Facade - Jacob Elordi

twenty-six

lmk if you're liking this book so far! feel free to vote and comment! i love reading them :) jacob and charlotte have a long journey ahead!
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Charlotte Hart

The sun beating down on my supple skin was the first thing I noticed as we stepped out of the townhouse. It melted away my paranoia of thinking that Frank or one of his disciples could be right around a corner trying to whisk me away from my non-existent normal life. Charlotte wasn't a big city, but we trudged a few blocks to a nearby park. It looked almost abandoned, but it was next to a huge lake. The water went on for miles. The length was so vast it nearly looked like an ocean. I could barely see the horizon with the city's buildings on the other side.

Jacob whipped out his cigarette pack and offered me one. I politely declined.

"Probably shouldn't," I said knowing I was slowly starting to depend on the nicotine to soothe my mind. I need to be in this moment without restraints. My brain is already fuzzy. I don't need anything to cloud it further.

"Suit yourself," He lit the one he was holding out to me and puffed the smoke into the air. Fall was coming soon. The days were getting cooler and the grass wasn't growing as fast anymore. The days weren't as long in theory, however with the current events, they lasted forever. I was not too fond of the cold but was excited to get this summer over. The start of Fall is great. The weather isn't as scorching and the trees turn into a beautiful variety of reds, yellows, and oranges. However, my mood gets as low as the dwindling temperatures. I couldn't help but wonder if my life would be normal by the next season.

"Pretty sure there's a no smoking sign," I pointed out as he shrugged.

"Nobody comes here," He said with the stick between his lips, confirming that it was abandoned. "When do I follow the rules anyway, saint."

He's right but I rolled my eyes anyway and looked out onto the water. The waves were rippling onto the bank, making a relaxing sloshing sound. I laid down on the bank next to the water to get comfortable while he stood by a tree. It was awkward after everything this morning. One moment we were at each other's throats and the next he was helping me out of one of the worst panic attacks I've had in years. The whiplash is exhausting. I have no idea where we stand at this point. I was happy with how last night went, but Wesley makes it seem like it meant nothing to Jacob— therefore shouldn't mean anything to me. His words scared me and made me wonder if the Jacob I know is completely different. Wesley tends to see the good in people, so why is he encouraging that I keep my distance from Jacob? Admittedly, there's a lot I don't know about Jacob. He won't budge.

Yet, here I am in an abandoned park with him. Great start, Charlotte.

"What are we doing?" I asked almost out of the blue after our silence.

"Sitting by the lake?" He answered as if it were obvious, but that's not what I meant.

"Your mixed signals are infuriating," I scoffed as I laid my head down on the grass. My back was flush with the soft grass. Some flowery weeds were encompassing my body. I used to pick the pretty purple and yellow flowers as a child and give them to my parents. It broke my heart to hear that they were weeds that people try to kill in their yards. Why kill something so beautiful?

"And what signals are you receiving?" Jacob asked and he was perched on the tree.

"I don't know... You embrace me, protect me, buy me everything, and, last night, sleep with me. You say things from time to time that indicate how you feel about me. Not to mention you coming on to me most of the time. Then I'm getting yelled at like a child, ignored, and thrown around like I'm just a side character in your life. This shouldn't be so confusing, but it is. Clearly, there's something here we both won't admit."