Where I Found You

Chapter 23 - Jack now.

Chapter 23 - Jack now.

When we get back to our road, and after I walk Alyssa up to her door, and she says good bye to me with a cute smile on her face, and after I get back inside my house, I go and sit down on the chair with my head in my hands because I've made myself look so stupid.

Alyssa looked fucking scared when I was going to kiss her. But God, I couldn't draw myself back. She's just so beautiful. I can't even think about her without aching inside. I actually think I'm obsessed.

"Hey."

I look up to see Ella at the door, her light brown hair tied up in a braid, and she's cringing - probably from looking at my pained face. "Looks like something went wrong." She bites her lip, going and opening the fridge as if it's her house. I'm presuming that Stella is upstairs.

"Shut up," I growl, not in the mood to talk to anyone. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal out of it because Alyssa didn't go mad. She didn't get upset. She was even smiling.

Gosh, she seemed happy, even. I really should be quiet.

Ella scowls at me, placing a hand on her hip. "Whatever," she snaps back.

That's when Stella appears in the doorway. She looks around the kitchen to check if anyone is there - probably Alyssa - before looking back at me.

"Where is she?"

"At home," I tell her. "Don't start asking me questions..." I sigh and walk over to the cupboard, getting out a glass and then filling it up with water.

"He's annoyed," Ella sings. "Maybe his date didn't go so well. Was she not everything you thought she was?"

Stella frowns. "What happened?"

I sigh and despite my previous comment, I answer her. "Tried to kiss her and then we got interrupted and I feel like an idiot."

"Wit-woo," Ella calls out, giggling. "Sounds like sexual tension."

"You're twelve. How do you know about this stuff?" I demand, scratching my head at the uncomfortableness of it all. I stand up, ready to walk upstairs.

"Uh, TV? Magazines?" Ella raises her eyebrows.

"And the girls in our school," Stella adds.

-

The next morning I'm at work until lunchtime. I manage to fix five cars, ignoring Keith, and Luke, the utter bastard. Luke was the shit that I found with Melanie, when I'd gone round to her house and her door had been open because I was gonna come round and spend the day with her.

It gets to me so much because I thought that to Melanie, I was different than all the other guys she had ever used or messed around with. I never even thought of it like that - like she was messing around with me. I don't know what I thought. I just thought it wasn't as negative-sounding as that.

Plus, Luke was one of my good friends around here. I guess we're on the same level though now, and neither of us can really bring it up and challenge the other because Ash can't know that we've been fucking his step-sister.

So I ignore him all morning and listen to the stupid radio. Thankfully Ash isn't working this morning. I imagine that he's preparing his house for the party later on tonight, and thinking about the party makes me think of Alyssa.

I don't know what the woman is doing to me. Every time I look at her I feel myself getting turned on, but it's more than that. It's more than lust; it's like I want to know her inside out. I want to protect her. I want her to be mine. I want to belong to her.