Till The End

Chapter 6.

Jake

"So, did the plan work?" Dylan asks as we get in the car. We just visited my mother, and now I am heading to work. Dylan is coming with me, as apparently he has nothing better to do than be a pain in my ass. Sometimes he just comes to hang out at the restaurant. Pop lives a few houses from us, and he has known us forever, so he doesn't mind. He actually likes Dylan's company but will never admit it.

"What plan?"

"Lucy... Fucking Elly out of your huge empty head..."

Shit. Lucy. I totally forgot about her. I should probably text her to apologize for last night and let her know this thing we have been doing won't happen again.

"Well... no,"

"See? I told you it would work better with the twins."

"You are sick!"

"It's not like you've never done it."

It's true, I did, but I do not answer this. "It did not work because I didn't go, dumbass." I say instead. "I was on my way there when Aelia called me. That scumbag kicked her out. I went to pick her up, we kissed, and I'm taking her on a date later today. I'm not going to the party with you, by the way."

"Wait, what? What the hell? Why am I only hearing about this now?" As always, Dylan is overreacting. Dramatic is his middle name.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" he asks after thinking for a while.

"What?"

"The whole Elly thing..."

"Why? Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"Well, for a start, it's Elly, and you are Jake, Mr. 'I don't do relationships and emotions.' I don't think she is into the "casual deals' you usually do. Plus, she is your sister's best friend and basically lives with you, considering how much time she spends there. If you hurt her, Austin and Mia will kill you. Hell, I will kill you myself!"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it? You literally turned down a booty call to kiss her last night!"

"I did not turn down a booty call to kiss her, asshole. She needed help! And it's not about sex. Well, she is gorgeous, perfect from head to toe, but she is also kind, intelligent, strong, and so much more. I- I like her. I think."

The restaurant is not open yet; we are still cleaning up and setting everything up. Dylan is wiping down the tables while I mop, answering the thousands of questions he is throwing at me. When he goes suddenly quiet, I turn around to look at him. How did I not see this before?

"Is that why you always hang out here? To eye-fuck the guys training across the street?" I say, throwing a pen at him and hitting the side of his head.

"I am not eye-fucking them. I'm just looking. Dare to tell me that if they were women, you wouldn't look."

"Stop drooling and get back to work," I say as I continue mopping the floor.

"I don't work here!"

As soon as I finish my shift, I run to Pop's private bathroom. He lets me use it when I need to. I need to shower. I cannot go on my first date with Aelia smelling like cooking oil and onions. As I drive to the fountain, I can't stop thinking about Dylan's words. 'Do you think it's a good idea? If you hurt her... ' For a moment, I ask myself whether it's a mistake. What will happen if it does not work? But all these thoughts vanish as soon as I spot her sitting on a bench near the fountain. She is so beautiful in that little black sundress and with her curls tied up in a ponytail. This is not a mistake. I want to be with her.