The woman who introduced herself as Mrs. Alfred sits Jace and I down at their outdoor dining table.
Mr. Alfred comes out with a tray of lemonade to set down in front of us.
"Damn it Bill! This little criminal doesn't need lemonade, he needs to be arrested." Mrs. Alfred slaps the cups, luckily made of plastic, onto the ground.
Ignoring his wife, he smiles at us, "I'm a man who believes in southern hospitality."
"Southern hospitality my ass. You grew up right here in Illinois." Mrs. Alfred rolls her eyes. She heads for door, "I'll be back. Keep an eye on them Bill."
"As always Marcie." He makes a hat tipping gesture.
"How many times have you broken into their backyard, Jace?" I lean over and ask him.
"Enough times for them to expect me, although not enough to install a home security system." Jace glances at Mr. Alfred who's mindlessly whispering the tune to Kanye West's Gold Digger, which is actually pretty impressive.
"Hey, Bill can you pour us some more lemonade?" Jace kindly asks the old man.
I glance at Jace as if he's lost his mind. "We don't need-" I shut up when he kicks my shin.
"I don't think Marcie would like that very much, kid." Mr. Alfred says almost regretfully.
"What happened to your heartfelt southern hospitality, Bill?" Jace frowns. "I mean you can't expect to be considered a good host while depriving your own guests of refreshments."
Bill, clearly ashamed, covers his face with his hands. "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." Then he disappears into his house.
"C'mon, get your clothes." Jace gets up.
"What about his wife? She looks like Vin Diesel."
"She's really no threat. She says she called the police but she always ends up dialing Pizza Hut." Jace walks over to our clothes and tosses me my hoodie.
I slide my shirt back over my body when Marcie reappears in the doorway, clearly enraged.
"Run!" Jace yells, grabbing my arm.
I quickly shove my feet into my sneakers, and follow Jace's lead. I dare not look back, knowing that Wreck It Ralph's grandma is right behind me.
"You get back here!" Mrs. Alfred screams, putting to work her manish physic.
We're running- sprinting- through a number of freshly cut lawns. I can only imagine how ridiculous this looks.
"This way." Jace dives behind a black SUV and pulls me to his chest.
"Shhh," he hisses into my ear. Mrs. Alfred storms past us. I press further into Jace, he gets the message, folding his arms around me.
"I swear, Bryer, next time I'll get you." Mrs. Alfred blessedly makes her way back to her gullible round husband.
I'm experiencing mixed emotions with Mrs. Alfred. Of course I'm glad that she stopped me from kissing Jace, I'm not as single as I'd like to be. But I also wonder how things would have gone if Jace and I were not interrupted.
Would it actually be a mistake?
"What are you thinking about?" Jace lets me go.
"Nothing." I hand him his shirt.
"This." He molds his face into a troubled expression, "does not usually mean nothing." Jace puts his shirt on.
"I was just thinking about what happened back at the pool." Jace, enticed, grins. "And how it can't happen."
He pouts, "Why is that?" He steps closer. Inches stand between us. He smells like pool water even though the air has dried his skin.
"You know why Jace." I say firmly.
"Right." Jace sighs, taking a reluctant step back. "I forgot about your obligations."
"My relationship." I correct him.
"It's not a real relationship if you're not happy." He smirks.
"Whatever. Where's your car anyways?" I glance around taking in the unfamiliar scenery.
"By the Fro-yo Place, where we parked it."
"It's this way I think." I lead the way, and begin to walk.
"We're lost." Jace throws his hands up after about twenty minutes of continuous wandering. "Admit it captain Wynter, you have absolutely no idea where we are."
"We're not lost. We're just. . .taking the scenic route." I retort defensively.
We are so lost.
"You're so adorable." Jace comments.
I twirl around and glare at him, "You just want that kiss,"
"It's not my fault. You were, like, all over me." He laughs.
"I was not!" I slap my hands on my hips, my body feels as if it just spontaneously combusted, which is frightening. Teenage girls are not normally prone to spontaneous combustion.
"You kind of were." He winks. He's close again.
"Well, I mean, was it even a problem, cause it didn't seem to bother you that much." I ask softly.
It is his turn to blush profusely. Despite my flirtatious remark, Jace recovers quickly with dauntless smirk, "I won't lie, Wyn, I actually enjoyed it."
It marvels me how the aura that encloses Jace and I can change so quickly. I bite my lip and push up on my toes. The soft fabric of his shirt crinkles beneath my fingers.
I forget about Hudson and Keegan, my friends and my parents. It's just me and Jace and the moment we are living.
Jace's gray eyes drop to my lips, and this time he doesn't hesitate. His lips take mine. I want to be closer to him despite the fact that that is literally impossible.
Jace must feel the intense desire radiating from my actions, he smirks against my lips. Yet a similar feeling draws him in too. His cold hands slip under my shirt and press against my hip bones hauling me body towards his. I glide my fingers through his impossibly fluid like dark brown hair and leave my hand resting at the nape of his neck.
When it becomes painfully apparent that neither of us are willing to cut up for air, I pull away. We both gasp for air and it seems almost as if my lips are bare without touch of his. So I kiss him again although that isn't exactly doing my lungs any good.
After a while even Jace-driven lust cannot override slumber. Our fleeting make out session streams down to delicate kisses, and then it is just Jace's forehead to mine, our lips dare to brush against each other. I fall down to my original position: heels to the ground. I press the top of my head to his chest and stare at our shoes.
"The sun is out." I look up at the sky, a dull blue paints the sky. "We're going to be late for school."
"We should probably take Addison all the way to Main street." His hand methodically smoothes through my wavy golden brown hair.
I frown, though he can't see, "You knew how to get back this entire time?" I ask in disbelief.
He shrugs a sweet boyish smile on his lips. I slap his chest then start down Addison Lane.
YOU ARE READING
The World Beyond Us
Teen Fiction"If you and I could get into that car and drive away and never look back, would you?" When Wynter unexpectedly finds herself in a thrilling relationship with Jace, it's begins to become increasingly hard for her to decipher between good and bad, rig...
