Love After You

Chapter 25

"You ready to go?" Jake asked, his fingers grazing her hip as he squeezed past Jessica. She held her breath for a moment, wondering if he was going to sweep her into another make out session, or push her back on to the bed to do other things to her, but he didn't. He instead headed towards the bathroom, making sure they hadn't forgotten anything. She exhaled, a little disappointed. Her body ached from all the sex they was having. She wasn't used to it. But if he asked for round... Whatever it was now, she definitely wouldn't say no.

Jessica's body was now on high alert. Her body yearning and craving him already, even though they had only got out of bed less than ten minutes ago to start packing. She was a regretful to leave this B&B. This small, quaint cottage style lodgings held many happy memories for her. All of them including Jake. A spark of guilt caught in her stomach when she remembered why they came here to begin with. 

Pushing the guilt away, Jess shifted some things around in her bag, packing the last of her clothes inside. "Yep, all ready." She confirmed, and he came up behind her suddenly, wrapping his arms tight around her waist from the back.

Jess shivered when he nuzzled into her neck, his stubble tickling her skin there. She didn't think she would ever get enough of this. She wanted to freeze time and live in this moment forever, trapped in this perfect hazy bubble with Jake.

"You smell so good." He mumbled, his lips vibrating against her skin.

"What of sweat and sex?" She laughed, leaning back into him.

He hummed, kissing her softly in the crook of her neck. "Yeah, that's it. It's my new favourite scent." He mumbled lazily, taking a long deep sniff that tickled her.

Jess laughed, spinning in his arms to capture his lips with hers. And she began to melt back into him, her body pressing against his like they were made for each other.

After the fishing trip yesterday, they came back to the B&B and locked themselves in their room for the remainder of the day.

Jess thought that it was so nice to talk to someone so openly without worrying about being judged. She told Jake everything he wanted to know—and things he didn't ask about either. Her first pet's name, which was Chuckles the hamster, famous for his chubby cheeks.

She told him the name of the last book she read, "The fault in our stars" by John Green, and why it made her cry on and off for three days. Because it reminded her how devastating life and love was. She related to Hazel Grace so much, not because of her illness, but because she too had lost someone she wasn't prepared to let go of.

She told him that she wished she had met her father and that she was jealous of the other kids growing up who got to feel their father's love when she had never known what it felt like. Not having a male figure like that in her life left a huge void.

He talked about his life growing up and his parents, who were too consumed with drugs and partying to notice that their own son was starving. Kids would call him "Sticks" when he was younger. Because he was so thin and skinny, you could see his bones very clearly. A kid remarked that he looked like sticks on a tree, and that was it; the name stuck.

He told her about how meeting Adam changed his life forever. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere and that he was loved. And Adam stood by him, told the bullies to back off, and helped him grow thicker skin. In their teen years, they started working out together, and he vowed he would never be called Sticks again.

In between talking, they did other things. Like touching, kissing, and making each other feel good in ways no other person could, until the early hours of the morning.