⌗ 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

13

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: i am happy to tell you all that i was able to lay out what i am going to do for the next ten or so chapters, this just means that everyone reading this will not have to wait so long for updates as you have been or that's at least what i am hoping for! 💗

i appreciate all of your patience.

📼 °｡⋆⸜ 🎥

jacob and y/n had been spending so much time together lately that he had practically become her closest companion. his proximity made him far more accessible than nina, and y/n found comfort in his quiet but steady presence. whether it was dinners at his place, chats on the porch, or quick texts throughout the day, jacob had become a constant in her life. today, however, she wasn't expecting to see him at all—let alone here. y/n lingered in the electronics section of a retail store, idly browsing. she wasn't looking for anything in particular, just killing time and letting her mind wander. she flipped a box of headphones over, scanning the specifications without much interest when a deep, gruff voice suddenly broke her concentration.

"what are you lookin' for?" the sound startled her so badly that she jumped, whipping around to find none other than jacob standing behind her. he must have noticed the expression on her face because his own softened immediately. "sorry 'bout that, y/n..." he said.

y/n placed a hand over her chest, exhaling a laugh as she calmed down. "it's okay..." her eyes dropped to his outfit, noting the uniform he was wearing—a cyan button-up shirt with the top button undone, exposing just enough of his chest to seem casual rather than sloppy. but it also exposed some of his blond chest hair in the process. y/n blinked rapidly when she realized this and tried to move on, and quickly since she didn't want to dwell on that or let on that she had noticed his chest hair. not like she it though. that's when her gaze trailed to the small name tag pinned to his shirt. "o-oh, i didn't know you worked here..." she confessed, changing the topic.

"surprise." he deadpanned, his tone dry but his lips twitching into the faintest of smiles. "what are you lookin' for?" he asked again, this time more casually as if to ease the tension he'd caused.

y/n shrugged, holding up the box in her hand before placing it back on the shelf. "nothing, really. just browsing."

"oh, okay." jacob nodded, but instead of leaving her for her shopping, he lingered. silence settled between them as jacob pretended to busy himself with work. he stepped to the shelf beside y/n, carefully rearranging small boxes of electronics. it was clear the items didn't need reordering, but he moved them around anyway, his focus split between the task and her presence. he wasn't subtle, but y/n didn't seem to mind. as he worked, the scent of her drifted toward him. clean, fresh, and subtly sweet, like an ocean breeze on a warm summer's day. it was the kind of scent that lingered long after someone walked away, and jacob found himself hoping she wouldn't leave just yet.

when he finished his pointless task, jacob straightened up, stepping back with an awkward but toothy grin. y/n gave him a small, curious smile in return. she was about to say something when a low, irritated voice cut through the moment like a knife: "tch, weirdo."

both jacob and y/n turned their heads in unison, their attention snapping to the owner of the voice. standing just a few feet away, leaning against a display of phone cases, was none other than austin. the sight of him immediately sent a chill down y/n's spine. he was dressed casually, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at jacob with thinly veiled disdain. his lips curled into a smirk when he caught y/n's wide-eyed gaze. jacob's entire demeanor shifted. his usually relaxed posture straightened, his jaw tightening as he locked eyes with austin.