Everlasting Love

everlasting love [5]

*Samantha's POV*

"Justin, where are we going?" I asked with a smile on my face in the front seat of the truck. He looked over at me, "You'll see, just be patient would ya?!" I looked out the window and it seemed like were heading into downtown. I had put my now partially red, sticky hair up into a ponytail and wanted to wash it out but JJ had told me I looked fine and smelt fruity. We pulled into the parking lot across the street from the ice arena, one of JJ's favorite spots. He stopped playing hockey when he was 13 but I knew he still would come around the rink when he felt like skating or needed some place to relax and escape everything else. "You do realize I am in a dress, correct?" I said to him with a smirk on my face. "Oh really? Didn't know that." He responded sarcastically, "besides, what do you think those figure skaters wear when they're skating?" He did have a point there.

We walked into the arena and it was one of my favorite smells, I would always come with Connie to all of JJ's games and would help cheer him on and would love to watch  him zipping around on the ice. He's always been so athletic and I've envied him for that. I've always wanted to play sports but at first I wasn't allowed so I wouldn't get hurt, then I didn't have any time because I was always studying and practicing for plays and then when I tried volleyball for the first time in seventh grade, I found out I wasn't all that coordinated. I am definitely an arts kid. We walked past the front desk and JJ's buddy Mike was sitting there. It was pretty empty for a Friday night, but it was pretty late and it looked like a lot of the practices had cleared up. JJ walked up to his buddy and gave him the man hung that guys do. I couldn't stop staring at JJ's shoulders. For some reason, tonight I was noticing JJ's body and muscles more than ever. Perhaps it was the suit that was emphasizing his new found muscles. "Hey man, do you think we could sneak onto one of the rinks and skate for a bit?" Mike leaned over and looked past JJ and over at me and raised his eyebrows. "Wow, Samantha? You look different, good different! Like really good different!" JJ smacked him in the back of the head, "Quit drooling for a second and get us onto the ice would you?" Mike walked over the the rental skates and plopped some on the counter for JJ, "What size Sam?" I looked up from my feet, "Uh, 7 please." Even though I've grown up in this town, I never really felt as though I belonged. I was shy, the only people who I could open up to and truly be myself around was the Watt family, everyone else are strangers.

JJ glided onto the ice, the lights were low and the ice was perfect. I slowly stepped on the ice, I think living in Wisconsin you have to be a natural at skating, but I still was pretty cautious. Not like JJ. "Oh, come on you baby! What are you scared you're going to fall and mess up your dress?" No matter how old we are, JJ and I bicker like we are 5 years old and with the both of us being so competitive, I knew I had to talk his cockiness down a peg or two. I rushed after him on the ice and skated as fast as I could in his direction. We both started to laugh and chased each other around like small children. At some point he was able to come up behind me and grab onto my waist which was a cheap move because he knows how ticklish I am. I screamed and went down onto the ice and since he was holding onto me, he went down too. Luckily he managed to move underneath me so he wouldn't be the one to fall on top of my petite frame.  The next thing I knew, I was laying there staring down into JJ's blue eyes with the both of us breathing heavy. For a second there he looked like he wanted to kiss me, but the next thing I knew, he managed to get out from underneath me and was skating away. I stayed there, laying on my back in the middle of the ice, wondering if I was ever going to be able what it would feel like to kiss him.

*JJ's POV*

I don't know why I didn't kiss her. She was right there, looking into my eyes, just begging for me to kiss her. I chickened out though. I don't know what it is about Samantha, she just seems so far out of my league and untouchable like something so valuable that shouldn't be touched. I looked back at her laying there on the ice and she looked defeated. Maybe she does feel the same way about me, I guess I just have to take the jump and find out for myself. "You coming?" I shouted over to her. She lifted her beautiful little head up and looked at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, she looked like an angel. "Uhh, I don't think I can get up in these things on this ice." She sounded like a little innocent girl, I chuckled and skated over to my damsel in distress. The only thing is, I know she is fully capable of taking care herself, it's just nice to be able to take care of her. I always have, ever since we were little. I held out my hand and she placed hers in mine, I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my arm and her hand fit perfectly. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."

We sat outside the arena with hot chocolate in our hands and an empty thing of french fries sitting next to us. We had been out there for a while now just talking, laughing and reminiscing about our childhood. At one point, Samantha looked up towards the sky and just let out a loud sigh, she was absolute perfection. That was it, I knew right then in there I had fallen for this girl and fallen for her hard. I couldn't stop staring at her and I think she could feel it because she looked over at me and was smiling. But when our eyes connected, she stopped smiling and her eyes grew bigger, as if she knew what I wanted to do to her. I reached out and cupped her small face in my hands, "I'm gonna kiss you now, okay?" I asked her and she just slightly shook her head up and down. I slowly moved in and felt her lips on mine. It felt perfect, it felt right. Her lips belong on mine and there was no going back now.

*Samantha's POV*

I couldn't believe this was happening, he just grabbed my face and kissed me. It was a sweet, soft kiss with love behind it not just lust. I had never been kissed before and I'm glad that it was with JJ, it felt so right, so perfect and I never wanted it to end. Except it did. He pulled away and stared into my eyes. I could see panic there for a second, but then there was relief. As if he was scared about how I would react and then when he saw and felt me kissing him back, it seemed as though he began breathing again. I started giggling, and then the giggles turned into laughter. JJ followed except he asked me what on earth I was laughing about. "Oh gosh, JJ...this has been the absolute craziest night of my life. How did I go from getting punched poured on my head at the dance to kissing you outside of the ice rink?" I looked over at him, "Well, is it a bad way to end the night?"

"No, it's great. It's just a whirlwind of emotions." JJ looked down at his watch. "Holy shit, it's almost 1 am already! Mom is gonna be pissed!" JJ grabbed my hand and we headed for the truck. We didn't talk much on the way home but I was just content with sitting there with him next to me being able to smell his cologne. I found myself breathing in deeper more often than normal to try and memorize that smell like it would be the last time I got to smell it. He pulled up to the compound that my grandfather called a home and parked the truck, I expected him to just say goodbye from his seat but he had gotten out of the truck and was walking me up to my front door. I couldn't stand this house, it was cold, just walls, my grandfather wouldn't be pissed that I came strolling in at 1 am, he would've never noticed unlike JJ's mom will probably give him an earful when he got home. "Well, I'm sorry this night wasn't really what you probably expected it to be." I put my hand on his arm and looked up at his face. "Don't worry, it was even better than I expected!"

"Promise?" he asked me.

"Pinky promise." I returned to him, holding out my pinky like when we were children. He locked his large pinky in mine and we both kissed the sides of our hands. He then leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight Samantha." He looked down at me and smiled. "Goodnight JJ." I opened my front door and stepped inside. Ready to take a shower and get in bed, my head was spinning after this night. Once I got inside, I peeked out the window and watched JJ jog over to the truck and hop in, then drive away.

I took a deep breath and smiled, I knew this could be the something of something magical, something real.