Always There - Part 2 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 219: A Perfect Pair

I don't know why it was always so nerve-wracking, just the idea of being around him. Maybe it was because I knew just how little he could do to send my mind into a whirlwind, how with just a smile or bat of his eyes I melted right into the ground.

As much as I tried to fight it, there was no denying how true it was, and maybe that's what truly scared me; that someone could have so much power over me, and all I was left to do was trust they wouldn't hurt me.

But maybe this time he wouldn't.
We could start over.
Maybe this time.. it could be different.

As I made my way across the yard, Jake was talking to one of the neighbors, his body strategically facing the backdoor, knowing him I'm sure, as to not miss when I finally arrived. When I got closer, he peeked around them, his eyes instantly lighting up, trying to contain his grin.
"Excuse me." He said, gently placing his hand on their shoulder, carefully moving them out of the way as he made his way over to me.

In that moment, the rest of the party disappeared around us as he reached his arms out, pulling me into a tight hug. I squeezed him tight, suddenly unbothered by the idea of anyone else seeing us like this. I had wanted to be held by him for months, and I was going to let myself enjoy these few minutes of innocent bliss. He smelt just like I remembered, making my heart beat faster at the many memories I attached to it, having me almost dizzy at the thought as I nuzzled my face into his chest.

I felt him sigh, his breath on my neck electrifying me in a way I hadn't felt since the last time we were together; so quick and lighthearted, without a care in the world assuming there would be so many more times after. And how badly I wanted to redo our last time, knowing how much more we deserved. The idea of us waiting now felt more and more difficult with every moment his hands were on me, knowing just how good he could make me feel, in every way.

And I felt like all I'd have to do was ask.

"You look beautiful." He whispered, finally backing away, but still keeping one hand on my waist, holding me close. I leaned in closer, wanting nothing more than to remain attached at the hip for as long as I could. He had only asked for a few minutes, but in this moment, I knew I would give him a lifetime.

"So do you." I said softly, smirking back up at him. His eyes lit up, a giddy grin spreading across his lips.
"Don't say anything you don't mean." He joked, but I knew what he was referring to.
"I won't." I said simply, reaching over, gently brushing my hand against his. He bit down on his lip, his eyes moving down to mine as I wondered if he was actually bold enough to kiss me right here.

As badly as I wanted him to, I wanted our "first kiss" to be special, just like us.

"You thirsty?" He asked. I nodded, leaning into him as he wrapped is arm around me, pulling me up against him. Reaching up, I took his hand, gently intertwining our fingers again. He leaned in close, whispering into my ear.
"So, we're just jumping right into this, huh?" He asked. I smirked back up at him, shaking my head.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said. He nodded, playfully rolling his eyes.
"Whatever you say.." He sighed, leading us over to the drink table. I stood back, watching as he grabbed a bottle of red, effortlessly popping off the cork and filling up a glass halfway, handing it over to me with a wink.

"You know I'll never forget now." He whispered. I took a big sip, now trying to hide my flustered grin. He then poured himself a glass, taking a sip all the while keeping his eyes on me, looking me up and down again. I always wondered what he was thinking about when he stared at me like that, hoping it was the same thing I thought when I looked at him.

His eyes moved back down to my lips, making it that much harder to keep my hands to myself.
"So.. you mentioned a gift?" I asked, taking another big sip, just wanting to ease the nerves that overcame me when he looked at me a little too long, allowing myself to be as brave with him as I truly wanted to. He nodded, giggling to himself.
"I did mention a gift." He said simply, subtly reaching over for my hand. "Are you saying.. you'd like your few minutes alone with me now?" My heart jumped as his fingers slowly intertwined their way into mine.
"Yes." I whispered, reaching up, grabbing onto his arm. "But.. maybe it can be a.. little more than a few minutes."

His smile grew as he took my hand, quickly leading me through the yard and back into their house. I grabbed onto his arm again, following him closely as he guided me through the kitchen and up the stairs to his bedroom where my body felt hot at the sound of his door locking behind us.

Looking around, I finally saw a tiny gift bag sitting on his perfectly made bed. I couldn't remember a single time Jake had ever made his bed, leading me to believe that he knew at some point we would both find our way back up here.

And I didn't mind it, knowing that was my intention too.

"Is that it?" I asked, going over and sitting down on the edge of it. He followed, sitting down across from me, grabbing the gift bag and placing it on my lap.
"It might be." He laughed. I pretended to shake it, listening closely.
"Feels pretty light, I thought you said it was a big gift?" He flashed me a toothy grin, shaking his head.
"First of all, I never said that, Jaime. Secondly, how about you just open it before you break it." I sighed, playfully rolling my eyes as I pulled out the pink tissue paper, one by one until finally I saw a small box at the bottom of the bag.

"Jake, w-what's this?" I asked, pulling it out, setting it down in my lap.
"Well, how about you open it and find out." He said sweetly, taking it and placing it back into my hands. I hesitated for a moment, now having a feeling that whatever was in this box was going to make it impossible to resist him now, but if that was the case, I told myself that I was allowed to do whatever I wanted.

I was a single woman now, right? And if I wanted to be with the one that I loved, why couldn't I be?

I took a deep breath before carefully lifting the top off to now see a rectangular, blue velvet box. Peeking back up at him, he motioned back down to it with a smile. And then as I opened it, it felt like my heart had skipped a beat. I carefully lifted out the beautiful gold chain that held a singular diamond.

"Jake.."
"Now.. I got you this because.. despite everything, no matter what you might think, you are more than capable to doing this on your own. You don't need anybody, Jaime. You never had, and no matter where this journey takes you, you're gonna be okay." He then reached over, taking the necklace from my hand, and unclasped it.
"But.. if you ever find yourself lost or scared or.. feel alone, just know that.. I will always be there for you, no matter how you want me. You'll always have me." And then he slid another diamond onto the chain, allowing it to hang perfectly next to the other one.

He always knew exactly how to leave me speechless.

I turned around, lifting my hair up.
"Can you help me put it on?" I asked. He then reached around me, my body jumping at the feeling of the cold diamonds and gold against my skin, clasping it tight.

When I turned back to face him, he was already staring back at me with dazed eyes, his wine stained lips curled into a gentle smile as stare slowly moved down to mine.
"Thank you." I whispered, leaning in closer. His smile grew as he reached up, gently caressing my face.
"You're welcome." He said. "You deserve it."

We both sat in silence for a moment, assessing the situation, wondering just what would be too far, knowing that just twenty-four hours ago, I was engaged, and despite how I felt about Jake now, I didn't want to jump right into something just for the sake of it. If we were going to do this, I wanted to do this right.

But this deserves so much more than just a 'thank you.'

I leaned in, gently kissing his cheek before taking his hand and helping him up from the bed.
"We should get back to the party." I said. "They're probably looking for us." He nodded, giggling to himself as he followed close, wrapping his arm around me.

"Well, I can guarantee that someone is definitely looking for you."