relief. “All this tension has been agonizing.”

“Are you going to talk to her?” Josh asks me after we get seated on the plane.

I shrug my shoulders. “I want to..”

“So then what are you waiting for?” He asks. “Just call her.”

“It’s not that easy, Josh.”

“Not easy? Sam’s backing off.. So go get her.”

I shake my head. “She has to decide who she wants.”

“She wants you–”

“But she loves Sam.”

“She loves you.”

“She loves Sam.”

“Jake…”

“Josh…”

“You’re being difficult..”

I scoff and shake my head. “You don’t understand, Josh.”

“Then enlighten me, please–because I’m so lost in this whole thing you won’t tell me anything.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I say as I pull out my headphones and rest them on my ears. I can see Josh shaking his head before sinking in his seat and pulling out a book to read. Turning on music, I lean back in the seat and close my eyes.

Pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine, I head up to the front door. I start to unlock the door when my phone buzzes. Just one day, I just want one day where I won’t be disturbed. Taking my phone out, I see a phone I didn’t recognize so I decide to ignore it and go inside. Dropping my bags on the floor, I head into the living room and pour a drink when my phone beeps. Taking it back out of my pocket, I see a voicemail left by the unknown number.

Sighing, I unlock my phone and click on the notification bringing me to my voicemail. I barely registered most of it before I was running out of the front door and back out to the car.

Everything went by in a blur as I sped through the city. I didn’t care if I got a speeding ticket and I didn’t care if she hadn't made her decision but she asked for me. That has to mean something, right?

Coming to a halt in front of the hospital, I toss my keys to the valet and rush inside. “Can I help you?” The lady at the desk asks.

“I uh, I’m looking for Thea.. Thea Foster?” I say as I impatiently tap my fingers on the counter.

“Thea Foster, ah yes, she was admitted into the ER.”

“Thank you,” I say before heading off towards the ER.

After convincing the staff that I was her husband, even though I’m nowhere near having that title, they allow me back through the double doors. A nurse shows me to her room and leaves. Gently knocking on the door, I slowly open it and peer my head inside. She’s half asleep when I step around the curtain.

“Jake?” She says, her voice raspy.

“It’s me..” I say as I walk over to the bed. I pull a chair over to sit down. “What happened?”

“I take it you didn’t listen to the voicemail the nurse left you?”

“Just enough to know where to find you.” I say, earning a light giggle from her. She winces and clutches her ribcage. “What happened?” I ask again.

“I didn’t think you’d show after–”

“Thea..” I say, leaning on the bed. “What happened?” I ask for the third time.

She takes a deep breath. “Some idiot ran a red light, t-boned my car. Luckily it was on the passenger but it still fucked me over.. I’m sorry that I bothered, you were just the first person that came to my mind and I wasn’t sure if you were back home or not,” She intakes a deep breath. “I really didn’t think you’d come o-or even care.”

“Of course I care.” I say as I grab her hand.

Tears start to fill her eyes and her bottom lip quivers. “Jake, I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was so stupid.”

“Let’s not talk about that right now, okay?” I say as I squeeze her hand.

“But-”

“Hush, you need to stay relaxed. Get some sleep while we wait for the doctor to come back.”

“Will you still be here when I wake up?”

I nod my head and kiss her hand. “I’ll be here..”

I didn’t know that I had fallen asleep until I was being awoken by Thea. She was sitting up in bed and carefully trying to tie her hair back behind her head. “Oh, I’m sorry,” She speaks softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay..” I grumble before I yawn. “What are you doing?”

“I need to walk,” She says. “I’m tired of being stuck in this room.”

I chuckle. “It’s only been a couple hours. Are you even allowed to leave your room?”

She nods her head. “The doctor came in a little bit ago to discuss my tests. Won’t be done for at least an hour, so I asked if I could go for a walk and he said it was okay.”

Standing to my feet, I help her put on her shoes before carefully lifting her off the bed. “Mind if I join you?” I ask.

“Please.. I’m gonna need someone to lean on.”

I smile and wrap my arm around her. The walk was quiet as we made our way around the ER halls. I kept my arm wrapped around her as she leaned up against me. How I’ve missed having her this close. If I can’t handle being away from her for a week, how can I ever handle never being around her? I suffered enough once before, I don’t think I can do it again.

I can feel her tapping my arm. I look down at her and she’s smiling. “You’re thinking..” She says.

“Better than seeing old men butts.” I say making her laugh.

She groans and holds her chest. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“What are you thinking about?” She asks.

“Umm..” I clear my throat. “You..”

“Me?”

I nod my head. “I don’t know what you’ve decided, but I’m being selfish and just wanting you back.. This past week has been hell not having you with me and this, right here, despite the unfortunate circumstances, makes me miss you even more.”

“I miss you too.”

I huff and stop walking. “I love you, and I get it if you still love Sam so.. If he’s who you decide on, then I’ll respect that, regardless of how painful it is.”

“Well I have made my decision,” She says. “Can I tell you?” I nod my head, preparing to hear Sam’s name roll off of her tongue. Instead she’s reaching up to kiss me.

“Me?” I say when we pull apart.

“You..” She says with a smile. “It’s always been you.”

I pull her in, careful not to harm her any further, and kiss her again. “I love you.” I told her. “I really do.”

“I love you too, husband.” She winks at me before slowly turning on her feet and continuing on down the hall.

“I only said that so they’d let me past the doors.”

“Feels good to say it though,” She says as she turns around to face me with a smirk.

“Now, most of your normal activities you can resume, except for anything strenuous.” The doctor says. “If at all that your pain persists or gets worse, please come back. Any questions?”

“Yes,” I lean forward in the chair. “When you say no to strenuous activities, does that include–”

“Jacob!” Thea hisses as she slaps her hand across my arm.

The doctor laughs and pushes off the sink in the room. “Not the first husband to ask, and definitely won’t be the last. Yes, you can–but be gentle. I am going to get out of your hair now, you have your discharge papers, come back if the need arises, but go home and get some rest.”

Instinctively I drove back to my house, convincing her to stay with me. “You just want me back in your bed.” She says as I carry her up the stairs.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“No, not at all.” She says before starting to kiss my neck. Her hands travel to my shirt as she starts to undo the buttons, which weren’t much. “Just be gentle.”

“I can be gentle.” I lay her on the bed and slowly start to undress her.

“Well when he said to take it slow, I don’t think he meant this slow.”

I laugh and stretch up to kiss her. “Maybe I don’t want to rush it.”

“Jake, please..”

“Okay,” I sing as I move down her body. “But don’t blame me if we have to go back to the ER.”

________________________________________________________

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[vanfleeter]

Matched: Chapter 4 - The Fight

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Thea Foster Warnings: 18+. Fluff. Kissing. Angst. Language. Jealousy. Yelling. Arguments. Broken glass. Physical violence. Mentions of a car accident. Hospital. Drinking. Smut. Oral sex (m receiving, implied f receiving). Unprotected sex (p in v). Breeding kink. Author's note: Second to last chapter before we take a mid series break after chapter 5! And when we come back, there may be some huge steps being taken ;) Also if there are any grammar mistakes, I'm sorry, I edited all the ones that I could find.

I can feel her soft hand running along the skin of my chest. Her nails are gently scratching as she goes. Her hand moves further down my body, inching closer and closer to the waistband of my briefs. I knew I was already hard, but she’s making it impossible. I keep my breathing even, in hopes that she doesn’t realize that I’m awake but it’s growing incredibly difficult to pretend that I’m sleeping.

Though I gave myself away when her hand finally touched me and my hips jolted on their own. She giggles and leans over to kiss my cheek. I pull open my eyes and look down at her as she innocently smiles up at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I could feel you against my ass.”

I snort and pull her against me. “Did you know that it’s a common thing for men to have erections in the morning? Happens more often than not.”

She giggles before pressing her lips to my chest. “Well I’m glad you do,” She says. “Morning sex is always the best.”

“Oh is it now?” I say with a smirk. “Considering we’ve done that, what–two or three times?”

She giggles again, nodding her head as she keeps moving down my body. My eyes flutter closed as she starts to kiss my length. My breath hitches and my hand moves down to her head and tangles with her hair. Her tongue slides up and down, curling and licking me everywhere. I can’t help the moan that escapes me as she sinks her mouth around me, devouring the whole of my cock.

She’s bringing me closer to my release. Sweat beads on my skin. I can feel my legs shaking, the warm feeling in my body beginning to fill every part of me. Curses fly from my mouth before I could stop them as she has me hurling into my orgasm. I finally released my grip on her hair, my knuckles aching as I uncurl them.

Her lips come back up my body until they meet my own.

I slide my own hands down her back and squeeze her ass in my hands. She moans against my lips and I smile. Rolling us over, I spread her legs before inserting myself. She moans again, her hands finding their place on my back. Her nails dig into my skin and I groan.

My thrusts become intense, the need for her growing. Pulling her hands off my back, I pin them to the pillows beside her head, locking my fingers inside of her as I continue pounding into her. She moans my name. Her body arches against mine, the muscles of her torso rolling against mine.

Visions of the children flash through my mind. I dreamt of them again, seeing their little faces, hearing their laughter.

The feeling of her tightening around me, pulled me from my thoughts. My second orgasm slowly creeped up.

“Come on Jake..” She breathes. “Fill me…”

“Yeah?” I say, burying my face into her neck and kissing her skin. “Want me to fill you so full? Give you a baby?”

She laughs, her chest vibrating against me. “As long as they have your nose,” She says. She cries out as her orgasm takes over, mine own following seconds later.

We spent most of the day apart again. I had some appointments to attend while she was off at work. Though I could hardly pay much attention because all I could think about was her. Even during the interview that Josh and I were paired up for to discuss the upcoming festival shows, Josh did most of the talking and sometimes nudged me to talk myself since I’ve hardly uttered more than five words.

“Look, I get it, you’re in love–you finally have what you’ve always desired–but damn, Jake. I can’t always be the one to be talking during these things.” I raise an eyebrow, knowing full well that he loves to talk. “Okay fine, I don’t mind it, but you were silent ninety percent of the time.”

“I’m sorry, I promise in the next one I’ll talk more.”

“Yeah you better,” Josh takes a gulp of water before sitting up in his chair and clearing his throat.

After finishing up all the interviews for the day, I quickly raced home after a trip to the store, and got started on making dinner. Thea texted saying she'd come back over only if I promised to make her burgers. So here I am, pressing hamburger meat into small patties to grill.

I can feel her arms wrap around my waist as she comes to stand behind me at the grill. “You look very sexy when you cook.” She says as she kisses my shoulder.

“Oh do I now?”

She hums before kissing my shoulder again. “Can I help with anything?” She asks as she slides over to stand beside me.

I shake my head. “Burgers are nearly done, I have everything ready on the kitchen counter. Go on in and pour us something to drink while I take these off and bring them inside.”

“Okay..” She softly speaks before stepping back inside the house. Plating the burgers, I carry them in and set them on the counter. She comes over and hands me a glass of wine and takes a drink of her own.

“So I met with Sam for lunch today,” She says.

“I remember,” I say, recalling the memory of her texting me during one of the interviews. “How did it go?”

“It went…okay,” She says with a shrug of her shoulders. “It was so sudden..”

“What was it?” I ask, noticing how her voice trails off.

“He told me that he still loved me…”

My hand tightens around the wine glass. “He told you..what?”

“That he still loved me..” She takes a sip of her wine and sets the glass on the counter. “I tried to tell him that I didn’t love him like that anymore but then he–”

“Then he what?” I say setting my glass down so I wasn’t tempted to throw it.

“He kissed me…”

“What?!” I could feel the anger boiling in my veins. I refused to let the dream invade my thoughts again. I had moved past it, forgotten it entirely. “Did you kiss him back?”

“What?”

“Did you…kiss him…back?” I repeat.

It takes her a couple seconds to respond. “N-No.. I didn’t, I swear..”

“Did you want to?”

“Jake–”

“Did you..” I heard my voice raise, exactly how it did the last time I yelled at her so I forced myself to calm down before I continued. “Want to kiss him?”

“N-No..”

“Thea.. Do not lie to me.”

“I.. I..” She stammers. When I look at her, I can see the tears filling her eyes. “No, I..”

“Dammit…” I curse as I swing my hand knocking the wine glass off the counter. “So close.. So fucking close..”

“Jake, it happened so quickly and–”

I hold my hand up to silence her. “I need to cool off..” I say calmly before going over to grab my keys by the garage door.

“Where are you going?” She calls after me as I throw open the door. “Jake!” Was I all heard before I slammed the door closed behind me.

I didn’t know where I was going. Had no destination in mind. The thought crossed my mind to go to Josh but I knew he would just send me back home. ‘Talk it out with Thea’, he’d tell me. And I should. I know I should and I know that I can’t let this jealousy cloud my every thought because I know at the end of the day, she still chooses me. But I can’t help but to still feel jealous of their history. Short history, but history nonetheless. He loved her first, and she loved him first. A part of me can’t help but to also think that she’ll also love him too.

I ignored my phone vibrating in the middle console from yet another call from Thea. Even as I pulled into Sam’s driveway, the anger still boiling in my veins.

How could he confess that he still loved her?

How could he kiss her?

When he knows that she’s with me now, how could he do it?

The door opens after I pounded my fist upon. Before I could realize what I was doing, my hands were on his chest and shoving him backwards as I yelled at him. “YOU KISSED HER?!”

“Jake, listen-”

“No, you listen!” I yelled as I pushed him into the wall. “You gave her up! You don’t get to waltz back in and confess to her that you still love her! I finally feel like she loves me completely and then you fuck it all up!”

“It just happened, Jake.”

“That doesn’t “just happen”, Samuel,” I say as I shove him again. “Don’t mess this up for me Sam! I went through hell because of her and goddamn it, I won’t fucking do it again.” My vision blurs over as the tears rise. “Just let me have this.. Please..” My voice cracks.

“I can’t lie, Jake.. I meant what I said.”

“Sam! I am begging you, let me have this!”

“Jake, I let you have everything! I gave up my own dreams for this band! We all did! And I know I screwed up with Thea and I gave her up, but I will always love her! And maybe–who knows–she might come back to me. You do have a bad rep with women, we all know that.”

My fist suddenly collided with the side of his face, sending him to the floor. The pain shoots through my arm and I clench my teeth and my hand.

“Stay. Away. From. Her.” I say as I stand over him. “I fucking mean it, Sam.”

“And if I don’t?” He asks from his position on the floor. He cups his face in the palm of his hand.

“I may be smaller than you, but I can still beat the shit out of you.”

“Oh..” He dryly chuckles as he pulls himself to his feet. He wipes the blood that dribbles down his chin. I probably knocked a few teeth, but I don’t care. “You can beat me all you want, but that won’t change the fact that I still love her.” He towers me over, just slightly before he raises his hand and points to the door. “Get out before I call the police.”

“You’d really call the police on your brother?” I laugh and shake my head. “You’re despicable..” I say before turning away and heading for the door.

“Says the one who charged in here and punched me!” He yells as I slam behind me on my way out.

My fist aches as I drive home. I clench and unclench multiple times, willing the pain to go away. She’ll see it when I come back home and she’ll question me about it.

Pulling into the driveway, I see the front door swing open and she’s running down the walkway to my car. “I can’t believe you went over there!” She shouts. “And you punched him?!”

“I don’t want to discuss it.” I say as I make my way up to the door.

“You’re lucky he didn’t call the police on you!” She continued once the door was closed.

“And what good would that have done?”

“Jacob, you can’t just do that!”

“No?!” I spin around to face her. “I pined after you for years! I went through hell because of you! I thought you choosing Sam was the end of it all! I believed that I wouldn’t ever get the chance to love you the way that you deserved or to feel you love me! And then he comes back and confesses that he still loves you?! And kisses you?! And then you stand there,” I raise my hand towards the kitchen for a more dramatic moment. “And try to tell me that you didn’t want to kiss him when we both know that you did want to!”

“But I didn’t kiss him!”

“But you wanted to! Admit it, Thea! Admit to me, right now, that you wanted to kiss him! That you still love him!” Our eyes are locked on each other’s, our breathing heavy as the air continues to fill with anger and pain. “Or you can just say nothing and leave, but that will just prove to me that you do.”

“You’re being impossible..”

“I’m being impossible?!”

“Yes! You!” Thea says. Her hands come to my chest and she’s shoving me backwards. “I came to you, completely truthful about what happened! What more do you want from me?!”

“To be truthful now!” I shout. “Tell me right now if you wanted to kiss him!”

“Yes!”

My fists instinctively clench into balls at my sides. The pain is still imminent in the one that I used to punch Sam. But that pain doesn’t compare to the pain I feel in my heart from her finally admitting that she wanted to kiss him. The next question I want to ask her again, I know I’ll regret it if she gives the answer that we both know is the truth. The answer that my heart won’t be able to handle again.

My voice shakes as I begin to ask it, “Do you… Do you still love him?” I feel a tear slip down my cheek. Her face is already covered in her own. “As much as I can’t bear to hear the truth, Thea, I am begging you to be honest with me.. Do you still love him?”

“Yes but–”

“Then go..” I say. “Please..”

“Jake.. Please, don’t-”

“I said go.” I say more sternly.

“Please, Jake, we need to talk-”

“And we will.. After we have our space.. I need you to figure out for yourself what–and who–you want..”

“I want you, Jake..” She says as she grabs my hands.

I shake my head, pulling my hands away and taking a step back. “You need to leave..” I say before taking another step back and turning away to go to the kitchen.

I noticed the broken glass was cleaned up and the food put away. I can hear the front door open before shutting a couple seconds later. Pulling open the fridge, I grab an ice pack and press it to my hand.

Just when I thought it was all finally working out, all it comes crumbling down again.

It’s been a week since the fight. I hadn’t spoken much to Sam, except for what needed to be communicated. Otherwise, we kept our distance. I hadn’t even spoken to Thea. As much as I wanted to, I knew what I did was right, despite how painful it is. In the end though, I need her to decide who she’d rather be with. Me or Sam? And I can’t compete with him. I won’t.

Today’s the first festival show of the year, and the first show all together. I wanted her there, watching us–me play from the side of the stage. I had forgotten I had asked for her to be placed in my room at the hotel and I had forgotten that I planned for the night to be for us when our set was over. When I stepped into the room that night, I found a bottle of champagne and two glasses. The bed was covered in rose petals. Cheesy but I wanted the first night to be romantic. Make it a great first show back. Start off the tour with a bang.

The room is quiet, save for the AC blowing from the ventilation system. Stripping out of my clothes, I start the shower and get in. The hot water nearly scalded my skin, but that didn’t matter much compared to how crushed my heart felt. Sounds so pathetic.

I thought we had this epic love. Now it's all just a bunch of questions that I don’t have the answers to. Answers that I don’t think I’ll ever have.

Finishing up the shower, I come back out of the room and clear off the bed, throwing each petal into the trash. I've been haunted every night since I made her leave, her face always there. Those tears that fill her eyes ricochet off the walls of my brain, constantly making itself known. I know I hurt her, I know I treated her poorly, but didn’t I also have a right to feel hurt too? To know my brother still loves her too, and will fight to get her back. Don’t I get to be upset too?

I hear my phone ringing on the nightstand and I go to pick it up, only to see her name. She hasn’t reached out at all since that night, nor have I.

My heart thrums in my chest. Anxious over seeing her name, her smiling face looking at me from the photo I used for her contact. I missed that smile. I wasted my time admiring her picture when it disappeared from view and was replaced with the notification bubble that I had one missed call. I waited to see if she’d try calling again, but nothing. Not even a notification that she left a voicemail or sent a text. Maybe it wasn't important enough, I try to tell myself as I get into bed.

The next morning comes quicker than I wanted it to as my alarm blares. Turning over, I grab my phone and shut it off. A few notifications pop up. All from Thea.

1:30am: ‘I’m sorry for bothering you so late..’

1:31am: ‘But I just really want to hear your voice..’

1:33am: ‘Sounds pathetic, I know.. Especially after what happened.. But.. I miss you…”

Doesn’t sound pathetic, Thea. I miss you too. I can’t tell you that because I’m still hurt, I’m still angry.

Reluctantly, I get out of bed and go to get dressed, when my phone buzzes. I pick it up, heart pounding in anticipation of it being Thea. But instead it’s a message from Josh asking if I’m ready to go yet. I type back a response before shoving my phone into the pocket of my pants.

Stepping out into the hallway with my bags slung over my shoulders, I find Sam waiting in front of the elevator with his things as well. He glances over, giving the petty action of looking me up and down before turning back to face the elevator. Huffing a sigh, I go over to stand beside him. Maybe I should talk to him. I can’t always be mad at him. He’s my brother.

“Sam, I–” I go to speak before he stops me.

“If you’re not going to apologize for punching me in the face, then I don’t want to hear it.” He says as the doors of the elevator slide open.

“I am sorry,” I say as I follow him into the elevator. “I resorted to violence because I was angry and I knew it wasn’t right but I still did it anyway.. I don’t like to fight with you, and I can’t stand not talking to you either.” I sigh, my shoulders dropping. “I don’t want a fucked up relationship with you.”

Sam stares straight ahead at the closed doors of the elevator. The only sign that he’s even aware of where he is is the blinking of his eyelids.

“Sam?”

“I’m sorry too..” He grumbles with an eye roll. “But I meant what I said.. I still love Thea..”

“Sam-”

“But I know you love her too. You always have.” He sighs and lowers his head. “I made a mistake, Jake, by letting her go. Though I guess I’m just jealous seeing you two together, so happy and in love. And I know I should just be happy for you, and I am, but there’s still that part of me that wishes that she still loves me back.”

“She does..” I say. “She told me she still loves you, right before I made her leave.”

His head snaps to the side as he looks at me. “You did what?”

“We got into this huge fight and I told her to leave..”

“Wh.. Why?”

“We needed space, to figure out what it is we both want. I mean, I think I made it pretty clear what I wanted.. But I know she needs to figure out for herself what it is that she wants.”

“It’s you,” He says. “She told me that after I kissed her.. I could see it, as much as I wanted to deny it. She chose you, Jake, and I guess I’m just gonna have to live with that. Sure she still loves me, but she only loves me as a friend.”

The elevator stops on the main floor and opens up to reveal Josh and Danny waiting in the lobby. “So.. Are we okay now?” I ask.

Sam nods his head. “Just promise to never punch me again?”

I chuckle. “I’m your older brother, it’s my job.”

“Of course,” He says with a roll of his eyes.

“I see smiles!” Josh beams. “I take it we made up?”

Sam nods his head. “Yeah, we did.”

“Thank goodness,” Josh sighs in relief. “All this tension has been agonizing.”

“Are you going to talk to her?” Josh asks me after we get seated on the plane.

I shrug my shoulders. “I want to..”

“So then what are you waiting for?” He asks. “Just call her.”

“It’s not that easy, Josh.”

“Not easy? Sam’s backing off.. So go get her.”

I shake my head. “She has to decide who she wants.”

“She wants you–”

“But she loves Sam.”

“She loves you.”

“She loves Sam.”

“Jake…”

“Josh…”

“You’re being difficult..”

I scoff and shake my head. “You don’t understand, Josh.”

“Then enlighten me, please–because I’m so lost in this whole thing you won’t tell me anything.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I say as I pull out my headphones and rest them on my ears. I can see Josh shaking his head before sinking in his seat and pulling out a book to read. Turning on music, I lean back in the seat and close my eyes.

Pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine, I head up to the front door. I start to unlock the door when my phone buzzes. Just one day, I just want one day where I won’t be disturbed. Taking my phone out, I see a phone I didn’t recognize so I decide to ignore it and go inside. Dropping my bags on the floor, I head into the living room and pour a drink when my phone beeps. Taking it back out of my pocket, I see a voicemail left by the unknown number.

Sighing, I unlock my phone and click on the notification bringing me to my voicemail. I barely registered most of it before I was running out of the front door and back out to the car.

Everything went by in a blur as I sped through the city. I didn’t care if I got a speeding ticket and I didn’t care if she hadn't made her decision but she asked for me. That has to mean something, right?

Coming to a halt in front of the hospital, I toss my keys to the valet and rush inside. “Can I help you?” The lady at the desk asks.

“I uh, I’m looking for Thea.. Thea Foster?” I say as I impatiently tap my fingers on the counter.

“Thea Foster, ah yes, she was admitted into the ER.”

“Thank you,” I say before heading off towards the ER.

After convincing the staff that I was her husband, even though I’m nowhere near having that title, they allow me back through the double doors. A nurse shows me to her room and leaves. Gently knocking on the door, I slowly open it and peer my head inside. She’s half asleep when I step around the curtain.

“Jake?” She says, her voice raspy.

“It’s me..” I say as I walk over to the bed. I pull a chair over to sit down. “What happened?”

“I take it you didn’t listen to the voicemail the nurse left you?”

“Just enough to know where to find you.” I say, earning a light giggle from her. She winces and clutches her ribcage. “What happened?” I ask again.

“I didn’t think you’d show after–”

“Thea..” I say, leaning on the bed. “What happened?” I ask for the third time.

She takes a deep breath. “Some idiot ran a red light, t-boned my car. Luckily it was on the passenger but it still fucked me over.. I’m sorry that I bothered, you were just the first person that came to my mind and I wasn’t sure if you were back home or not,” She intakes a deep breath. “I really didn’t think you’d come o-or even care.”

“Of course I care.” I say as I grab her hand.

Tears start to fill her eyes and her bottom lip quivers. “Jake, I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was so stupid.”

“Let’s not talk about that right now, okay?” I say as I squeeze her hand.

“But-”

“Hush, you need to stay relaxed. Get some sleep while we wait for the doctor to come back.”

“Will you still be here when I wake up?”

I nod my head and kiss her hand. “I’ll be here..”

I didn’t know that I had fallen asleep until I was being awoken by Thea. She was sitting up in bed and carefully trying to tie her hair back behind her head. “Oh, I’m sorry,” She speaks softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay..” I grumble before I yawn. “What are you doing?”

“I need to walk,” She says. “I’m tired of being stuck in this room.”

I chuckle. “It’s only been a couple hours. Are you even allowed to leave your room?”

She nods her head. “The doctor came in a little bit ago to discuss my tests. Won’t be done for at least an hour, so I asked if I could go for a walk and he said it was okay.”

Standing to my feet, I help her put on her shoes before carefully lifting her off the bed. “Mind if I join you?” I ask.

“Please.. I’m gonna need someone to lean on.”

I smile and wrap my arm around her. The walk was quiet as we made our way around the ER halls. I kept my arm wrapped around her as she leaned up against me. How I’ve missed having her this close. If I can’t handle being away from her for a week, how can I ever handle never being around her? I suffered enough once before, I don’t think I can do it again.

I can feel her tapping my arm. I look down at her and she’s smiling. “You’re thinking..” She says.

“Better than seeing old men butts.” I say making her laugh.

She groans and holds her chest. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“What are you thinking about?” She asks.

“Umm..” I clear my throat. “You..”

“Me?”

I nod my head. “I don’t know what you’ve decided, but I’m being selfish and just wanting you back.. This past week has been hell not having you with me and this, right here, despite the unfortunate circumstances, makes me miss you even more.”

“I miss you too.”

I huff and stop walking. “I love you, and I get it if you still love Sam so.. If he’s who you decide on, then I’ll respect that, regardless of how painful it is.”

“Well I have made my decision,” She says. “Can I tell you?” I nod my head, preparing to hear Sam’s name roll off of her tongue. Instead she’s reaching up to kiss me.

“Me?” I say when we pull apart.

“You..” She says with a smile. “It’s always been you.”

I pull her in, careful not to harm her any further, and kiss her again. “I love you.” I told her. “I really do.”

“I love you too, husband.” She winks at me before slowly turning on her feet and continuing on down the hall.

“I only said that so they’d let me past the doors.”

“Feels good to say it though,” She says as she turns around to face me with a smirk.

“Now, most of your normal activities you can resume, except for anything strenuous.” The doctor says. “If at all that your pain persists or gets worse, please come back. Any questions?”

“Yes,” I lean forward in the chair. “When you say no to strenuous activities, does that include–”

“Jacob!” Thea hisses as she slaps her hand across my arm.

The doctor laughs and pushes off the sink in the room. “Not the first husband to ask, and definitely won’t be the last. Yes, you can–but be gentle. I am going to get out of your hair now, you have your discharge papers, come back if the need arises, but go home and get some rest.”

Instinctively I drove back to my house, convincing her to stay with me. “You just want me back in your bed.” She says as I carry her up the stairs.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“No, not at all.” She says before starting to kiss my neck. Her hands travel to my shirt as she starts to undo the buttons, which weren’t much. “Just be gentle.”

“I can be gentle.” I lay her on the bed and slowly start to undress her.

“Well when he said to take it slow, I don’t think he meant this slow.”

I laugh and stretch up to kiss her. “Maybe I don’t want to rush it.”

“Jake, please..”

“Okay,” I sing as I move down her body. “But don’t blame me if we have to go back to the ER.”

________________________________________________________

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#jake kiszka #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka smut #gvf #jake kiszka fanfiction #jake kiszka fluff #jake kiszka angst #matched

[vanfleeter]

🧡🌼💛send this to the people you’re happy to see every time they pop up on your dash/notifs and wish them a good day🧡🌼💛

CRYSTAL I CANT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU! 🤍🤍

[vanfleeter]

Okay, who is ready for chapter 4 of Matched ⛵️?

I'm gonna try to have it up tonight.

#jake kiszka #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka smut #gvf

[vanfleeter]

🧡🌼💛send this to the people you’re happy to see every time they pop up on your dash/notifs and wish them a good day🧡🌼💛

You make me fall in love with you even more every day 🤍🤍