"So..." He cleared his throat nervously. "Are you hungry? I know that you don't eat anything in the morning anymore so?"He stopped talking as soon as he realized what he had said. His voice faltered and trailed off at the end, leaving him staring blankly at the floor. I couldn't help but laugh at his awkwardness. I loved hearing him stutter when he was trying to make conversation with me. I smiled and moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his torso."It's ok Jake. You can say whatever you want." I reassured him.He looked over at me and smiled."Thanks." He muttered.We sat there for a few moments in silence. Jake leaned forwards and planted a quick kiss on my lips."Do you want to go anywhere today?" He asked me.I thought for a second."Why?" I wondered.He smirked slightly and shrugged his shoulders."You know, just somewhere fun. Wherever you want to go." He chuckled softly."That sounds great. But how about you pick out your clothes so that we can leave soon?" I suggeste
"Jake." I said quietly, breaking the silence between us.He didn't respond so I looked back at him and he still wasn't responding. His eyes were fixed firmly on the screen and he was shaking slightly."What are you staring at?" I asked softly, bringing my free hand up to caress his cheek gently.He didn't turn his attention from the screen and I could tell that he wasn't going to respond anytime soon so I decided to try again."Jake, are you okay?" I repeated, placing my index finger under his chin and turning his face towards mine so that I could see his eyes.He flinched when I touched him and pulled away from my touch. After taking a moment to compose himself, he turned back towards the screen and started to watch again."Are you scared?" I questioned.Again, he didn't respond, which prompted me to continue."You don't need to be scared, baby. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."He continued to stare intently at the screen and didn't seem to be listening to me anymore.
It's been quite a while since we last saw each other. We both decided to visit one of the places we used to go to when we were kids. The place had changed quite a bit since I last visited it. There were less trees now and the only thing you could see were tall buildings which were probably filled with expensive shops or apartments. Now the only thing there was a bunch of big parking lots in front of the stores and a building that I guessed was the school. Jake parked his car in front of it and turned the engine off. We both climbed out of the car and made our way over to the trunk to grab our bags that had been left in the car. I picked up the bag containing most of my belongings and held the handle tightly in my hand.When we got inside the building and entered the main lobby area, I noticed that the entire place was almost completely empty. A lone receptionist sat behind a desk at the end of the hall we walked through and I looked around the lobby and noticed a lot of familiar face
I fell silent after that and turned my attention back to the outside world. The traffic was pretty light and it took us nearly twenty minutes to reach our destination. As soon as we pulled up to the hotel I saw that most of the cars were already parking and I assumed that all the tourists must already be arriving."Well, we're here. Where do you want to go first?""I thought we might start with the food court." I suggested.He nodded in agreement and we exited the car. We walked across the street together and stood on the opposite side, waiting patiently for people to begin streaming onto the pavement. I waited impatiently for the crowd to thin out before I started walking forward. I felt the rush of excitement course through me as I began making my way through the crowds.As I reached the entrance to the food court, I turned towards my dad and said, "I'm going to wait out here. Go ahead and order us something nice to eat. I'll meet you out in a minute."He gave me a quick nod and the
"I know this isn't going to solve all your problems, and I'm sure there are going to be many days where I will be upset with you, but I promise that I will try and understand, and that I'll always put you above myself. I'm here for you whenever you need me, okay?"Jake nodded and placed a gentle kiss to my temple. I smiled and squeezed him tighter as I buried my face into the crook of his neck. My tears fell steadily down my cheeks as I remembered the pain I had felt during those six years. I could still hear my father's words ringing in my ears, "I wish that there was something that I could do to help you, Claire. But sadly there isn't. All you can do is keep moving forward. Forgive yourself if you cannot forgive him." The memory of his voice caused me to tear up even more. After a few moments of silent crying, I felt a pair of warm lips press softly against my forehead."You don't deserve all this, Claire." Jake whispered gently, "You shouldn't have to deal with all of this, espec
As we continued walking, I kept glancing at Jake's hand that was currently clutching mine. Every time he would grab onto my hand or intertwine our fingers, I could feel my cheeks warming up. A smile appeared on my face as I realized that I was spending a lot more time with Jake than I ever had before and it somehow made me feel happy. The only problem was that I didn't know when or if it would happen again...Once we'd gotten far enough away from the stairs that we wouldn't run into any of the staff members, Jake pulled me along until we reached a huge room filled with shelves upon shelves of books. There were multiple tables scattered around the room with chairs surrounding them, and the room was completely lit by candles."Jade," he started, pulling my attention away from the bookshelves, "do you want to look at some of these books?"I nodded, "Sure!"He grinned and tugged lightly at my hand, pulling me towards the table that was closest to the door. He pulled one of the chairs out
"Morning sweetie." She greeted me. "Good morning mom. How are you feeling?" I replied, sitting down across from her. She smiled at me. "I feel great. Thanks for asking." She answered. I nodded my head and ate the food. "Where is Ethan?" I asked her. "He went shopping." She replied.I finished my food and put away the dishes. "Do you need any help mom?" I asked her. "No, you already did enough. Go and spend time with Ethan." She replied, smiling at me. I nodded my head and kissed her cheek and then I left the kitchen.When I entered Ethan's room I knocked on the door three times. No reply. I went to the window and checked outside, Ethan wasn't near the house, he was in the woods. I thought that I would spend more time with him and maybe talk about how I feel. I opened the window and climbed out.As soon as I was outside I ran to the woods and stopped once I reached the place where I first met Ethan. I sighed, remembering the things that happened there.I saw Ethan sleeping, but some
"I missed you baby." He said, leaning in and pressing his body against mine, wrapping his arms around me. I put my arms around his neck and held onto him, placing my hand in his soft brown curls. He kissed me passionately. "I want you." He said between kisses, he pulled away and looked at me. "Take me to your bedroom, please." He said taking my hand and pulling me along with him. We got to his bedroom and he sat down on the edge of his bed, I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. After a minute he stood up and carried me to his en suite bathroom, and then laid me down on the counter top, and he followed me. He removed my underwear and threw them somewhere behind me, he then kneeled down in front of me and unbuttoned my pants. I lifted my legs slightly and placed my heels on his shoulders. He took off my pants and tossed them in another direction, then he grabbed my hips with one hand, pulling me closer to him and the other one went under my dress, moving the fab
Jake remained quiet as he listened to her ramble. He then let out a sigh and placed his hand on top of hers. "Claire, slow down. Everything is going to be alright. You'll find a way to explain everything."She looked down at the table, letting out a heavy sigh. After what happened last night, she was beginning to doubt herself again. Jake squeezed her hand gently."Everything will be alright."She closed her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "I hope so."When lunchtime came around, Claire and Jake headed into town. Jake didn't speak very much during the entire walk there; in fact, he hardly said anything at all. After buying their food and taking a seat in the back of the restaurant, they started to eat."So, where do you live?" Claire asked once they were done eating."In an apartment complex," he answered vaguely."An apartment building? Really?" she exclaimed.Jake laughed softly. "Yes. I don't live in a mansion like you. Actually, I only live there temporarily. But you're welcome to
She opened her eyes again after a short while. She turned her head to glance at him. She couldn't believe it. He was still staring at the water, lost in thought.A warm feeling spread throughout her body. He was beautiful. Even though the sun was shining brightly upon him, his dark skin was perfectly shaded by the rays of sunlight and glistened beautifully. His hair, which fell across his face, was slightly damp due to the salty air. She wanted to run her hand through his hair and comb her fingers through his hair, running her fingers through his thick dark locks, causing his hair to stand up wildly. His lips were slightly parted, showing off those perfect pink, puffy lips she loved kissing so much. His jawline was sharp, but not masculine. It gave him a feminine look, making it seem as though he had more curves than muscular. Her eyes traveled downward, admiring the muscles that filled his abdomen and chest. She could just imagine the feel of them beneath her hands. She licked her
"Shh," he whispered, "don't worry. Everything will be alright." It took her several seconds to realize he was talking to her, and it took another couple minutes for her to register the meaning behind his words. She pulled away slightly and looked up at him.He looked concerned but at the same time relieved that he had finally gotten her to respond.She smiled weakly at him. "Thank you."Jake nodded before kissing her forehead gently.They remained silent for a few more moments until Jake started to drive back toward his house. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tugged lightly at his hand to get his attention."So…what are we going to do today?" she asked hesitantly, knowing very well that the subject of what they were going to do would probably cause him to start driving faster and she had never liked speeding down the highway, but she figured that he would probably enjoy the speed.He grinned mischievously at her and winked. "I was hoping you could give me an answer to tha
The silence between them was comfortable and they both didn't seem to mind. They had become quite close over the past few days and they had developed some sort of trust with each other that they didn't previously have. For example, whenever they met in public Jake always paid attention to her and made sure that she was okay, whether she wanted him to or not. Sometimes they would walk around Milan together, sometimes he would take her out on romantic walks along the coast, sometimes they would make plans to get together to have fun at the beach. The only thing that was missing was his presence at her side. But as long as he was nearby Claire didn't mind spending time with him. However, when he wasn't by her side, she became incredibly nervous and uneasy. Whenever she had to endure his presence, she felt guilty. She knew that she shouldn't have allowed herself to develop an attraction to him but she couldn't help it. When he looked at her or spoke to her she was unable to concentrat
Jake walked into the kitchen and placed his hands on top of Claire's shoulders. "Why did you stop working today?" he asked curiously."Oh," she answered sheepishly. "I forgot to eat lunch..."He chuckled softly. "Well I'll bring you something," he promised.Claire blushed lightly as he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. She relaxed in his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She couldn't help but feel completely overwhelmed by love for this man. He made her feel safe and content, which was something she hadn't experienced since she was little. After a moment she pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. She took a breath."What are we going to do today?" she asked hopefully."Whatever you want," he replied happily."Good," she whispered before bringing her lips back to his.Jake smiled against her lips and brought his hands down from around her shoulders to rest on her hips. They continued kissing for a couple of minutes before h
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Want me to make us breakfast?"Her eyes shot open at his question and she gave him a quick nod before pulling away slightly to sit up, propping herself up on her elbows."I think I should cook something," he added. "You should also take a shower and maybe try to get some more sleep."She groaned softly. "What kind of a guest am I? Don't you think I should be helping you with anything? I mean... I don't exactly live here.""You live here just fine, Claire," he said, placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "It doesn't matter where you live or who takes care of you. That's what you're my wife now. No matter what happens, you'll always have a place in my heart.""Then... I guess cooking breakfast is the least I could do.""Sounds like a plan," he said with a smile. He reached down and removed one of her legs, moving it to the side of the bed. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Come on," he said as he stretched out his hand to help he
"Come on," he said, patting the space beside him. "Let's go get cleaned up."After changing into a pair of yoga pants, a tank top, and flip flops, Claire walked out of the bathroom. She jumped when she saw Jake sitting there. He put his magazine down and looked at her confusedly."You're taking too long."She shrugged. "Sorry.""It's fine. Go ahead and brush your teeth so we can head out."Claire did as told and brushed her teeth quickly before walking into the closet to pull out her outfit. Once dressed she went back into the bathroom to find Jake sitting on the bed, tapping his foot impatiently."How's it look?" she asked.He glanced up at her, his eyebrows knitting together. "Wow... you look great."Claire grinned. "Thanks."She walked over to Jake, placing her hands on either side of his hips. She pressed her lips against his, her tongue slipping inside his mouth to explore. He kissed her back hungrily, sliding one of his hands under her shirt and running his fingers over her bare
There were some very nice dresses that he would love to try on. He wondered if Claire would let him pick something out for her. The last time she wore something that expensive was when they were in college. He sighed to himself, knowing that this was probably the most expensive dress she owned.After the sales associate handed her the bag, she paid and thanked them before making her way back outside. They had gone to the same high school, so they were practically attached at the hip. She hadn't dated anyone since, though. After graduation she decided to focus on her degree and Jake stayed single until recently. He was happy for her. For the past four years, Jake had been a proud father of three children. One of whom he had named after Claire's mother, Rose, who was murdered by the man she called a father."What are you thinking about?" Claire questioned, noticing that he was deep in thought.Jake snapped back to reality and grinned. "Nothing. Just wondering where to take you for dinn
"Thanks, Dad." I said quietly before walking towards my bedroom. I entered the door and slid it closed before falling onto the bed. I let out a sigh and placed my head into my pillow, closing my eyes as tears began to gather in my eyes again.I couldn't believe everything that was happening. My parents had given birth to our daughter only a month ago and things were still progressing. The doctor hadn't told us much, only saying that we were having twins. As far as I knew, they were healthy babies and that was all we needed to know. I heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer to my bedroom door and I instinctively curled up in a ball, hoping to hide away from whoever was outside my bedroom door. I felt my breathing become ragged as my eyes began to fill with tears again, knowing full well who it was."I'm sorry, Jake, but I can't do this anymore. The stress is too much."They're standing outside a wedding dress shop at the mall in the city, waiting to go inside so that they can