Once Upon A Bet

/44/ Slow burn

WARNING: the chapter contains a mature scene, read at your own risk

Dedicated to ssk2012 , thanks for the support <333

Now that I was slowly allowing myself to be more carefree and stuff, I realized we always did what I demanded, whether it was the keyboard or him babysitting my horrible drunk nights. We never once did something he wanted to do, and considering we were kinda mending our stormy relationship, it was only fair we both had equal importance in it.

I also couldn't stop thinking about the whole 'upper hand' thing he claimed I owned in the past. Could it be? That I was so focused on my problems I neglected to take care of his necessities? Well, I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, so when he said to hang out today I accepted to do whatever he wanted.

His shock proved me right in who take the choices. Was I really that self-centered? So much that the fact that he was the one making the plans today actually took him aback? I must have been awful to deal with.

Actually, I still didn't know how did he, but I was forcing myself to allow trust and... and love to be a part of my life again. Somehow. For the moment. Because soon he'd be leaving for Europe and all this would stop once more.

Now I was sitting on the wobbling surfing table as it floated on the surface. We were on a part of the beach that was more private than the main one -or so he'd said. Not too shallow nor too deep, and the waves soft. The cold water was well received at first against this suffocating heat we'd been suffering the past week, but now I just wanted to go and lay in the sun. Even with the neoprene I'd been wearing and the warmth of the constant exercise, the cold water in Maine was verging the unpleasant line.

"Are you giving up yet?" I looked down from the waved to Jake. He had one arm across the front of the surf table and his body in the water. He was going all teacher with me, and I couldn't tell if it was rather hot or annoying. Jake brushed his drenched hair backwards and I got to tighten my grip on the sides of the table not to run my fingers through it.

"I don't want to fall again." each time I tried to reproduce in real life what he so effortlessly instructed me I'd ended losing my foot the moment I entered the wave and got wiped out the table.

Jake smiled. "Come on, they're weak waves, they barely push you. I've seen twelve year olds standing through that."

Oh, really? I narrowed my eyes, covering my shame in indignation at his light taut. "Why don't you go teach them, then?"

"Because I'm teaching you."

"Oh, aren't you sweet?"

Jake smirked, amused at my frown. "Thank you, princess. I try my best."

I shook my head, hiding the blush his words awake glancing back at the ocean spreading before us. It was a beautiful sight, and it was no secret I love the sea and diving in, but the coming waves now were under a whole different context. I was supposed to ride those waves. As if it was something so easy. And this were the easy ones, like he'd said.

"Come on." I held tighter on the table when it suddenly dipped as Jake hoped himself on it, letting his knee slid to the other side and sat behind me. Now with his weight the back of the surf table, making it incline and I skidded pressing against him with a gasp, immediately pushing my palms against the front of the table to stabilize it. "Nice reflexes."