The Music Freaks Oneshots | Valentine's Day Contest 2021

To Make the Two of Us.

Author: Icy Crem
Jake x Lia

Click.

The lock jingled as Lia secured it to her locker and turned away, sighing.

"No valentines... As usual."

How she wished that at least there would be one year where it was different. To her dismay, no such time ever came. Always; always she would leave Valentine's Day without any gifts. After so long, she'd think that at least one person would offer to send her something. Then again, who would want to send one to a person like her?

She slipped into her jacket as she made her way out of the school doors, humming a short tune under her breath. As soon as she stepped outside, a light drizzle of rain began pelting at her, splattering her jacket with dark imprints. The next second, thunder was rumbling in the distance, and clouds gathered in to provide a heavy, ruthless downpour.

It's a good thing I always check the weather forecast, Lia thought as she tugged out a black umbrella. Seems like nature and I seem to share feelings about Valentine's Day.

Rain puddles splashed under her feet as the rain blotted the sidewalks like spilled ink. Just as she was about to take her usual route back to her house, a sudden sniffling sound made her ears prick up.

"Hello?" her voice carried through the empty school parking lot, but only silence responded. She squinted. By this point, a light fog had settled over everything, so Lia could barely see five feet ahead of her. Keeping her umbrella close to her, she circled around towards the side of the school building, and a familiar silhouette came into view.

"...Oh my god! Jake, is that you?"

Through the mist, she could just see him raising his head from his huddled figure, revealing a pair of rich, hazel eyes and rain soaked hair.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly, making her way towards him. Tear tracks lined his face.

"L-Lia...? What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be the one to ask that," she frowned, suddenly noticing a white rose clutched in his hand. "What's that?"

"It's nothing..." he said quietly, clenching the flower. "You should probably leave."

Instead, she quietly walked up and sat by his side, raising the umbrella so that it covered him instead. As soon as she did so, the rain began to pummel her, as if scolding her for being so selfless.

"Look... I may not be the person you want to talk to at the moment, but I'm still here for you," said Lia slowly, "I always have been."

"Are you trying to confess to me?" he said, raising his eyebrows. His lips suggested a smile without making one.

She gave him a skeptical look. "Is your ego that big to believe that?"

"Oh, shut up! My ego is certainly not big!" Jake scowled defensively.

"Mhm... if you say so," she giggled.

As if he couldn't help it, a small grin crept up Jake's face. It quickly disappeared.

A minute or two passed, maybe more, but Lia was blissfully unaware of the time as they sat in silence, watching the rain fall peacefully from the sky. Her hair was soaked to the brim, but strangely, it didn't seem to bother her. She wondered what Zoey would remark of the scene.

"So... what do you fancy for being here in this delightful weather?" Jake asked, slicing through the silence. "Shouldn't you be out with your valentine, doing whatever lovey-dovey things couples do today?" his voice carried a slightly bitter edge.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Lia mocked, "well believe it or not, I actually don't have a valentine. And I'm assuming you don't either."

"At least that makes the two of us," Jake shrugged.

"Let me guess... Daisy?"

"No, actually... It was someone else."

"Really?" Lia's eyebrows flew up. "Who?"

"It's -" he hesitated. "Oh, alright, I'll tell you. But you can't laugh, 'kay?"

"Is it really that embarrassing?" she smirked.

"Oh, shut up," he groaned, "see, I already got over Daisy after spending time with the music club. I realized that... the only person my heart wanted to be with was Hailey. But when I finally gathered the courage to speak with her, Daisy beat me to it."

Lia couldn't help it, but a snicker escaped her lips. "You're saying your crush rejected you for your other crush?"

Jake pouted. "Hey, no laughing!"

"Sorry, it's just -" Lia covered her mouth to try and muffle her giggles. "You look so cute with that face."

He blinked in surprise, and when she finally comprehended her words, a steady warmth was painting across her cheeks. Never, when she was flirting shamelessly with Jake, had she blushed like this.

Guess something's different today...

"Thanks... It's the first compliment I've heard all day," said Jake, smiling. He looked up at the umbrella Lia was still holding up for him, as if registering it for the first time. He reached to take it from her, and their fingertips brushed. Lia felt an electric current race down her spine.

"It's also been a while since someone's held an umbrella up for me for this long." his gaze traced over her sopping hair and drenched jacket, and a propitious laugh escaped him. "But... we're both soaked now."

"At least that makes the two of us," Lia smiled.

Jake tilted his head. "You look different when you're smiling," he decided, "I mean, yeah, I've seen you smile before... But this one is different. You look... happy."

"...Thanks?"

His ears reddened. "Sorry - I mean - you look pretty - agh, it looks pretty -"

"It's okay," she laughed, "I mean... I'm only happy because I'm with you."

A warm current rippled between the two as their gazes suddenly locked. Suddenly, Jake picked up the rose, and after taking a moment to look at it, pressed it into Lia's hand. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Happy Valentines Day."