Keeping Secrets (Book I)✔️

Chapter Nine

Florence:

"Hey." I said, my voice shook a little. I pushed Skip gently off of me and sat up, crossing my legs. Skip sat beside me and I patted his head.

"Are you alright?" Jake bent down to my level now and I avoided eye contact with him. He looked at my face for a second and then furrowed his brows but didn't say anything else.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm just thinking you know?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Hey I know I probably shouldn't ask you this because it's none of my business or anything but have you been crying?"

"No." I lied. I knew my swollen eyes would give me away. He sat down beside me and looked at me with concern but I think he knew I didn't want to talk about it. For now, I was over it, I was all cried out. We both sat there and looked out onto the lake in comfortable silence. Jake began talking after a while, he and Skip really cheered me up.

"You want to go grab something to eat?" he asked. I looked at him for a moment, deciding whether to go or not. It had been some time since I binged out on twenty chicken nuggets, a cheeseburger and a large strawberry milkshake. I was getting a little hungry now.

"Sure." I smiled at him.

"Okay then, I just need to drop Skip home and then we can go." He said as we both got up.

"I drove here so where will I meet you when you're done?"

"Oh no it's fine. I'll drive, we can come pick your car up on the way home when we're finished if you like?" that did sound like a better idea.

"Yeah, alright let's go." I nodded and we began walking to Jake's car, Skip tagging along by my side. When we got in he decided he would rather sit on my lap, crushing me because he was so heavy. He just turned his head a few times to look at me, I couldn't help but laugh and Jake began to as well.

"He really likes you." He said when we were on his way to his house.

"You think?" I joked as I patted Skip on the head.

"I don't blame him, what's not to like about you." He said, causing me to look up at him. He was unaffected, looking straight at the road as he drove. I blushed slightly but he couldn't see me. We reached Jake's house soon enough and when Jake opened my door, Skip hopped out.

"You want to come in?" he asked me.

"Um, no it's fine really. I don't mind waiting here."

"C'mon. My mom doesn't bite. I swear." He winked and joked. I laughed at him and decided to go in.

"We won't be long anyway. I just need to drop Skip in." We walked up to his door and he turned the key in the lock, signalling for me to go first.

"Mom! I'm home." He called. As soon as we entered, the smell of cooking hit me. I followed him into the kitchen where we met his mother, standing at a stove stirring a pot and his dad sitting down at the counter. His mother was short with dark hair hanging down her back. Jake walked past her to let Skip out into the back garden and you could really see how tall he was now.

"And who's this?" His father asked and smiled at me. He was a tall man with green eyes and dark hair like Jake.

"This is Florence, I work for her dad down at the store." Put his arm around me and I welcomed his warmth. He smelled good.

"Oh hello, I didn't see you there!" his mom turned around and grinned at me.

"How are you dear?"

"I'm fine thank you." I smiled shyly at her.

"We were about to go out and get something to eat, I'll be back in a while."

"Oh a date is it? I hope he's treating you right dear." She finally said, causing my cheeks to burn and my face flush a dark red color.

"Mom!" Jake said in embarrassment.

"C'mon Florence, we should go." He guided me out the door.

"It was nice meeting you Florence." His mom and dad waved at me as we left the kitchen.

"Nice meeting you too." I called back, they were really so friendly but I was embarrassed now.

"I'm sorry about them." he laughed a little. "Anyways, let's get going." We were both not in the mood for anything fancy so we went this quiet diner in town. There weren't many people there so we didn't have to wait for a table. After we ordered our food and the waitress took the menu's from us, we began chatting.

"So where do you go to school then Florence?" he looked at me with his green eyes, they were warm and somehow inviting.

"Just to the high school down the road. And you?"

"Oh I don't go to high school anymore, thank god. I just did my first year at Farebrooke University." He smiled at me.

"But you still live around here?" I asked.

"Yeah, I tried living on campus but I'd rather get up the extra few minutes early and drive. I work here and I've always lived here so I don't want to leave just yet. I'm a bit of a home bird you know?"

"Yeah, I know." I smiled back at him. He had dimples on both cheeks that you could only see when he smiled, it was cute. Eric didn't have dimples, okay Florence shut up you are with Jake now. Not Eric. I thought to myself. We continued to talk over dinner, he was an English major and he really loved college. He wanted to travel too, and journalism was something that appealed to him so hopefully he would get a career in it in years to come. He had two older sisters who lived away from home and his family were very close.

Before we knew it, it was almost ten and was dark outside. We got the bill and Jake decided that he would not let me pay. After five minutes of arguing with him, he slapped the money down on the table and I was forced to reluctantly accepted that I would not be paying.

Jake dropped me to my car and told me he would text me to make sure I got home alright. We had exchanged numbers a few days ago when he dropped me home from my dad's store. I drove home and after telling my nosey dad that I was with Jake, I went upstairs to my room to get ready for bed. I got changed into a baggy t-shirt and shorts and then curled up under the covers in bed.

My phone buzzed on my bedside table and when I reached over and looked at it, it was a message from Jake.

Jake: Hope you got home okay, text me back so I know you weren't kidnapped or something:/:)

I laughed and replied that I really was fine, I got home a while ago and I really needed to get some sleep or I wouldn't be able to get up tomorrow for school. As I set my phone back down on the table beside me, I began to think about everything that happened today. Jake was a really nice guy and he got my mind off of a lot of things without me even having to tell him about Eric.As soon as his name entered my thoughts, I couldn't get it to leave. I fell asleep with his bright blue eyes in my mind.