Locked Out of Spring Break (REWRITING)

Chapter 23: High Hopes

"I love you too," Rico says to his parents, hanging up.

Jake wraps his arm around me and asks, "So, what did they say?"

"They just told me that they've missed the sound of my voice and found it odd that I only responded to them through text messages over these few days." He adds, "And they'll be home tomorrow."

Jake snorts, "Luciana is one smart person."

"She is," I remark, "My parents probably thought I was just being distant." I add, "I do tend to be to myself a lot." Rico was, after all, an introvert.

"Oh, really? Explain."

"Really," I respond, trailing off, "I prefer to be by myself sometimes, because being around others – especially big crowds – too much makes me anxious. But, people misunderstand all of the time and think that I don't want to be around them...." Jake caresses my face and bottom lip, taking me off guard. I paused for a second and continued explaining, "So, if I ever tell you I want to be alone, please don't take it to heart. Sometimes, I just need time to ponder things – sometimes, just life in general to get myself back in my regular pace—" Jake inserts his finger in my mouth. I eye him in confusion. "What are you doing?" I ask, with his finger still in my mouth.

"Just missed the feeling of your mouth."

I instantly get pissed. "You weren't even listening to me, were you?"

"I was," he protests, thrusting his finger in and out of my mouth, "I was listening, while admiring your lips."

"How can you listen to me when my speech is muffled by the intrusion of your finger?"

He removes his finger, "Sorry, cutie. I couldn't resist."

I laugh, "Whatever." While I chuckled, a thought came to me: Since when did I start using vocabulary up Jake's alley so... naturally? Luciana telling me that I'm sounding more and more like Jake came to mind and I couldn't stop the heat building up around my neck and face. All of the instances of me using words unfamiliar to me before I got involved with Jake hit me like a penny falling from a skyscraper. I punch Jake's arm, without thinking.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Nothing," I reply.

"Then why do it, asshole?" he grumbles, punching my arm back.

A mischievous thought came to mind. I smacked his arm. "Because I can."

Jake slapped my arm hard. "Well, two can play at that game."

"Ouch!" I cringed. "You fucking asshole! I was playing with you, but now you're going to pay!" I pounced on top of him, holding his arms down tightly.

~*~

I smirked up at Rico, since I could easily overpower him and win dominance right now. Being the nice boyfriend I am, I'll let him have this moment. But, only for a short time.

"What are you going to do now, bastard?" Rico challenged in my face, with his breath tickling my nose. "Can't hit me when you're down like this, can you?"

I tried reversing our positions, but Rico wasn't letting up. I looked up at him surprise. "Since when did my baby get so strong?"

"Don't patronize me," he growls, tightening his grip around my wrists.

An idea came to mind. Rico wants to see who's more dominant in this relationship? I'll show him. I positioned my legs and thrust my hips upward, making him bounce on top of me. He looks taken aback for a moment, but doesn't release my wrists from his hold. "You know, baby," I suggest, "This would be a hot position."