⌗ 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

6

jacob couldn't believe that he actually convinced y/n to stay the night. he felt so giddy, like a kid in a candy store but he also acknowledged that he needed to keep his cool or else he'd blow his chances with y/n, though there wasn't much to begin with, much to his dismay but that's also why he's become more blunt with his actions, like him being able to take photos of her in the park today. but it's clear that has been overshadowed by austin and the whole mall fiasco. looks like he'll just have to make tonight extra special to cancel it out, if not come out on top.

the blond was currently hiding in his kitchen, as he needed a few moments to himself to collect his thoughts.

soon though, jacob rummaged through his front pocket and pulled out the crumpled napkin with austin's number scrawled on it. with a look of disdain, he threw it into the trash, letting out a sigh of relief. that was one less reminder of the creep. jacob felt a rush of satisfaction knowing that he had taken a step to protect his darling and just as he was about to return to the living room, he heard y/n's voice call out, "hey, jacob, what is this?"

his heart skipped a beat. walking quickly out of the kitchen, jacob peered over to the couch where he had left y/n. his breath caught in his throat as he saw her holding one of his scrapbooks in her hands. panic flickered in his eyes as he tried to keep his composure. "uh, that's just some old stuff," he said, trying to sound casual as he approached her.

y/n looked up at him, curiosity evident in her eyes. "mind if i take a look?"

jacob's mind raced. his scrapbook was one of his most treasured possessions, filled with pictures and mementos from his life and it just so happens that the one that he was working on— the one in y/n's hands— surrounded someone dead to him, but it wasn't like he could just reach over and tear the book out from her hands. he was utterly powerless right now. "i suppose not," he said, forcing a smile.

y/n opened the scrapbook and began flipping through the pages. jacob's heart pounded as she looked at the photos, all of them candid shots of what seemed to be a younger jacob from various points in his life. she paused at a picture of him laughing at a party with a group of boys, another of him sitting by a fountain at a park, and a dog sitting down in front of the camera. "these are really nice," she said softly, seemingly touched by the effort he had put into the collection. "so, what is this? were these all taken when you were in high school?" she asked.

"yup," he nodded. "this scrapbook is specifically dedicated to my high school years. i found a few old pictures in some box while i was cleanin' last week, figured i shouldn't let them go to waste, and decided today was a good time to organize things." he said, hoping y/n wouldn't think twice about it.

without another word, the h/ca-haired woman carefully set the scrapbook on the table in front of them, her fingers lingering on the cover for a moment before she picked up a polaroid photo that had been lying nearby. leaning back against the couch, she studied the image. it showed jacob, an older man who bore a striking resemblance to him, and a yellow dog in the middle. the canine looked familiar—she had seen it in another photo while flipping through the scrapbook.

"that's a picture of when my dad took us to louisiana one summer," jacob suddenly explained. "some of the best crawfish and gumbo you'll ever have is in louisiana. heh, i found that eating crawfish with your bare hands makes you feel like a raccoon. well, to me at least." he added, chuckling.

y/n glanced up at him, intrigued. "you never mentioned you had a dog."

"yeah, her name is lucy," jacob answered, smiling to himself. "my dad got me her as a birthday gift when i was a kid. she was the best dog. she loved swimming, which was perfect for our trip to louisiana. my dad took us to this little cabin by a lake. it was one of the few times we all went somewhere together. i miss her so much..." he finally finished, his smirk now gone.