My Way Swoon

✨Chapter Eight✨

I woke up in Jake's bed still. I was half hoping he'd be in it curled up around me. I lifted up quietly, trying to see if he was on the window seat still. He wasn't. I took the opportunity to look around his room.

I glanced around at all the little pops of Jake blooming through the ordinariness. He wrote his name on the back of all of his vinyl. He had guitar picks here and there all over the place, on a bookshelf, his nightstand, his dresser.

On his nightstand were a pair of sunglasses, folded neatly on top of a pamphlet that I couldn't really read that well. There were a couple of books stacked on top of each other. Some of his necklaces were in a little pottery dish. It took me a second to realize but it was one that I had made in high school. I had forgotten that I even gave it to him. That caught me off guard, but what was even more alarming was the little framed picture right in the center of the nightstand.

I could remember when the picture was taken. Sammy had just gotten his license and he was supposed to pick me up to take me to see a movie. He had caught a nasty cold though so he sent the twins to take me instead. I remember being excited about the movie but sort of upset Sammy couldn't make it. Josh suggested going into the photo booth to cheer me up.

It worked. In most of the pictures Josh was making goofy faces. I was laughing and Jake was doing his own thing. I couldn't remember where my portion of the strip was. Probably in my little shoebox of high school memories. I knew Jake kept one, I kept one and Josh kept the other two. It was weird to see this one. I was always so used to seeing just mine. I could remember it perfectly. Josh had his tongue sticking out and wild eyes. My face was turned up in a laugh. Jake looked like he was smiling, but really he was laughing at Josh too.

Jake's picture was different though. Josh was making another funny face, this time a crazy, almost evil smile plastered across his face. I was still laughing. Jake's head was turned just enough to make it clear he was looking at me. He had a subtle grin on his face.

I picked up the picture, accidentally sending one of the guitar picks that was freckling his nightstand to the floor. I studied the picture, making sure I wasn't fooling myself. I wasn't. He was right there, staring at me, smiling at me. I set it back down where it had been.

I hurried down into the kitchen and looked around for Sammy or Josh. Neither one of them were up yet.

I thought about just up and leaving and then it occurred to me that my keys were still on Jake's nightstand.

I tiptoed up the stairs and tried to open his door discreetly. It didn't work. I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. It made a loud creaking noise. Jake was standing up, buttoning his jeans. He wasn't wearing a shirt. He jumped when I opened the door, letting out a startled yelp. I turned around immediately.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"You scared the shit out of me!"

"I didn't mean to."

"You can turn around Lena, you've seen me shirtless before."

I turned around to face him. I hadn't actually seen him shirtless in years. He was different but not in a bad way. He was looking through a drawer for a shirt to wear.

"I'm sorry," I said to him.

"It's okay. Where did you go?"

"I was just on my way out. Do you know where Josh went?"

"I think he probably went to get some coffee and breakfast."

"Oh. What about Sammy?"

"Anybody but me, huh?"